Serena’s POV
I watched Ethan shift uncomfortably in his seat, looking like a schoolboy caught passing notes. Poor guy. Maya had practically frozen him with that glare when we walked in.
"Ethan," I said, leaning against my desk, "you need to talk to her. Now."
He ran his fingers through his perfectly styled hair, ssing it up slightly. "It’s complicated, Serena."
"No, it’s not," I crossed my arms. "You led her on in London, whether you ant to or not. And now you’re avoiding her like she’s got the plague."
Ethan winced at my directness. That’s one thing about regaining pieces of myself - I’m not as soft-spoken as I used to be. The old Serena might have sugar-coated things.
"I didn’t an to give her false hope," he mumbled, looking down at his expensive shoes. "We spent ti together, had dinner a few tis. I enjoyed her company, but..."
"But what?" I pushed. "Maya isn’t just my business partner, Ethan. She stood by when I had nothing. When I was drowning after the divorce. She’s family to ."
I walked over to the window, watching employees bustling about in the main design area. Maya was directing soone with animated gestures, professional as always despite her personal frustrations.
"You know what it’s like for won like us in this industry?" I asked, not really expecting an answer. "We’re constantly underestimated. Constantly having to prove ourselves. And when we open up to soone, show vulnerability..." I turned back to face him. "That takes courage."
Ethan’s face softened. "I never ant to hurt her."
"Intention doesn’t matter when soone’s heart is involved," I replied. "She puts on a tough exterior, but she’s human. You can’t just fly in from London, charm her, then pretend nothing happened."
"What exactly am I supposed to say?" He looked genuinely lost.
I sighed, shaking my head. "The truth, Ethan. Whatever that is. If you’re not interested, say so clearly. If you are but you’re hesitating because of work or distance or whatever else... say that too. She deserves honesty."
He stood up suddenly, pacing my office. "It’s not that simple. The LUXE and Dreamland partnership is important. If things go badly between us—"
"Oh please," I cut him off. "We’re all professionals. Maya would never let personal matters affect business. That’s not who she is."
Ethan stopped pacing and looked at thoughtfully. "You really care about her."
"Like I said - she’s family." I walked to the door. "Now go talk to her. Clear the air. No more excuses."
I opened my office door pointedly, making it clear our conversation was finished.
"What if she throws sothing at ?" he asked, only half-joking.
I couldn’t help but smile. "Duck."
With visible reluctance, Ethan straightened his tie and walked out. I watched through my glass walls as he approached Maya’s office, knocking tentatively. She looked up, surprise briefly crossing her face before that mask of cool indifference slipped back into place.
She gestured for him to enter, and as the door closed behind them, I felt a strange mixture of hope and worry. Maya deserved soone who recognized her worth. Whether that soone was my brother or not remained to be seen.
I turned away, giving them privacy. My phone vibrated with a ssage from Lucy confirming my afternoon appointnts. Back to work. Dreamland wouldn’t run itself, and after yesterday’s confrontation with Tiffany, I needed to stay focused.
Whatever was happening between Maya and Ethan, they’d have to figure it out themselves. I’d done my part as both friend and sister. Now it was up to them to find their own way through this ss.
Ethan’s POV
I pushed open Maya’s office door after knocking, feeling like I was walking into a lion’s den. My palms were sweaty, sothing that never happened during multi-million dollar negotiations. Yet here I was, nervous as a schoolboy asking soone to dance.
Maya was furiously slamming file folders around, clearly in a mood.
"Co in!" she snapped without looking up, obviously expecting soone else.
I stepped inside, closing the door behind . She continued shuffling papers, impatience radiating from her every movent.
"Is it fixed yet?" she demanded, still not looking up.
When no answer ca, she finally raised her head. The surprise in her eyes quickly hardened into sothing cold and distant that made my chest tighten uncomfortably.
"What do you want?" The warmth I’d once seen in London was completely gone.
I moved forward, trying my best to sound sincere. "Maya, can we talk?"
Maya gave a dismissive once-over, her lips curling into sothing between a sneer and a grimace. "What’s there to talk about? You’re not interested in . ssage received."
"Truth is," she continued with biting sarcasm, "I wasn’t planning on pursuing anything with you either. An older woman, younger man situation cos with too many complications. I don’t have ti to waste."
I shifted awkwardly, my carefully rehearsed speech evaporating from my mind. "Are you... angry with ?"
Maya’s bitter laugh cut through the air. "Ethan Quinn, people should have a conscience. Back in London, you were so attentive, checking if I was cold, asking about my day, taking sightseeing."
Her eyes flashed dangerously. "I finally gathered my courage, and you just ran away! What exactly was your intention?"
Looking at her angry expression, guilt pressed down on like a physical weight. I’d never ant to hurt her. Being around Maya had felt... different. Exciting. Challenging. And that scared more than I wanted to admit.
"Please calm down," I said, hating how patronizing it sounded even to my own ears. "Can we sit and talk properly?"
Maya took a deep breath, visibly collecting herself. She stood and moved to the couch, dropping onto it with a deliberate lack of grace that sohow still looked elegant.
"Fine," she said flatly. "Let’s hear what you have to say."
I sat down, keeping a respectful distance between us. "I want to apologize for last ti. Everything happened so suddenly, and I... I didn’t know how to respond, so I left. It wasn’t appropriate, and I regret it."
Maya’s mouth twisted slightly, but she didn’t interrupt. So of the tension seed to leave her shoulders.
"Maya, when it cos to relationships, I’m... inexperienced," I continued, feeling increasingly awkward. "I didn’t realize my actions might give you the wrong impression, so—"
"I understand completely," Maya cut off, standing abruptly. Her expression had shifted to professional detachnt. "You can go now, Ethan."
I froze mid-sentence. Wait, that wasn’t what I ant to say at all. Serena had told to be honest, and I was trying to explain that while I hadn’t intended to lead her on, I did enjoy our ti together. That maybe we could see where things might go.
"Maya, you—"
"Please leave," she said, already back behind her desk, eyes fixed on her computer screen. "I have work to do."
I swallowed the words on the tip of my tongue, nodded stiffly, and left her office. As I closed the door behind , instead of feeling relieved that the awkward conversation was over, I felt worse. Much worse.
Why did Maya’s dismissal bother so much? Wasn’t this what I wanted—clarity, no complications? Then why did I feel like I’d just lost sothing important before I even knew I had it?
Her face when she told to leave kept replaying in my mind. The spark in her eyes had gone completely flat. I’d seen that sa passionate woman laughing under London rain, arguing brilliantly over design concepts, challenging my every assumption.
Now she looked at like I was just another business associate.
And sohow, that felt much worse than any anger could have.
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