Chapter 3 And then he remembered

Lily wasn't sure what was more confusing: the fact that Jaxon Reid, billionaire CEO and former teenage dream, had invited her to lunch or that she couldn't stop thinking about it.

He'd been charming. Funny. Human.

And that was a problem.

Because charming led to vulnerable. Vulnerable led to heartache. And she'd already taken that road with him once before.

No maps. No return.

"Earth to Lily." Clarissa waved a folder in front of her face.

Lily blinked. "Sorry. Just tired."

Clarissa raised an eyebrow. "That kind of tired comes from thinking about someone you shouldn't be thinking about at work."

Lily snatched the file. "I'm thinking about spreadsheets."

"Mmhmm."

Clarissa leaned in closer. "Mira's been stomping around like she just found out she wasn't invited to her own wedding. You should probably avoid sharp objects and direct eye contact."

"She's always like that, right?"

Clarissa smirked. "Not unless someone's gotten too close to her Jaxon."

Lily rolled her eyes. "He's not hers."

"Try telling her that."

By midday, the office buzzed with tension.

Mira's heels clicked like a threat across the marble floors. She swept through the top floor in a storm of silk and steel, a stack of contracts in one hand and a designer clutch in the other.

She stopped directly in front of Lily's desk.

"You," she said.

Lily looked up. "Me."

Jaxon appeared from his office at that exact moment, phone in hand, brow furrowed.

Mira's voice softened instantly. "Jaxon, darling. I've reviewed the Horizon deal. We should discuss-privately."

He gave her a distracted nod. "In a moment. Lily, could you bring in that contract for the Everlane project?"

"Of course," Lily said.

Mira's eyes narrowed.

Lily didn't flinch. But the air around them crackled like a live wire.

Inside the office, Jaxon didn't acknowledge the subtle drama. He simply took the folder, glanced through it, and said, "You organized this well. You have a good eye for detail."

"Thank you," Lily replied.

He looked up at her then, gaze lingering. "You always did."

Her breath caught.

Before she could respond, Mira breezed in without knocking.

"I've cleared my schedule for the next two hours," she said. "We can go over the merger now."

Jaxon nodded, then turned to Lily. "That'll be all for now."

She stepped out, but not before catching the icy smile Mira threw her way.

The rest of the day passed slowly. Clarissa had left early for a dentist appointment, leaving Lily to coordinate an impromptu board call. Between typing minutes and juggling three email chains, her head spun.

At 5:57 p.m., Jaxon reappeared.

"You're still here."

She looked up, startled. "So are you."

"I thought you only agreed to temp. You're working like you own the place."

She shrugged. "Just earning my paycheck."

He stepped closer. "You've always been like that. Quiet. Determined."

Her fingers paused on the keyboard.

"You remember now," she said softly.

He didn't answer right away.

Instead, he leaned against her desk, his voice lower now. "I saw you in the library once. Senior year. You were reading The Great Gatsby for the third time."

She swallowed. "You used to say I only liked tragic stories."

"And you said I liked saving people."

A beat of silence passed.

"Why didn't you tell me it was you?" he asked.

"Would it have changed anything?"

Jaxon studied her. "Yes."

FLASHBACK - SEVEN YEARS AGO

The art wing of Hartfield Prep was always quiet after hours. Most students went home, but Jaxon stayed late for the sketching elective-his one escape from the pressure of being the school's golden boy.

Lily had wandered in by accident.

She was new. Nervous. Carrying a tattered notebook and a hand-me-down uniform two inches too short.

"Lost?" he'd asked, looking up from his sketchpad.

"No," she said, clearly lying.

He tilted his head. "You're the girl who reads during gym."

"You're the boy who draws behind textbooks."

He grinned.

That was the beginning.

Over weeks, they fell into a rhythm. Shared snacks. Study sessions. Secret smiles in the hallway. Late nights at the library where he'd sketch her fingers holding a pen or her profile when she was focused.

One night, he gave her a charm bracelet. It was simple-silver chain, a single star hanging from it.

"For your first scholarship," he said. "You'll get out of here. You'll do something big."

"And you'll build empires," she replied.

He laughed. "Only if you come with me."

She kissed him for the first time that night.

But just two weeks later, she was gone.

No goodbye. No note.

Only silence.

PRESENT DAY

"I didn't have a choice," Lily whispered.

"I would've helped you," Jaxon said. "You could've told me."

"My family lost everything. We were evicted overnight. My brother was barely eating. You were living in a mansion and painting sunsets. What was I supposed to say?"

"You could've stayed."

"I couldn't let you see me like that."

His expression softened. "You never needed to be perfect."

She met his eyes. "And yet you became the kind of man who only surrounds himself with perfect people."

Ouch.

But he didn't deny it.

Instead, he reached into his drawer and pulled something out-a small velvet box.

Her heart jumped.

He opened it slowly.

Inside was the same charm bracelet.

Only now, there were more charms.

A book. A heart. A tiny paintbrush.

"I found it last month. It was still in my old room," he said. "I didn't know why I kept it."

"You didn't remember me."

"Not fully. But I remembered something. And when I saw you... I knew."

Lily's voice cracked. "Why are you showing me this now?"

"Because I don't want to lose you again."

Her heart twisted painfully.

But before she could speak, there was a sharp knock-and Mira walked in.

She froze, eyes darting to the bracelet, then back to Lily.

"I'm sorry-am I interrupting?"

Yes. Very.

"No," Lily said, stepping back. "I was just leaving."

That night, Lily sat in her tiny apartment, staring at the ceiling while Mason snored on the couch.

She clutched her phone, rereading her texts to herself.

Lily:

He remembers.

Lily:

And it's dangerous.

Because remembering was the first step to wanting.

And wanting Jaxon Reid again?

Might break her for good.