A Table Between Us

Chapter 8. 

Rita’s POV

The conference room felt colder than I remembered. Not the temperature, no.

Something else. Something heavier.

The kind of cold that gets under your skin and won't leave. I sat down without hesitation placing my folder neatly on the table. My movements were precisely controlled. Across from me, Victor sat at the head of the table like he always used to.

Like nothing had changed. Like five years hadn't passed. Like I hadn't disappeared from his life without a trace. My fingers tightened slightly on the table edge before I forced them to relax. Focus. This was business. Nothing more.

Ethan started the introductions. His voice was smooth and professional. It filled the silence that threatened to stretch long. Names were exchanged. Formalities followed.

I didn't hear any of it. Because I could feel him. Victor. His gaze hadn't left me since I walked in. It burned. Not openly not obviously.. I knew it was there.

Watching. Studying. Trying to understand.

I kept my eyes on the documents in front of me.

If I looked at him again for a second I wasn't sure what I would feel. I couldn't afford that. “Ms. Rita.” My name. His voice.

Lower than I remembered. Rougher. It cut through the room like a blade. I lifted my gaze slowly. Calm. Unbothered.

“Mr. Vale," I replied evenly. Silence followed. A brief pause that no one else seemed to notice. I felt it. He hadn't expected that. Not the tone. Not the distance. Good. Let him feel it.

“We'll be discussing the terms of the merger " he continued. His expression was unreadable. "I trust you've reviewed the proposal.” “I have " I said, sliding a document forward. ". I have a few adjustments.” There it was. The shift.

Subtle but real. Victor leaned back slightly. His eyes flickered with something now. Interesting.

“Adjustments?" he repeated. “Yes " I said simply. "The current terms favor Vale Group much. That won't work for us.” A few people shifted in their seats. No one spoke to him like that. Not here. Not in his territory. I wasn't here to play safe. Not anymore. Victors gaze hardened a fraction. “You seem confident, " he said.

“I am " I replied. Our eyes locked. Just like that..

The room disappeared again. It was just us. The same tension. The same unspoken history. This time… I didn't look away. A flicker of something crossed his face. Quick most wouldn't catch it. I did.

Because I used to know him. Too well.

He wasn't used to this version of me. The one who didn't bend. The one who didn't wait. The one who didn't care.

“Then by all means " he said after a moment, gesturing slightly. "Go on.” I did.

I spoke clearly. Precisely. Every point is calculated. Every word is intentional. Still..

I could feel it. That weight. That attention.

He wasn't listening to the deal. Not really.

He was listening to me. Watching the way I spoke. The way I carried myself. Like he was trying to piece who I had become.

And why.

“…these are the revised conditions " I finished, placing the document on the table. Silence followed.

Victor leaned forward.nSlowly. Deliberately. His fingers brushed against the paper before his gaze lifted to meet mine again. “You've changed, " he said quietly. The words weren't meant for the room. They were meant for me. I didn't react. Didn't let a crack show. “I've grown " I corrected.

His jaw tightened.Barely. I saw it. Something about that answer didn't sit well with him. Good. “Growth usually doesn't come without a reason, " he said.

There it was.nThe question he wasn't asking.nWhy did you leave? Where did you go? Why didn't you come back?

I held his gaze.Unmoved. “People change all the time Mr. Vale " I said calmly. "Not everything needs an explanation.”

The room fell quiet again.Tense. Charged.

Ethan cleared his throat lightly stepping in before the silence stretched far. "Perhaps we should focus on the terms.”

Victor didn't respond immediately. He was still looking at me. Still searching. Still trying to find something. There was nothing left for him to find.nNot anymore.

“ course " he said finally, his tone returning to something more neutral. I didn't miss it.

That brief hesitation. That slight shift in his voice. The crack he tried to hide.nThe meeting continued. Numbers. Clauses.

Negotiations. Beneath all of it…

There was something else. Something neither of us acknowledged. Every time our hands brushed across the table exchanging documents, A spark. Unwanted. Unwelcome.Unavoidable.

Every glance is long. Every silence is loud.

Still… we both pretended.

Like this was business. Like we were strangers. Like there wasn't a past sitting between us louder than anything said loud.

When the meeting finally ended, chairs. People began to stand.Relief moved through the room.Not through me.Because I knew.. This wasn't over. Not even close.

I gathered my things slowly, keeping my movements steady and controlled.

Normal.Until… “Rita.”

My hand stilled. I didn't turn immediately.

Didn't give him that satisfaction. “Mr. Vale, " I said over my shoulder.

“Stay.” He said ,Not a request. A command. Just like before. Something in me snapped quietly at that. I turned then. Fully. Facing him. Cold. Unyielding.

“I don't take orders from you anymore " I said evenly. A flicker. There it was again.

That crack. This time… deeper.

The room emptied quickly after that. Too quickly. Like everyone could feel the shift in the air. Wanted no part of it.

Soon It was just us. Again. Victor took a step closer. Then another. Not too close.

Close enough. “You disappeared, " he said, his voice lower now. "No explanation. No warning.” I said nothing.

Because I refused to explain myself to him. Not after everything.

“You expect me to just… accept that?" he continued.My grip tightened around my folder.

“Accept whatever you want " I replied calmly. "It doesn't concern me.”

A lie.A big one.I wore it well. Victors eyes darkened slightly.

“You think this doesn't concern you?" he asked. “I know it doesn't " I said. Another step. Closer now. Too close.

“Then why are you here?" he pressed.

The question hung between us.Heavy.

Dangerous. Because the answer… Could ruin everything. “I'm here for business " I said finally.nNothing more. Nothing less.

His gaze searched mine again. Deeper this time.Like he was trying to break through every wall I had built. Like he refused to believe me. Maybe..

Part of him didn't. After a long moment.

He stepped back. Just slightly. Enough to create distance

“Right " he said quietly.The word didn't sound convincing. Not even to him.

As I walked out of that room my heart pounded harder than I wanted to admit.

Not from fear. Not anymore. From something far more dangerous. Because despite everything..Despite the past.

Despite the pain. Victor Vale wasn't unaffected. He was shaken.

I saw it.Felt it.Even if he tried to hide it.

That… That changed everything.

Because if there was one thing I knew about V

ictor.. It was this: A man, like him, never lets things go. Now that I was back… Neither would he.