The name echoed in Elina's ears like the ringing of an alarm clock she wasn't ready to face.
Isla Maren.
Aidan Knight's former fiancée.
The woman standing in front of her was poised, elegant, and entirely too calm—as if she belonged here. As if she had every right to walk into Elina's lobby and make introductions like this was some sort of tea party.
"I'm sorry," Elina said, her voice cool. "You're here because…?"
Isla's smile was polite, but her eyes glittered with a quiet confidence. "Just a personal visit. I flew into the city and thought I'd drop by. Aidan mentioned your company. I had to see the woman bold enough to keep his attention."
Elina felt her stomach twist, but she refused to show it.
"And he mentioned me to you… why exactly?"
"Oh, darling, we still talk. Occasionally." Isla tilted her head, assessing her. "He used to bring me here, you know. To this city. He said it reminded him of me. Fierce. Focused. A little untouchable."
Elina didn't flinch, but her hands clenched into fists inside the pockets of her blazer.
"If this is some kind of warning—"
"No," Isla said, too quickly. "Not a warning. Just... a reminder."
She pulled something from her purse—a photo. It was aged slightly, a candid of Isla and Aidan together, smiling on a beach. Aidan's arms were around her. He looked younger, freer.
She held it out.
"That's the man you're dealing with. He loved me once. He promised me forever. Until he didn't."
Elina took the photo with a tight grip. She didn't look at it. Not yet.
"Is there a point to all of this?"
"I just wanted to make sure you knew what you were stepping into. Aidan doesn't love lightly. And he doesn't walk away clean."
Isla's phone buzzed. She glanced at the screen and smiled.
"Anyway, I've said what I needed to. Good luck, Ms. Lane."
She turned and walked away, heels echoing against the marble floor like a war drum.
Elina stood there a moment longer before retreating to the elevator. Her heart was thudding in her chest, a quiet storm brewing behind her calm exterior.
Back in her office, she finally looked at the photograph.
They were beautiful together.
But something about Aidan's eyes in the photo felt… different. Like he was looking at Isla, not into her.
She set it down, leaned back in her chair, and stared at the ceiling.
There was so much she didn't know.
And now, she wasn't sure how much of her heart was safe anymore.
Elina couldn't concentrate.
Isla's visit had left an invisible fog in her office, thick and suffocating. Every time she blinked, she saw the woman's smug expression, the too-perfect photograph, the warning laced with charm. It wasn't just a visit—it was a power move.
She finally picked up the photo again. The beach in the background looked Mediterranean, perhaps Italy or Greece. Aidan's arms were relaxed around Isla's waist, his smile wide. Carefree. A version of him Elina had never seen.
But she wasn't interested in his past.
She was interested in what it meant now.
Before she could overthink it any more, her phone rang. His name lit up the screen.
Aidan.
She let it ring once. Twice. Three times.
Then she answered. "You have visitors now? Former fiancées making appearances like ghosts at a séance?"
A pause. "Elina."
"Did you know she'd come?"
"No. I swear."
She didn't speak for a moment. Then, "She gave me a picture. Said she wanted me to remember what you're capable of."
He sighed. "She's manipulative. She always has been. That's why we didn't work."
"You told me you had baggage. I didn't expect it to knock on my lobby door in designer heels."
"I'm sorry." His voice was steady, but there was a rawness to it. "I should've warned you she might try something like this."
"You're right. You should've."
"But I also want you to understand something, Elina. Isla and I... we were wrong for each other. She wanted the spotlight, the control. With you, I don't want control. I want real."
She hated how much she wanted to believe him.
"You say that now. But what happens when it gets messy again? When I don't smile and play the part?"
"Then I'll fight harder. Not for Lane Innovations. Not for image. For you."
Silence stretched across the line. Elina leaned back in her chair, staring at the city outside her window.
"This isn't going to be easy," she said finally.
"I'm not asking for easy. I'm asking for honest."
She considered that. The photograph was still on her desk, but now she turned it face down.
"Alright, Aidan. Let's see if you can handle honest."
He let out a breath of relief. "I'm here. Whenever you're ready."
She didn't say goodbye. She simply ended the call.
But her hands weren't shaking anymore.
Whatever happened next… it would be on her terms.