3 YEARS LATER ~

Notting Hill, London, UK, 5.30 in the morning. After tying her shoelaces, she starts her run. She has taken up running as a habit and it's been 3 years since then.

Raelynn Taylor's life was completely different now. Sometimes it felt like an illusion, even to herself. She was now a successful fashion designer who has just started her brand. Who knew life would change like that?

Raelynn sometimes wondered how life would have been if she hadn't dared to run away that day. How would her life end up being? Would she have had the life where everyone took her for granted? These were the questions that kept her from regretting her decisions.

She started running with her AirPods on. Upbeat music started playing pumping her up to race with herself to the park. Her phone started ringing. It was from Carol, her assistant.

"Good morning ma'am", Carol wished from the other side. Raelynn slowed down a little. After wiping the sweat off her forehead, she spoke.

"Good morning", she said.

"Mr Theodore called and wanted to let you know that he would be visiting our company tomorrow. He said he has

a deal but didn't go into elaborate details. Should I ask him to come tomorrow ?" Carol spoke very carefully minding her words so she doesn't fumble.

Everyone who knew Raelynn knew how much she hates clumsy and careless people. This must be a trait Raelynn has developed trying to co-op up with her heartbreak from 3 years back. A lot of things has changed for her including her personality. The Raelynn who used to be friendly, expressive and easygoing was gone. The day she fled from her own country, she left a part of herself behind her too. The part of herself that can only be found in people's memories who knew her.

"When was he asked to come?" She said even though she felt a little breathless.

"Today, ma'am," Carol said hesitating.

"If he can't come today, reschedule it to after two months," Raelynn said starting to pull her hair back into a bun. Then she hung up and started running again.

Veronica, one of the fastest-growing fashion brands in London recently, was owned by Raelynn. Even though this startup was very recently placed, it has grown greatly over a matter of months. Raelynn's hard work and talent known by people gave a consequent boost to the uprising of Veronica.

As Raelynn entered her company building, everyone started wishing her as she walked through all of them to her cabin. On her way, she stopped in front of Mike's desk. Mike was an employee of the company who was one of the first employees there.

"Get the last year's fashion event files ready and brings them in for inspection. You have exactly 30 minutes." Raelynn tapped his desk twice and then walked away to her cabin. Mike's face turned pale as he jumped up and started running around panicking.

"Oh no. How would I do it? Oh damn." Mike looked around, puzzled. Kylie, another employee, walked to Mike and put a hand on his shoulders.

"I'll help you." She said.

Raelynn's cabin was maroon and white themed. It looked very official and clean. She has turned into a different kind of a perfectionist. But what went on within her head? Did she think of Los Angeles where she used to live? Did she think about the pain from 3 years back? Did she think of him?

He...

Zayn Mitchell was the guy who turned her life upside down. Raelynn used to live in a small town in Hampshire, USA. The day she went to Los Angeles for a short trip was the day she met Zayn, the worldwide superstar singer. She immediately fell for him but all she ever got back was humiliation and heartbreaks. She was naive and in love. Her world revolved around Zayn which even made her run away from her own house and settle in Los Angeles. That's when their story started and Zayn left a prolonged wound on Raelynn's life which was unforgettable.

But now.. it all was a distant memory. Sometimes it felt a little funny to Raelynn and she would unconsciously smile or flinch thinking about her own mistakes. She grew stronger day by day. But will she still stay strong if someday Zayn and Raelynn cross paths...? But that's never going to happen, Raelynn decided. She brought her thoughts back to her work.

Someone knocked on the door and came inside the cabin. A man, who was in his late 20s, entered the room. The man had a tall frame, with a chiselled jaw and light brown eyes with very light stubble. He wasn't too bulky neither too skinny and altogether, he was a handsome man. Raelynn looked up once and gave him a smile which made the man walk up to her and leave a kiss on her cheek.

"I'm working, Jake," Raelynn said backing off a little but Jake continued to embrace her in his arms.

"Rae, loosen up a bit, will you?" Jake smiled and backed off leaning on her desk. As Raelynn flipped the pages of the files Mike brought in for inspection, Jake observed her quietly.

"Didn't you go to work today?" Raelynn said, her eyes focused on reading the files.

"I have an important meeting in about 2 hours so I dropped here to meet my cold and strict girlfriend." Jake giggled silently as Raelynn shot him with a look. He continued speaking.

"But let me tell you, this meeting is huge. And if I somehow get the deal, I will take you out on a vacation. How does that sound?" Jake completed enthusiastically. Raelynn thought about it for a second and looked back at Jake's pleading face. She has already cancelled a lot of his plans for a vacation together, before. So, to not upset him, Raelynn said yes.

"Ha! Great, tell me where do you want to go? We can go anywhere you like." Jake looked happy and excited. Even though Raelynn didn't want to admit it, but sometimes she couldn't help notice how childlike Jake was. Maybe that's why she adored him. Maybe that's what assured Raelynn that Jake wouldn't leave her behind as everyone else did.

"I'll think about it," Raelynn said drifting back to her work. Jake understood that Raelynn was busy and he might be disturbing her so he stood back straight and kissed the top of her head.

"Take your time. I'll go now. Come to my place after work, we'll have dinner." Jake said, walking away after giving her a comforting smile. Raelynn waved back at Jake.

As Jake left, Raelynn leaned back and started spinning in her chair slowly. After a minute into her thoughts, she sprinted back to reality and called for Mike. A knock on her cabin door marked the arrival of Mike. Raelynn called him inside. Mike looked a little nervous but he stood in front of her desk.

"Who helped you get these files ready?" Raelynn said sliding Mike's files back to him. Mike suddenly turned terrified and started speaking to himself silently. She observed him for a second and then rolled her eyes.

"Uhh... I did them.. uhh.. on my own." Mike said stuttering to a great extent. Raelynn hated people who spoke like that because they were unsure of what to say. If you are sure of the thing you are saying, you don't have to stutter. This was what she thought.

"Mike, I put you in the statistics department so that you can learn on your own. What's the point in doing that if you can't do it alone? Should I shift you back to what you were? Do you want to be a bring and take assistant again?" Raelynn said coldly but maintaining her tone.

Mike was a bring and take assistant since the company started but Raelynn always saw that Mike had good potential. So recently, she promoted Mike as an employee in the statistics department to train him better. Even if both of them didn't admit it, Mike and Raelynn had a good friendship.

"I know.. I'm very sorry. It's just that I didn't think I could do it within 30 minutes and to not make you angry, I took someone's help." Mike said with his head shook down. Raelynn smiled sympathetically at him.

"It wouldn't have mattered. Anyways, from the next time, everything I'll tell you to do, you'll do it on your own. Whoever helps you, gets fired. Got it? Now leave." She said. Mike's eyes widened but he recovers quickly. He nodded and said thank you and left the room thanking god that it wasn't as worse as he thought.

After a few hours, Carol approaches Raelynn but stops when she saw her talking to the accounts department. Carol waits for her until she finishes.

"Ma'am, Mr Theodore is waiting for you in the meeting room. He has just arrived," Carol said. Raelynn straightens her shoulders and arches her back a little. Then she tells Carol that she will be there.

Raelynn sighs. She was tired because she had to attend a lot of meetings and work accordingly. Their company had a new range of products releasing in about a month, so they had to make the arrangements.

She pushed open the door to the meeting room and sat in front of Mr Theodore. He was a man in his fifties and wore a suit which didn't fit him. He never wore the right size of clothes, Raelynn thought to herself.

"So, why did you end up here?" Raelynn asked cockily.

"Because I miss your sarcastic comments. Now listen to me." He said.

"Speak".

"I have the opportunity of a lifetime for you." He said, smiling.