I had never been particularly fond of rain. Of all weather conditions, I considered it to be the worst. And of all days for it to rain, it just had to be this one.

I hurriedly walked into the nearest building I could find, to shelter myself from the unforeseen down pour. It was a cafe and thankfully it wasn't as packed as I guessed it would be under such circumstances.

Lately, my life had been such a downward spiral. I was jobless, had a couple of odd dollars to live on and to top it all off, I was recently single. At the age of twenty-nine, my life was a screaming bore.

Today I had gone job hunting. I searched high and low but found absolutely nothing. It was either the fact that I was over-qualified or the income was far too low. Sure, I was desperate, but I still had my pride.

My hair was slightly wet and my clothes were not better. All I wanted to do was just get back to my apartment, take a hot shower and watch a movie while snuggling into a warm blanket.

But I couldn't do that, you see. It was literally bucketing outside and I didn't have an umbrella. Plus, I didn't have enough money for a cab.

Before I knew it, my feet dragged me along to the short line formed in front of the cashier. Soon enough I was there, giving my order for a black coffee since it the only thing I could afford at the moment. It would also keep me warm.

But when had my life gone all wrong? I came to New York straight after high school because it had been my dream since I was a little girl. I even got accepted into NYU and graduated with honors in Accounting.

Why couldn't I get a decent job? With a decent income?

Maybe because you have no work experience whatsoever, sweetheart.

True, but that was not entirely my fault.

Don't blame him for it. You're the one who decided to marry that control freak at the age of 22!

"Here's your coffee." mumbled the guy behind the counter. He didn't seem too happy, well that makes two of us.

Having being brought out of my reverie, I quickly paid for the coffee and grabbed it. When I turned to leave, I ran straight into someone, spilling my coffee on them by mistake.

I gasped in horror. "Oh my God, I'm so sorry." I said, rubbing my hands on the obvious stain on the stranger's shirt. And shit, it looked more expensive than my apartment’s rent.

"No no, don't worry about it. Accidents happen."

I froze immediately. I knew that deep, husky voice. In fact, I'd known it for so many years and I really never thought I’d be hearing it again so soon.

Please don't let it be him. Please don't let it be him!

I looked up and my eyes met very familiar gray ones. Oh no, it was him!

"Aubrey? Is that you?" He voiced; his face donned with surprise.

I gulped. The room suddenly felt hot and uncomfortable. "H-hi, Bryce." I stuttered pathetically. Well, that was smooth.

His beautiful steel eyes gave me a once over. "I can't believe it's you. I thought you left the city. How long has it been, four years?"

"Five and a half, to be exact." I corrected. Apparently, it couldn't have been longer. The fact that I had just spilt my coffee on him dawned on me once again. "Shit, I'm sorry I spilled my coffee on you. I was just-"

"Don't worry about it." He said, shrugging. "It was an accident, plus you have always been a clumsy little thing." He chuckled lowly, earning a scowl from me. Of course, he just had to insult me.

"I was just kidding," He held up his hands in defense.

I narrowed my eyes at him. "Since when do you joke? Last time I checked, you were always so brutally honest."

His smile instantly fell. "Wow, I see you haven't forgotten about the past. Aubrey, for goodness' sake, it's been five years!"

I scoffed. "Five years isn't enough to forget everything, Bryce."

"Do you need me to go down on my knees and beg for forgiveness?" He looked down at me, a smirk quirking at the edge of his perfect lips. I shot him another scowl. "Okay, okay. I get, we have a rough past but can't we just move past it? Aubrey, I apologized and I gave you a divorce. Will you ever forgive me?"

Will I ever forgive him for trying to dominate my life? For prohibiting me from finding a proper job? For coercing me to marry him only for him to treat me like a dog on a leash? Maybe, maybe not...

I sighed, looking away from him. Seeing him again just brought back too many painful memories that I had neatly tucked away in the furthest corner of my brain. I just couldn't easily forget them, no matter how much I tried to.

I looked back up at him again. "I did forgive you, but I won't forget."

He seemed to be hurt by my words. "Look, why don't I buy you some coffee and maybe we can sit and have a talk." He said, a sense of pleading in his tone.

I bit my lip nervously. I really didn't want to do that. "...Umm, I-"

"It's the least you could do for messing up my $400 shirt."

I froze. Had I heard correctly? "What? Did you just say $400 shirt?"

A ghost of a smirk played at his lips. "I'll take that as a yes."

Ignoring my question, he went up to the cashier, completely disregarding the now longish line formed in the cafe. The customers seemed unfazed by it.

"Get me two black coffees and one slice of cake. Bring over to the table I'll be sitting at, soon." He said smoothly to the cashier, who nodded frantically and ran to the back to get Bryce's order.

He casually strolled back over to me and led me to an unoccupied table. He sat down and I followed suit, keeping my eyes trained on anything but his eyes. I could feel him staring at me, and it made my face feel warm. Bryce had changed much, he looked exceptionally more handsome and well groomed. And here I was, in the midst of a downward spiral, looking like a hoodlum in partially soaked clothing.

"You cut your hair." He stated, breaking the awkward silence.

I looked out the window, watching as the harsh rain drops splashed against it. "Y-yeah, I wanted a new look."

"I always liked your hair long."

That's exactly why I cut it, I wanted to counter but just bit my tongue. The cashier came sprinting towards us with the order. He placed them on the table.

"H-here you go, Mr. Roberts." He stuttered, eyeing Bryce warily.

Bryce looked down at his wrist were an expensive looking watch lay. "2 minutes. You could have done better. I'm a busy man and cannot have my time wasted, okay. Be quicker next time."

The cashier gulped audibly. "Y-yes, Sir. It won't happen again." Then the poor guy scurried off, almost falling in the process.

I took a sip of my coffee, letting the hot liquid trickle down my throat. "Still a control freak, I see."

He chuckled lightly. "Still so judgmental, I see." He countered. "So, how have you been?"

His question caught me off guard. How had I been? Well, I have been better, to say the least.

"Good." I mumbled, taking a bite out of the chocolate cake. "And you? I guessing you are doing amazingly, sporting fancy clothing and watches,” I added, somewhat bitterly.

He smiled. "If you must know, I have managed to build an empire from the ground up. I’m just enjoying to fruits of my hard work."

Great, so now he was bragging about how amazing his life was.

"Good for you," I smiled tightly. "So, I guess all that time you spent working instead of being with your wife paid off." I added, with a bitter laugh.

He groaned. "Aubrey, why can't we just have a normal conversation like civilized people? I get that our past is a sensitive topic and all, but I'm not the one bringing it up. It's you. I don't believe in coincidences and I believe there's a reason we met once again. Maybe we could try being friends?" he pleaded, extending his hand towards mine that was on the table but I quickly averted his grasp.

Then I snapped. "Well, friend, if you must know, I'm not doing great at all. I don't have a job. I live in a crappy apartment and my boyfriend recently dumped me. I went jobbing hunting today because I am practically penniless but guess what, I found nothing. I have no job experience whatsoever pertaining to my qualifications because of someone who didn't want me to work, so I don't have a stable income. How does that sound, friend?" I spat acidly, my chest heaving in frustration.

He sat there, looking speechless. There was also something flashing in his eyes, what was it? Pity? That was the last thing I needed from him.

"I-" he began but I silenced him by raising my hand.

"You're sorry, I know. But you apologizing isn't going to fix anything. My life has been a mess since time immemorial, and seeing you today just worsened it. I know I forgave you but seeing you again is just too painful." I managed to say, blinking the tears that threatened to fall.

With that, I stood up and ran for the door, only for Bryce to grab me by the elbow right outside the cafe.

"I messed up big time, I know. What can I say but I'm sorry. I feel terrible for the way things went between us. I want to fix my mistakes-"

I tried to shrug him off, and he let go. "Don't bother. My life is just too broken to fix." I turned to leave, only for him to have my arm in his hand.

"At least let me take you home. It's raining and you don't have an umbrella."

He wasn't wrong about that. I would probably be drenched by the time I reach my apartment complex. That's the only reason why I let him lead me to a sleek, black Ferrari parked right outside of the cafe.

I stood still for a few moments, just gawking at the black beauty.

"Are you going to get in or not? You'll get wet if you just stand there all day looking at my car." He looked at me, humor dancing in his eyes.

"What are you, a millionaire?"

"Well," he paused, "I'm actually a billionaire. Get in the car, will you!"

Listening to his advice, I slid into the car to avoid getting any wetter. The interior was so exquisite. I couldn't possibly imagine how much the car cost. Probably worth much more than everything I owned.

Once we'd buckled up, Bryce brought the engine to life and swiftly moved into the road.

"Where to?" he asked, his eyes fixed on the road.

For a second, I contemplated whether to tell him my actual address or just drop me close by my building. Honestly, I didn't want him to see my very humble abode. It was located in one of the shadiest parts of New York.

Hesitantly, I gave him my address, earning a look of incredulity from him. So, he had heard of the place.

"You actually live there?" He said, not hiding the concern in his voice.

I looked out the window in embarrassment. "Yeah. Not all of us can afford to live in pomp and splendor."

I noticed him tense at my words. Bryce had always been kind of blunt and had no clue what a filter was. I should have known that trait of his would still be there.

The rest of the ride was silent and soon, he parked his car on the side of my apartment complex. I unbuckled my belt, and placed my hand on the car door handle.

I turned to look at Bryce, who was already looking at me. "Thanks for the ride." I murmured softly.

"No problem." He smiled. "Will I see you again?"

"Maybe," I whispered, before sliding out his car and jogging into the complex. I didn't even look back to see if he had gone or not.

When I was safely within the confines of my apartment, I leaned against the door and let a sigh I didn't even know I was holding. I ran a hand through my hair, feeling that my frustration with life was at its peak.

Seeing Bryce made me realize something that I thought I had already moved on from; I still had feelings for him. And as absurd as it may be, seeing him stirred something that had been dormant for a long time now. Even after all he had done to me, I still felt some inexplicable emotions towards him. He made me nervous, he made my stomach flutter with butterflies and he definitely made me feel hot all over.

But he also made me feel angry, stupid and useless. How dare he just assume he can just shimmy his way back into my life as though nothing had never happened. There were multiple reasons as to why we got divorced.

I pulled at my hair. "Stop!" I yelled at no one in particular. "It's been more than five years. You need to move on, Aubrey Whitlock. He is just your ex-husband, get that? Your ex!"

I paid no more attention to the thoughts racing through my mind, and made my way to the petit bathroom where I took a long, hot shower. After that, I changed into my pajamas and headed to the kitchen to prepare some microwaved popcorn.

I think after all of today's drama, I deserved to relax and watch some tv.

Just as I sat down, my phone began to ring. Perfect timing! I rolled my eyes and then looked at the screen. I had no idea who it was.

"Hello?" I answered, uncertainty evident in my voice.

"Hi, is this Aubrey Whitlock?" An unfamiliar, feminine voice asked.

I hesitated to answer for a moment. "Y-yes. Who is this?"

"I'm am calling to inform you that you have been selected as the new personal assistant to the CEO of Constructex Private Limited."

                                              ____________________

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