It took me over three hours to decide what to wear. And after that, it took me another hour to finally convince myself to step out of the hotel. The result was that by the time I came downstairs, Ethan had been waiting for over thirty minutes. My heart stopped at the sight of him standing in the lobby, holding a bouquet of white roses and wearing a crisp black suit which hugged his frame nicely. He looked like he was waiting to escort the prettiest girl in school on her prom date, and when he ran his fingers through his hair, I had to stifle the shiver that was attempting to creep down my spine. In contrast, I was wearing a simple, sequinned black dress, with a low-cut neckline and a small slit reaching up to the middle of my thigh. I’d paired that with a pair of heels, and a silver purse which matched my necklace and earrings. I wasn’t sure where exactly we would be going, so I wanted to look presentable at least. It was better to be overdressed than underdressed anyway. Ethan tur
For a moment, I just stared at him. I couldn’t make sense of what he’d just said, and I thought I must have imagined it. It seemed as if the entire world went silent, and it was just the two of us sitting there. I was painfully aware of the fact that he was staring at me, and the fact that he was running his fingers over the rim of his glass. “I-I…”I couldn’t even form a proper sentence. I just kept looking at him, hoping an asteroid would come down from space and blast us out of existence. That would at least cause the silence to disappear. But I wasn’t so fortunate, and I was forced to continue looking at him. “You don’t need to say anything,” he said. “I didn’t say it so you could respond, or even give me permission. It’s just a thought that popped into my head.”“So you just think about kissing random women?” I finally managed to ask. “You’re not a random woman, Liv,” he said. “I’m attracted to you. And no, I don’t think about kissing random women.”“So what exactly is it abou
MARCUSThe first week was the most brutal. I felt like I was walking on eggshells. Emily hadn’t spoken a single word to me since I walked into her room after she woke up. She hadn’t even looked at me at all, and she simply kept a blank express on her face. Getting out of the hospital was the first sign that things were not going to work out. There were dozens of photographers camped outside the hospital, waiting for the lovely Reynard couple to show up so they could spin the story even more. “Get her out through the back entrance,” David advised me. “There’ll be less paparazzi there, and you can sneak her out in an ambulance or something.”That did not sit right with her. When the nurse told her how she would need to leave the hospital, she threw and said she would be walking out of the hospital with her head held high. And as much as it pained me to let her do that, there was absolutely nothing I could do about it. So I had to stand there and help her out, pushing her out on a whee
Somehow, the universe always knew when things were starting to look up for me, and it would completely wreck my plans. Every good thing had to be followed immediately with a terrible event, and I was used to it by now. I should have seen that coming after my date with Ethan. Because the very next day, Rachel went missing. When I returned to the hotel last night, I checked her room to see whether she'd returned from her date. But when I saw that she wasn't back, I assumed she was simply having the time of her life and she probably wouldn't want to be disturbed. So I went back to my room, showered and went to bed. But then I woke up the next morning and found that she still hadn't returned. That was odd. Rachel never slept over at a guy's place, no matter who he was. I tried calling her, but her phone was switched off. That was when I knew that something was wrong. I went down to the reception desk to ask if she'd returned at any time last night, but they confirmed that she hadn't r
Taking care of Rachel became my main priority. After the nightmare of the last few days, things were starting to look up. Neither of us had gone out at all, and we simply stayed in the hotel and binge-watched reruns of Friends. We ate together, braided each other’s hair and just talked. It was just like old times, back when we were in college together and I would sometimes sit with her and talk when Emily was off at a frat party or something. “You know, I wish my parents named me after Monica,” she said on our last day in Paris. We were curled up together on the couch, eating ice cream and watching an episode of Friends. It was still early in the morning, and we hadn’t even packed yet. I wasn’t going to ask her to do it, so I intended to do all the packing myself. But being the procrastinator that I was, I wanted to leave it until the very last moment. “Why do you say that?” I asked. “You don’t like Rachel?”“She’s such a spoiled little princess,” she said. “And the woman doesn’t kn
I stared at him blankly for a full minute, not really sure what I was supposed to say to that. The silence was deafening, and I knew that I should say something. But I just couldn't think properly and I didn't know what to say."You're quiet," he said, tilting his head to the side. "Are you okay?""I-I don't know what to say," I replied. "I've just never had a guy ask me to move to a different country with him.""I understand that this is crazy," he said. "But just hear me out for a second."He leaned forward slightly, and if it wasn't for how completely thrown off guard I was, I would probably have marvelled at the boyish charm in his eyes as he said this. He looked so innocent and hopeful, while I was sitting there wondering if I could just turn around and flee from the table. "The thing is," he began, "I haven't felt this way about someone in a very long time. Obviously we're just starting to get to know each other, but there's a part of me that feels like I know you already. I fe
ETHANI’m an idiot. I’ve always known that, and I guess you could say that I always find a way to put myself in these situations. But it’s not like I actively try to do it. It’s not like I want to be idiot. It just happens. I knew I shouldn’t have asked Liv to move back to the States with me. Even as I was about to say it, there was a voice at the back of my mind telling me that it was a stupid move. What sort of woman would drop everything in her life and move with someone? I knew she would say no. I was bracing myself for it. But I would have hated myself even more if I didn’t ask. I knew we were still just getting to know each other, but it still felt like I’d known her for a very long time. Being with her was just so comforting, and it made me realise just how much I had craved this. I hadn’t been in a relationship in over a decade, and I knew that maybe that was part of the reason why I felt so compelled to pour all my attention on the first woman who even looked in my directi
ETHANThe funny thing about your home is that it will never change, no matter how many years you spend without coming back. You might think things are different, until you open the door and realise that everything is exactly as you left it, and that familiar smell will always be there. I didn't realise just how much I'd missed being here until I was standing in the middle of the hallway, looking around and taking it all in once again. I remembered spending most of my life in this building, running around the hallways with Marcus and spraying each other with our water guns, playing hide and seek in any of the twenty-five rooms in the house, or trying to sneak into our father's office whenever he was on a business trip because we knew he had a stash of cigars that we could steal. But that was a lifetime ago. Gone was the warmth of our childhood, or the moments of laughter which would occasionally break through the silence. Now, the house felt dead and empty, like a relic forgotten in
ETHANGrowing up, Marcus and I had a sort of sixth sense where we could always detect when the other person was in the building even without us seeing them. As soon as he walked into a building, I could somehow tell that he was around. And I would immediately turn in the direction he was about to walk in from. But that was a lifetime ago. Now, I didn't feel anything as I sat in the restaurant and waited for him to walk in. I was gently tapping my fingers on the table, planning what I was going to say in hopes that it would be enough to sway him. I'd gone through a thousand different possibilities of how this conversation could play out, and yet each time I wasn't so sure how well it would go. The door suddenly swung open, and I looked up to find Marcus striding towards me nonchalantly. He looked awful, it actually took me a few seconds before I realised it was him. His beard looked disheveled and unkempt, and there were dark circles under his eyes. He wore a large black hoodie, and
“Remind me again how the kiss felt,” Rachel said. “Come on,” I laughed. “I’ve told you about it a thousand times already.”“I still want to hear it again,” she said. “Now spill.”We were seated at the cafe across from the office for lunch, and she was staring at me like a wide-eyed teenager who just wanted to talk about boys and love. “Rach, are you alright?” I asked cautiously.“What do you mean?”“I mean why do you seem so invested in this?” I explained. “Normally you would be the one to tell me that this is nothing to get hung up on, and it’s just a kiss. So how come you’re so surprised and you want to keep talking about it?”For a moment, it looked like she wasn’t going to say anything. She leaned back into her seat, eyes vacant as she stared off into the distance and twirled her finger around her the rim of her coffee cup. Finally, she turned to face me and said, “I’m lonely.”Hearing her say that in such a timid voice broke my heart into a million pieces. I reached out and too
ETHANI knew I was a gone man the moment I woke up with the goofiest smile on my face. I couldn't even brush my teeth properly, because the smile just refused to disappear. All I kept remembering was Olivia’s lips on mine, and the feel of my fingers grazing her bare skin. “Get it together, Ethan,” I whispered to my reflection. “You have an important meeting today.”Reluctantly, I finished getting ready quickly and headed for the office. I was already prepared for how stressful today was going to be, but the sooner we got this over with, the faster we could get things back on track.Alicia was there to greet me as soon as I walked into the building, and she was practically bouncing on her feet as she handed me my coffee. “Good morning, Mr Reynard,” she said. “Big day, huh?”“Indeed,” I replied. “What time is the board meeting?”“In an hour,” she replied. “Although Mr Jones arrived a short while ago. He’s already in Conference Room B, and he asked me to inform you that he’s around.”O
At first, I thought I must be dreaming. Surely I couldn’t be doing this right now. It felt like my soul had slipped out of my body, and I was watching as I leaned forward and kissed him. But when the sensation burned through me like a hot knife, there was no denying it anymore. His lips met mine softly, and it was obvious that I’d shocked him. He seemed uncertain, like he was testing something before he suddenly deepened the kiss. There was some unspoken but undeniable tension that lingered in the air as he pulled me towards him, placing me on his lap before he pushed my lips apart with his tongue. The kiss sent warmth spiraling through me, a slow unraveling of every doubt I’d ever had. I melted into him, my hands finding their way to the back of his neck, feeling the way his pulse raced beneath my fingertips. He didn’t rush at all. Instead he took his time, moving slowly and carefully, taking his time to explore every inch of my lips. He tasted like cherry, and I wrapped my arms ar
“Holy shit!” “I know,” I replied, smiling as Rachel flipped through the file incredulously. She looked like she was going to pass out, which was exactly how I’d felt when I read through the file earlier. We were now sitting in the living room, testing the brand new couches while eating Chinese takeout. The file contained a treasure trove of evidence that could bring down the entire Reynard family. I couldn’t even imagine what would happen if this ever got out. Marcus would be done for, and probably end up in prison. “So what are you going to do with this?” Rachel asked. “Are you going to give it to the media?”“Not yet,” I replied. “I mean I know how bad it would be for him, but I’m saving it until I actually need it. I know he’s not going to be happy when he finds out that I’m back, but if he tries anything stupid, I’m going to use this against him in court.”“You sick bitch,” Rachel laughed. “I love the way your foul little mind words.”It was our favourite line from Aladdin, and
MARCUSI opened my eyes slowly, the blinding lights overhead causing me to wince. There was a steady beeping sound coming from somewhere over my head that I knew would irritate me very soon, but I couldn’t turn to see what it was. My head felt like it was going to explode, my mouth was painfully dry, and when I tried to turn, pain shot up my entire body and I was frozen in place. “You’re awake.”I shifted my gaze to find Emily sitting beside me, a cold and distant look in her eyes as she regarded me like I was a stain on the bottom of her shoes. “What is this?” I asked. “What am I doing here?”“You’re in the hospital, Marcus,” she said. “You drove straight into the lobby of a building and injured six people.”I remembered it now, the screeching of the brakes, the fuzziness from all the drinking, and the pain that exploded all over me as the car slammed into the wall. “How long was I out?” I asked. “Are you fucking kidding me?” she spat. “I just told you that you’ve injured six pe
Being back in the halls of J.P. Steele was like stepping through a Time Machine. Suddenly I remembered those awful days leading up to my divorce, when David was helping me out and I was actually stupid enough to believe that he was on my side. I knew better now, and I realised that I should have seen through their charade back then. Marcus has orchestrated everything from the beginning. He knew exactly which buttons to push, and he knew that David would be the first person I would turn to for help. Rather than securing David for himself, he pretended to look helpless, and have him pretend to be helping me so he could stay close and gather as much information as he could manage. I guess it was truly a smart move to keep your friends close, but your enemies closer. I thought back to the meeting we had at the coffee place across the street, and how Marcus walked in on us while I had to hide in the next booth. I should have realised back then that the odds of him showing up at that exa
Okay, I admit it.I’m a terrible person. But in my defence, I didn’t know what else to do. It’s not like I could send him a text and say “Hey, just thought I should let you know that I’m in New York. Remember when you asked me to move to America with you? That was crazy, right? Anyway, we should get a drink together sometime. Bye xx.”I couldn’t bring myself to do that. I knew if I posted a picture with my location, he would definitely see it. And maybe it would soften the blow for when I would actually call him and explain myself. I wanted to believe that he would have some time to think about it before I actually called, and he would be willing to forgive me by then. But for now, I was focused on work and settling into the office. Rachel and I spent the first day interviewing our potential employees. After the fiftieth applicant, my head was starting to spin. There were so many of them, each one more eager than the last. They reminded me of myself and Emily when we were job huntin
ETHANFrom the moment I walked into the building, I knew that something was off. Not a single person dared to look at me, and everyone kept their head bowed as they hurried across the main lobby, dashing towards the elevators and glancing over their shoulders to make sure I wasn't going to rip their heads off. At first, I thought everyone just assumed that I was Marcus, and they were absolutely terrified of him. But that didn't make any sense. As far as I knew, Marcus had a close relationship with every single employee of Reynard Tech. And they didn't fear him as much as they respected him. But then, right as I was walking past the front desk, the receptionist nearly tripped over himself as he hurried over towards me, wearing the fakest smile I'd ever seen in my life. "Mr. Reynard!" he exclaimed. "Welcome back. It's a pleasure to have you here again.""Hello, Richard," I said, glancing at his name tag. "But I think there's a mistake somewhere. I'm not Marcus. I—""Oh, we know," he