My Billionaire Ex Beg For A Second Chance-Chapter 68: Old Shadows

The wheels of the plane touched down with a soft screech, jolting Katherine gently in her seat. She exhaled, the tension in her shoulders slowly releasing. She hadn’t flown anywhere in years.

Now, here she was again—on her own, in a new city, representing Felix’s company at the Annual Regional Business Development Summit. A conference that gathered CEOs, executives, and their assistants from various industries: real estate, tech startups, finance, and logistics. Not exactly her comfort zone,

The cabin lights blinked as passengers unbuckled their seatbelts. Katherine pulled out her phone.

Landed safely. No turbulence. I’m going to get a taxi to the hotel. Don’t let the twins con you into dessert before dinner.

She hit send, chuckling softly to herself as she imagined Felix standing in her apartment kitchen, reading that text while trying to keep Maya from sneaking a cookie behind his back.

He had told her no less than five times that morning to please remember to text him the second her feet touch solid ground.

"Don’t forget," he’d said, pointing at her with a mock stern face as she headed into the airport. "I will file a missing person report if I don’t get any updates."

Now, message sent, she slipped the phone back into her coat, slung her purse over her shoulder, and stepped into the stream of passengers shuffling toward the exit.

Outside the airport, the cool air kissed her cheeks the moment she pushed through the automatic doors. Her breath curled in a faint cloud as she looked around the busy taxi lane. Cars honked. Suitcases rolled against concrete.

She called a taxi, and the driver—a gruff-looking man with a baseball cap and a headset—popped the trunk and waved her in without a word.

"The Glaston Hotel, please," she said as she climbed in, pulling the door shut behind her.

The driver nodded. "Big convention there today, yeah? You one of the speakers?"

Katherine blinked, then smiled politely. "No, just attending."

The ride into the city center didn’t take long—maybe twenty minutes—but it gave Katherine enough time to collect her thoughts.

She wasn’t that nervous. Not really.

They reached the Glaston shortly after. Katherine tipped the driver and rolled her suitcase into the expansive lobby.

Inside, everything gleamed. A few executives were already checking in, many wearing branded lanyards and holding branded event folders.

Katherine joined the queue at the check-in counter. Her eyes briefly scanned the space, catching sight of a table near the elevator marked "Summit Registration." A long banner hung from the wall:

"2025 Regional Growth & Innovation Conference"

"Welcome to the Glaston," said the receptionist, a woman with dark red lipstick and a sharp blazer. "Checking in?"

"Yes, under Katherine Anderson," she replied, offering a polite smile.

The receptionist tapped at her keyboard, then nodded. "Got it. Two-night stay, booked through the publishing summit. Here’s your room key, and your welcome package for the event. The conference check-in desk is just past the elevators to your left."

Katherine accepted the keycard and the folder of event material, giving a small bow of thanks before heading toward the elevators. Everything was so smooth, so organized. It almost didn’t feel real.

She made it to her room—a quiet, well-appointed space on the twelfth floor with a view of the city skyline.

Setting her suitcase by the closet, she took a moment to walk to the window and gaze out.

It was a strange thing, being alone like this for work thing. She exhaled deeply.

"It’s okay," she said softly to herself, running her fingers along the window sill. "You’re going to be just fine."

Her phone buzzed, and she smiled as she grabbed it off the bed. It was Felix.

Good to hear that. I’ll pick them up later and have a lot fun. :)

Katherine’s heart melted, and she typed back quickly:

Give them a hug for me.

Felix responded with a thumb emoji.

Katherine grinned.

She freshened up, changed into a navy blue blouse with tailored slacks, and pinned the conference badge to her chest. With her hair neatly pulled back and a touch of gloss on her lips, she looked every bit the capable assistant—but not just any assistant. Felix Crawford’s assistant. And for the next few days, she would be representing not only him, but herself.

Downstairs, the conference area buzzed with activity. Representatives from dozens of companies were mingling—handshakes, elevator pitches, business card exchanges happening in every corner. There were presentation rooms, breakout panels, and booths showcasing new technologies and platforms meant to streamline everything from logistics to client engagement.

Katherine made her way to the registration desk, where she received a packet with maps, schedules, and her personalized itinerary.

A man in a gray suit caught her eye. "You with Lucent & Co.?" he asked, spotting her badge.

"Yes, I work directly under Mr. Crawford."

"Wow, impressive." The man raised his eyebrows slightly, a hint of amusement flickering in his eyes. "But not easy to get face time with Mr. Crawford, huh?"

Katherine let out a small, awkward chuckle, adjusting the strap of her tote bag on her shoulder. "Yeah, he’s... got a pretty packed schedule. Important meeting came up last minute, so he sent me in his place."

She spent the next hour attending one of the early networking events: a workshop on sustainable operations. She took notes diligently, contributed once during discussion, and even accepted two business cards from logistics software companies Felix had asked her to scout.

As the session ended, she lingered by the refreshment table, sipping a cup of lukewarm tea and flipping through the workshop flyer. 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

As the session ended, she lingered by the refreshment table, sipping a cup of lukewarm tea and flipping through the workshop flyer.

She didn’t notice the eyes watching her.

From the far corner near the espresso bar, half-hidden behind a decorative column and a strategically held phone, a pair of sharp eyes trailed Katherine’s every movement.

The watcher tilted their head just slightly

They said nothing. Did nothing.

Just watched.

As Katherine finally turned and walked toward the elevator, the shadow didn’t follow. Not yet. But their eyes never left her figure, and when she disappeared from sight, their thumb moved slowly over their phone screen.

A message was drafted.

She’s here.