The Blackwood Corporation tower loomed above the city like a fortress of steel and glass. Elena stood before it, clutching her newly issued ID badge.
Elena ReedPosition: Marketing StrategistDepartment: PR & Brand StrategySupervisor: CEO- Damian Blackwood
The lobby's marble floor gleamed beneath her heels. She stepped forward, chin high, heart steady.
Today, she wasn't someone's fiancée.She wasn't someone's discarded daughter.
She was Mrs. Blackwood, even if no one knew it.
The Ice King at Work
Damian passed her in the hallway two hours later.
Sharp suit. Colder eyes.
"Elena," he said flatly, nodding as if she were a stranger.
"Mr. Blackwood," she replied just as coolly, not missing a step.
Their eyes met for a single charged second before he moved on.
No warmth.No recognition.Exactly as agreed.
But the tension in her chest didn't fade.
The Wrong Man at the Wrong Time
By lunch, she had settled into her office, a minimalist corner room with a view of the skyline.
She was reviewing a campaign proposal when her phone buzzed again.
Unknown number.
She didn't answer.
She knew who it was.
Nathan.
The man who had once sworn to love her… and left her in the dust to propose to her best friend.
Not this time.
Elena shoved the phone into her drawer.
She had just pressed the elevator button when she heard a familiar voice behind her.
"Elena?"
She turned slowly.
Nathan stood there in a tailored navy suit, disbelief flooding his face. His hair was shorter, but his eyes, the same eyes that once lied to her, were wide with confusion.
"Why are you here?" he demanded, stepping closer.