EvelynMira's idea of a small after-party had to be the equivalent of putting me in a tight spot. We piled into cars, nine of us in five vehicles, and headed to a bar.I was the only one without a ride-along because everyone suddenly had a partner. She wanted to call it off at the last minute, but I assured her I was fine.I'm not bitter about everyone being a couple, but I'm the only one fresh out of a public engagement.I was lying through my teeth and it was not my best performance, but she was too happy to see it. Just like she forgot to mention that Connor would be attending because I'm seated at a table for two like everyone else, staring at my half-full glass when he walks in.Walks up to me and asks—"Is this seat taken?""What are you doing here?" I ask, cocking my head and glaring at him.He turns to Mira, who is tongue-deep in her husband, and then turns back to me."Mira? We met after the reception, and she said I could come. It's supposed to be a small gathering for frien
Evelyn I grit my teeth as the noise from upstairs makes my temples ache. The building is supposed to be soundproof, at least from what the agent told me when I came for the apartment tour, but now I'm sure he lied. They always do—that's how they hook you in. But who, in their right mind, would have a party going on until one am on a weeknight? In a high-rise building where other people live? No consideration for the neighbors, geez. The level of noise and the hours they have been going at it—the stomping and the shouting, would put the best clubs in the city to shame. Unfortunately, I'm the one bearing the brunt of it. I was looking forward to getting all my stuff arranged and situated after working the entire day with the moving company. And now I can't think straight with all the noise, this is ridiculous. I exhale, rubbing my temples and abandoning the DIY wall decor I've been trying to install for the last thirty minutes. "Someone has got to do something, does no one else
Evelyn Thirty minutes later, the noise from upstairs ceased, and I hear an impatient knock on my door. Feeling petty, I let the person stew for over a minute before opening the door. The sight of an angry Connor stares at me from the other side of the threshold. "Was it you who called the cops?" I fake my ignorance. "Called the cops?" He lets out a low, menacing snarl. "Cut the act, will you? I know you called the cops and told them that we were having a party and being loud?" Chuckling, I fold my arms and lean against the wall. My wall. "I tried to handle this civilly. Besides, if you knew it was me, why are you here asking?" I ask, letting him know through my tone that I don't care. "I--" he sucks in a deep breath, "I thought we agreed you were going to give me twenty minutes, and then I'd round up the party?" I wag a finger at him. "No, we didn't. You made a series of suggestions that didn't resolve the issue. First, you asked me to join the party," I begin to let
Connor He laughs. "I understand, but you have a hard time trusting anybody, Connor. Everyone thinks you are this fun-loving, light-hearted man, but you are just a grumpy thirty-year-old who thinks nothing will go according to plan if he isn't the one making the plan." "Then you don't communicate why you want to do things a particular way, leaving me in the dark and left scrambling to cover for you." I shrug, losing interest in the content of the document. I make a mental note to rewrite the things that don't sit well with me before giving Ken my full attention. "Why should I give anyone an explanation? It's my company, isn't it? And I make changes as I see fit. Either they trust that I know what is best for what I built, or they don't." Ken tutts. "Connor Everest, billionaire playboy and CEO of one of the largest tech companies in the country," he says, standing and adjusting the lapels of his jacket. "You are not living up to your image." I glare at him. "I would give
Connor No, fucking way. I believe in coincidences. I think that two events can happen without being related to each other, no matter how in sync they might be. But I will not accept that the woman who called the cops on me two weeks ago and left me speechless at her doorstep is the same person Ken handpicked to be my cybersecurity specialist. Either fate is playing a game it thinks is funny, or she knew that I owned this company and planned this whole charade. "Well isn't this a bit awkward?" I try to break the ice. "I didn't think I'd run into you again," she says causally. "Me neither," I reply tightly. "So, you're the cybersecurity specialist Ken hired." "And you are the CEO of Everest, one of the largest tech companies in the country. I guess it's true when they say 'never judge a book by its cover'." I know it's a dig, and it hits home. But I'm not one to go down easily, so I quip pettily— "Did you sleep well?" I ask. "We make it our duty to hire people who prio
Evelyn I should have known, from the moment I saw him walk into the conference room, that this might be a big mistake. Knowing he is my neighbor who seems a bit immature with the loud parties, and then not willing to keep things quiet after a certain hour should have been the first couple of red flags, But I need the job. Not because of the money. I mean...the money is really good, but the project was what called out to me. The intricacies of it, the benefits to society and the environment when unveiled, and the potential for upgrading after it launches. My job might be to make sure that StoneTech's information doesn't get into the wrong hands, but my interest lies with the project as a whole. I am looking to work with a company that will consider my suggestions and input and be open-minded. But, Connor Everest is the furthest thing from open-minded. In the one week that has passed since I started working here, I have gone home with a brewing migraine. Even now, as I
Connor I glance down as my watch beeps, telling me I have ten minutes left on my morning jog. I don't get a chance to do it every morning, but it helps me get my head straight for the rest of the day. But I also need to stay healthy, so I wake up some mornings and decide to go for a thirty-minute run around the city. I am almost home when I hear. "Hi." I turn around to see a woman, probably in her early twenties, waving at me. "Hi," I respond. "I don't mean to be forward, but do you live here?" I nod, stopping mid-jog to see what she wants. Her face brightens. "Oh wow. Oh, okay. I'm Wendy." She stretches out her hand, and I take it. We shake. "I just moved in," she goes on, "and I was looking for friendly faces. You know...someone I can talk to from time to time." I'm not that person. "Do you," she says when I don't respond, "jog through this path every morning?" "No," I reply. "I come out when I have the time. And I don't think I'm the friendly face you're
Connor "Sir," she says as she walks into my office, carrying a file. I ignore her greeting, keeping up my pretense of typing on my laptop while I figure out how to repay her for this morning. "Sir," she gets to my desk and drops the file. "This is the summary of the protocols currently under simulation for the sensor systems." I count to five Mississippi, and then I close my laptop screen, staring at her with implied boredom and disinterest on my face. "I see. I'll go through them. Thank you." There is no trace of the earlier cheekiness on her face, and if anyone were to walk in, they'd think, with her power suit, well-styled hair, and high heels, that she's an excellent employee. That Evelyn Lockhart isn't an undercover menace. She nods. "Okay." I wait for her to get to the door, flipping the pages loud enough they make noise before I call her name. She stops and turns. "You need me to approve this, right?" "That is correct, sir." That is correct? Who speaks l
EvelynMira's idea of a small after-party had to be the equivalent of putting me in a tight spot. We piled into cars, nine of us in five vehicles, and headed to a bar.I was the only one without a ride-along because everyone suddenly had a partner. She wanted to call it off at the last minute, but I assured her I was fine.I'm not bitter about everyone being a couple, but I'm the only one fresh out of a public engagement.I was lying through my teeth and it was not my best performance, but she was too happy to see it. Just like she forgot to mention that Connor would be attending because I'm seated at a table for two like everyone else, staring at my half-full glass when he walks in.Walks up to me and asks—"Is this seat taken?""What are you doing here?" I ask, cocking my head and glaring at him.He turns to Mira, who is tongue-deep in her husband, and then turns back to me."Mira? We met after the reception, and she said I could come. It's supposed to be a small gathering for frien
Evelyn"Hey, you—"The words die on my tongue as someone steps in front of me, wearing a dark blue two-piece suit with a small smile on his lips. My chest swells uncomfortably, and my stomach bottoms as I stare at him."Evelyn," he whispers my name. "I—it's good to see you.""It's not good to see you," I snap and then mentally berate myself for not being able to control my emotions.Everything comes flooding back—the disbelief I felt when I was reading that message, the anger that followed, and the ache in my chest as I drank until I blacked out.How I hoped that he would find me as I packed my things from the apartment two days later, even though I had scheduled it at a time I knew he would be out.When he called my mom, I wished Connor would have ignored her answer and come looking for me.But none of that happened, and as the weeks went by, I slowly found a way to deal with the pain. It no longer made me feel like I was drowning in my sorrows.And now...he's here, and it feels like
ConnorKen sucks his teeth."I'm not sure, but if I were pissed at someone who I thought loved me and wanted to get away, I might try to throw them off my trail.""Or not," he shrugs. "Evelyn might have been telling him the truth because she didn't factor in you coming to look for her."The big question is, how could I have missed it? For God's sake, she lived under me. I should have heard the noises or seen something—her, the moving people.I tell Ken."If she did it when you were at work, then you wouldn't have noticed," he says. "What about her parents?"I shake my head, tapping my fingers on the steering wheel."I doubt it. Evelyn told me how she moved out of their house because they were overbearing. She wouldn't go back there. But," I hesitate on discarding the possibility, "do you think I should call just to be sure?""Her father is a tough man, but her mom and I might have struck up a friendship when they came to my office.""Then you should call," he says.Grateful that I did
Connor It feels like the elevator cannot go any faster as I stare at the doors, my heart pounding and my palms sweaty. If anyone told me that making amends with the love of my life would be the scariest thing I ever did, I wouldn't have believed them. But it is. Ken pats me on the back. "You've got this. Just go with your gut and don't try to make excuses. Be a hundred percent honest." "Okay," I nod. "Okay." The doors open, and I step out, heading for Evelyn's door. Ken tells me that he'll stay by the elevator to give us some privacy. As I get closer, I remember all the times I stood in front of her door, teasing her or asking her if I could come in. I recall the first time she let me in and how intimate it felt to finally be in her space. I can't believe I am going to lose all of that. But, come to think of it, I haven't seen her car in the parking lot since the evening of the gala. I was too out of it to pay attention the next morning, but I noticed her spot was empty yeste
Connoied when she said she had feelings for me."What did you do, Connor?" Ken repeats.Letting out a sigh, I tell him about the party, how I went out looking for Evelyn and found her on the phone with her mom. I narrate what I heard as best as I can to Ken, making sure to add a few phrases verbatim.He looks at me confused when I finish, shaking his head."And you didn't ask her what she meant by that?""It was pretty clear," I respond.Ken leans forward, and his posture is almost intimidating. Almost."Are you certain it was what you think? You said you heard her on the phone, talking to her mom. You had no way of knowing what was being said on the other end, did you?"I shake my head. "No. But did I have to know? If you heard Mira on the phone saying the same thing, what would you think?""The first thing I'd do is ask her why," he replies. "Her response might break me or clear things up, but it's better to know for sure than to think something that is not right."There's a knock
EvelynI don't know how she knows I'm here—my guess is that I must have drunk-dialed her—but I follow her to a corner table.Mira pulls out the chair for me to sit, and I do so. She pulls out the other one and does the same."So, do you want to talk, or do you need me to watch over you while you drink, take you home, and then talk about it in the morning."All I want to do is forget.I don't want to see Connor tomorrow and I have to ask if he meant that we're never going to be an item, if he was deceiving me all this time, if he couldn't see that I was in love with him before he broke my heart with one text message.Digging into my bag and opening the message, I thrust my phone at Mira. She looks at me with concern before taking it and seconds after, her eyes widen as her lips part slightly."What," her eyes meet mine, "is this?""I thought he was going to propose tonight," my voice breaks from the start. "One stupid reporter said that Connor," I sniff, "talked about a wedding and I a
evelynit turns out to be harder than i thought or expected because after going round and round, there is no trace of connor anywhere. i go to the parking lot, but his car isn't there either.we came separately, but why would his car be gone? did he leave without me? maybe he had to drop someone off?scratching my head and trying to figure out which of the questions is the right one, i head back to the hall and, by a divine stroke of luck, run into ken."there's the star of the evening," he says cheerily. "everyone is talking about you."i blush. "me? i'm just the cyber person. i'm sure you heard them talking about connor, but i appreciate the flattery."he shakes his head."nope. it's you. everyone on the team has been talking about how you made sure everything went well, and i might," he smiles, "have chipped in a thing or two.""thank you. um, have you seen connor?""oh yeah. minutes ago? or an hour? i'm not so sure. he was looking for you."why isn't he around, then?i wrack my he
Evelyn"Miss Lockhart!"I'm accosted by a reporter as soon as I walk back into the hall, and I brace myself preparing for the barrage of questions he's about to ask.After all, this is the event everyone has been waiting for, although they didn't know that.The reporter grins as he gets closer and then stretches out his hand, which I accept."Good evening. I'm Gerald. With the Evening Times. I met your fiancé earlier, and we had quite the conversation."Oh?I cock my head, suddenly interested in the interview.Connor and I haven't seen each other all night. If you don't count the one time we bumped into each other and he was whisked away seconds later. But not before he kissed me on the cheek and said he had something to tell me later.The only reason I haven't had the chance to steal my fiancé away and kiss him in the cover of the hallway's darkness is because I've been making sure everything is going smoothly and he's been playing the perfect host.We just might be Yin and Yang if I
Connor"I have to go, mom. The party isn't over yet. My boss must be wondering where I am now," Evelyn says.I turn away, blinking rapidly, and stride through one of the open doors into the hall of bright lights and a lot of chatter."Mr. Everest." I turn to see a reporter flashing a smile. "I've been looking all over for you."I put on a fake smile that irks me, but I swallow my irritation, reminding myself that my attitude will affect the articles that will come out tomorrow."Good evening," I respond."I'm with the Evening Times. Would you mind answering a few questions on the project that was unveiled this evening?""I have three minutes to spare," I inform him.His recorder goes on, and the small mic comes close to my face."Building a sophisticated piece of tech like the GloChange without word of it getting out must have taken a lot of effort. Can you tell us how you did that?"By faking an engagement with a contracted consultant and falling in love with her in the process, then