Three

Dominic:

“This is absurd. Can you believe this ad? You can hardly tell what product they’re promoting. They’ve just slapped some nameless celebrity on it and called it a day,” I said, speaking on the phone with my secretary, Caleb. My voice cut through the hum of traffic as I steered the bike around a taxi.

“You’re right, sir. I’ve never seen that guy before.”

“Find out who approved this campaign. Immediately.”

“Yes, sir.”

I shifted gears, the engine snarling beneath me, a reminder that power answered only to control.

Useless ads and overpaid nobodies filling boardrooms with empty pitches and weak creativity instead of vision. If Hayes Industries was going to keep dominating, there was no room for mistakes or mediocrity. It demanded pure strategy and impeccable brilliance.

“What’s my schedule for today?” I asked, leaning into the turn as the wind whipped my jacket open.

“You’ve got the second-round interviews for the Marketing and PR Associate at ten a.m sharp, followed by the sign-off on the new superbike prototype at eleven. The engineering team insists it’s ready, but they won’t move without your approval. At one, you’re locked in for the sponsorship meeting regarding the Formula One launch, and PR has flagged your attention on finalizing the expo guest list before the end of the day. And one more thing, sir, the board is still pressing for confirmation on Milan. They’re not going to let that go.”

“Then reschedule Milan,” I said smoothly, my voice leaving no room for debate as I leaned into the throttle. “Push them to next week. I’ll deal with the board after I’ve seen the sponsors and not a moment before.”

“Yes, sir.”

I ended the call, weaving through the morning traffic toward the headquarters.

The city was already awake, loud, and demanding. New York was always in my way.

The annoying pedestrians, taxis, and endless chaos.

A couple of pedestrians stepped off the curb too early, and I barely missed one of them by inches. The woman glared at me, shouting something I couldn’t hear over the roar of the engine. I didn’t bother looking back.

I’d never hear the end of it if I decided to skip the meetings, as I was tempted to do. My mind got lost in that thought, playing out the war it would start with my father as I made my way back to the headquarters.

We were holding on by a thread, and our relationship had never been in the gutters as much as it was now.

I’d been going through some hard shit these past few weeks, and the least he could do was cut me some slack, but no, he just tightened the noose on our already strangled connection.

My thoughts kept circling back to that night, the one where my impulsiveness took control of me.

I still remembered her red hair and how it matched her hazel eyes.

She had taken over my thoughts, overriding everything else.

I’d been paralyzed by her beauty back then, and now I regretted what I did, why I left her at that hotel at the break of dawn. I had an urgent meeting, sure, but I could’ve at least left a note. Something.

I couldn’t even do a background check on her because I knew nothing. Not her last name, not where she lived, hell, not even her real first name.

I even went back to the bar where she worked, but they said she’d quit the very next day.

I shook my head, forcing the thoughts out as I pulled into the lot.

Distractions came at a high cost, and I had more pressing matters to attend to.

One of them was walking straight toward me as I exited the elevator.

“Dominic, it’s so nice to see you again,” he said, stretching out his hand for a handshake.

“Mr. Callahan. What brings you to this side of town?” I said to the old man my father trusted far more than I ever would, keeping a straight face as he tried to shake me.

“I came to support the mayor in the bid to bring the Formula One race to New York,” he said with a polite smile.

“Ah, I see,” I replied with a fake one of my own.

There was something about this man that didn’t inspire any confidence. I had eyes at the back of my skull every time we met, for no specific reason other than a strong gut feeling.

“Okay, I’ll be on my way then,” he said as he was about to exit the building.

I headed to the conference room where everyone was seated for the interview, and that was when I saw the red hair.

Our eyes met for a brief moment.

It was her. I found my love.