Chapter 1 Straight Back To My Past

Mia's POV

I sat at the far end of the conference table at Aldrin and Vale Law Firm, my back straight, my posture calm and controlled. My pen rested lightly between my fingers, untouched.

For a moment, my gaze drifted past the glass walls of the boardroom, overlooking the city below. From up here, everything looked peaceful and easy to control.

Just the way I liked it.

I hadn't written a single note, and I didn't need to. I already understood how these meetings worked.

"Mia," Mr. Vale called. I lifted my gaze, steady and composed. Richard Vale, my boss and one of the firm's senior partners, was watching me closely.

"You'll be joining me on Monday," he said. "Big client. Very big."

I tilted my head slightly, my expression unreadable. "How big?"

"The kind that doesn't lose," he said. "The CEO is a young billionaire. Dangerous. The type who builds empires and burns bridges without looking back."

Something stirred inside me. Not fear, but anticipation.

“And you want me to handle him or his company?” I asked, my voice calm and controlled.

Vale didn’t answer right away. He studied me for a moment, fingers steepled in front of him, before leaning back in his chair. His expression shifted, more serious now.

“I want you at your best, Mia,” he said. “Not that you’re ever anything less.”

I held his gaze, waiting. He gave a small nod, as if confirming something to himself. “Of course you are a topnotcher. I needed only the best for this, and that’s you.”

Something quiet and steady settled in my chest, not pride, not anymore. Just certainty.

“But this account,” he continued, his tone sharpening, “we need it.”

I didn’t interrupt. I let him speak.

“There are several firms going after him,” Vale added. “Top firms. Aggressive ones. They know what’s at stake.”

He paused, then leaned slightly forward.

“And this CEO… he’s not easy to please. Extremely strict when it comes to legal matters. Every detail has to be flawless. No room for mistakes. No second chances.”

A spark lit inside me. This was exactly the kind of client I wanted. The kind that didn’t just test your skills, but demanded everything you had.

Vale’s gaze hardened. “One misstep, and he walks away. That’s the kind of client he is.”

"And you still want me to handle him?” I asked, steady, unshaken.

A slow, knowing smile curved on his lips. “I think you can bend him. You have a certain… effect on men.”

I frowned slightly as I met his gaze.

“I don’t rely on charm, sir,” I said evenly. “I rely on strategy.”

The words came out firm, grounded in something deeper than confidence. This was not the girl who once questioned her place in a room. I had earned every seat, every title, every ounce of respect.

Vale chuckled, clearly pleased. “Exactly why I chose you.”

But my thoughts were already moving ahead.

I wasn’t thinking about how difficult the client might be. I was thinking about how predictable men like him usually were. Powerful. Controlled. Used to winning.

I had handled worse.

Vale slid a file across the table, the folder stopping just in front of me. I didn’t reach for it.

“Aren’t you going to ask who this big client is, Atty. Villaruiz?” he asked, one brow lifting.

I shook my head, a faint smile touching my lips.

“There’s no need,” I replied. “No matter how rich or powerful he is, I can handle him. I know his type.”

I paused, meeting his eyes with quiet certainty.

“I’ll take care of it myself. Thank you for trusting me with this. I assure you, Mr. Vale, we’ll secure this account.”

His smile widened, pride unmistakable. “That’s exactly what I’ve been waiting to hear from you, Mia.”

The way he said my name softened something inside me. A quiet reminder, I already belonged here. And whoever this client was, he just didn’t know it yet.

By Monday, I arrived early, heels steady against marble, the unopened folder still resting in my bag. I preferred it that way. No expectations. No bias. Just instinct.

"Morning! Are you ready?" Vale asked as he stepped inside the company vehicle.

"Of course, I am always ready and excited for another opportunities," I responded with confidence and his smiled widened.

The moment the vehicle stopped in front of a familiar building my entire body froze, but I didn't let Vale see

my shaken expression, so I tried to look calm even if my heart wasn't.

Of all the buildings in this city, why did it have to be this one? Why did we have to stop here at Alcaraz Tower?

I kept my gaze forward as we stepped out of the car, my heels steady against the pavement, my expression calm. But inside, something I had buried a long time ago began to stir, quiet but impossible to ignore.

I did not even allow myself to think his name.

I had trained myself not to.

For years, I built that discipline carefully, piece by piece, until it became second nature. Because I knew that once I let myself remember him, even for a second, everything I worked so hard to rebuild might start to crack.

It was not as if I had never heard of him. That would have been impossible. Liam Alcaraz was everywhere. His name carried weight in business circles, in headlines, in conversations that had nothing to do with me yet still found a way to reach my ears. People admired and feared him. They talked about his success like it was something untouchable. And every time I heard it, I chose to ignore it.

I avoided the news whenever his name appeared. I turned away from conversations that mentioned his family, his company, or the powerful people connected to him. Even the name of his fiancée's family was something I refused to acknowledge.

It was easier and safer that way. I told myself that the past was behind me. That whatever we once had no longer mattered. But standing here now, right in front of the building that carried his name, I realized how fragile that lie truly was.

I returned to the capital shortly after passing the bar exam, drawn by an opportunity I could not ignore. Richard Vale himself offered me a position. He did not leave it to an assistant or a formal email. He called me personally. That alone said enough.

During that call, he made it clear that he was not looking for just another associate. He wanted someone who could take on the kind of cases others avoided, the ones that demanded precision, resilience, and the willingness to stand firm under pressure.

He believed I was that person because he had done his research on me. After my name became a national sensation for topping the bar exam, everything about my life was laid bare.

They found out I worked part time jobs just to finish my studies, that I carried my own weight long before I ever stepped into a courtroom.

And to them, that meant only one thing. I knew how to work under pressure. I didn’t just survive it. I thrived in it.

Becoming number one while struggling to sustain my education and my daily needs was not luck. It was proof that I could endure. That I could fight and win.

Besides, his offer was more than generous. It was the kind of opportunity people wait years for, the kind that doesn’t come twice.

And Aldrin and Vale was not just any firm. It was one of the most respected law firms in the country. A place where careers were built, where reputations were forged, where only the best were allowed to stay.

Turning it down would have been a mistake. And I had never been the kind of person who walked away from something I had earned.

I was grateful that Josh had already established his main office here, which made the decision easier. Knowing my best friend would be in the same city gave me a sense of comfort I did not want to admit I needed.

I forced myself back to the present and walked beside Vale, even as chaos stirred inside me, my thoughts racing, my heart unsettled by every possibility. I buried it all. For now, I had one goal. I intended to prove Vale right.

But the moment I stepped inside the boardroom, everything stopped. My breath caught, my steps faltered for the briefest second, and the world seemed to tilt beneath me.

Because sitting there, as if he had never left, was the man who once shattered me. Eight years, and still… my heart remembered him far too well.

Liam Alcaraz stood up. He looked composed, powerful, exactly as I remembered and completely different at the same time. He looked broader, colder, and sharper, as if the years had changed him into someone more guarded and in control.

Those years disappeared in a single heartbeat. It was Richard Vale who stepped forward first, completely unaware of the storm he had just walked us into.

"Mr. Alcaraz," he said smoothly, gesturing toward me. "This is Attorney Mia Villaruiz, one of the finest lawyers in my firm. In fact, she's currently our most sought after attorney. She'll be leading your contract negotiations."

His words echoed in my ears, but all I could hear was the rush of my own pulse.

At that exact moment, Liam Alcaraz's gaze found mine, and everything seemed to stop. I forgot how to breathe, but I refused to let it show. I forced my expression into calm professionalism, locking every emotion behind a wall I had spent years building. The anger, the anxiety, and the memories I was not ready to face. I buried all of it.

I was not prepared to see him again. And I had sworn to myself that I would never allow him back into my life in any way.

"Mr. Alcaraz," I said, my voice steady, controlled.

"Attorney Villaruiz," he replied just as smoothly.

Like we were strangers and nothing had ever happened. I held on to that. I acted like I did not know him at all. Like he was just another client. Just another man sitting across the table.

But the difference was impossible to ignore. Because while I refused to look at him any longer than necessary, he did not look away. I could feel his gaze on me the entire time.

The way he looked at me felt heavy and intense. Like he was trying to read through everything I was hiding.

The meeting blurred after that. Numbers were discussed. Contracts reviewed. Terms negotiated.

I spoke when needed. I wrote notes. I responded with precision. But none of it truly registered.

Because every time I became aware of him watching me, it felt like he was peeling back every layer I had built over the years. Like he still knew me. Like he could still reach parts of me I had tried so hard to bury.

I hated him for that. And more than anything, I hated that after everything, he still had that effect on me.

And worse, I hated myself for noticing how he had changed, for remembering the sound of his voice, and for realizing that he was even more handsome than before.

I had promised myself I would be untouchable. But the moment our eyes met, I knew that promise had cracks.

Finally, the meeting ended. I walked out first, faster than I intended. When I reached the end of the corridor, I had to stop, pressing my hand against the wall as my breathing turned uneven.

"Get it together, Mia," I whispered to myself.

"You're not that girl anymore."

I slowly stood straight again, forcing myself to stay calm. Every step I took after that was steady, careful, and under control.

Anyone who saw me would think I was fine. But inside, I was breaking into pieces I thought I had buried. I accepted Richard Vale's offer without hesitation. I thought I was simply choosing my future. I did not realize I was also walking straight back into my past.