Chapter 1
The first time I saw William Shore after our divorce was at the check-in counter.
The agent recognized him immediately and handed over his boarding pass with a respectful smile.
"Mr. Shore, here's your first-class boarding pass."
He glanced at my casual clothes, his tone calm but unmistakably condescending—like he was doing me some great favor.
"There's an empty seat next to me. Upgrade her to first class and charge it to my account."
I politely declined, but he sighed softly, "Anna, it's been six years. Don't you think it's time to move on?"
I just smiled.
Move on from what, exactly?
I was already flying first class.
Besides, my husband was insanely jealous.
If he saw me getting off the plane with my ex-husband, he'd probably flip out.
*****
After turning William down, I took the boarding pass and walked away.
As I headed to the lounge, two staff members were staring at me, whispering to each other.
"Wait, isn't that Anna Becker?"
"Yeah, Mr. Shore's ex-wife. I thought she moved overseas after the divorce. Didn't expect to see her back here."
"Shh, she might hear us..."
They went quiet the moment I walked past.
I could feel their curious stares following me.
I ignored them, found a seat in the lounge, then ordered a coffee and took a sip.
I couldn't blame them. After all, I used to work at this airline too.
And William? He was the CEO.
Right after graduation, my childhood friend Nicole Grant and I both landed jobs here, chasing our dream of becoming flight attendants.
I figured if I just worked hard, one day I'd really get somewhere.
But I never expected that on my very first flight as a trainee flight attendant, something unexpected would happen.
There was this overweight, sleazy-looking passenger who gave me a predatory look as soon as he boarded.
After takeoff, he kept pressing the call button, always requesting me by name.
He brushed his hand—rough with dead skin—against mine while I was pouring wine.
His eyes stole glances down the opening of my collar.
I couldn't take it anymore, so I reported him to the head flight attendant.
She assigned Nicole to serve him instead.
But for some reason, that creep only wanted me.
After being repeatedly difficult with Nicole, he got pretty pissed off.
When I wasn't paying attention, he locked me in the bathroom at the back of the plane.
He grabbed me and started groping me.
I tried to scream, but he forced his fingers into my mouth.
It felt like my throat was stuffed with wet cotton—I could only choke out muffled sounds.
I frantically clawed at the lock, managing to crack the door open just a bit before he slammed it shut again.
When it was finally over, I stumbled out of the bathroom, my legs feeling like lead.
After we landed, that creep actually filed a complaint against me.
He demanded I come to his home and apologize in person, or he wouldn't drop it.
I was completely helpless, convinced I was about to lose my job.
I wandered through the parking lot in a daze, barely aware of my surroundings.
That was when I spotted a white cat, seconds away from being hit by a car.
Before I could think, my body reacted—I dove to save it.
All I remembered was the blinding glare of headlights before everything went black.
When I came to, William was standing right in front of me.
He extended his hand. "Are you alright?"
He helped me up.
He had his assistant take the cat and me to the medical room.
Then he turned to me. "What's your name?"
By the next day, that creep's complaint had mysteriously disappeared.
My boss said I was lucky—William himself had intervened on my behalf.
He brought me over to thank William in person.
On the way there, he kept dropping hints.
"Anna, you really lucked out. You should make the most of this—get close to Mr. Shore.
"Even if you just end up as Mr. Shore's girl, you'll be set for life around here."
But that was never my style.
When I faced William, I stood my ground and didn't waver.
"I don't know why you helped me, Mr. Shore, but that whole 'knight in shining armor' thing? Not for me," I said.
To my surprise, he didn't get upset at all. Instead, he made it obvious to everyone at the office that he was interested in me.
He fast-tracked my promotion, moving me up the ranks quickly.
He gave me the position I'd been dreaming about forever—head flight attendant.
Before every flight, he'd use the PA system to chat with me over the intercom.
He'd always wish me a smooth flight, every single time.
He even went overboard and sent me ten thousand roses just to confess his feelings.
Whenever he flew, he made sure the seat next to him stayed empty.
Sometimes, I'd just slide into that empty seat, crossing the line a little.
He'd just smile and pat my head, spoiling me like always.
It didn't take long before I was completely swept up in William's relentless pursuit.
One time, the plane hit some turbulence.
The first person I thought of was actually William.
That was when I knew I was utterly, hopelessly in love with him.
After we landed, he stood anxiously at the gate, waiting for me.
I threw myself into his arms.
Soon after, we got married.
We adopted that white cat together.
Back then, Nicole and I were still best friends.