Chapter 102: The Man Behind the Photograph

Chapter 102: Chapter 102: The Man Behind the Photograph

Audrey did not sleep at all.

The sky outside her apartment slowly turned from pitch black to a soft, hazy purple. Audrey sat outside on the cold balcony. A heavy blanket was wrapped tightly around her shoulders.

The confidential file sat right beside her on the small outdoor table.

She just kept staring at the photograph.

Seven years.

It had been exactly seven years since she stood in the middle of a busy airport and realized he was completely gone. Seven years since she cried on her apartment floor because she told him his world was too messy.

She gently traced the edge of the printed paper with her cold fingertip.

Did he even remember her? Or was she just a distant, blurry memory from a college town he left behind to conquer the professional world?

The balcony door slid open behind her.

Audrey jumped slightly. She quickly flipped the manila folder closed.

Alexander stepped out into the chilly morning air. He was already awake and wearing a soft gray sweater. His blond hair was messy from sleep. He walked over and rested a warm hand on her shoulder.

"You were up early," Alexander noted quietly. He looked at the closed folder on the table.

"I couldn’t sleep," Audrey replied. Her voice sounded a little bit raspy. She pulled the blanket tighter around herself. "I have a big interview today."

Alexander watched her. He had incredibly perceptive eyes. He could easily see the heavy distraction weighing on her face, and he noticed how tightly she was holding onto the edges of the blanket.

But he was kind. He did not push her.

"Do you want me to make coffee before your flight?" Alexander asked softly.

"Please," Audrey smiled weakly.

The flight to Europe felt like it took three lifetimes.

Audrey sat in her premium window seat. Her tray table was completely covered in scattered notes, digital tablets, and blue pens. She spent the entire trip preparing.

She wrote down a question. She stared at it. She immediately scribbled it out and deleted it.

She tried writing another one. It felt entirely too casual. She deleted it again.

Her heart was beating completely out of control. Her brain was screaming a million different chaotic questions at her. Did you ever think about me? Did you ever read my final article? Do you hate me?

Audrey closed her eyes. She took a deep, shaky breath.

She forcefully shoved the personal thoughts into a heavy box in the back of her mind. She picked up her pen again.

"You are a journalist first," Audrey whispered to herself.

She forced herself to focus. She wrote down questions about financial buyouts. She wrote about corporate takeovers and global broadcasting rights. She built a massive, professional wall around herself. She absolutely refused to let herself break down before she even landed.

The Grand Continental Hotel in the city center was entirely locked down.

Audrey stepped out of her taxi. She was immediately met with a massive wall of security guards. News vans from all over the world were parked along the street. Camera crews were shouting in three different languages.

This was not a normal press conference.

This was one of the absolute biggest football business announcements of the entire year.

Audrey walked inside the luxurious lobby. She smoothed down her tailored black blazer and walked directly to the media desk.

She handed the staff member her identification.

The woman checked her computer, smiled politely, and handed Audrey a heavy, VIP press badge on a black lanyard.

"Welcome, Miss Ellis," the staff member said nicely. "You have reserved seating in the front row. And as a reminder, Mr. Calloway’s exclusive interview will begin after the main conference."

"Thank you," Audrey nodded. Her voice felt entirely hollow.

She gripped the lanyard tightly and walked toward the main doors.

The grand ballroom was entirely massive.

Hundreds of journalists were already packed inside. Camera flashes were going off like lightning. Giant LED screens completely covered the walls, displaying the blue and silver logo of the new corporate group.

The moderator stood on the stage, tapping his microphone and welcoming everyone in a loud, booming voice.

Audrey found her reserved seat in the very front row.

She sat down quietly. She placed her notebook on her lap. She did not look around the room. She did not look up at the bright stage. She just stared blankly at the pages in front of her.

Her hands looked completely calm. She was perfectly still.

But beneath the notebook, her knuckles were entirely white. She was gripping the edges of the paper so tightly her fingers physically hurt.

The heavy chandelier lights in the ballroom suddenly dimmed.

The loud chatter in the room instantly died down.

"Ladies and gentlemen," the moderator announced. His voice echoed clearly over the heavy speakers. "Please welcome the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Calloway Football Group."

The large double doors next to the stage opened.

Mason walked in.

He looked older than the man in her memories.

He was taller. He wore a perfectly tailored, dark black suit that looked incredibly expensive. His face was entirely calm. His broad shoulders still carried the exact same powerful, commanding posture of a football captain leading his team onto the pitch.

His dark eyes scanned the bright room. They looked sharp, composed, and absolutely ruthless.

The entire ballroom erupted into deafening applause.

Mason did not smile. He did not immediately wave at the flashing cameras. He just walked up the short steps to the podium with the quiet, undeniable confidence of someone who had spent years standing under massive stadium lights.

Audrey completely stopped breathing.

For the first time in seven long years, she was looking at him in person.

He was not just a picture on a television screen. He was not a faded photograph in a corporate folder. He was real. He was standing exactly twenty feet away from her.

Her heart violently stumbled in her chest.

All the heavy, professional walls she had built on the airplane completely collapsed in a single second. The confident, award-winning journalist entirely disappeared. She suddenly felt exactly like the terrified college girl standing in a wet parking lot.

She realized something incredibly frightening.

She had spent seven entire years moving on. She had a new life. She had Alexander. She had spent the last twenty-four hours mentally preparing herself for this exact moment.

And she still wasn’t prepared at all.

Mason adjusted the microphone.

He began speaking. His deep, rough voice washed over the silent room.

He sounded incredibly professional. He was entirely composed. He talked smoothly about the massive financial investment. He discussed youth development, academy expansions, and the future of the global football market. He commanded the room completely effortlessly.

Audrey sat frozen in her chair. She could not write down a single word.

Then, it happened.

Mason was in the middle of explaining a corporate merger. His dark gaze slowly swept across the front row of the audience.

His eyes landed directly on Audrey.

His words stopped.

Just for a heartbeat.

His gaze rested on her a fraction longer than it had on anyone else in the room.

Then, he blinked. He continued speaking his sentence as though absolutely nothing had happened.

None of the hundreds of journalists in the room noticed the pause. The camera crews did not catch it.

But Audrey noticed.

The press conference finally ended after an agonizing forty minutes.

The moment Mason stepped away from the podium, the room exploded into absolute chaos. Journalists rushed forward, shouting questions. Camera crews scrambled to get better angles.

Mason’s security team immediately formed a wall, guiding him smoothly off the stage and through a side door.

The room started to clear out. Assistants in sharp suits began moving through the crowd, organizing the media passes and packing up the equipment.

Audrey remained seated. Her legs felt completely numb. She slowly closed her blank notebook.

A young assistant holding a clipboard walked directly toward her.

"Miss Ellis?" the assistant asked politely.

Audrey took a slow, deep breath. She stood up. Her knees felt like they were made of water.

"Yes," Audrey said quietly.

"Right this way, please," the assistant instructed, gesturing toward the private side doors.

Audrey followed him. The loud noise of the ballroom instantly faded as they stepped into the quiet, carpeted hallway of the VIP wing.

As they walked, Audrey passed a massive, framed photograph hanging on the wall.

It was Mason. He was covered in silver confetti, lifting a massive championship trophy above his head, roaring in absolute victory.

Audrey stopped walking for half a second.

She stared at the picture. She was not awestruck by his success. Her heart just ached.

She wasn’t there.

She had missed every single one of those moments. Seven entire years of his life, framed on a wall, and she had not been a part of any of it.

"Miss Ellis?" the assistant called out gently.

Audrey pulled her eyes away from the frame. She swallowed the heavy lump in her throat and kept walking.

They reached a set of dark, polished oak doors. The assistant turned to her and offered a small, professional smile.

"Mr. Calloway will see you now."