Chapter 4 Back To Life

[Five years later]

Elena's P.O.V

"This can't go on."

I sat up in Maribelle's guest bed, running a hand through my tangled hair. Beside me, a small boy curled under the blankets, his lashes feather-light against his cheeks. My chest tightened. My baby.

Maribelle's voice floated from the kitchen. "You know you two can stay here forever, right?"

"I can't mooch off you forever, Belle," I said, padding across the icy tiles. She stood at the stove, stirring something, her hair piled into a messy bun.

"You've already done too much. Watching Jack, helping me finish school. You've carried me long enough." I slumped into a chair.

She waved a wooden spoon dismissively. "Please. You say that like I'm some saint. We're friends-this is what friends do."

I forced a smile, but the weight of the past five years pressed down. Kicked out by my parents. Homeless with a newborn. Maribelle had been my lifeline. But now? Now I needed to stand on my own.

"They rejected you again?"

"Yeah. No reason, like always." I rubbed my temples. "Six months of this, Belle. I apply, they love me, then-poof!-suddenly the position 'isn't a fit.' It's fucking suspicious."

"Breathe, darling. It'll work out."

"I applied somewhere new last night," I admitted. "Valiente Industries."

Her eyebrows shot up. "The Valiente? The 'mystery billionaire' company?"

"The one and only. I know it's a long shot, but the salary could change everything."

Maribelle snorted. "Mom says no one's ever seen the owner's face. He's like a ghost-or a cat-hoarding recluse with a face like a deflated soufflé."

A laugh escaped me. "Don't care if he's got three heads. If he signs my paycheck, I'm sold."

Silence settled, broken only by Jack's sleepy murmurs from the bedroom. My heart ached. This tiny, borrowed life-was it all we'd ever have?

"Have they. reached out?" Maribelle asked softly.

I shook my head. "Not once. Five years, Belle. They never even looked back."

Sometimes it still didn't feel real. The memory haunted me: standing on their porch in the pouring rain, clutching a newborn, wondering how the hell I'd survive.

Jack barreled into the kitchen, his little feet slapping the tiles. "Mama!"

I scooped him up, burying my nose in his hair. He smelled of sleep and syrup. When he pulled back, his eyes-sharp, honey-brown-pierced me.

Just like his father's.

Dax.

I hadn't seen him since that night. No matter how many hours I spent scouring the internet, he'd vanished like smoke.

Maribelle slid a plate of eggs and toast toward me. "So. Have you heard the gist about Asher?"

I blinked. "What about him?"

"Cheated on Taylor. Got some girl pregnant."

My fork froze halfway to my mouth. "What?"

She smirked, stirring her coffee. "Karma's a bitch."

I set the fork down, unsure how to feel. Tyler had stolen what she thought was a prize-only for Ash to prove, yet again, that he was trash. I should've been glad I dodged that bullet. Glad my sister got what she deserved.

But I felt. nothing.

Five years changed everything. The girl who'd once thought heartbreak was the end of the world was gone. In her place? A single mom who knew love was a luxury, and survival was the only game that mattered.

My phone buzzed on the table. Unknown Caller.

"Hello?" I answered cautiously.

"Miss Elena Rivers?" A crisp, professional voice.

"Yes?"

"This is Valiente Industries. Can you come in for an interview?"

I straightened in the chair. "Sure. When?"

"In thirty minutes. Our CEO requested it personally."

I nearly dropped the phone. "Wait-thirty minutes?"

"Yes, ma'am. We'll see you shortly."

The line went dead.

"Thirty minutes?" Maribelle echoed. "That's insane. And the CEO? Do you know him?"

Of course I didn't. But I didn't have time to debate. Valiente offering me an interview was a miracle-one I couldn't waste.

I shoveled down two bites of eggs, threw on the least wrinkled blazer I owned, and kissed Jack's forehead. "Wish Mama luck, baby!"

He giggled, sticky fingers patting my cheek.

My pulse hammered as I raced out the door.

This might be my last chance. And I'd be damned if I let it slip away.

-----

Thirty-two minutes later, I stood in the glittering atrium of Valiente Industries.

My reflection fractured across a thousand polished surfaces. The air smelled like money and ambition-crisp linen, espresso, the faintest whiff of imported marble.

The receptionist smiled. "Ms. Rivers? Right this way."

She led me down a corridor lined with glass, my heels clicking too loudly against the floor. My palms were slick with sweat.

I stole glances at passing employees-all razor-sharp suits and focused stares. Obviously, this was a company that demanded perfection.

My degree was decent, but was it enough? It had to be. For Jack. For us. I had to seize the chance.

We stopped at an oak door. "He's waiting for you."

He.

For a heartbeat, I didn't understand.

Then I stepped inside.

The office was bathed in muted gold light, floor-to-ceiling windows framing the skyline. The scent-cedar and something darker-hit me like a fist. Familiar.

A man stood by the window, his back to me.

Just a silhouette, but it sent a spark down my spine. Heat flared at the base of my throat. Why did I-

He turned.

The world stopped.

My breath vanished.

"Dax."

He leaned against the desk, hands in his pockets, that same damn smirk tilting his lips.

"Hello, Elena." A pause, deliberate. "Missed me?"