Chapter Five: Albert Really Never Left
1104 Words
Chapter Five: Albert Really Never Left
I stepped into the towering lobby of Kingsley Group with my head held high and my portfolio clutched firmly in one hand.
The sleek modern building radiated power and wealth from every polished surface. I had spent the morning preparing for this first planning meeting for the billionaire summit, reminding myself repeatedly that this was strictly business.
Lumina Events had secured the contract, and I would deliver excellence regardless of who sat at the head of the table. I would not allow Albert Kingsley to see any trace of the emotional turmoil he had stirred in the rain. Professional distance was my only shield today.
The executive conference room on the top floor hummed with quiet activity as executives and team members gathered around the long mahogany table.
I took my seat at the opposite end, keeping my expression composed and neutral. When Albert entered moments later, the air in the room shifted noticeably. He moved with commanding presence in a tailored dark suit, his gaze sweeping over the attendees before settling on me.
For a brief second, something intense flickered in his eyes, but he maintained perfect professionalism, addressing the group with clear directives and focused questions.
I contributed my ideas with precision, highlighting venue options, timelines, and luxury elements that would impress the elite guests. I avoided meeting his eyes, focusing instead on my notes and the presentations.
Yet I could feel his attention on me throughout the discussion. Several executives exchanged subtle glances and whispered comments when they thought I could not hear.
"The chairman personally insisted on Lumina Events for every detail," one of them murmured. "He reviewed multiple proposals but rejected them all until hers arrived."
I kept my posture straight, refusing to let the words unsettle me. Albert remained every bit the powerful billionaire in this setting, decisive and strategic.
He was nothing like the man who had stood in the rain begging for five minutes. This version of him reminded me why I had once fallen so deeply, yet also why I had walked away. I reminded myself that I could handle this.
The summit would elevate my company, and I would maintain the boundaries I had fought to establish. No matter how many times he inserted himself into my world, I would not yield.
In the private office adjacent to the conference room, I stood by the large windows overlooking the city skyline.
The meeting had proceeded smoothly, but my mind remained divided between the summit details and the deeper threats lurking beneath the surface. Marcus entered quietly, closing the door behind him with careful silence.
"Sir, we have located her," Marcus said in a low voice.
I dismissed the remaining staff with a curt nod and waited until the room cleared completely. I turned, my expression hardening. "Show me."
Marcus handed me a photograph.
I stared at the image, my jaw tightening as recognition settled over me like ice. After seven years, she had finally returned. The woman in the photo looked older, yet carried the same calculated smile that had once masked her true intentions.
I set the photo down with controlled force, my mind racing through the implications. This was no coincidence. Her return threatened everything I had begun rebuilding with Aurora.
I stepped out of the black SUV in the underground parking garage of a luxury hotel nearby.
I adjusted my oversized sunglasses and smoothed the front of my designer coat with deliberate elegance.
A satisfied smile curved my lips as I gazed up at the Kingsley Group tower visible in the distance. The city had changed in seven years, but some opportunities remained timeless.
"It is time to finish what I started seven years ago," I murmured to myself, my voice smooth and laced with long-held resentment. I pulled an old photograph from my bag, an image of Albert and Aurora captured in a moment of pure happiness during their time together. I studied it for a long moment before tucking it away.
I had burned similar letters and mementos over the years, but this one I kept as a reminder of my victory and the work still left unfinished.
Aurora should have stayed gone, I thought with cold determination.
The carefully orchestrated separation had worked perfectly once. Now, with Aurora back in Albert's orbit, I saw the perfect chance to ensure the past repeated itself.
I had my own reasons for wanting her out of the picture, reasons rooted in ambition, power, and a jealousy that had never faded. The game was far from over.
The planning meeting concluded with clear action items assigned to each team.
I gathered my materials and left the conference room with measured steps. Relief washed over me as I entered the elevator and descended toward the lobby.
The session had gone better than expected on a professional level, but the constant awareness of Albert had drained me more than I cared to admit. I stepped out into the expansive marble lobby, my heels clicking confidently against the floor.
One meeting down, I reminded myself. I could manage the rest with the same discipline.
As I crossed the open space toward the main exit, a woman emerged from a nearby elevator. My breath caught sharply in my throat. No. It could not be.
Seven years had changed the woman standing before me, but not the calculating smile that had once haunted my nightmares. The coffee cup slipped from my suddenly numb fingers and crashed onto the marble floor, sending dark liquid spreading across the polished surface.
The woman smiled with calculated warmth, stepping closer. "Hello, Aurora."
"You..." I whispered the name that had haunted the edges of my memories for years.
She tilted her head slightly, her expression one of feigned surprise and underlying triumph. "Seven years ago, I took your future. I wonder what you will lose this time."
At that exact moment, the executive elevator doors opened across the lobby. Albert stepped out, his gaze immediately locking onto the scene. His face drained of color as recognition hit him like a physical blow. "Victoria..."
She slowly turned toward him, her smile widening with dark satisfaction. "Hello, Albert."
The lobby seemed to freeze around the three of us as old wounds and hidden dangers collided in one devastating moment.
I stood paralyzed, staring at the woman who had played a central role in shattering my world seven years ago, while Albert's expression revealed a rare flash of genuine fear.
The past had not only returned. It had walked straight into our present with a smile that promised destruction.
- Writer
