When people thought of Elias Kander, they thought energy.
The laughter in every boardroom. The easy handshake. The smile that could disarm even the most skeptical investor. But behind all that brightness was a silence no one ever really noticed.
After the meeting with Nara, he sat in his office, still half-distracted by her calm voice echoing faintly in his thoughts. He tried to refocus on the reports spread before him, but the numbers blurred.
He leaned back, loosening his tie, eyes drifting to the skyline outside.
He remembered the first time he noticed her, years ago, on the university campus. She'd been sitting under a jacaranda tree, a thick finance textbook on her lap and earbuds in. Everyone else was at the student fair that day, but she wasn't the type to chase noise. She was… grounded.
He'd liked that about her, and even though he'd wanted to talk to her, he never did. Not really. He'd been too busy being "the fun one," the one people gravitated to. The guy who made everyone laugh, who hid his nerves behind jokes.
He didn't think someone like her would ever notice someone like him.
Years later, when he built the Kander Group, that same restlessness followed him. He had everything people called success, offices in three cities, a loyal team, invitations to every high-end event. But the quiet moments always caught up. When the crowd left and the lights dimmed, he'd catch himself thinking about the girl who never chased attention, the one who sat under a tree and didn't need anyone to notice her. And today, she'd walked into his boardroom, older, more poised. Still carrying that same quiet presence that somehow demanded more than any noise could.
He smiled faintly at the memory of her expression when he'd teased her about laughing. It had been small, but real, a flash of warmth that had reminded him why he'd admired her all those years ago.
"Elias?" a voice called from the doorway. His assistant, Leah, leaned in with a file. "We've finalized the partnership proposal. Do you want me to schedule a call with her team for next week?"
He hesitated for half a second longer than he should have. "Yeah. Let's do that."
Leah nodded, then paused. "You look… distracted."
Elias chuckled, trying to mask the softness in his tone. "Maybe I am. Old memories sneaking up."
When she left, he turned back toward the window, the city stretching endlessly beneath him.
He wondered if she remembered him too, not the details, maybe, but a trace of familiarity. Something that said you were part of my story once, even if you didn't notice. And as much as he wanted to reach out, to see where a conversation might lead, something stopped him.
Because he knew who Nara Lyn was now. Her name wasn't just on corporate emails; it was whispered in professional circles, connected to projects tied with Keigh Dynamite's company.
He smiled faintly, pushing away the thought. "Some stories," he murmured to himself, "are meant to be admired from afar."
But admiration had a way of lingering, quiet, patient, and unshaken by time.