Mia:

“And you are?” The security asked by the door as he noticed me walking in.

“I have an appointment, a job interview.” I said, showing him the email that confirmed my date. He looked down at me for a second, like I was some sort of outsider, before taking a step back, allowing me to walk past him.

“Third elevator, nineteenth floor.” He said, and I nodded, following his direction.

But the moment I stepped into the building, something felt… off.

I couldn’t explain it, but I could tell that my instincts were telling me to run.

My wolf stirred uneasily beneath my skin, pacing, restless, like it sensed something before I did, and I frowned in confusion as I tightened my grip on my bag and forced myself to keep walking.

“You’re overthinking,” I muttered under my breath. “It’s just an interview. You are going to get through it just like the others. Whatever the results are, you are going to be able to get through it.”

I walked deeper into the building, feeling smaller than I had as I looked around the room where I knew that I was being watched.

“But it is a very important interview.” I muttered to myself as I forced myself to keep my eyes down, avoiding everyone’s eyes as I knew that they were looking at me. “It is going to change your world, and you are going to be able to give Rosalyn the life that she deserves.”

The lobby was polished, pristine, glass, marble, and power. The kind of place where people like me didn’t belong. But I walked anyway. Head high. Shoulders back. I wasn’t going to backout.

“Hi,” I said, looking at the receptionist who raised an eyebrow when she saw mw approaching. “I have a job interview with Mr. Mathew.”

“Your name?” The receptionist asked, eyeing me up and down as if I was some kind of pest.

“Mia… Mia Romanov.” I said, looking down at my feet for a second before I met her gaze. “This is the email to confirm.”

“Take a seat. I will give you a call when it is your turn.” She said, and I nodded before walking to sit in the waiting area.

I folded my arms over my lap as I waited, my heart racing with each passing moment as it went.

Five minutes passed.

Then ten.

The unease didn’t go away. If anything, it got worse, and for a moment, I truly debated on whether or not I should be leaving.

“Maybe this was a bad idea anyway…” I said, wanting to get up before the receptionist approached me.

“I apologize, Ms. Romanov, there has been a problem with your schedule. We are going to need to reschedule.” She said, looking me in the eye as she stood in front of me. “Something has come up,”

“Reschedule?” I repeated, forcing a calm I didn’t feel. And though I wanted to debate leaving, the fact that it was turning into something that I didn’t expect didn’t fail to break my moral. “I confirmed this yesterday. And I was told that my interview was going to be set today. I don’t understand? Did something happen? Or did someone else get the job?”

“I cannot disclose such details,” she said, not sounding like she did at all. “But something urgent came up. I truly do apologize. But we are going to call you to reschedule your interview in the next available slot.”

I nodded stiffly, swallowing the frustration clawing its way up my throat. “Very well.”

I turned before she could see how much that answer crushed me. Another job. Another chance slipping through my fingers.

“Different this time,” I had said. “You are going to be able to manage it this time. Things are going to be easier for you this time.”

Well, all that was bullshit…

I pushed through the glass doors, already reaching for my phone to call Brenda, to tell her I’d be home earlier than expected and then I stopped.

Because I walked straight into him.

The impact was solid, firm. My breath caught as I stumbled back a step, my hand instinctively shooting out to steady myself, only to meet something warm. Strong.

Familiar.

“I’m sorry… I didn’t mean…” I started automatically.

Then I looked up.

And the world… stopped.

Nathan Lockwood.

It has been four years, but I would know him anywhere.

The same sharp jaw. The same cold, calculating eyes. The same presence that swallowed the space around him like he owned it, like he owned everything.

Like he owned me.

My heart slammed against my ribs so hard it hurt.

His eyes met mine.

And for a second, just one, there was nothing there. No recognition. No memory. Just a stranger looking at another stranger.

Relief hit me first. And I took a deep breath as I allowed myself to ease my way and mind in a world that I didn’t like. A world that I knew that I shouldn’t be in.

He let me leave, taking a step back. “I am sorry…” I said, more firmly this time, forcing my composure.

He didn’t remember.

Then again, why would he? It was just another night to him… one that he paid for.

I walked past him, forcing myself not to look back at the man who was frowning as if he was trying to remember who I was before he said the one word that I didn’t want to hear coming from his lips…

My name…

“Mia.”

Nathan:

“Mia.”

The name left my mouth before I even registered it.

She froze.

Not completely, but enough. Just enough for me to notice the tension that ran through her shoulders, the way her fingers tightened around the file she was holding.

I stepped closer.

“Do I know you?” She asked, looking up at me as if she was some kind of stranger. The woman who had her arms wrapped around me, her pussy tight around my dick… I had to fight back the chuckle.

“Nice try, little wolf.” I said, and she fought back rolling her eyes. I could tell that she was hating my very existence.

“You wanted an easy exit,” she said coldly. She didn’t even bother trying to hide her bitterness from her tone, and I could tell that my very existence was bothering her.

My gaze dropped to the folder in her hand. Company logo. Applicant file. I raised an amused eyebrow at that.

“What are you doing here?” I asked, tilting my head slightly.

She shifted, already stepping back. “I had an interview. Now if you will excuse me, I need to leave.”

I frowned. “With who?”

“That’s not your concern.” She snapped.

The attitude should’ve annoyed me. Instead, it intrigued me.

She went to walk past me like I was nothing, and I raised an eyebrow at her attitude. My hand shot out before I could stop myself, wrapping around her arm, firm enough to stop her in place.

She stiffened instantly, her heart racing against her chest as she looked up at me.

“What do you want?” She asked, glaring at me.

“Answer the question,” I said, my voice dropping slightly. “Because I doubt that you had the interview judging by the way that you are choosing to walk out.”

“I don’t owe you an answer, and if you want to ask questions… by all means, go ahead and interrogate others. I am not going to handle your damn attitude.” She snapped, making my eyes darken.

“Do you really think that you are brave speaking to me in such a manner?”

Her breath caught. I felt it.

And for a second, I didn’t let go.

She turned her head slightly, like she was about to say something…

“What is going on here?” Tania’s voice cut through the moment like a blade.

I released Mia immediately, watching as she looked down at her feet. She didn’t even hesitate. The second my hand left her, she pulled away and walked past me without another word. No glance. She just walked out like she was waiting for nothing more than me releasing her arm.

My jaw tightened as I watched her leave.

“Really, Nathan?” Tania’s voice sharpened behind me. “In the middle of your office building? If you’re going to entertain your mistresses, at least have the decency to keep them behind closed doors. You do know and realize that the media can catch you with her, and even worse, they can end up spreading rumors which I have no intention in tolerating anymore.”

I rolled my eyes, not even bothering to turn fully toward her.

“You’re assuming too much,” I said flatly. “And I believe that you know very well that I do not answer to you, Tania.”

“Oh, am I?” she snapped. “I am your wife, and whether or not you answer to me does not make a difference. At least respect that your kids might grow to see this, and you do not want them to have the thought of their father being with mistresses out in the open while their mother is in the same building too.”

“Is there anything that you need, Tania?” I asked coldly, my eyes meeting hers in a way that told her to drop the subject unless she aimed to cause a scene.

“I need you to stop treating me like I am burden and at least enforce the respect of me being your wife.” She said, looking me in the eye. “What more can I offer you for you to look at me like I am your wife instead of the burden that I see you hating? I didn’t do anything, and not once did I feel you looking at me like I matter to you.”

I didn’t answer.

Because I wasn’t thinking about her.

I was thinking about Mia.

About the way she looked at me.

About the way my body reacted to her before my mind caught up.

And the fact that she was still loathing my presence despite how long it has been.

“Go do whatever it is you came here to do,” I said dismissively, walking past Tania without another glance. “I have work to do,”

Her silence followed me down the hall.

But it didn’t matter.

Because for the first time in a long time…

Something had caught my attention.

And I wasn’t letting it go.