We Will Love Again – Episode 09
Alaina stopped just inside the conference room, apology dying on her lips. The tray in her hands tilted before she caught it, sending coffee trembling beneath plastic lids. Across the table sat the man she had spent five years convincing herself she would never see again.
Noah had imagined this moment in a hundred different ways. In some versions, Alaina stared at his expensive suit with open regret. In others, she begged him to forgive her. He had never pictured her pale and breathless, dressed for an ordinary day and holding refreshments like an assistant.
“Mr. Preston?” Joey prompted nervously. Noah had gone so still that everyone in the room noticed. Aaron glanced between his boss and the late employee, recognizing the name Noah had spoken after the interview.
Alaina forced her feet to move. “I’m sorry I’m late.” Calling him Noah would expose too much, so she addressed Joey and set the tray down. “I was told to come in at ten and pick these up for your guest.”
Abigale cut in before Joey could question her. “That isn’t what I said. I told you to be here early.” Her expression was wounded enough to make the lie sound like an accusation against Alaina’s memory.
Joey’s face reddened. “We’ll discuss your excuses later.” He turned back to Noah with a strained smile, desperate to contain the embarrassment. “Mr. Preston, this is our third senior writer, Alaina Campbell.”
“We’ve met,” Noah said. The quiet statement silenced the room. Alaina looked at him despite herself and found no warmth in the eyes that had once made her feel safer than anywhere else.
Evonne’s mouth fell open. Abigale recovered first. “You know Alaina?” Disbelief sharpened the question, as though association with Noah were an honor Alaina could not possibly have earned.
Noah’s gaze remained on his former fiancée. “A long time ago.” He offered no further explanation. The dismissal reduced six years of love to an irrelevant acquaintance, and Alaina accepted the pain without protest.
Joey laughed too loudly. “Small world.” He gestured toward an empty chair, hoping the coincidence might help rather than destroy his meeting. “Alaina, sit. We were presenting our development slate.”
She took the seat farthest from Noah, but distance did nothing to weaken his presence. Every turn of his hand revealed the watch on his wrist; every measured question reminded her that he now controlled rooms without raising his voice.
Noah listened as Abigale described a project Alaina had helped reshape. When the presentation faltered, Alaina instinctively supplied the missing character motivation and audience strategy. Her concise explanation restored the pitch, earning Joey’s relieved nod.
The competence unsettled Noah more than failure would have. He had preserved an image of Alaina as shallow and impatient, yet the woman before him appeared tired, serious, and entirely untouched by the luxury she had supposedly chosen.
“Interesting,” he said. “Who developed that approach?” Abigale started to answer, but Joey credited the team. Alaina stayed silent, accustomed to watching her ideas become communal property.
Noah noticed. He also noticed her inexpensive bag, the repaired seam on her sleeve, and the absence of jewelry on her hand. If she had left him for wealth, none of the evidence made sense.
Alaina felt his attention and wished he would despise her openly. Suspicion was more dangerous than anger. Anger would keep him away; questions might lead him toward a hospital room and the truth she had sworn never to reveal.
Joey reached the acquisition proposal with a voice full of hope. Noah closed the folder without giving an answer. “Triple AI’s team will remain involved while we conduct a full evaluation.”
Relief swept through Joey, but Noah raised one hand. “I’ll need direct access to your projects, staff, and daily operations. Delays and misunderstandings won’t be tolerated.” The final words were aimed unmistakably at Alaina.
She lifted her chin. “Understood, Mr. Preston.” The formality between them was almost unbearable. Noah remembered her calling him cheap; Alaina remembered whispering an apology through the rear window of Peter’s car.
Noah rose, then paused beside her chair. “Since Ms. Campbell and I already know each other, she can serve as my point of contact.” His expression promised neither mercy nor reunion. “Starting today, Alaina, your time belongs to me.”
