Page 62 of Broken Destiny

I scoffed. “Sure.”

“My marketing team will contact yours to start designing the plan, and I will wait for the construction details from your end,” she said in a firm, professional tone.

“Okay.”

“Any other questions?”

I looked at her, my sunglasses shielding my eyes from her view. Her own eyes were hidden behind dark lenses as well, making it impossible for me to tell what she was thinking or where she was looking. I assumed she was watching me just as closely as I was watching her.

My gaze travelled over her from head to toe.

Her work ethic hadn’t changed at all. She was still professional, organized, and direct, the same driven woman I had known years ago. That part of her would never change, and despite everything between us, I found myself impressed.

“Nope,” I said, sliding my hands into my pockets.

This was our first official meeting, and it had gone smoothly. I could only hope I would be able to keep my emotions under control for the sake of everyone involved.

19

JIYA

Iwalked into my office with Caleb behind me after the site visit.

My nerves felt stretched tight, like violin strings pulled to their limit. I could sense his presence behind me without turning around, the awareness of him brushing against my thoughts.

“So, how was it?” Liam asked, walking in seconds later.

Caleb stood up immediately and shook his hand.

“It was good. Jiya showed me the layout. We walked around for a bit to see the rest of the plot. Seems quite good. Can’t wait to start.”

Hearing my name… my real name roll off his tongue for the first time sent a strange ripple through me.

“Liam, they need an advance to start the construction, so just wondering if we could discuss those details,” I said.

“Oh!” Liam raised his eyebrows.

“That’s fine, take your time,” Caleb said smoothly. “We’ll start without the advance.”

My gut clenched.

He told me he wouldn’t start without it, and now he’s changed his tone.What the hell?

I kept quiet, even though heat climbed up my neck and into my ears as my thoughts churned. What was he trying to do?

“I’ll send over the details of the construction supplies and materials, and the marketing team will get in touch with you guys shortly,” Caleb continued.

“That’s great,” Liam said. “We’ll start arranging everything from our side.”

Caleb shook his hand, then looked at me and smirked. “Looking forward to working with you.”

I watched him walk away. Folding my arms tightly across my chest, I felt a hard tension in my jaw, the muscles clenching as memories rose.

It was exactly like this when I had worked with him the first time. He had been a spoiled, pompous brat at the beginning, with arguments between us practically every second day. Back then, our clashes had been explosive from the start. Why was he doing the same thing again? Why did he want to provoke and annoy me with that same two-faced demeanour?

“He seems like a nice guy, eh?” Liam asked, snapping me out of my thoughts.

“Yeah.” I forced a smile onto my face. “Nice guy.”