Unexpected Encounter

Edward

I felt my jaw tense with frustration as I looked out the window of my office and remembered the night of the gala. The memories of Saturday night were still very fresh in my mind.

On that night, I was accompanied by Mila Durant, a beautiful French model I had recently met. We were enveloped in an atmosphere of luxury and sophistication, surrounded by a crowd of familiar faces from high society. But among all those familiar faces, there was one I didn't expect to see: Beatrice.

I relived once again all the feelings that flooded me when I spotted Beatrice at the ball. My heart even gave an unpleasant leap. The last time I had seen her before that was when our marriage was crumbling, and to think that at the party, she was radiant, elegantly dressed, and simply stunning. She was in the company of Joel Smith's son, the influential owner of the newspaper where my ex-wife now works.

I felt a deep discomfort in my chest. Seeing Beatrice there, splendid and well-accompanied, stirred my