Am I Supposed To Know You?

Mallory's knees buckled, threatening to dump her into her seat. Anxiety clawed at her throat as she stared, wide-eyed, at the man across the room.

That was her Wilder - the only man she's ever loved. The father of her kids.

Her heart continued to race heavily as she wondered if she was dreaming. But, she wasn't. Everything was real; Wilder being in front of her was real!

But how was it possible? How was he suddenly in front of her when he's been missing for years? Was his family the owners of the company? How come she had no idea the whole time? She was losing her mind.

The new CEO - Wilder Pemberton - walked into the shared workspace and stood before the eleven staff. 

"Good morning, sir."

"We're thrilled to have you here!"

"Welcome, sir."

They all chorused anxiously. 

Wilder didn't bother to look at their faces, his glacial blue eyes fixed on the two men hovering behind him.

"Are these all of them?" He asked, his voice glacial, yet tuneful.

"Yes. They're the one's in charge of this department," One of the managers bobbed his head, but with a frozen inflection.

That was Arlo, and he had been the previous CEO before the arrival of Wilder. Now, he was ranked as a manager.

"Good." Wilder nodded in acknowledgement.

"Wilder?" A faint female voice suddenly called his name. It was Mallory.

Mallory couldn't restrict herself from calling out his name, her heart like a fragile butterfly, wings quivering with anxiety.

Heads snapped towards her. The managers whipped around, their faces etched with shock. Wilder, ever so slowly, lifted his gaze.

Mallory felt her legs jerk when his eyes settled on her. Her breath hitched and her heart stopped beating. That was her Wilder! Her Wilder!

Her heart fluttered as she made to move out of the table, to run into his arms. But not until she heard him ask,"Did you just call me by my name?"

She froze instantly, his voice being as cold as icicles. Staring into his eyes, she saw how devoid they were of warmth. No, something wasn't right. Why was he giving her that blank look? Didn't he recognize her?

Cleft lines grooved her forehead as her lips wavered to call him again, but the cold expression on his face was muddling.

"I'm sorry, sir. Mallory is one of our hardworking staff and I'm sure she's just overwhelmed to meet you like the others," The second manager chipped in, wearing a cursory smile.

Wilder sighed and looked away from Mallory.

"I'm sure you've all figured out who I am by now," he said to them in general. "I'm Wilder Pemberton, grandson to the Founders of this company. And from now on, I'll be your CEO."

As Mallory watched him speak, tears welled up in her eyes. Confusion and a crushing sense of dejection warred within her.

Or was she mistaken? Was her obsession over Wilder making her think he was her new CEO?

But how could they have the same names? And staring into those familiar blue eyes of his, they shot her a sense of feeling she'd only felt when she was with Wilder. There was no way she could be mistaken. That was her Wilder! Her very own Wilder! Why was he acting like he couldn't recognize her? What was wrong?

"I hope we can all blend smoothly here. Which one of you is meant to be my P.A?" Wilder asked along his address.

Mallory was lost in thoughts and had no idea the question was meant for her. She was just lost, staring at the face of her ex-husband who wasn't acknowledging her.

"Mallory," Chloe nudged her with a whisper, jerking her out of her thoughts. That was when the question replayed in Mallory's head.

"Uh...it's...it's me. I'm sorry. I'm your P.A," she stumbled over her words, her lids blinking rapidly and lowering to the floor. It was taking her a lot to keep her sanity in place.

Wilder stared at her for some seconds, pulling an unsatisfied look.

"I'll decide if you can retain that position or not," he uttered, making Mallory dart her eyes from the floor to look at him. 

Huh? He was threatening her position?

"I guess that'll be all for now. See you later," he said in general and began walking away, headed for his office.

"Come on, Mallory!" Arlo called out to her in a husky whisper as he followed Wilder behind.

Mallory knew she was mandated to go after them, but her legs seemed to be frozen.

"Mallory, are you alright?" Chloe asked, touching her shoulder.

"Yeah. You were acting all weird like...like you knew him," Freya added.

Mallory blinked back her tears and sniffed. "It's nothing. I was just... confused."

Picking up her bag, she left without sparing them another glance. And instantly, she could hear them talking and singing praises about him.

She dropped her bag on her desk which was just in front of the CEO'S office. She had to take in a very deep breath, puff her cheeks repeatedly before proceeding to his office.

She found him there, seated on his executive seat with the two managers before him - seemingly giving him reports. There was a lot to fill him on.

Mallory was rooted to the door, her heart beating rhythmically as her eyes settled on him. It was still like a dream to her - a confused dream.

It wasn't until he glanced at her that she forced her legs to move. But she didn't stop looking at him. She couldn't.

Wilder tried to pay attention to the managers speaking to him, but when he noticed how the young lady stared at him, it got him uncomfortable.

"What's your name?" He asked, making the managers go shut at once. They followed his gaze and it landed on Mallory.

Mallory felt her soul being pierced. Did he just ask for her name? Her Wilder didn't even know her name?

For a while, she was dumbstruck and couldn't arrange the words in her head.

"Uh... her name is..."

"Let her speak for herself, Arlo" Wilder raised his hand at his cousin who zipped up at once.

Then, reluctantly, Mallory muttered: "I'm Mallory Harrington."

Wilder said nothing, his gaze on her unreadable.

Then, she asked. "Don't you... remember me?"

Her voice reverberated with so much pain and betrayal. Wilder's brows scrunched up in perplexity.

"Am I... supposed to know you?" He asked with an unfeigned doubt.

This broke Mallory even more. How can her Wilder not recognize her? Memories of how he used to touch and make her feel loved niggled at her mind immediately. How can he act so differently?

Her next breath came raggedly, she had to drop her teary gaze to the floor.

"How can you not remember me?" She winced. "We were..."

"Miss Harrington, what's wrong with you?" Arlo cut her off in a husky whisper. "You've always been sane. How can you act crazy today of all days? Do you want to lose your job?"

Wilder watched silently.

Arlo's scold had no effect on Mallory, but it was Wilder's oblivion that did. How could she even tell him they were married? How could she explain something so deep when he stared at her with eyes so cold and devoid of emotions? How could she tell him she had kids at home that belonged to him when he didn't even recognize her and made her feel she was a total stranger?

"Are you sure you're fit to be here today, Miss Harrington?" Wilder's voice broke into her head like a sledgehammer, shattering the glass of her thoughts. She didn't look up at him. She couldn't.

"You know, I get comments like this a lot," he scoffed, pirouetting in his chair. "I've met a lot of ladies who claim they know me or have dealt with me in one way or the other. At the end of the day, they just want my attention and money. I don't want to believe my supposed PA is one of them."

Mallory shot her eyes at him, disbelief shadowing them. How could he compare her to 'those ladies'? How dare he? She wasn't one of those ladies. She was his wife! Even if they didn't sign or get a marriage certificate, they had a deep history together!

She blinked back her tears, praying they don't come spilling out.

"I'm... I'm sorry, sir. I'm just..."

"I guess Miss Harrington is just trying to act funny," Arlo said. "Don't take any of her actions to heart. She's a very diligent worker and I personally recommend her to be your assistant."

"I don't know, that depends," Wilder shrugged. "So far, she's been giving me a bad impression."

Mallory kept her gaze on the floor and said nothing. Then , Arlo resumed his conversation to the CEO to take his mind off her topic.

She battled with her tears and tried to remain calm throughout her stay in the office. She couldn't act crazy in front of him anymore. She didn't want to risk her job.