Episode4
1209 Words
Emma's pov
"I'm back in this hellhole," I frowned.
I ran my eyes over the hotel room as my assistant was speaking to the receptionist.
I didn’t know why, but my stomach kept twisting inside when I stepped foot into this place.
The city’s familiar buzz sent a chill down my spine. Everything about New York reminded me of the life I’d tried so hard to leave behind.
I closed my eyes and exhaled. This was not the moment to start taking a walk down memory lane.
Two years felt like a lifetime, but the memories were still fresh, lingering like a shadow I couldn’t shake.
I started to feel a lump in my throat, so I swallowed hard to ease the burden welling up in my chest.
""You’re stronger now, Emma. You’re here for business,"" I muttered under my breath.
"You are not the weak, pathetic woman you were."
I jolted in shock when I heard my phone ringing in my bag.
When I saw it was my mom, my heart dropped. It had been so long since we spoke to each other.
After the separation from Lucas, my dad practically disowned me for breaking off his business arrangement.
With him, everything was business without a single care for how I felt.
No wonder he shipped me off to Lucas without a single thought; as long as it was going to get him a profit, my dad could do anything.
I was surprised he didn't sell my mom off to some of his business partners.
"Hey, Mom," I said, trying to force a smile.
"Mia told me that you were coming to New York?"
I clenched my jaw, narrowing my dreadful stare at Mia, who was still chatting with the receptionist.
"This little betrayal," I remarked under my breath.
This was supposed to be a business visit, and I didn’t want people to know I was there. Especially Lucas or my Dad.
"Yeah, I have to meet up with a client," I mumbled.
""Sweetie, please do not blame Mia. I was really worried about you, so I had to press her for information since you barely talked to me about your life.""
I shook my head and pressed the space between my brows.
I suddenly felt bad for shutting my mom out for so long.
I just couldn’t help it.
"It's fine, Mom," I forced a smile.
At least she cared about what was going on in my life, unlike my dad.
"Honey, why don't you come home for dinner before you leave?"
I had a feeling she was going to say that, but I knew it wasn’t possible.
"Mom, you know I can't," I replied softly.
I heard the phone go silent, and it made me sad.
I didn’t want to even imagine my mom's facial expression.
"Don't, Mom. I'll see you before I leave, but you know I can't come over to the house because of Dad,"" I explained.
"Honey, it's been two years," my mom cried.
"Yeah, and he still hates me." I ran a hand over my hair in frustration.
"Mom, I'll speak to you later."
After hearing those words, my mom ended the call.
I just hoped she wasn’t pissed off, but she, more than anyone, should be able to understand my predicament.
“Miss,” Mia’s voice pulled me back to the present.
She approached with the room key in hand, her expression as cheerful as ever.
""The suite is ready. You’ll love it—it’s got an amazing view of the skyline.""
“Great,” I forced a smile, though it was obvious my mind was elsewhere.
“Let’s head up.”
As we stepped into the elevator, my thoughts kept drifting, and Mia kept stealing worried glances at me.
"Miss, are you okay?" she asked when she couldn’t take it anymore.
"Hmm," I replied, forcing a smile to ease her worries.
The elevator dinged softly as it reached our floor. Mia stepped out first, leading the way to our suite.
“I’ve arranged a meeting with the client for tomorrow morning,” she said, glancing at her tablet.
“It’s a high-profile job, so they’re expecting us to bring our A-game.”
“Of course,” I replied absently.
My mind was already racing through the details of the project, and the strategies I’d use to impress the client.
This was the kind of opportunity that could take my business to the next level, the kind that Sarah was always pushing me toward.
I was going to show everyone who looked down on me that I could make something of myself without their help.
So far, I had been doing well, but this time it was going to be better.
We entered the suite, and Mia wasn’t kidding about the view.
The massive windows overlooked the skyline, the Empire State Building towering in the distance.
For a moment, I allowed myself to appreciate the beauty of it before we started to unpack.
""Let me know if you need anything. I’ll be next door, getting things ready for tomorrow,"" Mia said when she realized we were done.
As soon as she left the room, I sank onto the bed and closed my eyes, allowing myself to sleep because I was exhausted.
The next day, I found myself being led into the sleek, modern building of Lux Enterprises.
The name alone commanded respect in the business world, and the reputation of its CEO was even more intimidating.
Mia was by my side, as always, clutching her tablet and making last-minute notes as usual.
As we approached the conference room, the assistant leading us pushed open the door.
At the far end of the long table sat a man with his back turned to us, examining something on his phone.
“Mr. Hayes, your 10 AM is here,"" the assistant said, and with those words, she left.
The man slowly rose from his chair, turning to face us.
My heart dropped.
I almost lost my balance, but I forced myself to remain calm.
I blinked rapidly, trying to make sense of what I was seeing.
Standing in front of me was the same man I’d shared a one-night stand with two years ago.
In summary, the one I allegedly stole from.
I wanted the earth to just open up and swallow me, because what kind of cruel punishment was this?
“Emma,” he said, his voice smooth but guarded, as if testing the waters.
“Mr. Hayes,"" I replied, forcing every ounce of professionalism I had into my tone.
"Please, call me Valentine," he said with a smile before tucking his hands in his pockets.
"Given our last meeting, I'd say we are way past formality."
I cleared my throat as my cheeks turned red when I flashed back to our hot, steamy night together.
Why was I thinking about this?
His lips curved up in a smile when he stood in front of me.
But just as he was about to speak, the door behind us swung open.
My heart sank as I turned to see who it was.
Well, curse my terrible luck.
This moment just proved that coming to New York was a totally bad idea.
“Emma.”
- Writer
