Falling Again

Chapter1

Amelia Walker's office buzzed with the usual chaos of an impending event. Her team frenetically worked with last-minute preparations for an upcoming charity gala. A sleek, modern office with fabric swatches, floral arrangements, and meticulously organized files scattered all over it—the epicenter of this whirlwind was Amelia, expertly juggling phone calls, e-mails, and meetings.

Her assistant, Julia, knocked softly before entering. "Amelia, you need to see this," she said, holding out a file with a concerned look.

Hardly looking up from her desk, Amelia grumbled, "Not now, Julia. We're in the final stretch. Can't it wait?"

"It's important," Julia insisted, making it final with a tone brooking no contradiction as she put the file on Amelia's desk and stood back.

With a deep sigh, Amelia opened the file, her eyes scanning through all the information about the gala. It was to be one of those, once-in-a-year-type parties, a benevolent event that was sure to make a memorable statement on the social scene—she would give her reputation on it going well.

Her eyes traveled down the page until they landed on a familiar name on the list of sponsors: Ethan Pierce. Her heart nearly stopped, and a few memories that she had tried carefully to bury rushed back in a gush. Ethan Pierce—billionaire, tech mogul, and her college sweetheart—was the last person she would ever expect to find attached to this particular event.

A shiver ran down her spine as she recalled their past. Ethan had been everything to her—ambitious, charming, and deeply in love. Until he wasn't. Just like that, the i***t had taken off one day, flying halfway around the world, for some overseas career, and she'd been left heartbroken and disillusioned. Now, reading his name on the transcript, Amelia felt a pang of betrayal, as though the universe had conspired to track out her past and drag it back into her present.

Amelia's thoughts were interrupted by Julia's voice. "Are you okay? You look pale."

Amelia forced a smile. It didn't quite make it to her eyes, though. "I'm fine. Just a bit surprised. Ethan Pierce is a big name. I wasn't expecting this."

"I know. Me neither," Julia replied, still watching her carefully. "You want me to take care of it then, or you?"

Amelia's mind raced, and she breathed deeply. "No, I'll take care of it. He is the sponsor, after all. We will need to keep up decorum."

Julia nodded at this, getting a sense that this might be more than just plain business. "Okay. Just give me a call if you need anything, right?

As Julia left, Amelia stared down at Ethan's name, where she could vividly see, in all its technicolour glory, every single memory they had made. The laughter, the late-night talks, all the plans they had made it all seemed a million miles away to her now. Shaking her head, she tried concentrating on the task at hand.

That evening was professionally important to her. It was her chance to impress the thoroughfares of the city, further establishing her as one of the key event planners in New York. She mustn't allow herself any personal input either way. But the return of Ethan loomed over her with all-consuming trepidation. Consistently, he threatened to break through a control she had meticulously mastered over her emotions.

With firm resolution to put her personal feelings aside, Amelia began drawing out the plan of the Gala, down to the last detail. It wasn't working, though, since her mind's leading to Ethan. How did he end up in New York? Why did he agree to sponsor this gala? But most of all, how would she ever face him eye to eye, after all the pain he had caused?

The answers were still there, just out of his purview, but there was no denying one simple fact: Ethan's presence had just complicated everything.

The time was past sunset when Amelia found herself still working at her desk. Her mind flew back and forth between what she was doing and unnerving thoughts of Ethan Pierce. The office was silent now—everything it had been during the day: a buzz of frenetic energy, now replaced by what was somehow both a more pensive and contemplative atmosphere.

Amelia's head whirled with last-minute thoughts of the gala coming up as she scanned over them, but every time her eyes landed on the file containing Ethan's details of sponsorship, that knot began tightening in her stomach again. Why again has he come back? Is he having some hidden agenda? And what made him all of a sudden so interested in the event after all those years?

Her phone rang, almost interrupting the train of her thoughts, from an unknown number. She answered with a frown. "Hello, Amelia Walker?"

"Ms. Walker, this is Ethan Pierce," a deep, familiar voice answered, smooth and unmistakable. "There's an appointment set tomorrow, I believe, and I thought I'd introduce myself before that."

Butterflies ran amok in Amelia's stomach. "Mr. Pierce, I didn't think I'd hear from you. How may I help you?"

His voice was calm, self-assured. "I thought it might be best to clear the air before our meeting. I know our last encounter didn't end well, and I want to ensure we're on the same page. Can we discuss this briefly now?"

Her pulse quickened. "I suppose. What would you like to discuss?

"Well, there's quite a bit to catch up on," Ethan answered seriously, all of a sudden. "But for starters, I should make sure the impression is not wrong. I haven't really come back just for business. There are some things… personal of mine that I need to settle here."

Her curiosity was getting to her, but somehow Amelia managed to keep her voice level. "Personal, as in…?"

"Yes," Ethan answered. "And I think you deserve to get this face—to-face, not through a telephone. Let's just say it's deeper than my being a participant in this gala."

Amelia did not even get the opportunity to reply, as Ethan suddenly cut the line. Amelia looked at the phone, swaying with her thoughts of several questions. Why did Ethan suddenly break off the conversation? And what does he mean by "personal matters"? The uncertainty of his words left her uneasy, one that had provoked her interest even more in discovering the truth.

One end of the sky was slowly being put over the edge by night, and Amelia felt like taking a short break to refresh her mind. Though she stepped out of the office and into the cool night air, in her mind, thoughts were racing. Far below, the lights of the cubic kilometer city sparkled, and for a fleeting moment, she allowed herself to be lost in the view. The short peace was lost, for immediately a gust whipped down the street, a reminder that two storms were brewing—one personal and one professional.

Back inside her office, she resumed activity as usual. Another prompt came via another notification from her phone. The familiar stranger: An email from someone she doesn't know, subject: Important Information Regarding Ethan Pierce.

She clicked the email open, her hands shaking slightly. It was from an unknown sender. It read, in a few short lines, "Amelia, I have information that might change everything you think you know about Ethan. Meet me at the café on 5th and Main at 10 PM tonight. Trust me, you need to hear this.

The sender had been unsigned, and only from reading those few lines, Amelia's pulse rose with fear, together with a sense of delicious curiosity. Who could that be, and what did it mean that he knew of Ethan? And why the pressure to meet her so urgently themselves.

She looked at her clock: 8 pm. The café was only a short drive away, yet somehow she felt the weight of the day press down on her even harder.

Amelia took a deep breath and decided it was about time she learned what the heck was going on. If Ethan's involvement in the gala was more than professional, she needed the full story before their meeting tomorrow.

Then the thought struck her suddenly as she was getting ready to leave — what was this mysterious email for if it was a trap, or even worse, what if she was being sucked into some terrible, manipulative scheme? She shivered a bit and rubbed her forearms, but let it drop; the need to know what was too strong.

Amelia took her coat from the back of the chair and walked out of the pub, night hanging heavy with uncertainty over her. Little did she know, the answers she would find were doors to revelations that might change everything she thought she knew about Ethan Pierce and herself.