Chapter 6 · One Sentence Broke My Love For Him

Charles and I stared at each other from far apart across the lobby while people streamed by between us.

Time seemed to stop at that moment.

His employees followed his gaze and looked over at me with curiosity and a bit of nosiness on their faces.

I noticed that my coworkers had stopped walking too, and the atmosphere started feeling a little tense.

Once the surprise and shock faded from Charles's face, it turned into a deep kind of pain that felt like it could drown me.

He took one step toward me.

That one step alone was enough to make my heart start beating out of control.

I gripped the folder so hard that my knuckles turned white.

I knew I couldn't step back.

Behind me were my new life, my future, and my pride.

"Emily," he said, his voice so hoarse that it barely sounded like him.

That used to be the sweetest thing I had ever heard from him, but now, it felt like a hot brand that made my soul tremble.

Right when I was about to lose it, a warm hand gently landed on my shoulder.

I looked up to see James. He had quietly moved to my side and positioned himself half a step in front of me, protecting me without making a scene.

That small gesture gave me more support than I could say.

James wore a calm, unhurried smile as he reached his hand out to Charles. "Mr. Goodman, it's a pleasure. I'm James Landon, Planning Director at WindRush Advertising.

"And this is Emily Shaw, one of our project team members."

His introduction was crisp and professional, so matter-of-fact that it left no room for argument.

He presented me as nothing more than a purely professional presence.

Charles's gaze moved from me to James's outstretched hand. He didn't take it right away. His eyes lingered between me and James with a scrutinizing look and a hint of hostility that was hard to notice.

The air in the lobby seemed to freeze.

I forced myself to look him in the eye.

Then I copied James, putting on a professional smile and giving a slight bow. "Hello, Mr. Goodman."

My voice was clear, calm, and distant.

I watched as the spark in Charles's eyes went out completely in that moment.

He looked utterly drained. A few seconds later, he slowly raised his hand and gave James a brief handshake. "Mr. Landon, nice to meet you," he said, his voice cold as ice.

I honestly have no idea how I survived that proposal meeting.

In the conference room, Charles was sitting at the head of the table, directly across from me.

I was in charge of presenting the market research and the customer profile section.

I stood in front of the screen with a laser pointer in my hand and forced myself to concentrate only on the slides.

My voice came out steady, so steady that I surprised myself.

I could feel that burning look on me the entire time.

Charles wasn't looking at the screen or the proposal. He was only watching me.

It was like he was studying every single change in me from the past month with that intense look of his.

My palms were covered in cold sweat, and the back of my shirt was almost soaked through.

I barely made it through, but I finally finished my part.

When I sat back down next to James, I felt like all the strength had been drained out of my body.

James handed me a bottle of water and said quietly, "You did great. Don't be nervous."

I nodded and twisted the cap off, but my hands were shaking so much that I spilled some water.

Charles, who was sitting across the table, saw all of it.

His hand, which was resting on the conference table, had slowly curled into a fist without him even realizing it.

After the meeting ended, the representative from Luminex Group gave our proposal a lot of praise.

It was a really good start, and everyone on our team was excited.

When we were packing up to leave, Charles stood up too.

He walked around the long conference table and came toward me.

My coworkers all had the good sense to leave first, and James stood by the door watching me like he was waiting.

Charles stopped right in front of me. "Emmy," he said, his voice so weak and shaky that it sounded like he was begging.

I hugged the folder to my chest like it was my armor.

I looked up and put on a smile that seemed both sincere and professional. "Mr. Goodman, if you have any questions about the proposal, please feel free to discuss them with our director, Mr. Landon.

"We hope to have a pleasant cooperation, and we'll take our leave now."

With that, I turned away without another glance and walked off.

As I passed him, I heard him force out the words through gritted teeth. "You really don't want to see me, do you?"

I didn't pause.

I practically ran out of Luminex Group's building, desperate to get away.

Once I was in the car heading back to the office, I leaned against the window and watched the city blur past.

My heart was still pounding, like it might burst right out of my chest.

James sat beside me without asking any questions.

He simply handed me a tissue when I was at my lowest. "Here, wipe your sweat," he said.

I took it and quietly said thanks.

I hadn't realized I had been sweating so much that even the hair at my temples was soaked.

*****

Back at the office, I buried myself in work, hoping the busy pace would dull the ache inside.

I knew this reunion with Charles was only the beginning.

As long as this project kept going, there was no way to avoid running into each other again.

But I couldn't back down. I had to get used to it. I had to get used to him being my client and to the fact that there was nothing left between us but business.

Chapter 6

Charles and I stared at each other from far apart across the lobby while people streamed by between us.

Time seemed to stop at that moment.

His employees followed his gaze and looked over at me with curiosity and a bit of nosiness on their faces.

I noticed that my coworkers had stopped walking too, and the atmosphere started feeling a little tense.

Once the surprise and shock faded from Charles's face, it turned into a deep kind of pain that felt like it could drown me.

He took one step toward me.

That one step alone was enough to make my heart start beating out of control.

I gripped the folder so hard that my knuckles turned white.

I knew I couldn't step back.

Behind me were my new life, my future, and my pride.

"Emily," he said, his voice so hoarse that it barely sounded like him.

That used to be the sweetest thing I had ever heard from him, but now, it felt like a hot brand that made my soul tremble.

Right when I was about to lose it, a warm hand gently landed on my shoulder.

I looked up to see James. He had quietly moved to my side and positioned himself half a step in front of me, protecting me without making a scene.

That small gesture gave me more support than I could say.

James wore a calm, unhurried smile as he reached his hand out to Charles. "Mr. Goodman, it's a pleasure. I'm James Landon, Planning Director at WindRush Advertising.

"And this is Emily Shaw, one of our project team members."

His introduction was crisp and professional, so matter-of-fact that it left no room for argument.

He presented me as nothing more than a purely professional presence.

The air in the lobby seemed to freeze.

I forced myself to look him in the eye.

Then I copied James, putting on a professional smile and giving a slight bow. "Hello, Mr. Goodman."

My voice was clear, calm, and distant.

I watched as the spark in Charles's eyes went out completely in that moment.

He looked utterly drained. A few seconds later, he slowly raised his hand and gave James a brief handshake. "Mr. Landon, nice to meet you," he said, his voice cold as ice.

I honestly have no idea how I survived that proposal meeting.

In the conference room, Charles was sitting at the head of the table, directly across from me.

I was in charge of presenting the market research and the customer profile section.

I stood in front of the screen with a laser pointer in my hand and forced myself to concentrate only on the slides.

My voice came out steady, so steady that I surprised myself.

I could feel that burning look on me the entire time.

Charles wasn't looking at the screen or the proposal. He was only watching me.

It was like he was studying every single change in me from the past month with that intense look of his.

My palms were covered in cold sweat, and the back of my shirt was almost soaked through.

I barely made it through, but I finally finished my part.

When I sat back down next to James, I felt like all the strength had been drained out of my body.

James handed me a bottle of water and said quietly, "You did great. Don't be nervous."

I nodded and twisted the cap off, but my hands were shaking so much that I spilled some water.

Charles, who was sitting across the table, saw all of it.

His hand, which was resting on the conference table, had slowly curled into a fist without him even realizing it.

After the meeting ended, the representative from Luminex Group gave our proposal a lot of praise.

It was a really good start, and everyone on our team was excited.

When we were packing up to leave, Charles stood up too.

He walked around the long conference table and came toward me.

My coworkers all had the good sense to leave first, and James stood by the door watching me like he was waiting.

Charles stopped right in front of me. "Emmy," he said, his voice so weak and shaky that it sounded like he was begging.

I hugged the folder to my chest like it was my armor.

I looked up and put on a smile that seemed both sincere and professional. "Mr. Goodman, if you have any questions about the proposal, please feel free to discuss them with our director, Mr. Landon.

"We hope to have a pleasant cooperation, and we'll take our leave now."

With that, I turned away without another glance and walked off.

As I passed him, I heard him force out the words through gritted teeth. "You really don't want to see me, do you?"

I didn't pause.

I practically ran out of Luminex Group's building, desperate to get away.

Once I was in the car heading back to the office, I leaned against the window and watched the city blur past.

My heart was still pounding, like it might burst right out of my chest.

James sat beside me without asking any questions.

He simply handed me a tissue when I was at my lowest. "Here, wipe your sweat," he said.

I took it and quietly said thanks.

I hadn't realized I had been sweating so much that even the hair at my temples was soaked.

*****

Back at the office, I buried myself in work, hoping the busy pace would dull the ache inside.

I knew this reunion with Charles was only the beginning.

As long as this project kept going, there was no way to avoid running into each other again.

But I couldn't back down. I had to get used to it. I had to get used to him being my client and to the fact that there was nothing left between us but business.