Chapter 5 Found You

Olivia stood in the greeting line, her head tucked low, praying to God for the gift of invisibility.

Amelia Martin stepped forward, her shoulders pulled back with an air of self-importance that usually terrified the interns. She held a lush bouquet of lilies, a practiced, bright smile fixed on her face as she approached the new Chairman.

But before she could even utter a word of welcome, a wall of black suit and muscle moved.

One of Damian's bodyguards intercepted the flowers with a brisk, silent efficiency. Amelia's smile didn't just falter; it died. For a split second, a flash of pure, unadulterated fury crossed her eyes before she plastered on a mask of professional cheer.

"Welcome, sir," Amelia said, her voice a pitch too high as she extended her hand.

Damian didn't take it. Instead, he made a show of checking his watch, his left hand visible as he ignored her outstretched palm. The silence that followed was deafening.

Olivia watched Amelia's face turn a mottled shade of red, the embarrassment radiating off her in waves.

"It will be an honor to be at your service," Amelia forced out, her tone nearing desperation.

"I'll keep that in mind," Damian replied. His voice was cold, dripping with an indifference that made the air in the lobby feel ten degrees colder. "Lead the way."

As the crowd parted like the Red Sea, Damian began to walk. But suddenly, he paused. He felt it, that prickly sensation of someone staring at him with a gaze he couldn't decipher.

It was something else. He glanced toward the direction, but the person had disappeared behind the shoulders of a senior executive.

"Mr. Carrington?" his secretary, Nathan, prompted. "Is something wrong?"

Damian lingered for a second longer, a faint sense of deja vu tugging at his mind. Was I imagining her? He shook the thought away and continued toward the elevators, his entourage following like a shadow.

Olivia finally released the breath she'd been holding until her lungs ached. This is it, she thought, her mind spinning in a frantic loop. He's going to recognize me. I'm going to lose my job. I'm going to be blacklisted. She hunched her shoulders, muttering a dark prophecy to herself: "This is definitely going to be a bad day."

***

By late morning, Olivia had almost managed to convince herself she was safe. Damian had stayed in high-level meetings on the top floors. She focused on her filing, answering the phones with a robotic precision, trying to blend into the marble walls.

But then, the elevator chimed.

Damian stepped out, mid-conversation with his assistant Nathan . He was moving toward the exit when he stopped mid-stride.

His eyes locked onto the front desk. There she was.

She wasn't hiding anymore. She was organized, focused, and looked breathtakingly professional, except for the way her eyes widened the moment she saw him.

Olivia's head snapped up instinctively, and she immediately regretted it. For a heartbeat, the world stopped. His blue eyes pierced through her, sparking with a recognition that made her blood turn to ice. Panicked, she grabbed a thick stack of folders and pulled them up, shielding her face like a child playing hide-and-seek.

"What on earth are you doing?" Veronica whispered, staring at her like she'd lost her mind.

Olivia didn't answer. Her heart was a frantic bird trapped in her chest. Did he see me? He had to have seen me.

Across the lobby, Damian watched the folder-shielding performance with a slow, dangerous smirk. It was so classic, so Olivia.

He didn't approach. He didn't make a scene. He simply watched her for a beat longer before turning to leave.

"Found you," he murmured, the words for his ears only.

An hour later, Olivia sat alone at the desk. Veronica had slipped away for a long lunch, leaving the lobby in a heavy, midday silence. Olivia tapped her pen against the wood, trying to read the same sentence for the tenth time.

Then, her phone buzzed. A long, aggressive vibration against the hard desk.

Unknown Number: So, you're avoiding me now? After running away?

The air left Olivia's lungs. She stared at the screen, her mouth dropping open. No. No, no, no. Her fingers shook so hard she almost dropped the device as she typed back.

Olivia: Who is this?

Unknown Number: You know exactly who this is.

She dropped the phone like it had physically burned her. How? How did he get my number? She scrambled through her history, checking for drunk texts she might have sent in her wine-induced haze. Nothing.

Bzzzt.

Unknown Number: Relax. I'm not here to fire you. Yet.

"Yet?" she whispered to the empty room. "What does 'yet' mean?"

Unknown Number: We'll talk soon.

Closing time arrived with agonizing slowness. At 6 p.m., Veronica grabbed her designer bag with a hurried look.

"Olivia, darling, I have to fly! Daycare closes at six and I'm already pushing it. If anyone asks, I'm in the restroom, okay? Love you, bye!"

Olivia didn't even have time to protest before she was left alone in the darkening lobby. By 8 p.m., the building was a ghost town. She stood up, slinging her bag over her shoulder, ready to run for the bus and never look back.

But a shadow fell across her desk.

One of the bodyguards from the morning, the one who had intercepted the flowers stood there like a monolith.

"Miss Olivia?"

Her heart sank into her shoes. "Yes?"

"Mr. Carrington is expecting you in his office," the man said, his voice devoid of emotion. "Please. Follow me."

The "please" didn't sound like an option.