In his office, Julian was reviewing project files when he stumbled upon a photo that gave him pause. Willow was in it.
It was a picture taken at a company retreat a while back. She had just joined Sinclair Group then. She looked inexperienced, her styling lacking sophistication. Yet, even in a sea of faces, she stood out effortlessly, her luminous skin and striking features commanding attention.
Julian thought back to the last time he had seen her. It had only been a glimpse of her back, but it was enough to see that she had nearly returned to the stunning version of herself in this photo.
A suffocating knot formed in his chest. It had been nearly a week since Willow left the firm, yet she hadn't come crying back to him, begging for forgiveness. Instead, she had blocked him completely.
Julian lit a cigarette and walked over to the window, scoffing at the thought that she was playing a dangerous game and was bound to get burned.
A knock sounded at the door. He crushed his cigarette out. "Come in."
Vivienne had walked in fully prepared to put on a performance. Her plan was to play the victim, turn on the tears, and act sweet—a foolproof strategy that usually brought Julian to his knees and guaranteed he'd fix her project issues instantly.
But the moment she walked in, she saw the blown-up photo on Julian's monitor. Worse, his cursor was hovering right over Willow's face. Her chest tightened, alarm bells screaming in her head.
Even she had to admit Willow looked gorgeous in that photo. And based on what she had seen recently, Willow's weight-loss journey was working; she was going to end up looking even better than she did in that picture.
"Julian," she said tentatively, pointing at the monitor. "When was this taken?"

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