Chapter 34
“Collision Course”
“You can’t wait here.”
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Vivienne didn’t flinch. She didn’t blink. The words slid off her like water from polished glass. She stood near the private elevator of Calloway Tower’s executive floor, her posture unshakable, the soft lighting casting a shadow beneath her sharp cheekbones. Her arms were folded tightly across her chest, jaw locked, eyes straight ahead.
The assistant, a sleek young man in a slate–gray suit, hovered near her, discomfort written all over his face. “This floor is for executives and scheduled guests only.”
“I’m aware,” she said.
“Then I need you to return to the main lobby ”
“I’m not going anywhere until I see him.”
The assistant took a breath, clearly frustrated. “Mr. Calloway is not available. He’s in back–to–back meetings.”
Vivienne turned her head slowly to look at him. Her stare was not angry it was worse. Icy. Steady. Absolute. “Then he can meet me between them.”
The young man’s lips parted slightly. He seemed unsure if she was crazy or simply powerful enough to ignore.
Vivienne turned back toward the elevator doors. She’d been standing there for almost twenty minutes. Her legs ached. Her fingers were numb from clutching her handbag. But nothing compared to the pressure building behind her ribs.
She took a slow breath and pulled her phone from her coat pocket. The screen glowed.
Final Notice. Foreclosure in 7 days.
The message had been sitting in her inbox for thirty–six hours. She hadn’t slept since reading it. She hadn’t eaten. She hadn’t cried. That was for later after she had done what needed to be done.
A cold draft drifted through the hallway. The floor was overly air–conditioned, trying too hard to feel luxurious. Still, Vivienne felt warmer than she had in weeks. Rage did that.
“You know, he doesn’t like surprises,” the assistant said, trying again. “Especially from the past.”
Vivienne gave a faint smile. “Then this will be fun.”
Her phone buzzed in her hand. Another message. She opened it. A lawyer’s automated reminder. ‘Respond to foreclosure claim before Wednesday. Failure to act may result in auction without appeal.‘
She swallowed. She wasn’t just losing a house. She was losing a legacy. Her mother’s paintings, the garden, the porch swing. The room where she used to read under a slanted skylight. The window where she once kissed Magnus in the rain.
Her fingers tightened around her phone.
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A soft ding broke through the noise in her head.
She looked up.
The elevator light blinked.
Her pulse doubled.
The doors opened.
Magnus Calloway stepped out.
Vivienne froze.
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The man who exited the elevator wasn’t the one she remembered. He was taller and broader, and the shadows of time cut deep into the lines of his face. His suit was tailored, black, expensive, and fit like armor. The same dark eyes, unreadable. No smile. No softness. Just precision.
He saw her.
He didn’t pause.
He didn’t blink.
He walked past her like she was wallpaper.
The sound of his steps echoed in her skull.
Vivienne turned sharply. “Magnus.”
No response.
He reached the end of the corridor and pressed the elevator call button.
She moved.
Fast.
“Magnus!”
He stepped into the open elevator.
She followed.
The doors shut.
Silence fell.
She looked at him, breath catching in her throat. “You owe me five minutes.”
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He didn’t respond. He pressed the ground floor.
“Say something.” she snapped.
He glanced at her. Cool. Detached. “I thought we said everything years ago.”
“We didn’t say anything.”
He raised an eyebrow. “I sent you divorce papers.”
“I begged you to wait. To talk. You didn’t even return a call.”
He stared ahead. “Because there was nothing left to discuss.”
Vivienne stepped in front of him. “You can’t ignore this. You can’t pretend I don’t exist.”
“I’m not pretending. I’ve lived that truth for five years.”
The words cut. Deeper than she expected.
She swallowed. “I need your help.”
“I guessed that the moment I saw you.”
She nodded. “My mother’s house
“Is going to auction.”
Her eyes widened. “You know?”
“I saw the envelope.”
“Then you know I wouldn’t be here unless I had no other choice.”
He met her eyes. “You always had choices. You just never chose me.”
The elevator lights flickered.
Vivienne grabbed the railing.
The car jolted, then stopped.
Stillness. No hum. No motion.
She looked around. “What ”
“Power surge,” Magnus muttered. He tried the emergency button. Nothing.
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“No signal.”
“Are you serious?”
He tapped his phone. Dead signal.
Vivienne sighed and leaned against the mirrored wall. “Of course. The universe just loves a full–circle moment.”
“I didn’t trap you in here if that’s your next accusation.”
She smirked. “You don’t need a stuck elevator to trap me. You do that just by standing still.”
Silence stretched.
She pressed her palms flat against her thighs.
“This wasn’t how I planned it,” she said softly.
“It never is.”
“I came to ask you for help, not reopen wounds.”
“They were never closed.”
Vivienne looked up at him. “Then talk to me.”
He stared at her. “You want to talk? Fine. Let’s talk. Why didn’t you come back?”
“I tried. You shut every door.”
“I didn’t shut them. I locked them.”
“Same thing.”
“Not quite.”
She stepped closer.
“You didn’t even let me say goodbye.”
“I couldn’t look at you,” he said.
She stopped.
“I couldn’t see you and not remember what I lost,” he added.
Vivienne’s heart clenched. “You didn’t lose me. You threw me away.”
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His voice was quiet. “I didn’t know the difference back then.”
The elevator lights flickered again.
She moved without thinking close enough to touch.
“Then learn it now.”
The elevator shuddered again.
Her fingers brushed his.
Then everything went black.
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