TTILY CH 02

Her broad shoulders cast a shadow over her. Ria barely managed to swallow as she tried to calm her violently pounding heart.

At the moment their eyes met, the familiar warmth of his breath and body rushed over her all at once. Being so close to him made her head spin.

Just as everyone was looking straight ahead, only Ria’s head was lowered toward the floor.

The housekeeper beside her discreetly tapped her arm, signaling her to straighten her posture.

The owner of Village stood right before her. Her heart was pounding as though it might burst, and even drawing a breath felt difficult.

“Sir.”

Just then, someone came running toward him.

He slightly turned his body right in front of Ria. A man who appeared to be his secretary stopped before him.

“The chairman would like to have dinner with you at the Golden Castle.”

“Why go all the way there?”

His low voice reached her. It was a voice she could never forget, one she was hearing again after so long.

The warmth that had once filled his voice was gone, replaced by indifference. He clearly didn’t seem pleased about the dinner invitation.

The secretary understood his meaning and bowed lightly. Turning away, he walked off as though he had already forgotten that Ria existed.

“……”

Just as Ria was about to breathe a sigh of relief, he stopped and returned to stand before her.

Too nervous to raise her head, she couldn’t bring herself to look at him.

His long index finger brushed over Ria’s name tag, moving across it like fingers gliding over piano keys.

“Maria.”

There was mockery in the way he rolled her name off his tongue. Ria’s lungs seemed to constrict painfully.

Please… Not yet.

For now, she desperately hoped he wouldn’t realize that she was “Maria.”

His gaze was fixed not on Ria’s face, but clearly on the name written on her name tag.

Her heart sank coldly.

He recognized me.

She was certain of it.