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The man had sensed it.
And when he turned his head, his eyes locked onto their table.
Without a second thought, Jack rushed toward their table, completely ignoring the coffee in his hands. He came to a stop in front of Christian.
"Mr. Evans?"
Christian turned to him, his gaze sharp with silent questioning.
"I'm Jack," the man introduced himself with a smile, extending a hand for a shake. "We’ll be working on the project together in the next few days. I recognized you since I’ll be collaborating with you soon. It’s great to see you."
Christian nodded, shaking the man's hand before pulling away.
Jack, still smiling, muttered, "I’ll leave you alone now. I’m looking forward to—"
His voice abruptly cut off as his gaze landed on the woman sitting opposite Christian. The moment he recognized her, he froze.
"Ivy?"
Ivy finally, slowly turned her head, meeting his stunned gaze with a neutral expression. Then, she offered a restrained smile. "Yes. How are you, Jack?"
Jack blinked rapidly, as if struggling to confirm he wasn’t dreaming. Without a second thought, he placed his glass down on the table and leaned forward, reaching to hug her.
But Ivy immediately pulled back, dodging the embrace. Instead, she offered him a handshake.
Three years ago, when Ivy worked at a company, Jack had pursued her relentlessly. He had been single then, and for an entire year, he had repeatedly proposed to her and asked her out, despite her constant rejections. His persistence had led to rumors that she was entangled with him, that they were secretly dating.
She had ignored the gossip, refusing to waste her energy on meaningless speculation.
But then, Jack had invited her to dinner at a restaurant, and suddenly, the rumors intensified—people claiming he was going to propose to her.
Not wanting to humiliate him publicly, she had gone, intending to reject him properly and put an end to the nonsense once and for all.
But when she arrived, she found out he was already gone. He had received a job opportunity and left overnight, leaving the city.
The office had labeled it as heartbreak, betrayal. Ivy had let them believe what they wanted, never offering any clarification.
And now, after all this time, she was face to face with him once again.
Jack looked embarrassed as Ivy rejected his hug. He cleared his throat and forced a sheepish smile. "How have you been? It’s been years since I last saw you."
"I’m fine," Ivy replied with a polite nod.
On the other hand, Christian sat rigidly, his gaze dark and piercing as it flicked between Ivy and Jack. He had already sensed that there was something between Jack and Ivy, and it wasn’t just something simple.
His fist tightened near his mouth, elbow braced on the chair’s armrest as he watched them in with a deathly silent stare. He took in every detail—the slight tremble of Jack’s fingers as though itching to touch Ivy, the way Ivy offered him a polite but distant smile.
It didn’t take much for him to piece together what was going on.
Jack glanced at Christian briefly before turning back to Ivy. "Let’s meet again," he suggested with a smile. "I really wanted to talk to you but never got the chance. I just got back recently after living in Germany. Let’s set up a day to catch up."
Ivy’s smile was dry, dismissive. "Of course," she said, but there was no sincerity in her tone. Then she turned away.
She had no intention of meeting him again. To her, Jack was nothing more than a stranger from the past.
Jack smiled and then walked out of the restaurant.
Christian’s gaze followed him, his eyes burning. The moment Jack disappeared through the doors, his attention snapped back to Ivy.