The Game Changer

One

CHAPTER ONE

For what felt like an eternity, we stared at each other. Which, yes, is a cliché. But in the presence of Emily Margot, you started talking in clichés. Or poetry. Song. Or perhaps in my case - the ramblings of a madman.

I was older and I felt it. So was she. Five years. That would make her 26 to my 28 years. And yet, it felt like no time had passed at all - another cliché.

My heart launched into my throat. Emily looked beautiful - she is beautiful. And as I stood before her, every single bit of me suddenly focused all of its attention on drinking her in. My eyes ran across the sharp angles of her face, softened only by the warmth of a smile that disappeared as quickly as it came.

Her brilliant eyes, the colour of lush green foliage, pinned me in place. But the initial shock and dare I say... joy of seeing me after so long had passed, and now she looked... upset.

'Lincoln?' she said my name slowly, enunciating each syllable.

Unlike me, Emily was clearly not having poetic thoughts. One of her guides - a woman I recognised as a fellow business owner - frowned at me. I wasn't part of the tour.

'Hey, Lincoln,' Arden, who worked at The Hub's front desk, greeted me. If they picked up on the sudden drop in temperature, they didn't show it. Instead, Arden turned to Emily and gestured at the row of office spaces that filled the floor.

'Emily, this is where most of our bigger smaller businesses live. Instead of using the co-working spaces on our first or second floor, these businesses rent out one of our dedicated office spaces. They can fit up to 15 people per space. There are two kitchens on this floor, a communal dining area, a sensory room to relax during the day, and you can see through there that the balcony wraps around the level too.'

Arden cleared their throat when Emily didn't respond, causing her to suddenly comment on how nice all the plants are. To be fair, there were lots of plants in The Hub.

'Yes!' Arden chirped. 'We're huge green thumbs at The Hub - aren't we, Lincoln?'

Somehow, I found the will to string together a couple of words. Granted, they weren't great.

'Uh, huh. We sure are.'

Humiliating.

A mask had slid over Emily's features. She wasn't cold, per say, but she suddenly felt miles away.

'And what do you do here, Lincoln?' she asked, a picture of civility.

When we first met, Emily was Hollywood's next big name. Now... she practically ran it. She'd won another Oscar since our doomed relationship, and countless other awards. In other words, she could act. And she was doing it right now.

Before I could drum up a pathetic response, the lift dinged again. Out came Cameron Sun, and I could've kissed him for it. The man always looked like he'd just stepped off the set of a Korean drama, and he knew it too. Cam oozed confidence - he was the face of our business. I was more back office.

'Emily Margot, what a pleasure!' he boomed, joining me at my side. His presence alone gave me the power I needed to find my voice.

'Emily this is my business partner Cameron Sun. Cameron, this is -'

'I bloody loved you in Sweet Talk,' Cameron said, as he shook hands with Emily. His lift pass dangled from his wrist. 'And I'm so excited to hear you speak today. We both are. What a delight.'

'You're coming?' Emily asked. The words were directed at me, but Cam answered.

'Of course. Wouldn't miss it.'