Chapter 5

　　Theodore's POV

　　My company's expansion. That was the reason I was here in New York.

　　It took a lot of research for me to come to the conclusion that New York was the best choice for Morrow Corporation to establish a branch.

　　Before I finalized the project, I conducted background checks on several of the top companies in the city, but one company in particular caught my eye.

　　Blackwell Worldwide. I remembered seeing Nadia's name when I looked deeper into the company, and I was intrigued.

　　I wondered if she was the CEO of the company, but that couldn't be right since her last name was Sterling, not Blackwell.

　　That was when I realized it had to be her boyfriend's last name. The one she had left me for seven years ago. I felt a pang in my chest when I came to that realization.

　　She had set up a very successful company with that man after leaving me, and it hurt to see, especially when it wasn't information I sought out myself.

　　A part of me wanted to avoid New York since she was here, but I couldn't just hate the city because of one person. It was too childish and made no sense.

　　"I am the CEO of a company, and I have to push my feelings aside when it comes to what's good for business." That was what I told myself before leaving London, so I prepared my mind for whatever was going to happen while I was in the city.

　　I was on my way back to the office after a business meeting when I heard a loud bang as something hit the back of the car. I jerked forward, steadying myself as I grabbed the seat in front of me.

　　"Are you alright, sir? It seems some reckless driver rear-ended the car," my driver said, looking concerned as he glanced back at me.

　　"I'm fine," I replied gruffly as I smoothed my suit.

　　"I'm going to go assess the damage, sir. Please give me a few minutes," the driver uttered and was about to unfasten his seatbelt, but I stopped him.

　　"I can't wait. My next meeting is in fifteen minutes," I murmured as I glanced at my wristwatch. "I'll grab a cab. You stay behind to deal with the car."

　　"Alright, sir. I'll do that."

　　I was about to step out of the car when I heard a knock on the window, and the next thing I heard was a flurry of panicked words. I immediately knew it was the driver of the other car.

　　"I am so sorry about that! I don't know what I was thinking, I wasn't in my right senses. I can pay for any damages—"

　　I rolled down the window, about to tell off the driver. But I froze when I saw the person.

　　That face. It was etched into my memory. I couldn't forget it, no matter how much I tried.

　　"Nadia?"

　　Her body tensed up, and she slowly raised her head.

　　"Theodore? Is that you?"

　　Seven years had passed, and I thought time would erase the humiliation and resentment I felt that year.

　　But the moment our eyes met, all the memories I had buried within me resurfaced instantly, and I was forced to remember the past.

　　Our families had been friends for a long time, way before we were born. As the two of us grew up, people around us thought we were a perfect match, and everybody believed we would end up together.

　　I was never really good at expressing my emotions, and when I was young, I had a feeling Nadia might only see me as an older brother. Someone who was always there for her, who she could lean on and run to in times of need.

　　I remembered feeling sad at the time. So when the elders of our families decided that it would be a good idea for us to get married, my heart jumped for joy.

　　"Finally, I won't have to keep hiding my feelings for her anymore. I can't believe we're getting married," I thought excitedly.

　　The plan was to wait until she graduated from university to hold the wedding. But when she returned a few years later, she dropped news that shocked everyone.

　　She was in love with someone else. A poor boy who had nothing, someone who wasn't even qualified to dine with us.

　　My heart shattered into pieces when she told us. Our families and friends tried to tell her that she was making a wrong decision, but her mind was made up.

　　And all of a sudden, the childhood friend whom I had cherished for as long as I could remember, the woman whom I had planned into every corner of my future, abandoned me and everything her family had given her for this man.

　　The incident affected not only Nadia's and my relationship, but also caused both families to stop all cooperation, resulting in a complete break.

　　A few months after she left, I abandoned my pride and tried to seek her out in a bid to salvage the engagement since everybody knew about it already.

　　But the only response I got from her was a cold message saying she had never harboured any feelings for me behind those for a friend or an elder brother.

　　That was the final nail in the coffin. If there were any feelings I had towards her prior to that message, I made sure to lock them up deep inside, somewhere I could never feel them again.

　　Yet here I was, reliving the painful past I had tried so hard to forget.

　　I knew it would be nearly impossible not to run into her, especially in the narrow circles of high society. I had been preparing my mind, thinking I would be calm and collected when I ran into her.

　　"I could just ignore her? Maybe greet her with a wave or a cold nod? Or I should probably just turn away if I see her coming from afar," I mused.

　　But I never expected the reunion to happen so suddenly. In such an odd-fashioned manner, too.

　　I glanced at her flustered face. Her full cheeks were tinged with pink.

　　My lips curled up in annoyance, and I spoke before I could stop myself.

　　"It seems your driving skills are just as terrible as your taste in men."