Chapter 8
Let my work speak for itself. If I deliver a perfect project, that was the best way to silence the doubters.
As the workday was winding down, I swapped out my sharp business suit for a simple white dress.
Looking in the mirror, I saw myself with all the makeup washed away—looking much gentler, almost vulnerable.
I didn't want to meet him as the tough, unbreakable host everyone knew.
Tonight, I just wanted to be the eighteen-year-old girl who still owed him a simple "sorry."
I got to the east gate of our old school fifteen minutes early.
It was right after school, and students in their uniforms were pouring out in little groups, full of life and laughter.
I stood under a massive camphor tree, watching everything around me—so familiar, yet so strange. For a moment, I felt a bit out of it.
It felt like time had slipped backwards, and I was right back in that afternoon, the air filled with the scent of camphor trees.
A black car glided to a stop in front of me, so quietly I almost missed it.
The car window rolled down, revealing Freddie's sharp profile.
"Get in," he said.
He was always so direct.
I opened the door and slid inside.
The car was spacious, and the air carried a faint, inviting woodsy fragrance.
He was dressed down today in a black T-shirt, which made his fair skin stand out even more.
The car pulled away smoothly, heading toward Pinnacle Tower.
We didn't say a word the whole way.
The silence settled between us, growing deeper with every mile, but somehow, it wasn't awkward at all.
The car stopped at the base of the mountain; it couldn't go any further.
We got out and walked up a winding stone stairway.
Ten years had gone by, but the path was almost unchanged. Only the trees on both sides had grown denser and more lush.
The summer night breeze, wrapped in the fragrance of grass and leaves, brushed against my face. It was pleasantly refreshing.
"About working together," I couldn't help but break the silence first. "Thanks."
He was just a half-step ahead of me, and when he heard me, he paused.
He didn't turn around.
"Aureon Intelligence needs a professional team to capture its history," he said. "And you're the most talented person I know for the job."
His voice was calm and objective. "This isn't about doing you a favor. It's a business decision, made because of your abilities."
He seemed to know exactly what I was worried about, and with a few simple words, he put my mind at ease.
But deep down, it just left me feeling even more uneasy.
I would have preferred if he had some personal motives, anything but this cold, strictly business approach.
It made me feel like I was just a convenient piece in his vast business empire, chosen simply because I happened to fit.
"But everyone at the network doesn't see it that way," I murmured. "They all think I landed this project just because of you."
He finally stopped and turned to face me.
In the darkness, his gaze was deep.
"Do other people's opinions really matter that much to you?" Freddie asked.
"It never used to matter," I said, meeting his gaze openly. "But this time, it really does because I don't want our relationship to be weighed down by all this baggage from the start.
"I don't want my professionalism and all my hard work to get buried under a misunderstanding from ten years ago."
Freddie gazed at me quietly, for a long time.
Then, he suddenly smiled.
It was a faint smile, rippling across his face—so gentle, it was hard to believe.
"I get it," Freddie said. "So from now on, at the office, I'm Mr. Houghton, and you're Ms. Berry. We keep it strictly professional. But..."
His tone shifted as he stepped closer to me.
The distance between us disappeared in a heartbeat.
I could breathe in that same woodsy scent clinging to him, the one that had filled his car.
He lowered his head slightly, his gaze intense and locked onto mine.
"After work, I'm not Mr. Houghton, and you're not Ms. Berry," he said. "We're just Freddie and Arabella."
"So, Arabella," he murmured, his voice low and irresistibly magnetic, "is it time for us to have that date we missed ten years ago?"
My heart skipped a beat under his gaze.
The night breeze rustled through the trees, setting the stage for our long-awaited date—ten years in the making.
I could feel my cheeks getting hot, so I looked away, trying to hide it, and nodded.
"Yeah," I replied softly.
His eyes sparkled with an even warmer smile.
We continued up the stone steps together.
This time, the mood between us was noticeably lighter.
I gazed at his broad back, speaking seriously. "Honestly, the real reason I came today was to give you a proper apology.