Chapter 106: It Took Seven Minutes

Chapter 106: Chapter 106: It Took Seven Minutes

The international arrivals terminal was completely packed.

Audrey dragged her small suitcase through the sliding glass doors. She looked exhausted. Her blazer was wrinkled, and her mind was completely lost somewhere over the Atlantic Ocean.

"Over here."

Audrey looked up. Alexander was standing near a coffee kiosk. He wore a dark baseball cap pulled low over his forehead to avoid the paparazzi, but his bright smile was impossible to hide.

He walked over and pulled her into a warm, comfortable hug.

"Welcome home," Alexander murmured against her hair.

Audrey wrapped her arms around his waist and hugged him back. She breathed in the familiar scent of his expensive cologne. Everything looked completely normal.

But as they pulled away, Alexander looked down at her face. He noticed something immediately. She was much quieter than usual.

Alexander grabbed the handle of her suitcase. He bumped his shoulder playfully against hers.

"Did football steal you away again?" Alexander joked lightly. "Or are you just incredibly jet lagged?"

Audrey looked up at him. She forced a bright smile onto her face.

"Just jet lagged," Audrey lied smoothly. "I really need a nap."

Alexander smiled back, but he noticed that her smile did not quite reach her honey colored eyes.

By Tuesday morning, the newspaper officially published Audrey’s exclusive interview.

It completely broke the internet.

The article went viral within the first thirty minutes. Major sports analysts praised the incredibly sharp, detailed writing. International business channels quoted her paragraphs on live television.

Audrey sat at her desk in the chaotic newsroom.

Ben stood right behind her chair. He was proudly watching the digital traffic numbers climb higher and higher on his tablet.

"You are breaking the server, Ellis," Ben laughed happily. "The engagement numbers are completely insane."

The Editor in Chief walked out of his private glass office. He did not yell. He walked directly over to Audrey’s desk and firmly shook her hand.

"Outstanding work, Audrey," the Chief said proudly. "You handled a highly sensitive corporate subject perfectly. This is front page material."

Audrey smiled politely and thanked him.

Professionally, it was the absolute biggest success of her entire career. She had secured her place as a top tier journalist. But as the newsroom cheered around her, her chest felt completely hollow.

Thousands of miles away, the Calloway Football Group headquarters was quiet.

Mason sat alone at his massive mahogany desk. The city sky was dark outside his windows.

He tapped his computer mouse. He finally opened the digital link to Audrey’s published article.

He read every single word.

He read it slowly, absorbing the sharp sentences and the perfectly structured paragraphs. And as he read, he noticed something incredibly specific.

She never once mentioned their history.

There were no subtle hints. There were no emotional questions hidden in the text. She treated him exactly like every other wealthy, corporate interview subject. She was completely professional, completely objective, and entirely respectful.

Mason leaned back in his leather chair. A quiet, incredibly proud smile broke across his face.

"Still the best journalist I know," Mason whispered to the empty room.

A soft knock interrupted him. His young assistant opened the door and stepped inside holding a stack of financial reports.

"Sir?" the assistant asked politely. "Are you ready for the expansion budget?"

Mason blinked. He reached forward and simply closed the browser tab.

"Yes," Mason replied coldly, his professional mask instantly snapping back into place. "Leave the files on the desk."

That evening, the city apartment smelled like roasted garlic and fresh herbs.

Alexander was standing at the stove, wearing an apron over his casual clothes. He was happily cooking dinner and talking about an upcoming movie project.

"The director is completely insane," Alexander laughed, stirring a pot of pasta. "He wants to shoot the entire final scene in the rain. At night. In December. I am going to freeze to death before the movie even hits theaters."

Audrey was sitting at the kitchen island. A glass of red wine sat untouched in front of her.

She was looking directly at Alexander, but she was not really seeing him. She was entirely distracted. Her mind kept drifting back to a massive ballroom, a dark suit, and a pair of intense, burning eyes.

Alexander stopped stirring. He turned around and looked at her.

"Where did you go?" Alexander asked softly.

Audrey blinked. She shook her head slightly, snapping back to reality.

"What?" Audrey asked.

Alexander grabbed a kitchen towel and wiped his hands. He leaned against the counter.

"You have been somewhere else all evening," Alexander pointed out. His voice was not angry. It was just curious and slightly concerned. "Are you okay?"

Audrey felt a sharp stab of guilt. She quickly picked up her wine glass.

"I am so sorry," Audrey apologized. "I am just completely stressed about the article. The newsroom has been chaotic all day."

Alexander studied her for another second before smiling.

"You need sleep, you should go rest."

Audrey nodded.

He turned back toward the stove.

But for the first time, he wondered why she seemed so far away.

An hour later, the doorbell rang.

Alexander walked over and opened the front door. Ben stood in the hallway, holding a bottle of expensive red wine.

"I come bearing gifts for the star reporter," Ben announced cheerfully.

"Come in," Alexander laughed, stepping aside.

The three of them sat around the small dining table. They ate dinner, drank wine, and talked about the insane traffic numbers on the newspaper website.

Ben took a sip of his wine. He set the glass down and looked directly at Audrey.

"So," Ben asked casually. "How was Calloway?"

The entire room suddenly became very quiet.

Alexander kept eating, completely unaware of the heavy history attached to that specific name. He just thought Ben was asking about a difficult billionaire.

Audrey froze. She carefully placed her fork down on her plate.

"He was fine," Audrey answered simply. "He was very professional."

Ben studied her face. His sharp eyes caught the tiny hesitation in her voice. He saw the way she completely avoided making eye contact with him.

Ben knew the history. He remembered Westbridge. He remembered the exact reason Mason Calloway had left the country seven years ago.

He knew professional was not the whole story. Not even close.

But Ben was a good friend. He looked at Alexander, then back to Audrey, and he completely let it go.

"Well," Ben smiled, changing the subject. "His corporate buyout just bought you a massive promotion."

Audrey forced a small laugh, completely grateful for the rescue.

It was incredibly late at night.

The apartment was totally silent. Alexander was fast asleep in the bedroom down the hall.

Audrey sat alone on the living room couch. The only light in the room came from the bright screen of her laptop resting on her knees.

She was supposed to be working on a follow up draft. Her hands rested on the keyboard.

Instead of opening her writing software, she opened a blank internet browser.

She stared at the blinking cursor in the search bar. Her heart started to beat faster. Her fingers trembled slightly as she finally started typing.

She typed one thing.

Mason Calloway.

She pressed enter.

Instantly, hundreds of articles flooded her screen.

There were links to massive financial takeovers. There were lists of football championships. There were business awards. There were hundreds of high resolution photographs of him wearing expensive suits, looking powerful and entirely out of reach.

Audrey stared at the bright screen. She moved her mouse and slowly clicked the very first result.

Audrey had spent seven entire years trying not to think about him.

It took less than seven minutes to start looking again.