One of the things Jade perfected was how to seem bigger than her five-foot figure. It was pure self-confidence and no-nonsense attitude that she put on like armor every time she put on her professional persona.
She had that armor firmly on as she kept pace half a step behind the harried looking assistant that was showing her the way towards a meeting her client had set up barely an hour ago. Her team had called her in a panic, knowing she was at the other side of town and would probably be unable to make it with the traffic.
It was a miracle her other meeting got rescheduled and she was already on the way to this building when she got the urgent call.
The assistant knocked and opened the meeting room door. Jade didn't let her speak and directly entered the room. She knew she made a commanding figure in her stilettos and tailored business suit. She took full advantage of having the room's attention on herself.
"I hope I'm not late." She said with her sweetest professional smile she reserved for the most demanding of clients.
She took her seat beside her team and focused on the battle ahead.
As the meeting went on, she knew someone in management did not want them there at all. It was one complicated question after another that were made to catch them off guard. But Jade had seen all these tricks before and had seemed to please most of management instead.
She was more than pleased when the CEO stood up to end the meeting and shake her hand, "I'm more certain of our decision to have your firm consulting for us in this merger. I'm looking forward to working with you."
She tried her best not to send a satisfied smirk at one of higher management that was blatantly frowning at her.
"We would be happy to work with you on this transition as well."
The CEO nodded at her, "I believe one of our security consultants who take care of our systems and actual security around our research facilities is here as well. I have a meeting with him in a moment, I could introduce you both. You mentioned that you would need access to our systems, he's the best man to raise that request to."
Jade smiled a bit brighter, "That would be perfect."
She followed the CEO to another office and found a man focusing on the papers and open laptop.
The man looked up from his laptop as the CEO knocked against the open door. "Jackson, hope I'm not bothering you."
The man stood and waved the CEO and Jade in, "Come in Clark. You know I always have time for you."
He was tall, more than six feet with sandy blonde hair and professional glasses over his vivid green eyes. Green eyes she had tried and failed to forget.
Jade wasn't sure how she found herself sitting at one of the chairs in the office. She could hear Clark explaining to Jackson what she and her team needed. She had no idea what she had responded throughout the entire exchange. She just hoped she had not butchered one of their biggest clients yet.
All she knew was she was on auto-pilot from that exchange until she found herself in her home chugging down a glass of wine and barely tasting it. Before she could even notice she had poured more wine and was swigging it like it was grape juice instead of some fancy thousand-dollar bottle.
She hunched over her kitchen counter and laid her forehead against the cool marble. It's been five years. Five years.
She was over him. She was sure. Totally sure.
But meeting him had sucked the air right out of her.
She reached for her phone and dialed the one person she trusted to give her a sanity check.
"Hi darling, how are you doing?" her best friend's beaming tanned face came into view.
"Tia, red alert." Jade barely got the words out when her friend's face morphed into her scary lawyer persona.
"Vivi, are you ok? What do you need?"
Jade slumped into her counter again and let out a moan. That prompted her friend to ask again, "Vi are you hurt anywhere? Do you need an ambulance?"
Jade waved a dismissive hand at the direction of her phone, "If you're not hurt then what happened? Do you need me as your lawyer? You didn't dispose of that jerk Mario, did you?"
Jade let out an incredulous snort, "I wish it was that." She topped up her glass and took another big gulp of expensive wine. "I think I just met one of my exes."
"You think?" Her best friend's tone was gentle yet incredulous, "Did Nathan actually go ahead and have that cosmetic procedure he has been telling you about while you were together? Does that change your appearance that much?"
"No, not him."
"I just saw Daniel; he hasn't changed at all. Mark that jerk is still alive and kicking and you won't miss his wretched face in a crowd." She glanced at her phone and saw Bea with a frown on her face, "That's all your exes babe. Unless you kept someone from me?"
"You missed one." Jade mumbled into her lovely cool marble.
"Missed one? Babes, I'm sure I haven't, you don't have that many exes for me to forget abo-," Bea cut herself off and Jade lifted her head enough to see her best friend giving her a shocked look, "No! Oh my god! Your online situationship? The one from four years ago?"
"Five years ago." Jade heard herself say before she had the presence of mind to stop her mouth. She blamed her loose mouth on the wine.
A squeal came out of her speakers, "What happened? How did you meet him? I need all the details!"
Jade glared at her friend through her phone and gave a recap of her crazy day.
"Oh my god! But are you sure? I mean it's been so long and we only had grainy video calls five years ago. Sure, you had selfies and pictures but those weren't as good quality as they are now. And catfishing you know. They never look the same in real life."
Jade hissed at her friend, "I'm sure ok!" She would know those eyes anywhere. They still haunted her dreams.
"If you're sure it's him, did you think he recognized you? I mean you do look different from five years ago. You are way hotter now."
Jade let out a chuckle, "Thank you, I hope he didn't then that would be the end of this idiocy. I just need to act professional around him for a month or so then I would never have to see him again."
Bea's figure from the phone screen shrugged and gave her a doubtful look, "Sometimes your positive outlook in life astounds me."
Jade raised a hand to stop her friend from saying anymore, "Let me dream, ok? A girl can dream!"
"Sure, I guess. Good luck to you."
Jade for some reason felt like luck was not on her side.