3. three
three
LYSANDRA
“Lysandra,” Ezra repeated. His ocean eyes scanned me swiftly before he met my gaze again.
There’d been shock, fear, and confusion mixed in his expression.
His button-up shirt was navy, and his pants and blazer matched in a lighter tone.
His shoes were black and polished. His black wavy hair was combed back, the same way he had it five years ago.
Not much of him had changed. There only seemed to be a bit more definition to his jaw, and his look had been more refined.
My coffee almost slipped from my grasp. I had to use my other hand to hold it from the bottom to keep it from spilling.
He was here. Right in front of me.
Suddenly, everything I had repressed for so many years came tumbling back. I thought I’d never feel the nausea again or having my breath taken away like this.
His azure stare looked down at my hands. I followed his gaze to the diamond that was wrapped around my left ring finger.
“It was nice to see you,” he hissed. Ezra formed a soft grin before rushing out of the coffeeshop. I was left breathless and speechless. I watched his fading figure disappear among the crowd of strollers on the cobblestone street.
What the hell was that? Did I really just see Ezra Van Dorren? After five years and the messiest break-up of my life?
I wondered what he was even doing here in Scotland. I read somewhere that once he graduated from Blackthorn, he had spent most of his time in London, which saved me from ever having to bump into him. I lingered at the café, hoping to collect myself before the meeting.
I curled my hands inward, hoping to stop the tremble in my fingers. My entire body shook with every step as I made my way back to my publishing house.
Once I got there, the elevator’s ding seemed almost daunting. My heart beat fiercely within my ribcage. My cup of coffee remained untapped as I continued to replay the previous events in my mind. Ezra was in Scotland. He was here, and I saw him… and we spoke.
It bothered me that his appearance in my life caused such emotional turmoil in me. I couldn’t understand it. I was happy with Aldair. We were going to get married soon. His plan was to get married early 2027.
Camille was the first person to receive me. She had a scrunched smile and quirked brows; I already knew that I would be receiving negative reports.
“Please don’t tell me you have worse news to tell me,” I hissed.
“They’re waiting for us in Room 209. But the development executive, Finn Danbury, emailed me literally five seconds after you left to tell me that the owner of Blue Tower Productions made a last minute decision and would be replacing him in the meeting.
And he mentioned that he’d be accompanied by the vice president. ”
An owner of a production company overseeing a meeting like this one?
“That’s…weird, why?” I asked as we walked deeper into the hallways of the building.
Books and artifacts surrounded us as we stood at the center of the lobby.
Papers were spilled on all the work desks of the rest of the team members.
Computers, laptops, and tablets had also been left behind.
Several lamps cast a golden ray upon the area, illuminating the entrance.
“Finn said something about both of them wanting to make sure the deal didn’t fall through.” Camille frowned with delicacy and bitterness all at once.
“Is everything okay?” I asked. Seeing her this upset made goosebumps run down my arms.
“The owner is a ghost from your past. And the vice president is one from mine,” she whispered. She wouldn’t even look at me as she said this.
“Blue Tower Productions, right?” I asked. She tilted her chin with sadness in her gaze.
And that’s when it came to me.
Ezra.
I let out a soft gasp as I looked in the direction of the meeting room. My eyes widened.
Room 209 was the main common area for conferences, especially used for large business meetings like movie productions, book deals, and casting narrators for audiobooks.
From where I stood, his figure lit up the entire space.
He was talking with another man in a black suit beside him.
The man had blonde hair, almost platinum.
His eyes were sharp and green. I remembered him as Zack, his best friend from childhood.
The acceleration in my pulse multiplied. I turned to Camille, who let out a small sigh.
“Cami, what are we going to do?” I whispered. “They’re here.”
I noticed the twitch in her smile, as if the muscles in her face almost betrayed her.
Camille set her hands firmly around my shoulders, looking deeply into my soul. “We have to show them that what they did to us didn’t break us. We’ve moved on. We’ve grown, and we don’t care about the past anymore.”
She was right. I have moved on from that heartbreak, from that betrayal. It no longer affected me. Besides, I’m going to get married soon.
I lifted my chin and formed a brilliant smile across my profile for the producers of Blue Tower Productions.
The man in royal blue was not the greatest heartbreak of my life; he was a businessman.
One that I didn’t know. One that I met in the café a few minutes ago.
He was a different person. He had lived new experiences since our departure.
He was not the Ezra that I knew from Blackthorn House Academy.
“Good afternoon, gentlemen,” I called, leaving my coffee cup on the floor, under the table.
Ezra turned toward me, his lips gaping as he took me in. I looked away, toward Zack. His emerald eyes swept over Cami in total adoration.
I sat down, my back straight. My fingers threatened to tremble without my command, and I refused to give mind to the pulse that beat rapidly within me.
“Hello, gentlemen. I’m Camille Allard. This is my client, Lysandra Guerrera. We are pleased to meet you.” She had the kindest expression as she sat down beside me.
Good, act like we don’t know them. That’s an amazing idea.
“It’s nice to see you again, Miss Allard,” Ezra muttered with a nod.
“Pleasure is all mine, Mister Van Dorren and Mister Francis.”
Zack had a clenched jaw as he continued to take her in.
Greer Black, the head publisher, and Elena Fleur, the editor who acquired my book, were present on my side of the table.
There seemed to be tension with their darting glances and fidgeting hands.
They were just as nervous to make sure this deal was a success as me.
Except, I was anxious for an entirely different reason.
“Okay, everyone who needs to be in this meeting seems to be here,” Greer began. She held her hands and rested them above the table, her stare cold, and her voice just as raspy. “You may begin your proposal whenever you like, Mister Van Dorren.”
Ezra stood from his seat, and cleared his throat. Then, he clicked on a small remote and the screen on the far right began to change pictures.
“Good afternoon. I came here today to present a movie deal proposal for Lysandra Guerrera’s So Long, Scotland.
My executives and I have read the book, and we believe it would be a great story for the world deserves to see on the big screen.
It has touched my heart deeply, and there is a necessary theme—about love—that our society needs to hear from this book.
Which is why we want to offer creative control to the author for this potential project.
We acknowledge it is a piece of art that deserves to keep the brushes its artist sprawled over the canvas. ”
One thing I truly hated about book-to-film adaptations was the unnecessary changes that were made to the story. And he knew that.
“Mister Van Dorren, are you saying that you want the film to be close to the original story?” Greer asked.
“It is Lysandra Guerrera we are considering. An old friend of Ezra’s,” Zack commented. He put an elbow on the table, his eyes mocking me. How the hell did Cami ever fall for this jerk?
I don’t think he agreed with the offer Ezra had to give. Greer turned toward me, eyebrows raised. I nodded in confirmation.
“If I may interrupt.” Camille raised a hand.
“Go ahead, miss,” Ezra said.
“When do you and your team plan to release this project to the public?”
“Our hope is to have it through post-production by next autumn.”
“Very well. How is the author going to benefit from this contract?” Greer asked.
“We’d give her twenty percent of royalties.”
That is an exaggeratedly high number of royalties. Most authors were offered one to five percent. What was Ezra planning?
“What about casting? Do you have any actors in mind?” Greer asked.
“I do. And I already have an estimated casting call timeline and a location to hold auditions,” Ezra replied.
He pressed on the remote and showed a picture of a calendar with circled areas.
My eyes widened. It seemed like he wanted to start on this project almost immediately because the dates were set for two weeks from now.
“I know it’s soon. But if I may, I know we will find actors pretty soon based on the vast number of readers for this book. ”
“Will Lysandra have a say on the script?” Greer managed.
“She can be part of the screenwriting team that we have assembled. Here is a list of names of people who have shown interest in working on this movie.” He pointed to the new slide on the TV.
My suspicions had to be true.
“What are your plans for marketing?”
“We have a couple of people waiting for our call. Legends who have worked on blockbuster romance films,” Ezra said. “I was thinking of contacting November Walsh, since she’s known for her marketing in top-grossing movies like Rebels on Ninth and Love in Color Film.”