Chapter 4

Just when I thought I could finally start over, something would always pull me back.

Most of my job applications disappeared without a response. Even when companies scheduled interviews, they'd cancel right before they were supposed to happen.

One or two cancellations might be a coincidence, but when they happened every single time, I realized something wasn't right.

Then, another text from an unknown number came: [Your position is still waiting for you. My mother agreed to take you back, on condition that you apologize to Evelyn. Once you do, we can put all this behind us.

[Everyone in the industry knows you got kicked out of the Chambers Group. No other company will hire you now, Selena. Don't gamble your future away because of your pride.]

Those words turned my stomach.

I'd loved Eugene for ten years, but now, that fact alone felt like the biggest joke of my life.

When he realized I was serious, he tried to placate me by offering my old position back, treating it like some grand gesture of generosity.

I texted back: [You're unbelievable.]

Once the message went through, I blocked this number.

Setting my phone aside, I looked across at the well-dressed man. "I'm in. When do I start?"

He adjusted his glasses with a knowing smile. "You were hesitating just now, but that text seemed to make your decision for you."

He wore his tailored suit with effortless grace, radiating an air of sophisticated charm. Where Eugene was cold and distant, this man carried an intriguing, almost dangerous appeal.

This was Yves Foley, Eugene's rival since their university days.

Unlike my quiet admiration from afar, Yves had never shied away from challenging Eugene directly.

Just when I thought every door had closed on me, Yves appeared with an opportunity.

It was obvious that this was his way of getting back at Eugene.

"After dealing with that mess back there, working with you seems genuinely appealing," I told him.

Yves grinned as he raised his wine glass. "To working together."

"To working together," I replied.

*****

I was back to being a lawyer.

Fresh out of law school, I had dreamed of working at a proper firm. But when Eugene's company made an offer, I chose him over my career aspirations.

Getting fired turned out to be the push I needed to reclaim my path.

The next six months working on cases with Yves sharpened my skills in ways I never expected.

Time flew by, and when New Year's Day approached, Yves insisted I take some time off.

I hadn't been home for the New Year's in four years, not since I started working for Eugene. Now that I was finally back, all I wanted was to sleep for several days straight.

"Selena, someone's at the door," my mother called out. "Could you get it, please?"

Still in my pajamas and munching on a cucumber, I ambled over to answer the door. The instant I saw who was standing there, I froze completely.

"What are you doing here?" I asked, totally caught off guard.

There stood Yves in his gold-rimmed glasses, gifts in hand as he stepped right past me into the house.

"Hello, Mrs. Shaw. I'm Selena's boss. Please, just call me Yves," he said with a bright smile.

My mother seemed momentarily surprised by his enthusiasm, accepting the gift almost automatically before gathering herself to welcome him inside.

I was still processing his unexpected appearance when I heard another knock at the door.

I opened the door with a sigh, my irritation evident. "Who is it now?"

Eugene stood on my doorstep, his expression dark and unreadable.

"It's me," he grumbled.

It was an unwelcome sight.

*****

Dinner felt more like a showdown. My former boss, Eugene, and my current one, Yves, were locked in a tense stare-down across the table, the air thick with unspoken challenge.

My mother leaned in close to me, her voice dropping to a whisper. "What's the story with these two? Are they both trying to win you over?"

I could only look at her, totally speechless.

Eugene broke the silence first, his voice laced with sarcasm. "I should have known it would be you. You can never just stay away, can you? You were just back in the country and already making trouble for me."

Yves calmly adjusted his glasses.

"You always overestimated your own importance," Yves replied coolly. "I have an eye for talent, and if you're too shortsighted to see what's in front of you, don't be surprised when someone else values it enough to take it."

"You haven't gotten any less annoying, I see," Eugene muttered.

"I could say the same about you," Yves replied with a smirk.

After another tense standoff, Eugene scraped his chair back and looked toward my mother. "Excuse me, Mrs. Shaw, where's your bathroom?"

"Oh, I'll take you there," my mother said, quickly getting up.

The moment they left, I turned to Yves with a weary look. "So, what kind of mischief are you up to this time?"

Working with him had been one surprise after another. His methods were so unpredictable that I finally understood why Eugene used to lose his temper around him back in their university days.

"I just wanted to pay your mother a visit. How was I supposed to know that guy would show up too?" Yves replied, putting on an innocent face.

"And why exactly are you paying my mom a visit?" I shot back, still not buying it.

He rested his chin in his palm, his eyes crinkling with amusement as he looked at me. "Well, isn't it obvious? I'm here to make a good impression on my future mother-in-law."

The dangerously charming look he gave me made my throat go dry.

I had noticed how good he'd been to me these past six months, though I'd made a point of pretending otherwise. But now, with him being so direct, I found myself at a complete loss.

The truth was, I was scared of getting entangled in another messy relationship.

"If this is just some competition between you two, please keep me out of it," I said.

He chuckled lightly. "Who do you think I was trying to provoke him for all this time?"

I stood there frozen as the implication settled over me.

"I remember in our sophomore year, there was a girl who was always trailing after Eugene around campus. She even got her hands on the design school's class schedule. I figured she was just another starry-eyed admirer of his.

"There was something quite endearing about her determination. I kept expecting her to confess, but she never made a move. So I decided to give fate a little nudge. I'd create some minor trouble for him, just enough to give her a chance to play the hero.

"Eventually, my focus shifted entirely to making Eugene look bad. I hoped it'd make that girl see what he was really like and finally give up on him.

"She was so busy watching someone in the distance that she became blind to the person standing right beside her," Yves said, his intense, meaningful glance making my heart skip a beat.

The air grew still between us. I had no idea how to respond, so I just stared down at my plate, nervously pushing food around while my heart continued to race.

The tension finally broke when my mother returned and started asking Yves about everything from his family to his career.

Yves responded to every single question with genuine warmth and enthusiasm.