The CEO's Challenge

Prologue

(Author's note: you can skip the prologue and move directly to the 1st chapter if you want to)

Nova's Pov

A few months later,

"Ugh, what a nightmare," I mutter to myself as I dab at my eyes with a tissue, careful not to smudge my carefully applied makeup. I'm supposed to be enjoying this fancy schmancy party, mingling with the city's elite and making connections that will surely boost my career. But all I can think about is him.

"Nov, what's wrong?" Karla asks, her brow furrowed with concern as she steps closer to me. "You've been crying all night. Is everything okay?"

I shake my head, unable to meet her gaze. "I shouldn't have fallen in love with him," I whisper, my voice cracking. "It was stupid and reckless and now I'm paying the price."

Karla sighs, wrapping an arm around my shoulders. "Here we go again," she says, her tone a mix of exasperation and sympathy. "You know you can talk to me, right? I'm not going to judge you."

I nod, leaning into her embrace. Karla has been my rock throughout this whole mess, the one person I can always count on to listen and offer a shoulder to cry on.

"It's not just a one-sided crush," I admit, my voice barely above a whisper. "He loves me too. I know he does. But we can't be together. It's impossible."

Karla frowns, her eyebrows drawing together in confusion. "Why not? If you both love each other, what's stopping you?"

I shake my head, tears welling up in my eyes once again. "It's complicated," I say, my voice choked with emotion. "There are things you don't understand. Things I can't explain."

Karla squeezes my shoulder, her touch comforting and warm. "I'm here for you, Nov," she says softly. "No matter what. You made a mistake by walking away without even talking to him, but it's not too late to fix it."

I try to focus on Karla's words, but my mind is a jumbled mess of emotions and memories. I can't even begin to process her questions, let alone come up with a response. So instead, I do what any self-respecting woman would do in a time of crisis: I start critiquing the fashion choices of the men at the party.

"Did you see that guy's shoes?" I ask, pointing discreetly at a man across the room. "Who wears white loafers with a tuxedo? It's like he's trying to channel his inner Hugh Hefner."

Karla chuckles, shaking her head in amusement. "Nov, you're impossible. Here you are, crying your eyes out over some guy, and you're more concerned about fashion faux pas than your own heartbreak."

I shrug, sniffling quietly as I dab at my eyes with a tissue. "It's easier to focus on something else," I admit, my voice small and vulnerable. "If I start thinking about him, I'll just fall apart all over again."

Karla nods, her expression softening with understanding. "I get it," she says, giving my hand a squeeze. "But you can't run from your feelings forever. Sooner or later, you're going to have to face them head-on."

I sigh, my gaze drifting over the crowded room. "I know," I say, my voice barely above a whisper. "But right now, all I want to do is forget. Forget about him, forget about us, forget about the love that we can never have."

Karla opens her mouth to respond, but before she can say a word, I'm already moving on to my next target.

"And what's with that guy's tie?" I ask, pointing at a man in a garishly patterned necktie. "It looks like he raided his grandpa's closet and decided to wear every tie he found."

Karla laughs, shaking her head in disbelief. "Only you could turn a heartbreak into a fashion critique," she says, her tone equal parts amused and exasperated. "But hey, if it helps you cope, I say go for it."