CHAPTER 7

Katty stood in Aki’s office, staring at the door Nate had just exited through. She could still feel the tension in the air, thick and stifling, as if something invisible but real had been left behind after the conversation. She couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong. It gnawed at her, tugging at the edges of her mind.

Her thoughts wandered back to Aki, her boss and mentor, the talented and graceful woman who had taught her almost everything she knew about the fashion industry. Lately, Aki had seemed distant, like she was hiding behind a polished veneer of calm. Aki had always been private, but now she was unreachable, and too far to reach on.

Katty couldn’t help but feel that it had something to do with Larry. That arrogant son of the city mayor had been dating Aki for years, and even though Katty had always found him insufferable, she kept her opinions to herself out of respect for Aki. But the last few months had been different. Larry had been showing up more often, making demands, cheating with other girls, throwing tantrums, and generally acting like a spoiled child when things didn’t go his way.

Katty paced back and forth, her mind racing. Could Larry be the reason for Aki’s sudden withdrawal? It seemed likely. Every time Larry came around, Aki’s mood darkened, her eyes lost their usual spark, and she seemed drained.

Impulsively, Katty grabbed her phone from the desk. She needed answers. She scrolled through her contacts until she found Larry’s number. Her thumb hovered over the call button for a moment as she debated whether or not this was a good idea. But she needed to know. She needed to find out if Larry was behind whatever was going on with Aki.

She pressed the call button. The phone rang twice before Larry answered, his voice immediately grating on her nerves.

“Katty! To what do I owe the pleasure?” His tone was slick, too self-assured, as if he already knew he had the upper hand in the conversation.

Katty didn’t bother with pleasantries. “Larry, where’s Aki? Have you seen her lately?”

There was a pause on the other end, and Katty could almost hear the smirk forming on his face before he replied. “Why do you care? Aki’s just busy. You know how she gets. She’ll be fine.”

Katty’s grip on the phone tightened. “Busy doing what, exactly? She hasn’t been in the office for hours, and she’s not answering her phone.”

Larry chuckled, the sound of it sending a chill down Katty’s spine. “What’s it to you? Aki’s a big girl. She doesn’t need her secretary worrying about her every move.”

Katty opened her mouth to respond when she suddenly heard a commotion outside her cubicle. Loud, obnoxious voices were filtering through the door. One of them, unmistakably, was Larry’s.

She blinked, confused, and then it clicked. She quickly ended the call and rushed toward the door, heart pounding. The noise grew louder as she approached, and as she swung the door open, the scene before her made her stomach churn.

Larry stood in the middle of the boutique, his face red, his voice loud enough to echo off the walls. He was clearly drunk, his words slurred but filled with anger and arrogance. A small crowd of employees had gathered around, their expressions ranging from concerned to downright uncomfortable.

“Where’s Aki?” Larry demanded, his eyes scanning the room like a predator searching for prey. “Where is she? She’s ignoring me, and I don’t appreciate being ignored!”

Katty’s blood boiled. Larry’s behavior was embarrassing enough on a normal day, but now, in front of the employees and Nate, who was standing off to the side with his arms crossed, this was crossing a line.

“What the hell are you doing here, Larry?” Katty shouted as she marched toward him, her voice cutting through the noise. “You’re making a scene. Aki’s not here.”

Larry turned to face her, his eyes narrowing. “I need to talk to her. She’s been disrespecting me! She’s my girlfriend, and she thinks she can just ignore me? No way!”

Katty felt a surge of anger rise in her chest. She had dealt with Larry’s entitled nonsense for years, but this was a new low, even for him. She stepped closer, her voice calm but laced with fury.

“Aki hasn’t been in the office for a while now, and she hasn’t been answering her phone,” she said, keeping her tone measured. “She has every right not to answer you, Larry. You don’t own her, and you certainly don’t get to barge in here and demand answers like some kind of spoiled child.”

Larry’s face twisted with frustration, his arrogance seeping through every pore. “She doesn’t have the right to refuse me! I’m her boyfriend! She owes me an explanation.”

Katty scoffed. “She owes you nothing. You don’t get to control her, and you certainly don’t get to talk about her like she’s your property.”

By now, the employees were watching intently, clearly uncomfortable with the unfolding drama but unable to look away. Nate, though silent, kept his eyes trained on Larry, ready to intervene if things escalated further.

Larry, realizing he wasn’t getting the response he wanted, took a step back, shaking his head in disbelief. “You think you know everything, don’t you? But you don’t know what’s going on between us. Aki has been acting like this for months, and I’m not going to let her treat me like I’m nothing!”

Katty felt a wave of disgust wash over her. Larry was a walking, talking example of toxic entitlement, and seeing him like this made her wonder how Aki had ever put up with him for so long. Nearly five years of this? It was insane.

Katty didn’t bother hiding her disdain as she stared him down. “Aki has every right to decline you, Larry. She doesn’t need to explain herself to you or anyone. You’re the one who’s nothing in this situation. You’ve treated her like trash for years, and I don’t know why she hasn’t dumped you already.”

For a moment, Larry looked as if he might explode. His face turned an alarming shade of red, and he clenched his fists at his sides. But instead of continuing the argument, he turned sharply on his heel and stormed toward the exit.

“You’d better call me when she shows up,” Larry growled over his shoulder. “I’m not done with this.”

As the door swung shut behind him, Katty stood there, her heart pounding with residual anger. The employees began to disperse, whispering among themselves, clearly shaken by the confrontation. Nate stayed where he was, watching her with a concerned expression.

Katty let out a long breath, running a hand through her hair. “I can’t believe she stayed with him for so long,” she muttered, half to herself.

Nate approached her slowly, his arms still crossed. “Neither can I. He’s always been an ass, but this… this is a whole new level.”

Katty glanced at him, feeling a strange mixture of embarrassment and relief that he had witnessed the whole thing. “You don’t think he’ll try anything stupid, do you?”

Nate shook his head. “Not while he’s drunk, at least. But who knows what he’ll do when he sobers up.”

Katty’s mind raced with thoughts of Aki. Larry was clearly unstable, and now that he had been publicly humiliated, there was no telling how he would react. But more than that, she couldn’t shake the feeling that Aki’s absence was connected to all of this. Larry’s behavior, Aki’s situation—it all felt like pieces of a puzzle she couldn’t quite put together.

“I don’t understand how Aki could have been with him for so long,” Katty said, her voice quiet now. “She’s too smart for that. Too strong.”

Nate nodded. “People stay in bad relationships for a lot of reasons. Fear, loyalty, guilt… sometimes they just think they don’t deserve better.”

Katty frowned. Aki didn’t seem like the type to let someone like Larry push her around, but then again, people could hide a lot behind closed doors. Maybe Aki had been suffering in silence for years, putting on a brave face while dealing with Larry’s manipulative behavior.

The thought made Katty’s stomach turn. She couldn’t stand the idea of Aki, her strong, confident boss, being reduced to that.

“I’m going to find her,” Katty said suddenly, her voice firm with determination. “I don’t care what it takes, but I’m going to make sure she’s okay.”

Nate raised an eyebrow. “Do you even know where to start?”

Katty shrugged, though the weight of uncertainty settled on her shoulders. “I’ll figure it out. I have to.”

Nate studied her for a moment before nodding. “Let me know if you need help. I’ll be around.”

Katty watched as Nate walked away, leaving her standing alone in the now-quiet boutique. The sun had set outside, casting long shadows across the room, but inside, the tension still lingered, heavy and oppressive.

Katty stared at her phone again, her thumb hovering over Aki’s contact. She had tried calling her boss multiple times throughout the day, but there had been no response. No texts, no calls back. Nothing.