The Red String Between Us Part II: Frayed Threads

第35章 History Arrives Early

      It wasn't until the next morning that the pieces began to fall into place. Mia popped her head into my office, her mischievous grin immediately catching my attention.

"Eden... has the new liaison been by yet?" she asked, tilting her head with deliberate curiosity.

I glanced up from the stack of reports in front of me. "The new hire? Not yet. Actually, I've been assigned to get her acclimated myself. She's scheduled to start this morning at nine. When she arrives, please bring her straight to my office—I'll give her the tour and show her to her office. Thank you, Mia."

For the first time, Mia's grin faltered, replaced by something softer... almost cautious. She stepped farther into the room, lowering her voice. "Oh... she's not just any new hire. Mallory? She was Kenji's fiancée—well, childhood friend and ex-fiancée. She's practically family."

The papers in my hand suddenly felt impossibly heavy. I blinked at her, the words sinking in slowly. "Wait... Kenji and Mallory were—"

Mia lifted a hand, giving me a gentle, knowing smile. "Yes."

A rush of air escaped my lungs, part shock, part disbelief. My thoughts spun in a thousand directions at once, each one ending in a question I wasn't sure I wanted answered.

At 8:45 sharp—fifteen minutes early—Mallory arrived. That, in itself, impressed me. Mia escorted her directly to my office.

And then she was there.

Despite the unease creeping up my spine, I couldn't deny her professionalism. She entered with poise, her posture impeccable, her smile polite but measured. Everything about her radiated capability.

Still, beneath my composed exterior, a storm threatened to break. I felt that old urge to retreat—the reflex to protect myself by creating scenarios in my head, rehearsing responses to problems that hadn't even surfaced yet. The instinct to run. The temptation to let insecurity whisper that history had more weight than the present.

But then I remembered Kenji. His words. His steady reassurance. And my choice—the choice to love him openly, even in the face of shadows from his past.

So I straightened my shoulders, steadied my breath, and welcomed her. Whatever Mallory's presence might bring, whatever history she and Kenji once shared, I was ready to face it.

Because some loves were worth every complication.