The mellow, low music played in the background, lights flashing and fading as the banquet reached its climax. In the swirl of laughter and clinking glasses, a few elegantly dressed women walked straight toward Cecilia Spark.
Out of nowhere, icy champagne poured over her head. Cecilia froze on the spot.
"What? Still trying to cling to Mr. Diego? Do you even know your place…?"
The fractured light fell across Cecilia's frail shoulders. Her long hair clung to her face, dripping wet. Her complexion was pale, but a stubborn fire flickered in her eyes. She bit her lip and said coldly,
"Do I even know you? Doing something like this… is far too rude."
"You just won't stop pestering Mr. Diego, so of course we have to teach you a lesson for him!" One woman jabbed a manicured finger into Cecilia's shoulder, her eyes full of mockery. "So desperate to crawl into his bed? Please. Mr. Diego doesn't want used goods."
Cecilia's grip on her glass tightened. Anger surged in her chest, but she reminded herself of the reason she had come tonight. She pressed her lips into a thin line and tried to step past them.
"Move."
But every time she shifted, the woman stepped in front of her again, blocking her path. Finally, Cecilia's brows shot up—her hand snapped out.
Slap!
"I said move. Didn't you hear me?" Her voice was sharp, cutting through the music. The sudden blow stunned the woman into silence.
And then—
"What's all this noise?"
The low, icy voice came from behind.
The woman's eyes lit up the moment she saw him. Tears rolled down her cheeks as she ran to his side. "Mr. Diego, she hit me! We were just talking, and then Miss Spark suddenly—"
Cecilia slowly turned, ignoring the mocking, disdainful, or pitying stares from the crowd. Her chest rose and fell as she whispered,
"Mr. Diego."
Blaze Diego.
He hadn't changed much in three years. The same black suit, sharp as a blade. His features were carved in stone, more mature now, more restrained. The youthful arrogance was gone, replaced by a heavier, darker presence. His brows carried the faint trace of weariness, but his eyes remained deep and razor-sharp.
"You again…" Blaze's gaze swept over her drenched, disheveled figure. His tone was calm, without a ripple of emotion. "Persistent, aren't you? I already rejected you."
The man who once cherished her like she was his whole world now looked at her as if she were worthless. Cecilia's lips curved into a bitter smile. She had no one to blame but herself.
"Yes. It's me." She forced herself to meet his eyes, her voice carrying a hint of plea. "Can you give me some time? We need to talk."
"You just won't quit, will you?"
Before Blaze could speak, the woman beside him spat venom at Cecilia. Blaze's eyes narrowed, and his thin lips parted, releasing a single word—
"Out."
He hated being interrupted.
Everyone who followed Blaze knew his rules. No interruptions when he spoke, no one touching his belongings, no one ever setting foot in his bed.
Once, Cecilia had been the only exception. But not anymore.
"Mr. Diego, can you give MAPLE Co. one more chance?"
That was the reason Cecilia had come tonight. MAPLE Co. was drowning, and Blaze was the only one who could pull them back from the brink. Everyone in her family knew she and Blaze once had a tangled past. That was why the burden fell on her shoulders.
"Blaze, I really have no other way. Please… help MAPLE Co.."
Her eyes lowered. For the first time, she threw away her pride, lowering herself to beg a man.
So many of her firsts had been given to Blaze. His name was already etched into her heart, impossible to erase.
"No."
"Why—"
"There's no why. Not everything needs a reason."
He stepped forward, his hand clamping her chin firmly. His gaze was ice, his voice a blade.
"Did you really think… we were still the same as three years ago?"
That icy voice drilled straight into her chest, making Cecilia's body stiffen. Shock flickered in her eyes, only to fade into quiet despair.
Under the harsh banquet lights, her small face looked even paler, her thin arms and fragile waist seeming weaker than three years ago. She looked so breakable it hurt to look at her.
But none of that mattered anymore. Even if Blaze's heart softened, this woman no longer belonged to him.
It took a long moment before Cecilia finally forced the sorrow back down and spoke, her voice trembling slightly.
"Can we put aside our personal grudges for now? MAPLE Co.… really needs your help."
Blaze laughed suddenly, his gaze sweeping over her with cruel amusement.
"Grudges? There are no grudges between us, Miss Spark. You flatter yourself."
Cecilia's expression faltered. She steadied her breath and tried again.
"Then… the new investment project—"
"Doesn't Miss Spark have a powerful husband? Why not go ask him?"
He didn't notice the flash of pain on her face, the fleeting shadow of grief. Her eyes dropped, her slender fingers tracing absently around the rim of her glass, lost, unsure where to even begin explaining.
"I am a businessman," Blaze murmured, stepping closer. His towering figure cast a suffocating shadow over her, his eyes cold and sharp. "I only care about profit. MAPLE Co.' new project is worthless to me. If you want to negotiate, Miss Spark… you'd better think of something far more valuable to put on the table."
What did she have left to offer him?
Everything she once held, everything she once was, had already lost its value in his eyes. Deep down, she had known it was impossible to turn back time, yet she had still clung to the hope that Blaze might remember their past and show mercy. How laughable.
"…I understand."
Cecilia's lashes trembled as her eyes lowered, a shadow of gloom sinking into their depths. Her gaze was hollow, lifeless. After a long silence, she set down her glass and walked away, shoulders heavy with disappointment.
"Blaze."
A steady voice called his name. A middle-aged man stepped up beside him, face lined with concern.
"Didn't go well with her, did it?"
It was Anthony Lucas, Cecilia's family's old family friend. Tonight's banquet had been his idea—he was the one who arranged this meeting between Cecilia and Blaze.
"Anthony," Blaze greeted him politely. The Diego family and the Lucas family had been close for generations; by seniority, Blaze owed him respect.
"I saw the girl walk away. What happened? A misunderstanding?" Anthony sighed, watching Cecilia's retreating back. "I always hoped you two might work out. Now that she's divorced, maybe the two of you could—"
Blaze's brows knitted.
"…What did you just say?"
"You didn't know?" Anthony widened his eyes in feigned surprise. "Cecilia divorced a month ago. She only came back this time to handle MAPLE Co.' crisis."
For a moment, Blaze's mind went utterly blank. He didn't hear another sound around him. Then, after a long pause, his expression hardened as he ordered his assistant,
"Look into Cecilia's recent situation. Everything."
Without Blaze as her last lifeline, Cecilia had no choice but to search desperately elsewhere for help. Eventually, she caught wind that several executives from Starss Group were gathering for dinner that evening. If she could somehow slip in and bring up MAPLE Co.' project, there might still be hope.
It had been a long time since Cecilia had attended one of these so-called "dinners."
Everyone knew what they really were. A few women brought along to drink and laugh with the bosses. Please them, and the contract would be signed. Fail, and you'd walk away empty-handed.
Once, out of curiosity, she had clung to Blaze and insisted on joining one of these occasions. She had been naïve, foolish—allowing others to touch her inappropriately. Blaze's face had turned black as coal. He tore up a multimillion-dollar deal on the spot, storming out in fury, almost causing a scandal.
But now? Now he probably wouldn't care at all what happened to her.
The thought pulled a bitter smile across her lips, quiet and heartbreaking.