The city never slept…
but that morning, it felt like the entire world was holding its breath.
Ella stood outside the towering glass building of Sterling Corporation, her fingers clenched tightly around the file in her hand. The sunlight reflected off the building so sharply that she had to squint… or maybe it wasn't the sunlight.
Maybe it was her fear.
Maybe it was fate.
She inhaled slowly.
"Calm down, Ella… you've faced worse."
But had she?
Ten years of struggle.
Ten years of silence.
Ten years of running away from a past she never truly escaped.
And today… something felt different.
As if… her past was waiting inside.
---
Inside Sterling Corporation
The moment she stepped in, the cold air hit her face, contrasting the heat building inside her chest.
Everything screamed luxury. Power. Control.
Employees walked briskly, dressed in perfection. Conversations were sharp, calculated. No space for mistakes.
Ella adjusted her fitted white blouse and sleek black pencil skirt, suddenly aware of how out of place she looked.,.
But she lifted her chin.
"I earned this interview," she whispered to herself. "I deserve to be here."
---
The Interview Room
"Miss Ella?"
The receptionist gestured politely.
"Interview Room 3."
Ella nodded and walked in.
And then… she froze.
Because sitting across the table was a face she never wanted to see again.
Liana.
Perfectly dressed. Sharp features. That same smirk.
The same eyes that once looked at Ella like she was nothing.
---
"Wow…" Liana leaned back in her chair, crossing her legs elegantly.
"Well, well… if it isn't Ella."
Her voice dripped with mockery.
"Still… the same." She glanced at Ella from head to toe. "Simple. Predictable."
Ella tightened her grip on her file.
"I'm here for the interview," she said calmly.
Liana chuckled.
"Interview?"
She picked up Ella's resume, pretending to read.
"Middle-class background… average college…"
She raised an eyebrow.
"And you think you can work at Sterling?"
Each word felt like a slap.
But Ella didn't flinch.
"I didn't come here to impress you," she replied. "I came here because I'm qualified."
For a brief second… Liana's smile twitched.
But then it returned. Sharper.
"Oh, this will be fun."
---
The Questioning Begins
The interview started… but it wasn't an interview.
It was humiliation disguised as professionalism.
Liana fired questions rapidly.
Twisted words. Challenged everything.
"Why should we hire someone like you?"
"Can you even handle corporate pressure?"
"Or will you run away like you always do?"
That last line hit differently.
Ella's heartbeat skipped.
Run away…
Her past echoed.
But she steadied herself.
"I don't run anymore," she said quietly.
Something in her voice shifted the air.
---
And Then… The Door Opened
A sharp click.
The door opened.
And everything stopped.
Even time.
Even breath.
Ella didn't turn immediately.
But she felt it.
That presence.
That energy.
The one she had tried to forget…
for ten long years.
Slowly… she looked up.
And her world shattered.
Ethan
Standing at the door.
Tall. Imposing. Unreachable.
Dressed in a perfectly tailored black suit… exuding power that filled the entire room.
But it wasn't his presence that broke her.
It was his eyes.
Cold. Sharp. Unfamiliar.
And yet…
painfully familiar.
---
Liana immediately stood up.
"Mr. Ethan, I didn't expect you—"
But he didn't look at her.
His gaze was locked on Ella.
As if the past had just walked back into his life… uninvited.
Unwanted.
Unforgettable.
---
Ella's lips parted slightly.
Her voice… barely a whisper.
"…Ethan?"
The name hung in the air like a forbidden memory.
---
For a moment… just a moment…
Something flickered in his eyes.
But it vanished instantly.
Replaced by something colder.
Harder.
---
He stepped forward.
Each step… echoing louder than her heartbeat.
And then he spoke.
His voice calm.
Controlled.
Dangerous.
---
"Miss Ella," he said.
A pause.
A smirk that didn't reach his eyes.
---
"Welcome to Sterling Corporation."
---
And just like that…
The boy who once loved her…
was gone.
-