*R-18 This story will have adult content and triggers ranging from flashbacks of physical and mental abuse to highly explicit sex scenes and profanity. If you have any issues with any of these, I suggest you find another story to read. Otherwise, I hope you enjoy!*

I'm currently preparing to meet with the owner of Morgan Corporation and present him and his team with a contract, my team and I have been working on for over a month now. This contract is worth hundreds of millions of dollars and would boost the company and earn me a major bonus.

I'm heading to the conference room, looking at my notes when I bump into someone in the hall and drop my file with the contract on the floor.

"Oh my goodness! I'm so sorry! I wasn't paying attention...." I start and freeze staring at the most gorgeous man I've ever seen. I stare at him though because he seems so familiar, like I should know him.

"That's quite alright. I was just doing a great job at being a roadblock anyways." He flashes me a dazzling smile and picks the folder up for me.

"Oh my, thank you. Do you work here?" I ask, never recalling seeing him before.

"You're welcome. Uh no... I'm on my way to conference room 8, but I can't recall if she told me right from the elevator or left." He scratches the back of his head, "Do you think you could help me out?"

"Conference room 8? Well," I chuckle, "you're in luck. I'm heading that way myself. I can escort you. So you must work with Morgan Corporation."

"Yes. I do. I'm Jackson by the way." He sticks his hand out and I shake it. Then his familiarity seems to strike a distant memory as the CEO steps out of the conference room.

"Jackson?!" It hits me right then, why this gorgeous man seemed so... familiar. "Jackson Morgan?" I ask again for clarification.

"Yes?" He seems confused. OF course he wouldn't remember me.

"I'm sorry, what's your name?" His brown eyes are analyzing every bit of me, trying to pinpoint me.

I give him a wide forced smile, "It's Melita," I pause as something sparks in his eyes, "Melita Xenos." I see the shadow of memory that passes over him.

"Lita?" Jackson says quietly, light picks up in his eyes before a shadow falls across his features as I nod. "It's been a long time."

That was the most awkward meeting I've ever been in. His gaze hardly left me, making me want to squirm in my seat. His company is offering a chance of a two hundred million dollar contract, which my company is chomping at the bit to acquire. So I had to keep a strained smile on my face while we talked. Of course at the end of the meeting, he tells us that he wants to think about it and consider the other companies vying for this contract offers.

Now I'm sitting here in the CEO's office, as he assesses me quietly. I'm on pins and needles, not knowing how this is going to go.

"Ms. Xenos, What is your past relationship with Mr. Morgan?" Mr. Eric Dornell, the CEO, asks analyzing my every reaction.

"Um. We were childhood friends, my apologies for addressing him in such a manner earlier, sir. I was just surprised." I quickly apologize.

Eric sighs, "Alright, tell me what happened that you grew apart?"

I stutter, caught off guard, "I, I, I'm sorry? Why are you inquiring, sir?"

Eric gives me a pointed look, "I will reveal it after you answer the question."

I thin my lips, biting on the inner flesh to keep from scowling. "He left to live with a relative and never contacted me again. We were twelve, sir."

Eric nods, "Nothing bad happened between the two of you? He didn't move because of you, correct?"

"Correct sir." I was doing my best not to take offense to the invasion of my past. I knew he was asking for a reason.

"Good, I want to build off that fact and maybe reignite that old friendship. I need you to get close and work your magic to get us this contract Ms. Xenos. If you're able to pull this off, I'll make sure you get more than just a healthy bonus after signatures are completed." Eric smiles at me.

I hesitate as I stare at his brown eyes and salt and peppered beard, not wanting to disappoint him. He doesn't know why my heart feels like it's been stabbed at the mere memory of Jackson Morgan. "What if I am unable to? I mean we are adults and could be different people than what we were."

Eric smiles falls from his eyes, but stays on his lips, "You don't think you could become friends with him again? I mean, Ms. Xenos, this is hundreds of millions of dollars at stake here. This is thousands of jobs at stake too. Morgan Corporation is known for being excellent business partners, we take care of them, and they'll take care of us. This contract has more than just this money and these jobs at stake, it has future earning and jobs at stake. If you are incapable of putting aside changes in personalities to secure this contract, I will need to reconsider your dedication to this position you've just been granted and to the company who has helped you get there."

His words tell me everything I need to know, I do this, my job is secure. I don't, I'm either demoted or left to find employment elsewhere. This company took a chance with me, hiring me, fresh out of night college, and helped me excel to the position I am in now. Paying for extra college, giving me the time off for exams and class times, still paying me my full salary. I graduated and was promoted, excelling no matter what department or position they put me in. The most recent promotion given to me just two weeks ago. This was my big contract deal since I was given the position. I had to prove to them and myself that I was worth their trust and effort they put forth to help me too.

"Then I will have to do my best to not disappoint you sir. I will make sure that we get this contract." I reassure him.

He beams at me, "That's what I like to see and hear. We're depending on you Ms. Xenos. I have full faith in you that you'll see we get this contract. Thank you. That will be all Ms. Xenos."

Eric dismisses me from his office and go to my own that I just recently was provided. It was a large corner office, with a lounge area with a drink station and my own personal bathroom. I was one of ten coveted contract administrator managers and had over a hundred employee's that worked with and for me. Right now, they would be going over the notes from the meeting that were emailed out before I went to talk to Eric, so I had a few minutes to readjust my mind set. Every department here was relying on me to make sure that we got this contract. I had to get this contract.

Could I though? Really? I'm going to have swallow my pride and forget that he let me down when I needed him the most all those years ago.

20 years ago

In a clubhouse made of old pallets, covered in a tarp and branches, set off into the wooded area behind our old, run down, bungalow homes, Jackson was taking care of me. He had helped clean me up, best he could with a semi clean rag and some rubbing alcohol he had found.

"I promise Lita, if you need to get away from your dad, just run here. Okay? I'll protect you no matter what." Jackson is in his early teens, still gangly but every inch of him, was muscle. I always felt safer with him, so I trusted it when he made promises to me. I showed up again, covered in fresh cuts and bruises from my abusive father. He kept accusing me of stealing money from his wallet while he slept, but it wasn't me.

Today, he'd left me with a busted lip, black eye, sprained ankle and numerous bruises all over my body. I didn't want to move, I didn't want to go back home. I just sat there and cried, my best friend holding me, promising to protect me.

The next day, while I was at school, my mother left us. She left me there with his abusive ass to suffer the consequences of her actions. She had been the one stealing the money to get the hell out of dodge and when I walked through the door and realized she wasn't there, or her clothes, I knew she left me.

How could she do this to me? Would she come back to save me? No, of course not. She never got in the way of my father beating on me. She would beat me herself, saying I was the cause of all her troubles too.

I cried and did my chores like I knew I had to, rushing to try and figure out something to make for dinner so maybe he wouldn't be so hard on me. Trembling, as the clock ticked closer to when he would get home, contemplating whether I should just leave too. Where would I go though? To Jackson of course, but his parents wouldn't let me live with them. Maybe I could sleep in our clubhouse?

Just then, the front door slams shut and I hear my father start shedding his stuff from work.

"BEER!" He shouts as he normally does, the second he walks through the door. I immediately come running out of the kitchen bringing him a bottle of his beer.

"What the fuck are you doing bringing it?! Where the fuck is your mother?!" He says taking the beer from my hand.

"I... I don't know..." I say meekly, shrinking back into myself.

"You don't know?! Why don't you know!?" He shouts opening up his beer.

Shaking in fear, trembling, preparing myself for the fist that's going to come swinging as soon as I tell him.

"She's... her stuff.... it's gone." I'm shaking so badly, I almost can not understand myself, but he did.

My body freezes as he says so lowly, "What did you just say?"

I whimper, "Her stuff it's gone..." He springs up and rushes to their bedroom and starts yelling and throwing empty drawers out into the hallway.

Terrified, knowing his anger would grow and his fists would connect with me next, I take off through the back door and run for the clubhouse.

"MELITA! GET YOUR ASS BACK HERE GIRL!" My dad yells from the back door, fuming, steam almost visibly rising from off his body. I take off into the woods, like the hounds from hell were on my tail. My little legs running as fast as they could considering my ankle was sprained. I tried not to think of the pain in my ankle and ran.

"MELITA!"

I run to the clubhouse, where Jackson was everyday after school until dark to avoid his parents and their druggie friends that would come over and party. By dark they would normally be in the garage drinking and playing darts or cards, so he could go up to his room without somebody giving him a hard time. He promised me he'd be there. He'll be there.

"JACKS!" I shout so he'll come out. "JACKS!"

But as I near the clubhouse, he doesn't come out and I can tell he's not there. I shoot past the clubhouse to his house, my father crashing through the underbrush after me. I run up to the back door, banging on it.

"JACKS!" I emit a shrill, ear piercing scream in terror, watching my father make his way from the woods, breathing heavy and livid, eyes bloodshot and smoke now shooting from his nose at me. I bang harder on the door, "JACKS YOU PROMISED! HELP ME!" I'm banging trying to open the door for dear life when a hard fist impacts the side of my head, causing stars to flow over my vision.

I'm dragged back home, whimpering and crying out as I reach out towards the home of my only friend, who promised he would be there.

"Jacks!"

"Jacks!"

"You promised!"

But...he lied, he broke his promise, he wasn't there.