I sat still at the slick conference table, holding the contract in my hands like a weight I couldn't shake. I could hear the lawyers talking, but all I could hear was the steady beat of my own heart.
"Ms. Blake," the senior attorney remarked, looking straight at her. "This is a big deal project. Are you sure you want to do this?
I gulped hard and tightened my grip on the pen. "I need this for my son and me." It's a chance to make something that will last. "Something real."
The lawyer gave a nod. "Very well."
Before I could sign, the door opened with a calm authority. Callum walked in, looking every bit the formidable millionaire in his black fitted suit and piercing eyes. His presence enveloped the room like a shadow moving over the sun.
"Juniper," he remarked in a low but strong voice. That one word made my spine tingle.
I made myself look him in the eye. "Callum."
He looked at the contract with his dark eyes, then back at me. "I expect nothing less than perfect." The Dane name is on this project.
I met his intensity with steel. "It will."
His lips turned into a faint, inscrutable smile. "Good."
The tension made the air between us thicker, and old wounds and unspoken words floated around. I could feel his might pushing against my will, trying to break it.
But I sat up taller and stayed still.
This wasn't just a deal. It was a way to stay alive. And I wasn't going to let it get away.
I tried to calm the flutter in my chest by adjusting the lapel of my blazer. The room was full with hushed discussion and clinking drinks. The design preview was in full flow, with investors talking to one other, cameras clicking, and whispers running through the throng like electric wires. But I was quite focused on the task at hand.
Then I spotted Callum. He walked in with ease and drew everyone's attention without saying a word. His dark suit fit him perfectly, his posture was majestic, and his eyes were fixated on me like a predator closing in.
I took a deep breath and swallowed as he walked up to the podium. The whispers faded, and a quiet fell like a curtain.
His voice was cold and steady as it pierced across the crowd. "Before we start, I need to know: What makes Ms. Blake qualified for a project of this size?"
The room got quiet. People turned their heads. Eyebrows went up. People whispered rumours that spread like waves.
I looked him in the eye, my heart racing but my voice firm. "My art speaks for itself. "The results will speak for themselves."
A lazy smile crossed his lips, half of it a challenge and half of it fun. The tension that wasn't said out loud filled the room, and everyone was eager to see what would happen next.
I could feel the weight of his gaze on me, and the old wounds were just below the surface. But I wouldn't let them see me fail.
I smiled back, though, serene and sure of myself. "Let's get going."
The first slide lit up the screen, and everyone in the room leaned in.
I couldn't get rid of Callum's presence behind me; it was like a shadow.
Callum's eyes were on me, sharp and calculating, like a storm was about to hit me. He was a huge, unrelenting weight on my back, even though I was standing at the front of the room showing off the drawings. Every slide fit perfectly, and every detail was thought out and polished, but I could never shake the feeling of being watched.
He never looked away, as if he were weighing each choice and analysing every action I made. At the very least, it was unsettling. I could almost feel how hard his gaze was on my skin. It was too powerful and too familiar.
As I moved from one slide to the next, I saw his jaw tighten and his nostrils flare slightly, which showed that he was more than just indifferent. Callum was observing me more closely than everyone else in the room.
I battled the need to stare at him, to meet that glance that promised so much yet never gave anything away. Instead, I kept my eyes on the crowd, on the investors who were acting like they didn't see the tension between us.
But as my son came in with a toy vehicle in his little hands and big eyes full of inquiry, I saw Callum's eyes move.
For a brief period, his gaze softened. He looked at my son for a long time, thinking about something else as well. Something that seems a little possessive, almost sweet.
My breath caught. I recognised the look. He saved it for things he wanted to control and take.
I quickly turned around, as if I didn't notice the change in the air.
But I couldn't shake the feeling. Callum's look was so heavy that it seemed like it was strangling me. The tenderness in his eyes as he observed my son made me feel something I wasn't ready to face.
The golden light from the crystal chandeliers filled the foyer, and the sound of heels clicking on the marble floor mixed with the faint murmur of guests. But everything seemed far away, like I was in a dream, until Callum showed up.
I didn't see him until he was directly in front of me. His presence made it hard to breathe; the air surrounding us got tighter with every step he took towards me. My throat felt tight and I couldn't breathe.
"I shouldn't be here," I muttered, forcing the words out.
Callum's eyes were as steely as I recalled, and his jaw was set with a strength I could never escape. "You shouldn't either. But here we are.
"I told you I don't want anything to do with you," I said angrily as I stepped back, attempting to keep what little control I had left.
He got closer, and his presence filled the space between us. "I'm not going anywhere until we work this out."
I shook my head, my heart racing as my thoughts raced. "There's nothing to settle."
Then I spotted him out of the corner of my eye. He was standing by the door that led to the street, his little hand outstretched towards it. As panic hit me like a wave, my stomach turned.
"Ben!" I called, my voice shaking with terror. But the small figure was already too close to the traffic.
Callum's hand came out and grabbed my arm before I could move, stopping me in my tracks. "Not yet."
It hurt where his fingers touched me, but I was more scared about my son than I was angry at him. "Stop it!" I hissed, but he didn't let me go. Instead, he held on tighter and kept his eyes on the door.
"Let me go," I said again, this time with more force.
But the urgency in my voice only appeared to make him more determined. "Not until he is safe."
I fought against Callum's grip, and the seconds felt like they would never end. His fingers felt like iron on my skin, but it wasn't the way he held me that scared me; it was the way he spoke. The way his eyes never left our son, who was now too close to the busy street and danger.
"Ben!" I yelled again, and my voice broke. A rush of panic washed over me.
Callum told him not to move. His grasp was still tight, but his voice was softer now, almost like he was trying to protect him. It was the first time I heard him talk to me with something like... caring. But it didn't feel right. Not after all the years we've been apart and angry with one other.
"Let me go," I muttered, pulling my arm away and feeling my heart race. I didn't care that he was worried. All I cared about was getting to my son before the traffic ate him up.
"Juniper," Callum said in a low, scratchy voice. "I know you're scared, but he's not out there yet." I won't let anything bad happen to him.
His urgent tone pierced through my panic like a knife. It was real, too real. But it didn't mean I believed it. It didn't mean I believed him.
I yanked my arm free from his grip one more time and stepped forward, ignoring the coldness that was still there where he had touched me. "Don't come near us."
Callum stepped back, still staring at Ben, who was now pulling on the door handle without knowing how dangerous it was. It was unusual and unfamiliar, but there was no doubt that he was worried.
I ran up to Ben and grabbed him just as he opened the door. He screamed in shock, but I drew him into my arms and held him close to my breast like a shield.
I looked to Callum, my heart thumping. "Look!" I yelled, my voice wavering from the adrenaline. "You can't be the hero now."
Callum didn't answer right away. He looked at my son, then at me, and then back at my son. But the way he looked at me was something I wasn't ready for. Something way too personal.
I hurriedly looked away, my pulse racing as I rushed Ben inside.
And even as I did, I could feel Callum's eyes on me, watching me.