---- Chapter 2 Coleton POV: The world tilted on its axis. Erika. Here. Standing in the hallway outside my office, with a suitcase at her feet and a look in her eyes that could freeze hell over. For a split second, my brain refused to process the image. It felt like a glitch in the matrix, a scene from a life | wasn' t supposed to be living yet. My feet moved before my mind caught up. | closed the distance between us in three long strides, but | didn' t hug her. My arms felt like lead. My first instinct, a primal, stupid instinct, was to glance at Kyra, who was watching us with an unreadable expression. "Erika," | managed again, my voice hoarse. "What are you doing here?" She didn' t answer right away. Her gaze was cool and level, and she addressed me with a formality that felt like a slap. "Mr. Ruiz." "Don't do that," | said, my voice low. "Why didn' t you tell me you were coming?" | reached for her suitcase, a clumsy, desperate gesture to do something, anything, normal. "l wanted to surprise you," she said, her tone flat. "It looks ---- like | succeeded." | steered her into my office, shutting the door firmly behind us. | leaned against it, running a hand through my hair. "Kyra, can you hold all my calls for a bit?" | called through the wood. Silence. | turned back to Erika. She was standing in the middle of the room, her posture rigid, her eyes scanning every detail. She looked different than she did on our video calls-more powerful, more intimidating. The exhausted, soft woman who fell asleep with her laptop on her chest was gone. In her place was a stranger in a sharply tailored suit. "Are you going to tell me why you' re mad, or am | supposed to guess?" | tried for a lighthearted tone, but it fell flat in the tense air. She didn' t answer. Her eyes settled on my desk. On the small, silver frame that used to hold a picture of us on a beach in Malibu. It now held a photo of my new team, a candid shot from our last project launch party. Kyra was standing next to me, beaming, her hand resting casually on my arm. "|, uh, | put that one up for the team morale, you know?" | stammered. "It' s the project team. Kyra' s in it." The explanation sounded weak even to my own ears. Erika finally looked at me, and the disappointment in her eyes was a physical blow. "| imagined this moment for two years, Coleton." Her voice was quiet, but it cut through my pathetic excuses. "| thought you' d see me and you' d... | don' t know. | thought you' d be happy." ---- Instead of responding, she pulled out her phone. She didn' t need to say a word. She just pressed play. Kyra' s bright, carefree voice filled the sterile office. "Race you to the top, Ruiz! Loser buys tacos!" My face went hot. "Erika, it' s not what you think." "Isn't it?" "She' s just my assistant! And a friend. That's it. It's... it's a climbing thing. She' s my partner. You know, like a gym buddy." "The kind of 'gym buddy' who is also your assistant? The kind you never once thought to mention in two years?" she asked, her voice laced with an exhaustion that scared me more than anger. "I'm tired, Coleton. I'm so, so tired." "Look, | know | should have told you | hired her. It was a last- minute thing, the old assistant quit, and Kyra needed a job. It was just... convenient." | took a step toward her, my hands raised in a gesture of peace. "We' re just partners. Just... buddies. That' s what we call each other." | finally closed the distance and wrapped my arms around her. She felt stiff, unyielding. "Five years, Erika," | whispered into her hair, my voice thick with desperation. "We' ve been through so much. Don t let this... don' t let a stupid video ruin everything." | felt a tremor run through her body, and for a second, | thought she might break. Her nose was pressed against my ---- chest, and | could feel the dampness of her tears seeping through my shirt. My heart ached. | was an idiot. A complete, selfish idiot. "| was going to surprise you," | said, pulling away just enough to look at her. | fumbled for my phone and showed her the flight confirmation. A round-trip ticket to her city for next weekend. "I booked this last week. | was coming to get you. The fact that you' re here first... it' s a good thing, right? It's perfect." Her expression was a mixture of pain and confusion. The questions | knew she wanted to ask-about the motorcycle, about the late night, about the photo-hung unspoken between us. She looked so lost, so hurt, that | couldn' t stand it. | gently wiped a tear from her cheek with my thumb. "Let's just... let's start over. Okay?" Taking her hand, | pulled her toward the door. | needed to do this. | needed to make it clear. | opened the door. Kyra was standing by her desk, pretending to be busy but obviously listening. She looked up as we came out, her eyes immediately finding our joined hands. Her smile tightened. "Kyra," | said, my voice loud and firm, for the benefit of anyone within earshot. "This is Erika Larson. My girlfriend." Kyra' s composure was flawless. She gave a small, polite smile. "It's so nice to finally meet you. Coleton talks about ---- you all the time." Her eyes flickered down to our hands again. "Hi, Erika. Or should | call you Mrs. Ruiz in the future?" she said, her tone just a little too sweet. "Just call her Erika," | said, trying to keep my tone light but firm. "She' Il be working with the software team on the third floor. Could you show her down to the operations department?" Erika nodded numbly, her hand slipping out of mine. As she walked away, her shoulders slumped, | felt a pang of guilt so sharp it stole my breath. | turned back to my desk, and Kyra was already standing in the doorway of my office. My girlfriend' ?" she whispered, her voice laced with mock indignation. "Seriously, Ruiz? You make me sound so... official." | couldn' t help but smile, the tension in my shoulders easing slightly. "Well, she is. What did you want me to say?" "| don' t know," Kyra shot back, leaning against the doorframe with a playful pout. "Maybe not hold her hand like she' s a lost puppy? We still on for the climb this weekend?" The easy banter was a relief, a comfortable rhythm after the storm that was Erika. "| don't know, Kyra. Erika' s here now, it "Oh, come on," she groaned. "Don't be lame. She can come watch. It' Il be fun." She winked. "Besides, you promised me ---- tacos." My resolve crumbled. "Fine. But you' re buying." | watched Erika' s back disappear into the elevator bay. A cold dread settled in my stomach. | was trying to hold onto two different worlds, and | could feel them both starting to slip through my fingers. Erika POV: | walked away like a robot, my legs moving but my mind a million miles away. His words, his touch, the feigned sincerity in his eyes-it was a performance, and | was the unwilling audience. The moment | heard Kyra' s teasing tone, his easy laughter in response, the illusion shattered completely. | found an empty cubicle in the operations department and sat down, my suitcase a lonely island beside me. | stared at the blank computer screen for what felt like hours. The surprise | had planned, the joyful reunion, had curdled into this ugly, pathetic mess. My phone buzzed. It was my mentor, Edison Moreno, the CTO. "How was the welcome party?" he asked, his voice warm. | couldn' t speak. A sob caught in my throat. "Erika? What' s wrong?" His tone shifted instantly to one of concern. "lm fine," | lied, my voice cracking: ---- "You' re not fine. What did he do?" The dam broke. The whole story came tumbling out-the video, Kyra, the lies, the look on his face. | told him everything. There was a long silence on the other end of the line. "Edison?" "I'm here," he said, his voice dangerously quiet. "I see. It seems Mr. Ruiz has forgotten who holds the real power in this company." "What does that matter?" | whispered, wiping my eyes with the back of my hand. "He doesn' t love me anymore." "Love is one thing, Erika. Respect is another," Edison said, his voice hard as steel. "And he is about to learn the difference. You are the creator of 'Aura.' This company, his career, it' s all built on your genius. He thinks he' s the king of this little castle, but he doesn't realize he' s just a guest in your empire." His words were meant to be empowering, but they only made me feel worse. It wasn' t about the power, or the money, or the career. It was about the five years | had poured into a man who was now choosing a new "climbing partner' over me. "l want to come home," | whispered, the fight completely gone from me. "I don't want this job anymore. | don' t want ... any of it." "Don' t make any rash decisions," Edison said gently. "Take ---- a few days. See how things play out. But know this, Erika. You are not alone in this. And | will not stand by and watch that boy destroy you." But he was wrong. | was already destroyed. The life | had been building towards, the future | had envisioned, had been reduced to rubble in the space of a single day. He wanted a climbing partner? Fine. Let him have her. | hung up with Edison and made another call, one | never thought I' d have to make. "Bret?" | said, my voice shaking. "Erika. This is a surprise," Bret Harrell, the CEO of our biggest rival, answered. His voice was calm and professional, a stark contrast to the chaos in my head. "You know that offer you made me last year?" | asked, closing my eyes. "The one to be your co-founder and lead architect?" There was a pause. "I do," he said slowly. "Is it still on the table?" "Yes. But the offer came with a condition." | took a deep breath, the words tasting like ash in my mouth. "A partnership. In every sense of the word. Is that condition still on the table too?" Bret was silent for a long moment. | could hear the faint ---- sound of him breathing on the other end of the line. "Are you sure about this, Erika?" he asked, his voice softening. "You don't have to..." "I'm sure," | cut him off, my voice hard and brittle. " m done playing second fiddle in my own life. ' m ready to build something for myself." Even if it meant tearing everything else down. Title: A Princess? No! I'm the Female General! In "A Princess? No! I'm the Female General!" by CrushReel, Adela Taylor, a noble family's daughter, disguises herself as her brother to secure their Duke title by joining the army. Despite facing obstacles, she achieves remarkable success. However, upon her triumphant return, her brother betrays her, setting off a chain of events that will test her resolve and reveal hidden truths. This captivating novel delves into themes of secrets, reincarnation, revenge, murder, and drama. 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