Chapter 2 Silent Recognition

**Chapter 2: Silent Recognition**

The clear glass doors closed behind her with a soft hiss, and she was surrounded by the cold air in the building, which did away with the leftovers of the humid morning outside. Ivy waited for a second, so she could adjust to the peace of the space -the floors were shiny, the walls were stark white, and the air was filled with a strong scent of expensive cologne. Everything about the place emitted power, success, and wealth, making the flutter in her chest feel completely out of place.

Liam Hartwell

Ivy could hardly remember the last time her heart raced like this. Two years ago, one night that was a blur, and then, nothing.

She hadn't thought she would see him again - not like this. Especially not in this setting. Not in a corporate office, not with his name on the door, and not with important documents in front of her.

The man behind the elegant desk didn't look up right away. His brows were furrowed in concentration as he focused on his paperwork.

Ivy noticed how the muscles in his jaw tightened as she studied him as if he was already aware of her presence before she entered the room. His eyes, which were hidden behind glasses, glanced up just as she stepped forward wearily.

Minutes passed and neither of them made an effort to move. The outside world felt far away as time seemed to stretch, a strong silence hanging in the air. She had hoped, just for a second, that maybe it was all in her imagination. That somehow this was all just an unfortunate coincidence.

But it wasn't.

Ivy had never been good at lying to herself.

"Miss Smith," Liam called as his voice broke the uneven silence. His voice sounded slick, maintained, almost hushed.

It gave her the chills

His tall frame stretched out as he strides slowly in her direction, not breaking their eye contact.

A little bit of smile tugged at the corner of his lips - the same smile that made her heart race on the night they shared that reckless night.

Ivy had just one thought screaming at the back of her head... "he remembers"

Her throat felt dry.

"Liam", she finally managed to say, the single word hanging in the air. His name was like a faded memory she wasn't aware she still had.

It felt so foreign but at the same time so familiar

She was brought out of her thoughts by his question.

"Are you always this surprised when you see an old friend?" he asked in a low and teasing voice.

His voice wasn't just teasing, there was also something about his gaze - something indecipherable in the intensity of his stare.

"I wasn't expecting...." Ivy faded out, not quite certain of what she had been expecting "I had no idea that this was your company."

With lips parted slightly, Liam looked at her, as though he was considering what she had just said.

"Well it is as they say, it is a small world," he said smiling smugly. "Perhaps not so small. You wouldn't have foreseen or expected me to be here, conducting your interview." Even as his voice was relaxed, she could still feel the tug of his overwhelming presence. It was the same as the tenseness and sizzling fire that had portrayed the stolen night they had together.

She bit her inner cheeks, seeking to summon some sort of facade of self-control. "I wouldn't have, I guess."

Liam hinted with his hands to the chair at the other side of his desk, the chair was smooth and unaccepting.

"Have a seat, please. Make yourself comfortable." His voice brimmed with an easy authority that had without doubt given him the status he maintained, and the admiration he commanded. As Ivy proceeded to take the seat, she could feel the weight, and for the first time in a very long while, she felt she was in a place she didn't belong.

With her fingers curling into her palm as she mentally reminded herself to breathe, she sat upright in the chair. She had nothing to be anxious about. This was simply a job interview, after all. She had been to countless others. It should've been a regular thing now.

Except it wasn't.

Nothing about this was regular.

Liam sat back down. His stance was loosened up however somehow cautious as he watched her seated across his desk. He picked up the file in front of him, turning it over as his eyes skimmed the contents, glancing back up at her for a beat as though to gauge her reaction.

Ivy swallowed hard. She knew this wasn't just an interview, it was a lot more than that. She could feel it immediately her palms turned sweaty, her hands clenched, and her heart rang loudly in her ears and skipped a beat every time they made eye contact.

"So," he began in a measured, calm, and collected voice, "I see you've had some experience in administrative roles. But I don't see much in the way of full-time on your resume."

"I do what I can," Ivy replied, mentally screaming at herself to concentrate. "Freelance, temp work, admin support - whatever sails the boat."

Liam's lips tugged once again, with a soft glimmer of amusement almost unnoticeable "Determination."

"Determination is the only thing that keeps me going," she let out, her voice coming out stronger than she intended.

Liam's eyes narrowed -just slightly, but enough to notice it.

"I respect that," he said. "And yet I wonder... are you truly prepared for the life you're stepping into? This company doesn't just give you a job, Miss Smith. It demands everything."

She held his gaze, steady despite the flicker of heat behind his words. Don't flinch. "I'm used to demanding."

For a beat, he said nothing. No smile, no smirk-just quietly calculating. He studied her like he was weighing something far heavier than a resume.

Then his gaze softened-barely. Just enough to mask the intent behind his eyes.

"We'll see," he said.

Silence settled thick between them. Liam shuffled a few papers, though his eyes never left hers. She could feel the weight of his attention-like it was pressing against her chest, measuring the cracks.

A minute passed.

In a tone she couldn't quite place, he finally said, "I'll reach out to you when I make my decision."

She stood abruptly, almost losing her footing but catching herself on the rim of his desk. Thank you," she let out, her voice sounding clipped.

She proceeded to reach for the door handle, but was halted by his voice

"Ivy."

She hesitated, taking a quick look back at him over her shoulder.

"You're not unexceptional," he said. "You never were."

She didn't answer. She didn't need to.

The door clicked shut behind her.

The minute she stepped out, she breathed out. Her chest was hurling with the breath she hadn't noticed she'd been retaining.

She hurried out of the building like she was being chased. Liam's last words danced at the back of her mind.

"You are not unexceptional. You never were."

They played on a loop, tugging at something buried too deep to name.

By the time Ivy returned home, night had fallen. Evelyn had already retreated upstairs, likely with a glass of wine and a face mask.

Rowan hadn't come back yet from wherever he spent most of his evenings pretending the Smiths' name still meant something in this town.

The house was silent.

She dragged her leg down the hallway into her room, and went straight into the shower.

After the shower, she changed into a big t-shirt, and coiled into the far corner of her bed like she was trying to tuck into herself. The day had drained her, her mind was humming with a million not-so-welcome thoughts.

But slowly-finally-exhaustion began to drag her under.

Just as the haze of sleep started to pull her in, her phone beeped.

She blinked, reached for it, and frowned.

It was a message from an unknown number

Her breath seized as she opened the message.

"What???"