Chapter 4
Delilah peeked out from behind him, her face full of panic. "Seraphina, please stop... Gideon doesn't love you anymore. Acting so desperate is honestly pathetic..."
People around us started shooting weird looks, whispering and pointing at us.
I had my sunglasses on, an iced Americano still cold in my hand, and honestly, I couldn't believe how ridiculous this was.
"Mr. Cross, are you paranoid or something?" I said, taking off my sunglasses and giving him a cold stare.
"Is this your private airport or something? You think you're the only one allowed to be here?" I fumed.
"Drop the act," Gideon said, giving me that smug look like he had me all figured out. "You tracked down my flight, bought a ticket for the same plane, and now you're staging a run-in, pretending it's just a coincidence? That's such a rom-com cliché. You really think I'd fall for that?"
He looked me up and down, his gaze lingering on the economy boarding pass printout in my hand—even though I'd actually upgraded, but he only saw the paper. A mocking smirk tugged at his lips.
"Too bad for you. Delilah and I are flying first class, living it up in the front. All that hard-earned cash you spent on your ticket? You'll just be stuck in the back, breathing in our dust," he sneered.
"Take my advice—just go home. Don't end up stranded at your destination, crying and calling me in tears. I won't even pick up," he added.
I stared at his smug, know-it-all face, about to rub it in that I was actually heading to Merrowbay for a new job and flying business class, not economy.
Right then, the boarding announcement crackled over the speakers.
"Attention passengers bound for Merrowbay..."
Gideon snorted when he heard the destination. "Merrowbay? That's a honeymoon hotspot. What are you even doing there alone? Don't tell me you're just tagging along after us."
He shook his head, looking at me like I was a hopeless case, then threw his arm around Delilah and turned away.
"Let's go, baby. Ignore this crazy woman. If she wants to tag along, let her. She can watch us being all lovey-dovey so she'll finally lose all hope," he sneered.
Watching them walk off, I was so pissed I nearly squeezed my coffee to death.
The world was so big — why did I have to run into this kind of bad luck?
I got over it pretty quickly.
It didn't matter.
After getting off the plane, we went our separate ways.
He could rot away in his honeymoon paradise, while I would be out there killing it in the business world.
In the end, we belonged to two different worlds.
Merrowbay truly lived up to its reputation as a major coastal metropolis — even the air carried a sense of freedom and the scent of money.
As soon as I landed, I headed straight to the branch office to check in.
The HR manager at the branch office greeted me warmly, walked me through the onboarding process, and mentioned there'd be a welcome dinner that evening. I'd get to meet the client representative for the project.
"Ms. Vale, the client this time is a big deal," the HR manager said mysteriously. "It's the heir to Thorne Group, taking charge himself. Word is, he's got insanely high standards and a frosty attitude—he's the ultimate unattainable boss. You might want to tread carefully tonight."
I smiled, but inside, I wasn't too concerned.
Winning over clients was my specialty. No matter how icy the big shots, if my proposal was good enough, I could always seal the deal.
At seven that evening, I arrived at Merrowbay's most exclusive revolving restaurant.
I'd changed into a sharp black business suit, my makeup flawless, and my confidence on full display.
When I pushed open the door to the private room, I froze for a second.
The man at the head of the table wore a perfectly tailored bespoke dark gray suit, gold-rimmed glasses resting on his chiseled nose, radiating an icy, ascetic allure.
He was bent over some documents, his long fingers flipping through the pages with quiet precision.
He lifted his gaze when he heard the door open.
A subtle shift passed through his icy, deep-set eyes as they landed on me.
"M-Mr. Thorne?" I ventured, my voice a little uncertain.
I tried to speak, testing the waters.
But the only name that came to mind was Lysander Thorne.
He was the guy I used to sit next to in high school.
The genius who always ranked first in our grade was so cold and distant that he barely said a word to anyone for three years.
And the one I secretly crushed on for two whole years—my unattainable first love.
He closed the file, stood up, and the faintest, most striking smile tugged at his lips.
"Long time no see, Seraphina," he said.
His voice was deep and magnetic, even more mature and captivating than I remembered.
I never thought the world could be this small.
And I never imagined that the guy who barely spoke a word to anyone in high school—even when I asked to borrow an eraser—would now be the crown prince of Valoria's business world, holding all the power.
"L-Long time no see," I actually stammered, a little embarrassed.
The dinner was unexpectedly harmonious, all thanks to the fact that Lysander and I were old classmates.
Lysander wasn't nearly as intimidating as the rumors made him out to be. In fact, he was genuinely impressed with my proposal and even gave me some really insightful feedback on a few key points.
After a few rounds of drinks, I slipped out to the restroom to touch up my makeup.