Entangled Heart: A Rival's Redemption

Chapter 1: Rivalry Restored

Emma:

My shoes clicked hard against the marble floor, and the sound reverberated across Worthington Industries' large, clean lobby. I took a long inhalation, attempting to cool the storm building in my chest. For years, the name of this corporation had been engraved into my memory, a continual reminder of the past I had battled valiantly to forget. Now here I was, headed into its headquarters, my movements deliberate and full of fear. As if it would somehow help me feel more in control, I pulled at the hem of my blazer smoothing it. I must have needed this. No; I ought to have merited. Years of grinding my way up in this merciless field had paid off as I was about land the largest contract of my career. It was ironic, really, that my success would depend on dealing with the very business that had once turned my life into anarchy. Reaching the elevator, I mentally practiced my pitch one hundred times, pressing the top floor button. Not today, not the luxury of mistakes. This contract was my pass to confirm my place in the field and to show Emma Whitfield was not a lady to be discounted. The elevator doors opened softly, and I entered, straightening my hair in the sleek silver door mirror. The known knot of nervousness tightened in my gut as the elevator started to climb. Though I tried so hard to concentrate on the business, my mind kept returning to the person I was fearing to face. Liam Worthington: At the idea of him, I started to grit. Not since that terrible day, not in years had we met paths. My hands balled into fists at the memory of his haughty, arrogant visage when he had claimed credit for my labor and gone with everything while I was still gathering the fragments of my career. I had left the firm for him. I would have stayed up late organizing my retribution. And right now fate had chosen to bring us back together. Once more the elevator doors swung open to expose a vast office bathed in golden afternoon light. It was every bit as lavish as I would have imagined from the son of the great James Worthington. Marble flooring, floor to ceiling windows with a city panorama view, and artwork screaming money. Still, my eyes were not focused on the opulent surrounds. They gravitated toward the man seated next to the window. Logan Worthington. Tall, immaculately groomed in a custom suit that fit him like a glove, he radiated the assurance of a guy who had never experienced loss. His dark hair was back, and when he turned to face me, I could see the nasty smile dragging at the corner of his mouth. "Emma Whitfield," he said, his voice as sweet as it always is. "I have to admit, I expected not to find you here." "I'm full of surprises," I said coldly, without letting him know how much his presence unsettled me. As I entered the office and squarely met his stare, my hand tightened around the leather portfolio. He laughed, the sound upsetting my equilibrium. "I could see that. But tell me, after all these years, why are you returning to Worthington Industries? I held up the portfolio instead of answering his question. "Here for business, Liam is me. Let us maintain our professionalism, then. His eyes sparkled with laughter as he approached. "professional?" You have a fresh look now. Though I pushed myself to remain calm, heat surged to my cheeks. Not today, I couldn let him slide under my skin. not ever again. "Let's cut right straight," I remarked, my voice firm. "I am here because I possess the knowledge to bring your fresh project worldwide. I am the greatest in the field; you want someone who is aware of foreign marketplaces. We both might gain from this cooperation. Liam ar eyebrows, obviously delighted that I had to turn to him for assistance. "You truly believe I will turn over a deal like that? Following everything? His comments set off a wave of wrath within of me. Still engaged in games, he was clinging to the past as though it were a weapon he could turn against me. But I was not the same person I had been in years before. I now understood how to rebel. I responded plainly, leveling him with a glare, "I think you know that your expansion will fail without me. And we both know you cannot afford that type of failing. Liam's smile vanished for a minute, his face stiffened. Then it came back, coupled with that nasty glint in his eyes, just as fast. "You haven't changed a bit, have you?" he asked gently, his tone somewhat adoring. Still as brutal as ever. "Ruthless is a need in this world," I shot back. The hard road is what I discovered. Silence between us, laden with unspoken recollections. I detested how readily he could bring up the past with a few words, how he could make me feel like that young, naive woman who had once trusted him. But I was no more that lady. After a protracted silence, Liam said, "Your proposal has potential." But Emma, I'm not going to just turn over the keys to the kingdom. You will be expected to prove yourself. My mouth grew tight. Though hearing him say it still ached, I expected as much. "What do you have in mind?," I asked, attempting to maintain even voice. He moved forward till I could see gold specks in his brown eyes, so near. You will be working with me. Straight forward. Blink, surprised. "Excude me?" "You heard me," he continued, a trace of laughter in his voice. "You will be working with me every stage of the way if you want this deal." In my chest my heart hammered. Working closely with Liam made my skin crawl, but right now I couldn't back off. Not when I was so near to landing the biggest contract of my lifetime. "Fine," I answered, my voice steady. But Liam, make no error here. This is commercial. Nothing more is required. He grinned, that wolfish look that constantly made me feel as though I was approaching a trap. Still, Emma. Business. Nothing more as I turned to head out of the office, my heart racing in equal measure with expectation and resentment. This was merely the start; I felt working with Liam would be considerably more challenging than I had thought. I would treat it, though. I had to. I wasn't going to let him win this time, no matter how far back history stood between us.