Laurent hated being summoned like an employee. His father had the annoying habit of sending him to check on company properties whenever he suspected something was wrong. It was always the same excuse.
"Just go and take a look."
As if Laurent had nothing better to do.
He leaned back slightly as he walked through the departmental store, his expression bored and unreadable. The employees standing in straight lines, the shelves perfectly arranged, the forced smiles. All of it irritated him.
He didn't care about the store or any of the staff. All he wanted was to show his face so his father would stop calling him.
But the moment he stepped into the cosmetics aisle, things didn't go as planned.
The sharp sound of a slap echoed through the air.
Before Laurent could even process what had happened, his body reacted on instinct.
A woman stumbled backward.
His hand shot out immediately, catching her before she hit the floor. His grip tightened around her arms, steady and firm.
For a brief moment, the world around him seemed to pause.
Then he heard it.
"…Damien."
The word slipped from her lips like a quiet breath.
Laurent froze.
His eyes narrowed slightly as he looked down at her.
Damien.
He had not heard that name in years.
And more importantly, he had never told anyone here that name before.
For a moment, he studied her face carefully.
Her hair was tied back loosely. A few strands had fallen across her cheek from the sudden movement. Her eyes were wide with shock as she stared up at him like she had just seen a ghost.
Who was she?
His gaze dropped briefly to the tag clipped onto her uniform.
Aria.
The name sat there in simple black letters.
Something about the way she looked at him made a strange irritation crawl up his spine.
Without warning, Laurent released his grip and Aria fell.
A small gasp escaped the employees nearby as she hit the floor.
Laurent didn't even glance down at her.
Instead, he adjusted the sleeve of his suit calmly, like nothing unusual had happened.
"Sir—Mr. Laurent!"
The manager rushed toward him immediately, panic written all over her face.
"I'm so sorry, sir! I didn't realize you were standing there. This employee has been causing problems since morning."
Laurent didn't answer.
His cold eyes moved slowly around the aisle.
Employees quickly lowered their heads and pretended to be busy.
Pathetic.
"Sir, please don't misunderstand," the manager continued nervously. "She is usually very careless and—"
"Enough." The single word cut through the air sharply.
The manager stopped talking instantly.
Laurent walked forward slowly, his hands sliding casually into his pockets as he looked around the store.
He stopped in front of one shelf and picked up a perfume bottle. Cheap arrangement.
He placed it back slightly crooked.
"Your display spacing is wrong," he said flatly.
The manager blinked. "Sir?"
"The lighting is also terrible," Laurent continued as if she had spoken. "And the entrance glass hasn't been cleaned properly."
The manager immediately nodded repeatedly. "Yes, sir. We will fix everything immediately."
Laurent glanced toward the cashier section.
Two employees were whispering to each other.
They stopped the moment his gaze landed on them.
Cowards.
He walked past them toward the front of the store.
"Your staff discipline is poor," he said without turning around.
The manager hurried after him. "We will correct it, sir."
Laurent paused briefly near the entrance. For a second, his eyes trailed back toward the cosmetics aisle.
Aria, still dazed, was slowly getting up from the floor and their eyes met.
Laurent's expression remained completely cold.
He turned away immediately.
Without another word, he walked out of the store.
The black car waiting outside pulled forward as soon as it saw him and he slid into the back seat.
The driver glanced at him through the mirror. "Back to the office, sir?"
Laurent leaned his head back against the seat.
But his mind briefly returned to one thing.
"…Damien."
The way she had said it. Maybe he heard wrong.
*
Aria pushed herself up slowly from the floor, brushing invisible dust from her apron.
Her cheek still stung from the slap, but that wasn't what had her mind spinning.
It was him.
Damien. The face was unmistakable. The anger she had bottled for years boiled; he even lied about his name that night whereas he was Laurent?
'Asshole!' she cussed.
"Wow…"
Maya's whisper came from beside her.
Aria turned slightly and saw her coworker staring toward the entrance where the CEO's son had just left.
"That was… embarrassing," Maya muttered under her breath. "But at least you got to feel the touch of that Billionaire."
Aria forced a small smile.
"If that's what you call lucky," she said quietly.
Maya nudged her lightly with her elbow.
"Please. Do you know how many girls here would faint if he just looked at them?" she whispered. "And you literally fell into his arms."
Aria let out a soft breath. Her smile stayed on her lips, but inside she was still reeling.
Eight years.
Eight years and she had convinced herself that night had been nothing more than a mistake she had locked away forever.
Yet the moment she saw his face, every memory came rushing back like it had happened yesterday.
The cold look in his eyes and the same dark gaze. He hadn't changed at all.
Aria swallowed slowly and began rearranging the perfume bottles on the shelf just to keep her hands busy.
Aria didn't need to turn around to know the manager was staring daggers at her.
Maya noticed it too.
"Uh oh," she whispered under her breath.
Aria sighed quietly.
"Let her stare."
But she knew the manager wasn't the type to forget humiliation easily.
Especially not in front of the CEO's son.
Aria kept her head down and continued working.
A moment later, her eyes drifted toward the clock mounted high on the wall.
Her heart skipped.
"Oh no…"
She pulled her phone from her apron pocket quickly and checked the time again.
Her eyes widened.
"It's already this late?"
"What?" Maya asked.
Aria grabbed her bag from the small staff locker nearby.
"I have to go pick up my kids," she said quickly.
Maya blinked. "Already?"
"Yes. If I'm late again, the daycare lady will kill me."
Aria tied the strap of her bag over her shoulder in a hurry.
As she turned toward the exit, she finally glanced once at the manager.
The woman's face was twisted in a deep scowl.
Aria pretended not to notice.
Right now, her twins mattered more than anything else.
Without another word, she hurried toward the door, her mind already racing.
She just hoped Liam and Leo hadn't started another fight while waiting for her.