THE BILLIONAIRE'S FORGOTTEN VOWS

Now Elena was back, and fate was laughing at her.

Elena stood in front of her tiny bathroom mirror at 6 AM, she woke up early to prepare her kids for school and also herself for the meeting.

She chose a simple black dress with a modest neckline and hem that fell just below her knees.

She twisted her hair into a neat bun at the nape of her neck, pulling it tight enough to hurt. She did a minimal makeup: concealer for the dark circles, mascara to make her look awake, and a nude lipstick. There was no jewelry except small pearl studs that had been her mother's.

She looked like a stranger to herself, which was what she wanted

In the kitchen, Liam, her son was already awake, he'd always been an early riser. His dark hair stuck up in every direction, and when his blue eyes met hers, she just smiled

Those eyes.

Every time Elena looked at her son, she saw Ethan staring back at her.

"Morning, bug," she said, kissing the top of his head.

"Morning, Mommy. Look! It's taller than me!" He said happily as he showed her the block he's been working on.

It was, impressively so. Liam had always been good with spatial things, with building and creating. He got that from his father too.

Lily emerged from their shared bedroom rubbing her eyes, her stuffed rabbit dragging behind her. She was quieter than her brother, more observant too. She climbed into Elena's lap at the kitchen table without a word, and Elena held her close, breathing in her little-girl smell.

"Mommy has a big meeting today," Elena said, keeping her voice light.

"Mia's going to take you guys to school."

Liam looked up from his blocks, his expression suddenly serious in that way four-year-olds could be.

"Is it the important one? The one that's gonna make us rich?"

Elena's heart clenched painfully. Four years old and already worried about money because he'd heard her and Mia whispering about bills when they thought he was asleep.

"It's going to help, baby," she said, pulling him into a hug too. She held both her children close.

"It's going to help a lot." She added

They didn't need to know she was terrified or that she was about to walk back into the past that had almost destroyed her.

When Mia arrived at seven-thirty to take over breakfast duty, she took one look at Elena and whistled low.

"Look at you. All ice queen professional." Mia said.

"Is it too much?" Elena asked, whispering low.

"It's perfect. You look like you eat CEOs for breakfast." Mia paused.

"You've got this, right?" She asked carefully.

Elena picked up her portfolio worn leather that she'd bought secondhand but polished until it gleamed. Inside were her proposals, her designs, and her dreams printed on paper.

"I've got this," she lied.

Mia hugged her, quickly and said

"Text me the second you're out. And Elena? He's just a man. You've survived worse."

Elena stood on the sidewalk outside, tilting her head back to see the top. It was huge

Her phone buzzed. Mia: You've got this. Be the badass I know you are. Love you.

She smiled, Mia was all the encouragement she needed.

Elena typed back a heart emoji,the most she could manage and slipped the phone into her purse.

She took a breath, lifted her chin and walked through the doors.

When she got to the lobby, she looked around at everyone passing by, trying to figure out where to head to.

Elena's eyes went straight to the top: BLACKWOOD ENTERPRISES on the floors 45-52.

She approached the security desk, and when she got to the receptionist, she greeted her

"Elena Carter," she said, proud that her voice didn't shake.

"I have a 9 AM with Mr. Blackwood."

The guard with his name tag read MARTINEZ checked his computer, then studied her face and he handed her a visitor badge with her name already printed on it.

"Forty-fifth floor. Someone will meet you at the elevator."

The elevator was glass-walled, offering a great view of the city as it climbed. Elena watched the numbers tick up, her stomach dropping with each floor. Or maybe that was the nausea, she couldn't tell anymore.

42... 43... 44...

The elevator chimed softly, and the doors slid open, Elena stepped out into a reception area that looked like it belonged in an art gallery. There are white walls, minimalist furniture, a reception desk that appeared to float.

And there, standing near those windows with his back to her, was Ethan Blackwood.

Even from behind, she knew him. The set of his shoulders. The way he stood with his hands in his pockets, his posture and just everything. He was on his phone, as he talked to someone about quarterly projections and market shares.

Elena's feet rooted to the floor and every instinct screamed at her to turn around, get back in the elevator, run.

But then he ended his call and turned, their eyes met.

And Elena watched five years of carefully constructed distance shatter in an instant.

His expression shifted through a dozen emotions in the span of a heartbeat, of shock and disbelief, something that might have been pain before his face shuttered completely, going cold and unreadable.

But his eyes. God, his eyes were exactly as she remembered. That piercing blue that seemed to see straight through every defense she'd built.

They stared at each other and for a moment the receptionist had disappeared, leaving them alone.

He looked older no, but more manly now. He was the man who'd held her as she fell asleep in his office, too exhausted to go home.

He was both, and neither, and Elena couldn't breathe.

"Elena." He finally said her name, but she really wishes he hadn't

"It's been a long time." He added.

It was not long enough though. It's been forever. A five years that felt like yesterday and a lifetime ago.

She found her voice somewhere beneath the panic.

"Mr. Blackwood." She said professionally and distant. Like he was just another client.

"Thank you for agreeing to meet with me."

Something flickered in his eyes, like anger, maybe, or hurt... before his expression hardened further.

He moved then, crossing the space between them slowly and Elena forced herself not to back away, to hold her ground even as every cell in her body screamed danger.

He stopped close enough that she could smell his cologne, different from what he used to wear, it was something expensive.

Now he was close enough that she had to tilt her head back to maintain eye contact.

His gaze traveled down slowly over her and when his eyes finally met her eyes back.

"My office." His words with his voice soft, but it wasn't a request..

"Now." He emphasized on that last word.

He turned and walked toward a hallway, clearly expecting her to follow.

Elena's hands clenched around her portfolio so hard the leather creaked. She wanted to run, wanted to tell him to go to hell, wanted to protect herself and her children. But she couldn't.

She needed this contract, needed the money and needed to survive.

So she followed Ethan Blackwood into his office, and prayed she'd make it out with her heart intact this time.