Chapter 20
“Nova, the meeting with the LVMH representatives is at ten this morning, and the fashion week appointment is at three this afternoon. The materials are ready. Anything else you need?” the assistant inquired.
Nova was about to reply when she stopped abruptly. Her steps halted as she frowned at the all-too-familiar figure standing at the reception desk.
Zane Blackthorn stood there, clad in a rumpled suit, two coffee cups clutched in his hands. Deep, bruise-like shadows hung beneath his eyes. Yet, the moment he saw her, the dullness vanished from his gaze, replaced by a sudden,
desperate light.
“Nova,” he said, stepping forward quickly, mustering a strained smile. “I remember you like lattes. Double syrup.” He held
out one cup.
Nova’s eyes lingered on the proffered coffee for a mere second before her lips curved into a sharp, mocking smile. “I like?
Isn’t that Ivy Callahan’s preference?”
His hand jerked into stillness in the air.
“What do you want?” Nova signaled her assistant to go ahead, making no move to invite him inside. “I’m on a tight
schedule.”
“I… I just wanted to talk,” Zane implored, desperation raw in his eyes. “Just ten minutes.”
“Talk about what?” Nova crossed her arms, her posture radiating cold dismissal. “About how you gambled away the last shred of the Blackthorn fortune? Or about your ‘true love’ who embezzled funds and fled? Sorry, neither topic interests
me.”
Suddenly, he grabbed her wrist. “I know I was wrong… Nova, I’m here to apologize. Please, give me another chance?”
Nova wrenched her hand free with a sharp jerk. A brittle laugh escaped her. “Oh, now you come begging, Mr. Blackthorn?
What did you say back then when I warned you about Ivy Callahan?” She gave him a slow, deliberate once-over, her voice dripping with sarcasm as she mimicked him,”Ivy is innocent, she’d never do such a thing’?”
Zane’s already pale face drained of any remaining color. “I was blinded! But I swear, nothing substantial ever happened
between us!”
“That,” Nova stated, turning to leave, “is irrelevant to me. Move. I’m going to be late.”
“Wait!” Zane blocked her path, his words tumbling out in a frantic rush. “We had good times too-why only remember the
worst? Don’t you remember? That year you had a fever? I stayed with you at the hospital all night… And your birthday? I
canceled meetings just to take you to-”
Nova’s laugh slashed through his words, cold and sharp. “You stayed because Ivy complained of chest pain that night. You pulled my doctor away for her..” She took a step closer, her gaze piercing. “And Val-de-Rêve? You booked tickets knowing she’d be there. My birthday was just your excuse.!”
Zane’s lips trembled. Panic flared in his eyes. “I… I admit I was a jerk sometimes… But the good times… the things I did for you… they weren’t all lies…”
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“The good things?” Nova looked down at him, her expression glacial. “You mean giving me the necklace Ivy Callahan didn’t want? Or standing outside her apartment building all Christmas Eve night?”
Zane was speechless. His hand fluttered weakly, grasping at the hem of her jacket. “But… but I truly know I was wrong
now… I love you…”
“Love?” Nova snapped, violently shaking off his grip and stepping back to put distance between them. “Zane Blackthorn, the only person you’ve ever loved is yourself. This groveling act? It’s only because the Blackthorn Group is drowning and needs the Sterling connections to bail it out.”
“No!” Zane protested desperately. “It’s not about the company! We loved each other! Why won’t you admit-”
In one swift, decisive motion, Nova snatched the coffee cup he’d set aside and flung its contents squarely into his face.
Dark liquid splattered over his features, streaming down his chin and soaking into the expensive fabric of his suit. A gasp
erupted from the receptionist.
“Crystal clear now?” Nova’s voice was glacial. “This pathetic display, Mr. Blackthorn, is utterly revolting.”
Zane slumped to the floor, coffee dripping from his lashes. He stared, dazed, at the rigid line of her retreating back. A memory surged, unbidden: a much younger Nova, red-eyed but forcing a smile after he’d thrown a glass of cold water in her face. “It’s okay,” she’d whispered then.
Now, she didn’t grant him even a backward glance.
Her assistant jogged to catch up as Nova reached the elevator. “Nova, should I call security?”
“No need,” Nova replied, stabbing the elevator button without turning. “Just an irrelevant person.” The elevator doors slid shut, sealing him out of her world.
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