Chapter 9

Kieran didn't spare her a glance.

His expression was carved from stone, unreadable and cold. Nothing in the room seemed to touch him - not even her.

Noah, sensing the tension thickening, tried to shift the mood. "Let's not dwell on the past. Since we're all here... Heather, how about a song or two?"

Zachary leaned back with a smirk and snapped his fingers. "Word is you were the voice goddess back at Regalis U. Top of the broadcast department, if I recall. Beautiful face, beautiful voice - why not charm the table a little? If your singing puts Kieran in a good mood and we sign this deal, consider our past... water under the bridge."

Heather smiled politely, the corners of her lips barely twitching. "Any requests?"

Zachary gestured toward Kieran. "He's the VIP tonight. Let him choose."

"Whatever," Kieran said flatly, his tone clipped and indifferent.

Noah stepped in quickly. "I remember you sang something at the university gala once - 'You and I.' It was beautiful. How about that one?"

You and I.

Heather's fingers curled slightly.

Of all songs... Noah had to choose that one?

Zachary grinned. "Come on, Heather. Don't keep us waiting."

She nodded and stepped onto the small raised platform at the side of the room. A soft spotlight clicked on above her, casting her in a pale gold glow. The white puff-sleeve dress she wore gave her a delicate, untouched elegance - like the girl she used to be before the world turned cruel.

She rested the violin on her shoulder, closed her eyes for a second, and exhaled.

Then the bow moved.

The intro was soft, almost hesitant. The notes floated out like moonlight on still water.

She began to sing.

"All of those times, you were here with me

My eyes weren't shut, but I didn't see

How was I blind to your touch

Your smile, your cares

All my feelings were just not meant to be

Now here I am,

All at once... alone."

Her voice wasn't sugary sweet. It was clear and cool, with a silken resonance that lingered in the air. There was a kind of distance in it - refined, almost cold - but beneath it, something cracked. Something hurt.

She wasn't just singing.

She was remembering.

Kieran didn't move. He sat there, unmoved, his eyes unreadable.

But she kept glancing at him anyway.

As if hoping - foolishly - that somewhere in that cold exterior, something might stir.

The bow never wavered, but her voice did - just slightly. A tremble. A breath caught between lyrics.

The words bled into the room like confessions she never got to say.

"You and I -

We seemed meant to be

You and I -

Always chasing, never reaching

You and I -

How did we end like this...?"

A single tear slipped down her cheek, landing on the violin's strings with a soft tap. It gleamed under the spotlight like a shard of broken glass.

She didn't mean to cry.

But the memories came anyway.

The boy who once held her trembling hand.

The stolen nights.

The whispered promises.

Now, he wouldn't even look at her.

"That's enough."

Kieran's voice sliced through the music like a blade.

Heather froze.

The violin fell silent.

He stood, slow and controlled. His voice was glacial. "I've got better things to do. Mr. Harper, if you still want to do business with HK, talk to Mr. Kane."

Then, without another word, he turned and walked out.

Zachary watched him go, eyes gleaming with amusement. He didn't care much about the deal - Whitestone Group was powerful enough on its own.

But this?

This was interesting.

He stood up leisurely and said, loud enough for all to hear, "Leaving your ex behind without so much as a goodbye?"

He smirked. "Well, I guess that's one way to say you're over someone."

Kieran didn't stop walking. His voice floated back, flat and cold. "There's nothing to talk about."

Zachary chuckled. "You know, Heather used to be engaged to me. Funny, right? I wouldn't mind catching up with her tonight. You mind?"

There was something predatory in his tone. He wasn't asking for permission.

He was taunting.

Kieran didn't even slow down.

"Go ahead."

Two words. Hollow. Final.

On stage, Heather's face lost all color.

Her lips parted slightly, as if to speak, but no sound came out.

She wasn't a person in that moment.

Just... an object. Casually handed off.

The man who once whispered I love you had just tossed her to another man like she didn't matter.

Her eyes followed Kieran's retreating figure as it blurred through tears.

He never looked back.

And yet, somehow, she still stood there - frozen.

Like maybe, just maybe, he would.

But he didn't.