Bleeding Summer

Severa's POV

"Should I quit and send my resignation right now?"

I blurted it out mid-bite, my fork frozen in the air. Across from me, Diane nearly choked on her drink.

"What the hell are you talking about?" she demanded, setting her iced coffee down with a thud.

I sighed. Right. Diane had no idea about my first heartbreak.

We met in college—her in Electrical Engineering, me in Civil Engineering—and had been inseparable ever since. But despite knowing almost everything about me, I never told her about him.

I never told her about the summer that wrecked me.

Or how, ten years later, the past had found its way back into my life.

"Nothing," I muttered, shoving a piece of grilled chicken into my mouth.

Diane narrowed her eyes. "Liar. You only get like this when something is seriously messing with your head."

I kept chewing, avoiding her gaze.

"You were fine yesterday," she continued. "And now you suddenly want to quit your job? That doesn't make sense."

I forced a shrug. "Just work stress."

She scoffed. "You? Stressed from work? Sev, you literally say bare minimum is life every single day, but then you stay at the office until midnight like some corporate slave. If you're gonna quit, at least have a real reason."

I rolled my eyes. "Not this again."

"Sev." Her tone softened. "If something's wrong, you can tell me, you know?"

I gripped my fork tighter.

I wanted to tell her. I wanted to spill everything—the memories, the pain, the fact that the one person I spent years trying to forget was suddenly back in my life.

But I couldn't.

Because saying it out loud would mean admitting that after ten years, Eugene Dominguez still had a hold on me.

And I refused to give him that power.

So I kept quiet.

We finished our lunch, and I forced the thoughts away as we returned to the office.

BACK AT WORK....

The moment I sat down, I drowned myself in work.

I reviewed contracts, scheduled meetings, and coordinated with engineers for the upcoming provincial expansion project. Since being promoted to Project Manager, I no longer worked in the field. Instead, I managed everything from timelines to budgets, ensuring that projects ran smoothly.

Normally, I loved the challenge.

But today, I couldn't focus.

Because no matter how hard I tried, my mind kept circling back to him.

EUGENE DOMINGUEZ

The name carried weight.

He wasn't just anyone. He was the Eugene Dominguez—the man who, after college, built his own construction consulting firm and became one of the most sought-after names in the industry.

He revolutionized the field, inventing new materials and techniques that changed everything from building blocks to sustainable construction. His company had worked with some of the biggest names in the business.

And now?

He was both the consultant and supplier for our biggest project of the year.

Meaning I had no choice but to interact with him.

A knock on my office door yanked me out of my thoughts.

"Come in," I called, sitting up.

The door opened, and Celine walked in, holding a folder.

I immediately straightened. "Boss."

She rolled her eyes. "Sev, stop calling me that." She dropped the folder on my desk. "This is the updated project timeline. We need to finalize everything before meeting with Eugene's team."

I tensed at his name.

Celine noticed. "You okay?"

I forced a nod. "Yeah. Just a lot on my plate right now."

She studied me for a moment, then smirked.

"So, what was that earlier?"

I blinked. "What?"

"In the meeting," she said, sitting across from me. "You and Eugene. There was definitely something there."

I froze.

I thought I had played it cool, but apparently, I wasn't as subtle as I hoped.

Celine crossed her arms. "Do you know him?"

I hesitated. "We met a long time ago."

"And?"

"And nothing."

She smirked. "Mmm-hmm. Because nothing totally explains why you looked like you wanted to set him on fire."

I clenched my jaw. "It's work, Celine. That's all."

"Sure." She leaned back, looking way too entertained.

Before I could change the subject, she added, "By the way, we need to schedule another meeting with Eugene soon."

I stiffened. "Another one?"

Celine nodded. "Yeah. Since his firm is handling both consulting and materials supply, we need his team involved in every phase of the project."

Of course.

Of course he had to be involved in everything.

"Sev?" Celine raised an eyebrow.

I realized I had been gripping my pen too hard. I loosened my fingers.

"Got it," I said, keeping my voice neutral.

Celine gave me one last suspicious look before standing. "Alright, then. See you later."

As soon as she left, I exhaled heavily.

I looked down at the project timeline in front of me.

My hands were still shaking.

Another meeting with Eugene.

How the hell am I supposed to survive that?