Chapter 1 —
The Woman He Used to Know
The boardroom smelled like power and money— leather chairs, fresh coffee, and the kind of silence that only existed when powerful people were about to make decisions that ruined lives.Selene Cross had been in rooms like this before.
Once, she had trembled in them. Once, she had sat at the edge of a chair like this one and believed, with her whole foolish heart, that love was enough to protect her.That was a different life. That was a different woman.She adjusted the cuff of her blazer, crossed her legs, and smiled at the assistant who offered her water. "Thanks," she said sweetly. She had practiced that smile for three years. It was perfect now — warm enough to disarm, cool enough to warn.— ✦ —He walked in at exactly nine o'clock.Ethan Blackwell. CEO of Blackwell Industries. The man whose name appeared in Forbes, on billboards, and — once — in the police report she had
* filed from a hospital bed before they made it disappear.He was exactly as she remembered. Tall. Commanding. The kind of man a room adjusted around when he entered — people straightening their spines, voices dropping, attention snapping to him like a compass finding north.Her chest did something she refused to acknowledge.He scanned the room the way he always did — sharp and attentive. His gaze landed on her last.And stayed.
Selene held his stare with a polite smile and nothing beyond that . No recognition. No warmth. No trembling. She was Selene Cross today — CFO of Meridian Corp, a stranger in a city she once called home."Mr. Blackwell." She rose and extended her hand. "I've heard a great deal about you."
She had. Every single terrible thing.He shook her hand. His grip was firm — of course it was — and when their palms met, she felt the old, known warmth and buried it somewhere deep and dark where she kept all the things she no longer allowed herself to feel."Ms. Cross," he said. His voice hadn't changed. Low. Even. The
* "You have no idea," she replied pleasantly.
— ✦ —The meeting ended. Hands were shaken. Pleasantries were exchanged.Selene was almost at the elevator when she heard his voice behind her."Ms. Cross."
She turned. He was standing a few feet away, hands in his pockets, watching her with that expression she couldn't quite read.
"Have we met before?" he asked. "You seem... familiar."
Her heart kicked once — hard — against her ribs.She let the smile come slowly. Soft. Unbothered.perfectly praticed."I don't think so, Mr. Blackwell," she said. "I'm sure I'd remember."
She stepped into the elevator. The doors shut softly separating each other like a curtain dropping at the end of a performance.Only when the elevator began to move did she let out a slow, quiet breath.Only then did she let herself feel the way her hands were shaking slightly inside the sleeves of her blazer.He didn't recognize her.Good.The game had only just begun