Once, she had been a naive young girl. Now, Emily Blair carried herself with calm self-assurance. She was tall, striking in a crimson dress and heels, her makeup immaculate. The golden light seemed to single her out as she entered, bathing her in a warm glow, as if she stood beneath her very own spotlight-impossible to

ignore.

Emily Blair had grown up.

And she had done so in places Andrew Lane could neither reach nor see-growing

up all on her own, and, by all appearances, doing just fine.

Andrew said this to himself, quietly.

After a moment adjusting to the brightness, Emily lifted her gaze toward him.

Her eyes, once full of youthful hope, were now colder and more mature, sharpened by experience. The sunlight painted his face in soft gold, but his expression remained controlled and distant, lips pressed in a composed line as he regarded her with steady restraint.

Emily's breath caught for a moment before she managed to recover her composure.

"Mr. Lane. It's been a long time."

Years had passed. Whatever familiarity had once existed between them was gone; they hardly resembled the people they'd once been.

Andrew's eyes lowered slightly. His voice, deeper and more unreadable than before, broke the silence: "Please, have a seat."

Emily nodded, took the chair opposite him, and set her handbag on the seat beside her.

Hardly had she sat down when Andrew's assistant hurried over and poured her a cup of tea.

Emily gave a brief nod, accepted the cup, and took a delicate sip, her face calm and unreadable.

The assistant hesitated, hand lingering awkwardly in midair.

Not so long ago, he would never have poured a drink for Emily Blair unless Mr. Lane explicitly asked him to. Even if Emily herself had requested it, he would have refused.

But now, everything had changed.

Given the glaring disparity between them, he didn't need to be told he was expected to show Emily the same courtesy and respect he once reserved for his own boss.

In the past, if he'd poured Emily a drink, she would have smiled brightly and thanked him, calling him "brother."

Now, after that initial glance of recognition, Emily hadn't looked at him again.

Their positions had completely reversed, and he hadn't adjusted. A knot of resentment tightened in his chest-one he dared neither voice nor show.

Once, he would never have believed that the girl who used to look at Andrew Lane with such adoration would rise so high, would one day sit across from Andrew as his equal, bargaining head-to-head.

It used to be Emily who worked to please him. Now, it was his turn to court Emily's favor.

The gulf between them left him bitter and powerless.

His hand was still hanging in the air when Emily, eyes half-lifted, spoke, "Is there something else you need?"

Andrew shot him a cool glance, and the assistant's heart skipped. He withdrew his hand and bowed his head. "I'm sorry... I lost my focus."

Emily didn't spare him another look, simply set her cup down with care.

To her mind, there was no need for nostalgia. The past between her and Andrew was too tangled and heavy-bringing it up would only make it impossible for her to sit across from him and negotiate on equal ground.

So she got straight to the point. "Mr. Lane, Vertex International is making a sincere offer. We're willing to pay one and a half times market value for the Black & White Rabbit game license. If you have any concerns, please voice them now, and I'll do my best to address them."

Andrew's gaze remained even and unreadable as he studied her.

Emily's voice and bearing were stripped of any trace of the past, as if none of the warmth, the confusion, or the pain had ever existed between them—as if today was the very first day they'd ever met, and this was nothing more than business.