Elaine walked away.
Alistair watched her walk away, suitcase in hand, without a hint of hesitation or a single glance back. It was the first time she had ever turned her back on him. Stunned, he staggered to his car, his mind stuck on her final question-one he still couldn't answer.
As he drove through morning traffic toward Chase Enterprises, he passed Westbrook Academy, on impulse, he pulled over.
Westbrook was where he and Elaine went to high school. They had tied for the top spot, but while teachers loved Elaine, the perfect straight-A student, Alistair was the school's resident bad boy.
He used to run into her all the time—when she was cornered by bullies, caught in the rain without an umbrella, or that one time he teased that she was such a goody-two-shoes she'd help old ladies cross the street... only to actually catch her doing it the next day.
The coincidences didn't stop there. She'd forget her lunch card in the cafeteria, get locked in the equipment room, or end up manning the camera at basketball games-where, he later realized, most of her photos were of him.
He'd tease her for being such a rule follower, so uptight. She'd just lower her head and take it.
Then came the day he cut class, only to sneak back and replace her hunched over her desk, hiding behind a book, scribbling away in a notebook.
Curious, he stayed back, wondering which straight-A nerd had managed to catch Miss Perfect's heart.
Then he saw his own name at the bottom of the page. That was the first time he realized Elaine had feelings for him.
"Mr. Chase! What a surprise! If we'd known you were coming, we would have prepared a proper welcome..."
The principal's voice dragged him back to the present. The man was practically jogging toward him, his face stretched into a painfully eager smile.
Alistair waved him off. "Just passing through. Thought I'd take a look around."
If not for this unplanned visit, he might never have realized how vividly he remembered all those moments.
Watching the students, he felt a strange sense. So young, so full of life, laughing, teasing each other. Some red-faced and awkward whenever their crush got too close.
His phone rang, it was his assistant.
"Sir, Ms. Turner couldn't reach you and showed up at the office. Security refused her, so she's making a scene in the lobby, demanding to see you..."
Alistair pinched the bridge of his nose. He turned and headed for his car.
Thirty minutes later, Chase Enterprises.
Vivian sat across from him, her expression carefully crafted to look hurt. She leaned in, hesitated at his unreadable stare, then settled for sulking at a safer distance.
"Alistair, where did you go last night? You were gone when I woke up, ... I was so worried...."
Without warning, he looked up, his gaze sharp and ice-cold.
"Who the hell gave you permission to cause a scene at my company?"
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