My Ex-Husband Became My Boss | He Left Me 5 Years Ago, Now He Wants Me Back
Chapter 1
The first thing Emma Carter saw when she walked into the conference room was her ex-husband’s face on the presentation screen.
She stopped so suddenly that the woman behind her nearly walked into her.
“Sorry,” Emma murmured.
She stared at the screen.
Alexander Reed.
CEO of Reed Global.
She hadn’t seen him in five years.
Five years since he had left her with a suitcase, a signed divorce agreement, and one sentence she had never forgotten.
“I can’t give you the life you want.”
Now his photograph was on a screen inside her workplace.
Emma looked around the room.
Twenty employees were taking their seats.
Her manager, Laura, walked toward the front.
“Everyone, please settle down. We have some exciting news.”
Emma’s stomach tightened.
Laura smiled.
“As you know, our company was recently acquired by Reed Global.”
A murmur went through the room.
Emma barely heard it.
Laura continued.
“Starting today, we’ll be operating under new leadership.”
Then the conference room doors opened.
Alexander walked in.
Tall.
Confident.
Perfectly dressed in a dark navy suit.
His hair was shorter than Emma remembered.
His expression was colder.
But his eyes were the same.
The same blue eyes that had once looked at her across a tiny apartment while they planned their future.
The same eyes that had watched her cry on the night he left.
His gaze moved across the room.
Then stopped on Emma.
For one second, his expression changed.
Shock.
Pain.
Something else.
Then it vanished.
“Good morning,” he said.
Emma couldn’t breathe.
Laura smiled.
“Everyone, this is Alexander Reed, our new CEO.”
Polite applause filled the room.
Emma didn’t move.
Alexander looked directly at her.
“It’s good to see everyone.”
Emma felt as if the entire room were spinning.
Laura began introducing department heads.
Emma heard none of it.
She kept thinking about that night.
Their apartment.
The rain against the windows.
Alexander standing beside the door with his suitcase.
His wedding ring already removed.
“I need to go.”
“Why?”
“I don’t love you the way you deserve.”
She had begged him to explain.
He never did.
Three months later, the divorce was final.
Emma had rebuilt her life from nothing.
She had taken a small job at a marketing agency.
Worked her way up.
Moved into her own apartment.
Started over.
She hadn’t heard from him once.
Not one birthday message.
Not one apology.
Nothing.
And now he was her boss.
The meeting ended.
Employees began leaving.
Emma grabbed her laptop.
She was almost at the door when Alexander spoke.
“Emma.”
She stopped.
She turned slowly.
They were alone.
He looked at her.
“I didn’t know you worked here.”
Emma gave a short laugh.
“Apparently neither of us knew what we’d be walking into.”
He looked uncomfortable.
“Can we talk?”
“No.”
“Emma—”
“You’re my boss now.”
“I know.”
“So whatever happened five years ago stays in the past.”
He stared at her.
“You really believe that?”
“Yes.”
It was a lie.
He knew it.
She knew it.
But Emma didn’t care.
She walked away.
Her hands were shaking.
She made it to the elevator.
The doors closed.
Then she finally let herself breathe.
Her phone buzzed.
An email.
From Alexander.
Subject: Tomorrow.
The message contained one sentence.
We need to discuss your position.
Emma stared at the screen.
She immediately knew what that meant.
He was going to fire her.
Maybe that was better.
Maybe leaving this company was the only way to survive seeing him every day.
But the next morning, she discovered that Alexander had no intention of firing her.
He had something else in mind.
Something that would force her back into his life.
Because he had just appointed her as the project leader for his company’s most important acquisition.
