Chapter 24 – A Man From The Past
I lifted my wine glass and took a slow sip, smiling after Richard left my office.
It felt good.
It felt so good to watch him grovel
I had warned him one day he’d come crawling back.!!
Honestly, though, I had forgotten all about getting him the deal with Davenport Industries.
Funny how life works sometimes.
I leaned back in my chair, staring at the ceiling
“Why was the CEO so eager to see me anyway?” I wondered aloud !!
Shrugging. I grabbed my bag and stood up.
Maybe I should go thank him
Who knew? Maybe I made a new friend
The drive to Davenport Industries was smooth.
When I stepped inside, the secretary smiled brightly at me!
“Good afternoon, Mrs Olivia Mr. Davenport is out on urgent business, but his assistant will meet you.“!
“Alright,” I said, following her down a long hallway.”
She opened a door for me and I stepped into a cozy, sunlit room.
A young man stood up from behind a sleek desk.
“Good afternoon, Mrs Olivia,” he said warmly. Tm Lea. Mr. Davenport apologizes for not being here.“”
I shook his hand. “It’s fine. Nice to meet you”
He smiled. “Are you here to endorse Richard Stonewell for the contract?”
I laughed lightly and shook my head.
“No, not at all. I just came to say thank you for not giving him the contract.”
Leo raised an eyebrow.
“You’re welcome,” he said, chuckling
I nodded and tumed toward the door.
“I’ll see myself out,” I said.
“Have a good day, Mrs Olivia.”
“You too.”
Driving home, I felt like I could finally breathe.
One less burden to worry about.
But when I pulled into the driveway, something felt off.
I walked into the house and kicked off my heels.!!
“Chase?” I called &
No answer.
Strange
He hadn’t been to my office today either.
Maybe he was busy
Before I could overthink, I heard tiny footsteps.k
Pose ran into the room wearing a new pink dress, spinning like a ballering!
“Mommy! Look what you got me!” she squealed “Do I look like a princess?
I knelt down and hugged her tight.
“You look beautiful, Rosie “T
She grinned and kissed my cheek. “Thank you for making me pretty”
Cynthia appeared behind her, bearing
“You’re home just in time,” Cynthia sald I
For what?”
“I have news” She bounced on her toes like a teenager. “Good news”
I stood up slowly “Tell me I
She pulled out her phone and showed me a picture.
was a silver mask necklace the same one from that night almost four years ago ||
My hands trembled…
My heart thudded in my chest
“Where did you get this?” I whispered.
“A man contacted us,” Cynthia said, her eyes shining. “He said he’s
s the one
I stared at the photo, barely breathing
“He sent this as proof,” she added softly
I covered my mouth, blinking fast to hold back tears.)
After all these years
Could it really be him?
“Did you speak to him?” Lasked, voice shaky.||
“Yes. He wants to meet. Same hotel, same room”
I nodded quickly.
“‘ll go.”
That night, I stood in front of the mirror, adjusting my dress.
Simple, black, just like that night.
from
the masquerade ball
My fingers brushed the tiny silver bracelet on my wrist- the only other thing I had kept from that night.
“You can do this,” I whispered to my reflection.
I grabbed my purse and headed out!!
The hotel looked the same.
Maybe a little older, but still grand.
I walked through the lobby, heart pounding in my ears.X
Up the elevator
Down the hall
Room 402
I hesitated for just a second before knocking.
The door opened almost immediately.
A man stood there, smiling warmly X
“Olivia?” he asked.
“Yes,” I said, stepping inside.
“I’m Jason 77
He closed the door behind me!
! tumed slowly, taking him in
Tall Dark hair. Strong jaw
“Hi,” I said carefully. “It’s nice to finally meet you.”}}
“You too,” he said, leading me to a small table by the window.
We sat down.
He ordered drinks
“To new beginnings,” he said, lifting his glass.
I forced a smile and clinked mine against his
I took a small sip, tasting something sweet and sharp.
“So,” I said, trying to sound casual, “what do you remember most about that night?”
Jason leaned back, smding lazily.
“Everything” he said. “You in that black dress. Your laughter How we sneaked out to the garden.”
Garden?
We never went to the garden that night.
I had my frown and forced another sip
“Year” I said weakly “That was fun
Something wasn’t right
The way he spoke 1
way he smiled.
I set my glass down carefully and stood up.
Jason’s smile falti
“Already?” he asked ||
“I have an early moming” Hied, backing toward the door).
But before I could teach it, the mom spun l
The walls twisted.
My vision bhared
I stumbled, grabbing the edge of the table, but it slipped from my grasp 30
“What what did you
papunu
Jason stood up slowly, his smile cold now
“Don’t worry it will all be over soon, Olivia,” he whispered X
My knees buckled.E
Thit the floor with a thui
