Author's Preface
[Present Day]
[Annie]
I have always been punctual.
With my work. With my time. With everything that matters.
I like people to see the version of me that has everything under control, the organized, dependable, slightly perfectionistic Annie Hayes.
Some might call it being image conscious, maybe even a little self obsessed.
I prefer to call it maintaining standards.
The truth is, I am different with different people.
The way I interact depends entirely on how comfortable I am and what kind of relationship I share with them.
Amanda often says I am surprisingly relaxed around people I trust, but the moment I step into the office, I become a completely different person.
She isn't wrong.
I have always found it difficult to connect with colleagues beyond work.
Professional boundaries are easier to maintain than personal ones.
Amanda and Kenny, however, are the complete opposite of me.
Both of them are natural social butterflies.
They can walk into any room and leave with ten new friends.
Thanks to Amanda, I have managed to know a handful of people in the office.
Unfortunately, they also share one unfortunate trait.
A complete inability to be on time .
"Amanda, I am leaving you behind if you are not outside within ten seconds", I say into the phone while staring at her apartment entrance.
I have already been waiting in my car for more than fifteen minutes now.
If her car hadn't been in the garage for repairs, I swear I would have left long ago.
"Hold on, I... I am just outside," Amanda's rushed voice comes through the speaker.
I can hear drawers opening, footsteps running, and complete chaos in the background. "I am almost out."
I glance at the time and begin counting.
"One..."
"Wait--wait, I am coming!"
"Two... three... four..."
"Annie!"
"Five..."
"Just a second!"
"Six... seven... eight..."
"I am literally at the door!"
"Nine..."
"Don't you dare--"
"T-E-N."
The front door opens exactly as I finish counting.
Amanda rushes towards the car, locking the door behind her before practically throwing herself into the passenger seat.
"Why do you have to rush so much?" she complains while fastening her seatbelt.
"Because being early is better than being late." I answer.
I start the engine and pull away from the curb.
"We have to reach the site on time. I have an image to maintain in front of my senior, The Manager, don't I?"
I glance at her.
Amanda simply pops a mint into her mouth and gives me an amused look.
"I think you already have an impression on him."
I narrow my eyes at her.
She only smiles wider.
"Anyway," she continues, checking her phone, "wasn't he your junior in your university?"
I immediately know where this conversation is going.
"I heard Chris mention that Manager Sterlings climbed the corporate ladder pretty quickly. Apparently, Director Samantha of the North Branch is very fond of him."
"People always have a lot to say," I reply, focusing on the road."Kai was a brilliant student even back in the days ."
Kai Sterlings had always been different.
Quiet and reserved.
The kind of person who never needed to demand attention because people naturally noticed him.
"But didn't you say he left university halfway through?" Amanda asks. "So how did he become a Marketing Manager at such a young age? And that too here at SilverOak? He's what... twenty five? Twenty six? I heard his resume is insane. Years of experience, impressive projects..."
"Maybe he transferred somewhere else. Maybe he started working earlier than expected." I shrug. "Who knows?"
But despite my casual answer, my thoughts betray me.
Suddenly, I am no longer looking at the road.
I am remembering a younger Kai.
A quieter Kai.
The boy who always sat slightly away from everyone else.
The one who rarely spoke unless someone asked him something.
The person I never really got the chance to know.
"Annie."
Amanda's voice pulls me back.
"Are you planning to drive fast or just stare into space?"
I blink. There's emerging traffic before us.
Then I notice her pointing at the dashboard.
9:00 AM.
My heart sinks.
I sigh.
Of all days, why did I have to be late just today?
And now, irrationally, I find myself hoping Kai Sterling is late too.
[ *** ]
When we arrive at the construction site, the other teams have already started their inspection rounds.
I scan the area.
No sign of him.
A small wave of relief passes through me.
Maybe today won't be as uncomfortable as I imagined.
"You're late."
The familiar voice stops me instantly.
Amanda and I freeze.
Slowly, we turn around and find Kai standing a few steps away.
For a moment, I almost fail to recognize him.
The person in front of me looks nothing like the memory I carried.
A light blue shirt, neatly pressed, tucked into his navy trousers.
Sleeves rolled just enough to expose his forearms- clean lines, controlled, deliberate. A pair of glasses rests low on his nose, catching the morning light.
I never knew he wore glasses.
They change him.
They make him sharper and more precise.
The kind of detail that draws attention without asking for it.
His features are more defined now, the angles of his face seem harder, his expression composed to the point of distance.
There is a quiet authority in the way he stands, in the stillness he carries, as if everything around him naturally falls into order.
He looks older, composed.
More self assured and more distant.
And, without even trying, far more striking than he has any right to be.
"You are both fifteen minutes late," he says, checking his watch.
Amanda immediately begins explaining, "The traffic was terrible, and there was an accident near..."
Kai listens without interrupting.
Then his eyes move towards me, only for a second.
But it is enough to make me straighten.
"Your explanation is noted," he says calmly. "However, traffic is something everyone deals with. Planning ahead is part of the job."
Amanda immediately closes her mouth.
I decide not to help her.
"Both of you will stay fifteen minutes later than the rest of the team today."
His lips curve slightly as he looks at Amanda, "No exceptions."
Then his gaze returns to me.
Something inscrutable flickers in his eyes before disappearing. "Even for senior employees."
The words are professional.
The tone is neutral.
Yet somehow, they feel directed at me.
I raise an eyebrow.
"Good to know fairness applies equally, Manager Sterlings."
A few people nearby glance over.
Kai looks at me for a moment longer than necessary.
Then he simply nods.
"Good. I expect everyone to remember that."
And with that, he turns away.
The inspection begins and for the next few hours, Kai is nothing but professional.
Focused. Precise. Unapproachable.
He does not treat me differently.
Thinking back, he had not even seemed curious on seeing me again on his first day.
Maybe this should make me feel relieved.
Instead, it leaves me feeling weird.
Kai Sterlings does remember me.
As I watch him interact with everyone around him-calm, controlled, and impossible to read, I realize something unsettling.
This isn't distance.
It's restraint.
Maybe the question was never whether he remembers.
Maybe it was what has he been hiding all this time.