Naomi switched off her phone and leaned back against the car’s plush seat, letting out a deep sigh. The soft hum of the engine filled the silence around her, but it did nothing to soothe the storm raging within her. She needed a break, even if just for a little while. Closing her eyes briefly, she pressed her head against the cool leather of the seat, as if hoping it would still the chaotic thoughts swirling in her mind.
Her heart was heavy. Ares.
That na had the power to unsettle her even now.
It was hard not to think about him. She had harbored feelings for Ares since high school—feelings that had never really gone away, no matter how hard she tried to bury them. He had been two years ahead of her, confident, charming, and effortlessly magnetic. Sowhere along the way, amidst stolen glances and fleeting monts, Naomi had realized she had feelings for her best friend’s brother.
Of course, she’d never dared to tell him.
Rose had known. Rose always knew. Her best friend had teased her about it endlessly, though never unkindly. Naomi had clung to the hope that maybe one day, she’d find the courage to confess. But that day never ca. By the ti she had gathered even a shred of bravery, Rose had casually ntioned that Ares was planning to travel abroad.
She couldn’t do it. She couldn’t burden him with her feelings, knowing he was already looking toward the horizon. What would he even say? Would he pity her? Would he feel awkward, obligated to respond out of politeness? The thought alone had been unbearable. So, she’d done what she thought was best—she’d stayed silent, locking her emotions away in a corner of her heart.
Naomi had hoped ti would dull the ache, that her feelings would fade with distance. But instead, they had only grown stronger when she entered college. Every ti she saw him, her heart betrayed her resolve. She rembered how she’d blush like a schoolgirl, unable to et his gaze for more than a fleeting mont. Rose had teased her again, though she’d promised never to tell Ares.
And now...
Naomi opened her eyes and stared at the passing scenery outside the window, trying to ground herself in the present. Why was she letting these mories resurface now? Why was she thinking about him when she was married, when she had Zylan sitting just a few feet away?
Her lips pressed into a thin line. It didn’t matter anymore. It shouldn’t matter.
And yet...
Her gaze flickered to her phone, resting innocently in her lap. The ssage notification sat there, taunting her. Ares’s na. His words. She could practically hear his voice, the one she’d morized over years of stolen monts.
Naomi clenched her hands tightly, her nails digging into her palms.
What’s wrong with ? she thought bitterly. I’m married now. This shouldn’t bother .
But it did.
She had a husband. A powerful, intimidating, and—though she hated to admit it—breathtakingly handso husband. Zylan wasn’t just any man. He had a presence that demanded attention, a sharpness that left no room for doubt. And yet, sitting beside him, Naomi couldn’t stop her thoughts from straying to soone else.
Her fingers hovered over her phone for what felt like an eternity. The notification stared back at her, daring her to open it, to see what Ares had to say after all this ti.
Finally, unable to resist any longer, she tapped the ssage. Her breath hitched as the text appeared on the screen.
Naomi, please, can we talk? I just want us to talk. I know you’re married now, and it’s fine with if you choose not to. I fear this could be our last conversation.
Her heart sank.
Last conversation? What did he an by that? Was he finally leaving for good? A pang of panic welled up in her chest, sharp and unwelco.
She turned her head slightly, her eyes drifting to Zylan. He sat beside her, his attention fully absorbed by the tablet in his hands. The faint glow of the screen illuminated his sharp features, highlighting the focused intensity in his eyes. Naomi could tell, even from this angle, that he was working on sothing complex.
From her brief glance, Naomi could tell he was working on sothing complex—an algorithm, perhaps. She didn’t need to look closely to know that it was advanced, the kind of thing that would make her head spin if she tried to decipher it.
Clearing her throat softly, she tested the waters for his attention. His head tilted slightly in acknowledgnt, but his eyes didn’t leave the screen.
Naomi allowed herself a small, almost triumphant smile. Even when he was absorbed in work, he was still aware of her.
Finally, Zylan raised his head, his gaze locking onto hers with an intensity that made her heart skip a beat.
"I need to et a friend of mine... uh... later today," Naomi said, her voice hesitant.
She paused, glancing at him as if gauging his reaction. "You don’t have to worry. I know you’re leaving today, so I’ll go after lunch and co back... um... early."
Her words tumbled out in a rush, as though she were trying to convince not just him but herself as well.
Zylan set his tablet aside, his full attention now on her. "Then let’s go now," he said simply.
"No... um, you don’t have to," Naomi replied quickly, her pulse quickening. "I can go myself. Besides, you have sothing more pressing to attend to."
"That can wait," he said, his tone firm.
Naomi froze. His words weren’t the issue—it was the way he said them. She could tell, just from the slight edge in his voice, that he wasn’t planning to back down.
She hesitated, scrambling for a way to change his mind. "You don’t have to, okay? I can go alone. You said you’d return in two days, maybe this could—"
"I’ll co back in one day," Zylan interrupted, his voice cutting through her protests like a blade.
She blinked at him, stunned. Why was he changing his plans? He wasn’t the type to alter his schedule on a whim, and yet here he was, offering to cut his trip short without a second thought.
"Okay, then... let inform him," Naomi murmured, her voice barely above a whisper.
"Him?"
The single word hung in the air, heavy and sharp.
Naomi’s stomach twisted uncomfortably as she saw the subtle shift in Zylan’s expression. His face darkened, his gaze sharpening with an intensity that made her want to shrink back.
Quickly, she unlocked her phone and began typing a response: Let’s et at Mirrors Coffee.
It was the first place that ca to mind. While she could have chosen a regular coffee shop, the discreet atmosphere of Mirrors Coffee seed safer—especially with Zylan accompanying her.
Her heart skipped a beat as she saw the familiar bubble appear on her screen: Ares is typing...
Her cheeks flushed pink, and she bit her lip, unable to stop the nervous flutter in her chest.
A mont later, the ssage arrived: I will be there. Thanks for giving a chance to talk to you.
Naomi smiled instinctively at the words, but the smile faded almost imdiately as she glanced at Zylan. His expression was unreadable, but the air around him seed charged with tension.
"Please take us to Mirrors Coffee," Naomi said softly, her voice calm on the surface but betraying none of the tempest churning within her.
The chauffeur dipped his head in acknowledgnt, hands steady as they gripped the steering wheel. The car eased into motion, weaving through the bustling streets with a practiced precision.
Naomi leaned back in her seat, her gaze fixed on the passing cityscape, though she barely registered the vibrant hues of storefronts or the blurred silhouettes of pedestrians rushing by. Her thoughts were far from the world outside.
What could Ares possibly want to tell her? Why now? Why, after all this ti, had he chosen to reach out?
The questions swirled in her mind, each one more troubling than the last. She clenched her hands tightly in her lap, the tension traveling up her arms. Uncertainty gnawed at her, and she hated how easily her emotions betrayed her resolve.
Yet, in the sa breath, she felt anticipation—an inexplicable pull that made her heart race, even as guilt simred beneath the surface.
Unbeknownst to her, the atmosphere in the car had shifted.
The chauffeur’s fingers tightened ever so slightly around the wheel, the muscles in his arms taut. Beads of sweat gathered at his temples as an invisible weight pressed down on the confined space. He didn’t dare glance at the rearview mirror; he didn’t need to. The icy tension emanating from the back seat was suffocating enough.
Zylan sat unnervingly still, his tall fra a commanding presence that filled the space effortlessly. His gaze was fixed straight ahead, his sharp features unreadable under the dim lighting inside the vehicle.
To the untrained eye, he appeared calm. But the air around him buzzed with an almost imperceptible edge, a quiet yet unyielding intensity that refused to be ignored.
He didn’t speak. He didn’t need to.
Naomi remained oblivious to the unspoken storm brewing just beside her. Her focus was elsewhere, locked on the ssage she had received, on the mories it had dredged up.
What would Ares say to her?
The thought looped in her mind, over and over, as if the answer might sohow reveal itself if she thought about it hard enough.
Her golden eyes, deep and reflective, flickered to the faint glow of her phone resting in her lap. The screen was dark now, but her thoughts lingered on the conversation, on the words she had read just monts ago.
Ares’s ssage was simple, almost painfully so. Yet it carried a weight that she couldn’t ignore. The words felt like a thread, pulling her back to a ti she had desperately tried to leave behind.
She closed her eyes briefly, inhaling deeply in an attempt to steady herself. But even then, her chest felt tight, as though the car itself was conspiring to steal the air from her lungs.
Still, she didn’t notice the tension thickening the atmosphere, didn’t see the way the chauffeur’s shoulders were squared in discomfort or how his eyes flicked nervously between the road and his peripheral vision.
She didn’t notice how Zylan’s jaw tightened, ever so slightly, or the way his fingers curled against his thigh, a silent but unmistakable sign of his restraint.
All she could think about was Ares.
What would he say to her?
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