Nathan hadn't been able to sleep since their last dinner. Elena's calm threat, her beauty, her icy poise, it haunted him.
So when he spotted her at the Hale Corp executive lounge, alone with a coffee and tablet in hand, he didn't think twice.
"Elena," he greeted, walking over like nothing had changed.
She glanced up once. "Nathan."
"You… look different." His voice softened, eyes sweeping over her. "Better. Fiercer. I guess the heartbreak made you stronger."
Elena set her tablet down. "You would know. You caused it."
But Nathan just chuckled. "You've always had a fire in you. I miss that." He sat beside her uninvited, leaning in too close. "Maybe we moved too fast. Maybe we needed to break to find our way back."
She tilted her head, playing the part of the quiet listener. But her phone, propped casually against her coffee cup, was already recording.
Nathan's voice dropped. "We were good together, Elena. You remember that night in Dubai? You begged me not to leave. I still think about it."
She smiled thinly. "You mean the night before you slept with my best friend?"
He blinked. "It wasn't like that."
"Oh, it was exactly like that." Her eyes sparkled,not with affection, but with precision. "Thanks for the nostalgia, Nathan."
She stood, grabbed her phone, and walked out without another word.
Later that night, she sent the entire clip, unedited, to one person.
Damian Blackwood.