Chapter 2 Don’t Try To Hide
Her fingers trembled. A strange, suffocating fear spread through her, something she couldn’t quite hide.
Swallowing hard, she forced herself to breathe. Then, gathering her composure, she pushed against him, straightening on her own.
Looking him in the eye, she spoke, her voice even. "Thank you. I’m sorry, that was an accident."
She gave him a polite smile, stepped around him, and walked out the door.
He didn’t stop her. He didn’t call out to her. He didn’t even look surprised.
It didn’t seem like he recognized her.
There was no shock in his expression, no flicker of familiarity. Not even a second glance.
At first, she walked normally. Then, her steps quickened. Her breathing turned ragged, but she didn’t dare stop. She headed straight to her car in the parking lot.
Throwing her bag inside, she started the engine and pulled out of there, her hands gripping the wheel tight.
She didn’t stop until she reached home.
And even then, when she stepped out of the car, her legs felt weak, nearly giving out beneath her. She caught herself, straightening before she could fall.
Grabbing her purse and phone, she took a deep breath and walked inside.
It had been five years. She had only interned at his company for three months.
That wasn’t even a long time. That wasn’t enough time for him to remember her.
He had probably forgotten about her by now.
It was clear from his eyes—he didn’t even glance at her when she walked right past him.
She repeated the thought over and over, convincing herself.
He didn’t remember me.
He didn’t care.
It was just three months.
The outside lights illuminated her home, casting a soft glow in the darkness of the night.
She reached for her keys, unlocking the door. But just as she was about to twist the handle, a presence behind her made her freeze.
She turned around, her breath catching.
A coat. A jacket.
And then—those intense eyes.
Before she could take another breath, Christian grabbed her shoulders and shoved her against the wall, stepping in close until there was no space between them.
Her voice caught in her throat, her breathing sharp and uneven as she stared at him.
But then she found her voice.
"What are you doing? Get off me." she demanded, her voice sharp.
His dark gaze bore into hers. "You’re just going to ignore me?"
Her lips parted, and then she said coldly, "I don’t know who you are."
There was no tremor in her voice.
Yet, that only made him smirk.
His hand slid to the back of her head, fingers tangling in her hair as he pulled her closer. His head dipped, his breath warm against her ear.
"I told you to run, Ivy," he murmured, his voice rasping against her skin. "I told you to run and never get caught. I told you that if I caught you again, you will be mine."
He pulled back just enough to meet her gaze, his dark eyes searing into hers.
"But you," he whispered, "you fell right into my arms this time."
Ivy’s expression hardened, tension lining her face.
Christian’s gaze never wavered, as if memorizing every detail of her features. His eyes locked onto hers, his head lowering, his lips reaching for hers—his breaths heavy, desperate.
She turned her head away abruptly, dodging his kiss.
"I’m already married."
The second the words left her lips, his hand caught her chin, gripping it firmly—but not harshly. His eyes, however, burned with something rough. Angry.
His eyes darkened.
"Even if you had five kids, I’d still make you mine."
And then—
His lips crashed onto hers, fierce and unrelenting.
His tongue slid into her mouth, claiming her with a hunger so intense it stole her breath. He tasted her like he’d been starving for this—like five years apart had only sharpened the craving, making it unbearable.
Her breaths grew ragged, her chest rising and falling as her senses spiraled under the weight of him—the heat of his body pressing into hers, the dark, masculine scent of his skin, the taste of him melting on her tongue. Raw need coiled low in her belly, tightening with every desperate flick of his tongue and the bruising press of his lips.
Her heart shuddered.
For a brief, terrifying moment, it whispered—
‘He’s come back to haunt me again.’
She shoved at his shoulders, breaking free. Their lips tore apart, but even then, he kept his lips on hers. He didn’t want to let go.
But he never forced her.
The second she pushed him away, he let her go, stumbling back. Her breath came fast, her chest rising and falling as she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, her glare sharp, furious.
"What the fuck are you doing?!" she snapped.
The damn man smiled.
"Five years," he mused. "And my sweet Ivy still hasn’t stopped cursing."
Her body shuddered the moment he called her that.
The same voice. The same affection laced in his words.
And she hated it. She didn’t want to feel this shudder. She didn’t want to feel anything for Christian Evans ever again.
He got closer again, his hands sliding into his pockets, his head lowering so he could look into her eyes.
"You should get some rest now. I’ll see you again. Soon." He said, his voice almost a threat.
Then, his hand moved, sliding to the back of her head. His fingers found the delicate spot behind her ear, his thumb rubbing slow, deliberate circles. His body was once again right against hers, close enough to leave no space for anything except him standing against her comfortably.
"Don’t try to hide, Ivy," he said quietly, his voice a low grumble. "You know I will find you."
He lowered his face, his parted lips reaching for hers, hunger burning in his eyes. But Ivy turned her head away at the last second, avoiding his kiss, refusing to give him even a glance.
Christian pulled back, his tongue swiping over his lips, restraining the hunger surging through his body. His restraint was thin, barely there. But instead of pressing her further, his fingers moved up to her bun. He found the ribbon tied around her hair and, with a slow tug, pulled it loose.
Her soft curls tumbled down her back, bouncing as they settled.
Christian took a step back, wrapping the ribbon around his hand like a possession, then turned away. Without another word, he walked to his car, got in, and disappeared into the night.
Ivy’s heart was thumping so loudly that she could hear it inside her ears. Her breaths were erratic, her pulse racing. Her knees finally buckled, and she sank down to the ground, her back against the wall.
Blinking rapidly, she struggled to take deeper breaths before pulling out her phone. She fumbled and pressed the call button.
"Celia, I met Christian again." She said in a breath.
There was silence on the other end for a brief second.
"Christian Evans?"
Ivy gulped hard and nodded, even though her best friend, Celia, couldn't see her. "Yes. Christian Evans. He collided with me at the café today, and when I got home, he cornered me. I thought he would have forgotten me by now, but he hasn’t. He said we’ll meet again."
Celia sucked in a breath, her concern turning to anger. "That bastard. He has some nerve showing up in your life again after five fucking years."
Ivy breathed through her mouth, her heart still refusing to accept that this wasn’t just a bad dream.
"It was him," she muttered, almost as if trying to convince herself. "Really him."
Celia’s voice softened with worry. "Are you going to be alright? Should I come to you?"
Ivy took a shuddering breath, running a hand through her hair, pushing the stray curls out of her face. "No… I’m fine. Don’t worry about it."
Celia exhaled deeply before barking, "I don’t even understand why he’s so obsessed with you. You worked at his company for barely three months, and it wasn’t like he knew you for a long time. You two never kissed, never slept together, so why the hell did he declare himself your boyfriend the day he met you and never stop stalking you after that?"
Ivy’s mind drifted back to the past, her chest tightening.
"Maybe… because of that coffee," she murmured.
Celia’s pacing on the other end stopped. "Coffee?" she repeated, confused.
Ivy nodded, even though Celia couldn’t see it. Then, quietly, she said, "The bar wasn’t the place where we met for the first time. It was a week before that. I was working part-time at a nearby café. That day, when I was about to leave, I saw a man pacing back and forth outside. He was looking very restless.”
Her voice dropped lower, recalling the scene vividly. "It was snowing so heavily, but he was only wearing a shirt and trousers. His clothes weren’t dirty, but he looked… disheveled. I thought maybe he’d had a bad day or something and didn’t have money for coffee, that’s why he wasn’t coming inside the cafe. So, I went back in, bought a hot coffee and a small cake, and gave them to him."
She paused, taking a shaky breath. "He didn’t say anything. Just stared at me. But his eyes… they followed me when I walked away, all the way until I disappeared. It was like I could feel them burning through me. And then, a week later, I joined Evans Holdings. And that very day, we met at the bar. He must have remembered me."
Celia was quiet for a long moment.
Ivy licked her dry lips, the very idea of being in his memory sending a shiver through her.
“It’s going to be okay, Ivy.” Celia said softly.
"I know.” Ivy answered as finally gathered the strength to stand up again. Her heart less anxious. “I’m going to sleep now, Celia." she said softly, though sleep felt impossible.
“Alright.” Celia answered. “Call me if you need me.”
“Yes.” Ivy muttered. Then, hanging up the call, she opened the door to her house and stepped inside.
But sleep was far from her eyes that night.
***
"Good morning, Ms. Watson."
The receptionist at the front desk greeted Ivy as she entered the building. It was her first day at the office. After working at Licious for three months, she was already starting to miss the scent of coffee around her.
Just to take a break from her corporate job as a business consultant, she had decided to work at Licious. But now, even though she had missed her profession, Licious—more like the people at Licious—had left an imprint on her.
Ivy smiled at the receptionist, Kayla, and walked toward her office.
"Ms. Watson!"
Kayla quickly followed behind her, a file in her hand. "Mr. Wilson asked me to hand this case over to you. There’s a very important client in the meeting room right now who wants to hire you for his business. You need to go there immediately."
Ivy took the file, muttering, "Got it. Thanks, Kayla."
"All good. I’ll bring coffee for you both." Kayla said before disappearing down the hall.
Ivy followed behind, heading toward the meeting room. It wasn’t much of a surprise that she was given a case the moment she walked in. She had done significant work on files before and had been part of many major projects.
Taking a deep breath, she knocked on the door to announce her presence before stepping inside.
"Good morning, Mr..." She glanced at the file in her hand for the name, but the moment her eyes lifted, they met a pair of familiar dark ones—and a gorgeous, unforgettable face.
"Christian Evans." The words came out as more of a murmur.
Christian, who had been sitting sideways at the large meeting table, turned his chair and rose to his feet.
"Good morning, Ms. Watson." He gave her a warm smile.