The Girl He Left Behind Read Free Page B

through business school. He’d graduated with honours, worked for a couple of years and then set up his own advertising firm. ‘Hope’ had taken the advertising world by storm. At 28, he’d put Hope on the global map and made it the company to watch out for on the national scene. Ryan was today’s keynote speaker at one of their biggest client’s annual marketing summit. The conference was followed by interviews with a couple of leading dailies – something that was normally par of course for Ryan. Today, however, his legendary charm was missing. He was too busy glowering at the world through his car window.
    Adarsh cleared his throat, ‘How did it go?’
    ‘How did what go?’
    ‘Dude, I know you went to see Sia today. I’m assuming from the way you’re pouting, it didn’t go well.’
    ‘I’m not pouting. I’m brooding.’ He retorted.
    Ryan’s temper was as legendary as his charm was. Just depended on what kind of day it was. Stifling a grin, Adarsh replied ‘Okay, Mr Macho Brooding man. How did it go?’
    ‘I’ll tell you later over some Scotch. Let’s go get this circus over with.’
    He exited the car they’d been riding in with his usual grin for the cameras and his usual smatter of small talk for the organisers. It was going to be a long night.
    * * *
    Two hours later, after all the requisite niceties, schmoozing and interviews were over, they headed over to the pub in the hotel. Ryan let his smile slip from his face and rubbed a tired hand over his face. He was emotionally drained. He just wanted to have a couple of drinks, unwind and get back to the hotel and crash. Let his brain shut down and try to block out the expression on Sia’s face from this morning. It had been playing in his head like a stuck reel. His conversation with his mother had been easier to shrug off than Sia’s lack of welcome. Maybe the difference was his parents had always hated him whereas there had been a time when Sia would have flung herself into his arms.
    She’d always been so happy to see him. He could still see the way her eyes warmed when she saw him or the way she fiddled with her hair when she was lost in thought or the way she walked like she was always in an all-fired hurry to get somewhere. Just the way she was walking right now. Right now? He blinked a couple of times but he could still see Sia walking briskly towards him. She was looking down and typing a message out on her phone and was on a collision course with him.
    ‘Ryan, are you coming or planning to grow roots there? There’s a beer with my name on it waiting for me and hopefully a woman to keep it and me company.’
    Sia’s head snapped up at this remarkably incisive comment from Adarsh and she came to an abrupt halt. Unfortunately, the rather portly gentleman walking in behind her didn’t anticipatethat and crashed into her. His arms flailed and his briefcase clipped the side of Sia’s head on his way down. Ryan lunged forward and caught her just before she made contact with the floor.
    ‘Are you insane, lady?’ Red faced and huffing with the exertion of getting his bulk off the floor, the gentleman certainly wasn’t in the mood to forgive and forget. Sia on the other hand had the kind of dazed expression that cartoon characters with little birds flying around their heads sport.
    ‘I’m sorry, I-’
    ‘It was my fault. I startled the lady.’ Ryan interjected smoothly. ‘Can we help you up?’
    Brushing off Adarsh’s proffered hand, the man got up, gathered the remnants of his dignity and stalked off muttering. This left Ryan standing there with Sia in his arms. Sia was dressed in an extremely short, extremely revealing black dress. High heels, subtle make up and a perfume that almost brought Ryan to his knees completed the ensemble. His grip tightened around her as his faintly dazzled eyes dropped to her cleavage that was presented to perfection. In his opinion,
the dress
, as it would forever be known in the future, deserved a