Chapter 4 Forgotten

The room fell into silence.

Laura stiffened at the CEO's words, her fingers clenching at her sides.

"Mr. Sinclair here needs to borrow you for a moment."

That name.

She had heard it earlier during the introductions, but now it rang differently in her head-heavy, unsettling.

Slowly, she turned her gaze toward him. Alexander Sinclair.

His expression was unreadable, his presence commanding, and yet something about the way he looked at her sent a strange unease curling in her chest.

She hesitated, but the CEO gave her a reassuring nod, oblivious to the tension crackling in the air.

"Go on, Laura. I'm sure it won't take long."

She had no choice.

Nodding stiffly, she smoothed the wrinkles from her blouse and followed Alexander out of the conference room.

He didn't speak as he led her through the bustling office corridors, his strides long and purposeful. Laura struggled to match his pace, stealing glances at him, trying to make sense of the odd weight pressing against her ribs.

Finally, they reached an empty hallway.

And then, without warning-

He turned.

Before she could react, he closed the distance between them in one swift motion, his hand pressing against the wall beside her head, effectively caging her in.

Laura's breath hitched.

"What-"

"Do you have anything to say to me?"

His voice was low, rough, barely restrained.

She blinked, confusion swirling in her mind. "Excuse me?"

His piercing blue eyes burned into hers, sharp and unyielding.

"Are you sure you have nothing to say?" he asked again, slower this time.

Laura swallowed, an uneasy chill creeping up her spine.

"I don't understand. We just met today. What could I possibly have to say to you?"

His jaw ticked, something flickering across his features-anger, frustration... something else she couldn't quite name.

Then, without warning, he leaned in, his presence overwhelming, his scent, a mix of something clean, expensive, and devastatingly familiar-wrapping around her.

"Look at me," he commanded, his voice a whisper now.

She swallowed hard. "I am."

"No." His gaze darkened, his voice a mere murmur. "Look at me closely."

Hesitantly, she did.

And for the briefest, most terrifying second, something stirred in the back of her mind-a feeling, a whisper of something lost.

But then, it was gone.

"I don't know you," she said firmly, shaking her head.

A muscle in his jaw tightened. His eyes darkened even further, his frustration barely concealed.

Laura took her chance.

Slipping beneath his arm, she twisted away, her pulse hammering wildly in her chest.

"I have work to do," she muttered hastily, turning on her heel and walking away-fast.

She didn't dare look back.

But even as she put distance between them, she felt it.

His gaze.

Still watching.

Still burning into her like a predator that had just found its prey.

And wasn't planning on letting go.

....

Alexander stood frozen in place, his fingers clenching at his sides as he watched her retreat.

Elana.

The woman who had vanished without a trace.

The woman he had searched for.

And now, here she was-alive, breathing, standing right in front of him, looking at him with wide, startled eyes.

But no recognition.

No flicker of familiarity.

She didn't remember him.

His blood ran cold.

Was she pretending?

She had changed-thinner, paler, as though life had drained the color from her. But it was her. Undeniably her.

And yet... something was wrong.

She didn't look like a woman who was hiding.

She looked lost.

Confused.

And when she blinked at him, her lips parting slightly as if grasping for words, a terrible, gut-wrenching realization settled over him like a dark storm cloud.

She truly didn't remember.

Or if she was lying, then she was damn good at it.

A war raged inside him-relief that she was alive, fury that she had spent all this time living as if nothing had happened.

Then, before he could stop her, she turned and hurried away.

Alexander exhaled sharply, his hands curling into fists.

He had spent years looking for her.

Hired private investigators. Spent a fortune tracking every possible lead. But every single search came back with the same answer:

"It's like this person never existed."

That was how much she had hated him?

Enough to erase herself completely? To ensure he could never find her?

Or... was there something more?

What had happened to her?

Why couldn't she remember him?

After everything she had done-after the destruction she had left in her wake, he had been the one left picking up the shattered pieces.

No.

She wasn't getting away this time.

This time, he would get his answers.