Elara adjusted the collar of her blouse for the fifth time that morning. She stood before the elevator doors, watching her reflection flicker across the metal surface. Her eyes looked tired. Too tired for someone supposedly living a "new beginning."
"Stop shaking," she muttered to herself.
The elevator pinged open.
A stream of employees poured out—heels clicking, perfumes mixing, papers rustling. Elara stepped in, inhaling deeply, reminding herself that this wasn't her ninth life. This was her tenth. Her last. Her chance to stop living in the shadow of her curse.
But then her thoughts drifted to him.
The man from yesterday.
The man whose face mirrored a ghost she had sworn she buried.
She squeezed her eyes shut.
Forget it. Focus on the job.
This was her first day at Orion Corp. And she needed to make an impression that didn't involve spilled coffee.
The elevator doors slid open again, revealing the vast twentieth floor—the heart of the company.
It was stunning.
Glass walls. Polished floors. Blue-gold lighting. Everything screamed power and money. Everything screamed him.
"Elara?"
She turned to see a woman in a pencil-skirt suit, her smile friendly but sharp.
"I'm Julia, HR lead. Welcome officially to Orion Corp."
"Thank you," Elara replied with a nervous smile.
Julia handed her a sleek tablet and an access card. "You'll be working directly with the CEO. His appointments, emails, schedule, travel arrangements—everything."
Elara nodded slowly. "Right."
Julia paused, raising a brow. "Is something wrong?"
Elara forced a smile. "No… just nerves."
Julia laughed softly. "Everyone's nervous around him. You'll get used to it."
Get used to it?
How was she supposed to get used to someone who looked like the boy who died in her arms?
Julia guided her through the hallway. "The CEO is very particular, but he's also fair. As long as you do your job well, he'll have no issues."
Elara nodded. "I understand."
They passed through a frosted glass door, and Julia gestured to a wide open space with two desks facing enormous floor-to-ceiling windows.
"This is the executive wing. Your desk will be—"
"Julia."
The voice sliced cleanly through the air.
Elara felt her breath catch before she even turned.
He was standing in the doorway of his office—tall, shoulders broad beneath a dark suit, expression unreadable. His eyes locked on hers instantly.
Her chest tightened.
It was him.
It had to be him.
No reincarnation theory could explain eyes that familiar.
"Good morning, sir," Julia said quickly. "This is your new secretary, Elara Reed."
For a heartbeat, for a tiny, terrifying moment, he didn't speak.
He simply stared.
Then, calmly, he nodded. "Welcome to Orion Corp."
Elara swallowed hard. "T-thank you, sir."
Julia continued giving instructions, but Elara barely heard anything. Because he had already turned and walked back into his office, the glass sliding door whispering shut behind him.
Her heartbeat wouldn't slow.
Why does he look like Adrian?
Why does he feel like Adrian?
Why now?
Why this life?
"Elara?"
She snapped back to reality. "Yes?"
Julia smiled. "Settle in. And remember—be attentive. He hates repeating instructions."
"Yes, ma'am."
Julia left, and Elara quietly lowered herself into her seat, staring at her trembling hands. She needed to calm down. She needed to breathe. She needed—
The glass door opened.
He stepped out.
"Elara."
She almost jumped. "Y-yes, sir?"
"I need today's meeting schedules printed and placed on my desk. And prepare the contract documents for the investors coming this afternoon."
"Of course."
He studied her. Really studied her.
As if there was something familiar about her too.
"What happened yesterday…" he said suddenly.
Elara froze.
"…was unfortunate. But accidents happen. Just don't let it happen again."
Her cheeks flamed. "It won't."
A silent moment passed between them—charged, heavy, unsettling.
Then he nodded and returned to his office.
As soon as the door shut, Elara released a breath she didn't know she'd been holding.
---
For the next two hours, she worked mechanically—organizing papers, printing documents, arranging schedules. She tried—really tried—to stay focused.
But every time she looked up, she saw his silhouette through the frosted office glass. And each time, her heart betrayed her.
At noon, she finally gathered enough courage.
She knocked lightly on his door.
"Come in," he said.
She entered, holding the files. His office was breathtaking—minimalistic, modern, yet warm. A massive bookshelf lined the left wall. On the right, sunlight poured through the giant windows, casting soft shadows across his desk.
He sat behind it, typing, looking infuriatingly perfect.
She stepped closer. "Your schedules, sir."
He reached for them, but their fingers brushed.
Just a graze.
But it felt like electricity.
Elara inhaled sharply. For a split second, she saw flames. A burning hall. A boy holding her hand. His last breath.
She jerked her hand back.
He looked up sharply. "Are you alright?"
"I—I'm fine."
But she wasn't.
Her pulse raced. Her palms sweated. Her throat tightened.
He leaned back slightly, eyes narrowing as if trying to solve a puzzle.
"Elara…" His voice was calmer now, deeper. "Have we met before?"
Her heart dropped.
She forced a tiny smile. "No, sir. I don't think so."
He watched her for a long moment, his gaze searching her face—almost studying her soul.
Then a small, unreadable smile tugged at the corner of his lips.
"Very well."
She tried to leave.
"Wait."
She stiffened and turned slowly.
He stood up, walked around the desk, and stopped only a few feet from her. The sunlight behind him made him look almost unreal.
"I expect my staff to be honest with me," he said softly. "If something is bothering you, you may speak up."
Elara's breath hitched.
If only he knew.
If only she could speak up.
She forced a steady voice.
"It's just first-day nerves, sir."
One brow lifted. "Is that all?"
"Yes."
He exhaled slowly, studying her again with that unreadable gaze. Then he simply nodded.
"You can go."
She left quickly before her emotions betrayed her.
---
By late afternoon, she felt exhausted. Between the emotional turmoil and the overwhelming workload, her entire body buzzed with tension.
At 4:30 PM, the company held a brief internal meeting in the main hall. Elara stood near the side, trying not to be noticed, while staff filled the room.
But then…
While the CEO addressed the employees, explaining new project goals, Elara noticed someone near the back.
A man.
Watching her.
Not the CEO.
Not a staff member.
A stranger.
Tall, dressed in dark clothes, his face half-hidden under a hood even though they were indoors. He didn't look at the CEO. Didn't look at anyone.
He looked directly… at her.
She blinked.
His lips curved into the faintest smile.
A knowing smile.
Her stomach twisted.
Does he… know me?
The stranger lifted a finger and subtly pointed—at her—and then at the CEO standing in front of the room.
Then he mouthed three silent words:
"Do you remember?"
Elara's blood ran cold.
Her breath stilled.
The CEO kept talking. Everyone kept listening.
But the stranger's gaze never left her.
And then—
as if pulled by an invisible force—
She felt heat crawl up her fingers.
Heat.
Flames.
Burning.
Just like her nightmares.
Just like her ninth life.
Her chest tightened painfully.
She grabbed the nearest chair to steady herself.
The stranger tilted his head, watching with a knowing expression.
And then—
In a blink—
he turned and walked away.
Vanished into the crowd like smoke.
Elara's heart pounded like a drum.
Who was he?
Why did he look at her like that?
What did he mean by "remember"?
And why did her chest burn the moment she saw him?
Before she could process anything, the CEO's voice echoed across the hall:
"Elara."
Her head whipped up.
He was staring at her.
Concern flickered in his eyes.
"Are you unwell?"
She swallowed hard.
Everyone was watching.
"I'm fine, sir," she whispered.
But the burning in her chest didn't stop.
Nor did the memory buried deep inside her.
And as the meeting ended, one thought echoed louder than her heartbeat:
Someone else knows her past.
Someone else remembers the lives she shouldn't.
And they're watching.
Watching her…
and watching the man who shouldn't exist in this life.