Chapter Five

Four years later

Tris. 

This was the first time I was getting a call back for an interview for all the jobs I had sent my applications in for. 

Finding a job here was proving to be one of the hardest thing, and I needed to find a job soon. My emergency funds was running out. 

I’d rehearsed every possible interview question three times over, ironed my blouse until it looked brand new, and triple checked Ethan’s lunchbox before I dropped him off. Now, standing in the sleek lobby of Dreamscape Enterprises, palms damp, knees slightly weak, all I could think about was not blowing this.  

This job wasn’t just an opportunity. It was my lifeline.  

Miami wasn’t cheap. I’d known that, but  I still underestimated how fast savings disappear when you're a single mom with rent, daycare, and a half broken car that likes to cough dramatically at red lights.  

But I was here. I’d made it.  

“Ms. Callahan?”  

I turned toward the receptionist, who gave a polished smile and gestured toward the glass double doors behind her. “Mr. Black will see you now. Top of the stairs, last office on the right.”  

“Thank you,” I managed, swallowing the stone that had lodged itself in my throat.  

Mr. Black.  

I repeated the name silently like it was just a stranger. A nobody. Another hurdle.  

I had tried to look up everything I could about the company online, but there was nothing about the owner. All it said about him was that he was a private person and preferred to keep his life personal. 

Each step up the sleek staircase echoed in my ears. I could hear my heartbeat in my throat. I was nervous, sure, but confident in what I’d prepped. I’d worked hard, learned fast. I was ready.  

I knocked on the door and there were a few seconds of total silence before a deep male voice said, 

“Come in.”  

I froze. A breath caught in my lungs like a fish in a net. My fingers trembled on the doorknob, but I pushed it open.  

And then, everything stopped.  I had imagined what it would be like if I ever saw him again, but after some time I eventually gave up. But there he was,right in front of me, Tony.  

Four years hadn’t changed him much. A little broader maybe, more angular around the jaw, his dark hair neatly styled, a tailored suit that made him look even more powerful than he already did back then.  

He was leaning over a laptop, but when he looked up and our eyes met, I saw it hit him too. Recognition. Confusion. And then something deeper.  

I wanted to bolt, I wanted to run and never look back, but I couldn't move, my legs were stuck and I just stood there like an idiot. 

His eyes widened barely, and then he covered it quickly with a cool, unreadable expression. The CEO mask.  

“Tris,” he said slowly, like he wasn’t sure if saying my name would bring the whole memory crashing into the room.  

“Mr. Black,” I replied, my voice far steadier than I felt.  

He stood up. Slowly. “Didn’t expect to see you here.”  

“I didn’t expect to see you here either.” I laughed once, brittle and humorless. “Miami’s smaller than I thought.”  

He nodded, but his eyes never left mine. “Four years.”  

“Four and some change, but who is counting?.”

There was a long pause and the room suddenly was too bright, the air too still.  

I clutched my portfolio like it could shield me. “I had no idea this company was yours.”  

“I Co founded it,” he said. “I saw the names of the interviews and I for sure thought it was a coincidence, I didn't expect it to be actually you.”  

“Well, I didn’t exactly think to I would be walking in to be interviewed by… past mistake.’”  

That cracked something in him, a smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth. “You weren’t a mistake.”  

“Let’s not,” I said quickly, stepping in and sitting before I could do something dumb like walk back out. “Let’s pretend we’re strangers who just happen to share a mildly awkward history.”  I said, "I really need this job so let's just put the past behind us and judge me based on my papers." 

“Strangers don’t share a kid Tris.”  

His voice was soft. But the words landed like a grenade.  

My heart stopped and for a moment I thought all this was a joke, a bad joke. But it was not. My only question was how did he find out about that. But I was too stunned to say anything. 

“What did you just say?” I whispered.  

He leaned forward, elbows on the desk, eyes sharp. “Ethan. He’s four, isn’t he?”  

I stood there, my hands shaking . “This isn’t appropriate, that's my personal life and I would like it to still remain personal.”  

“Tris. Stop.”  

“No. This is a job interview, not.. ”  

He stood too, his voice lower now, urgent. “I did the math the moment you walked in. It’s not hard. You disappear after one night, no phone number, nothing. I didn’t know your last name. Then I see you here, four years later, and you’ve got a kid who’s the exact age he would be if... ”  "You were married Tony, and your wife was pregnant. What was I supposed to do, I didn't even know your second name either, so was I supposed to show up at your doorstep, I did what was best for me just like you had to do the same that night. Plus this wouldn't have happened if you hadn't lied that night anyway." I snapped, voice rising. “I had no way to contact you either. You didn’t exactly hand me your business card that night. You were married damnt!.”  

“I still had a right to know ” he said quickly. 

“Is he mine?” Tony asked, quieter now.  

I stared at him. My stomach twisted. My whole plan for this interview, this job, this city shifting like sand under my feet.  I didn’t answer, I didn't know what to answer, so instead I just kept my mouth shut. 

“You came for a job,” he said, more composed now. “Fine. Let’s focus on that. You’re qualified, no doubt. The résumé is solid. But you have to answer me one thing before we go any further.”  

He stepped around the desk. Too close. My breath hitched.  

“Is Ethan my son Tris, it's a yes or no question?”  

The door creaked open behind me before I could speak.  

A woman poked her head in, holding a tablet. “Tony, sorry to interrupt, your fiancée’s here. She’s waiting in the lobby.”  

He didn’t move. Didn’t flinch. Just said, “Tell her I’ll be right out.”  

The woman left, and the door clicked shut.  

My hands were shaking.  I slowly got up and picked my portfolio and stormed out, I knew I had just opened the Pandora's box and I needed to get out of there as soon as I could