Episode: Irritation and denial
693 Words
Morning After the Bank Drama
Sharon’s POV
Sharon woke with a knot in her chest—the kind that came from frustration, not bad dreams.
Her phone lay face-down on the nightstand, silent. Zack still hadn’t replied to the three carefully worded texts she’d sent last night.
Coffee should’ve helped. It didn’t. The bittersweet scent only made the emptiness louder.
“Sharon, don’t forget you promised to take me to the market,” her mother called from the sitting room.
“Coming,” she answered, voice flat. It wasn’t her mother’s fault that her boyfriend had turned into a ghost with a heartbeat.
The phone buzzed. Hope flared—then fizzled. Vera.
“Girl, open the door.”
Sharon cracked a reluctant smile and let her best friend in. Vera breezed inside, braids bouncing and eyes alight.
“You look like death reheated,” Vera announced, dropping into a chair. “Late-night study session or late-night crying over Zack the Busybody?”
“Can’t a girl just have a bad night?” Sharon shot back.
“Nope. Spill.”
Sharon did. “He never answered. And yesterday? Total meltdown at the bank. Some arrogant guy barged in like he owned the place. I snapped.”
Vera’s grin widened. “You? Snapping? Details.”
“I called him… Mr. Bad Character.”
Vera howled. “Legendary. Please tell me he deserved it.”
“He did,” Sharon said, smirking despite herself.
“Uh-huh,” Vera teased. “But if you’re still ranting about him this morning, maybe he made more of an impression than you’d like.”
Sharon glared. “Don’t start.”
Still, the memory flickered—the sharp eyes, the low voice. Irritating. Unsettling.
---
Across Town – Leo
Leo Smith sat in his glass-walled office, pen tapping a file he wasn’t reading.
Mr. Bad Character.
No one had ever dared call him that. Respect or fear, always. Never mockery. Yet that stranger’s fire-bright eyes lingered.
“Sir?” his assistant ventured.
“The board meeting,” Leo cut in, dismissing him.
Minutes later his mother swept in, elegant as ever. “You work too much. And I hear a woman put you in your place at the bank.”
“Gossip travels,” he said dryly.
“Maybe you needed it,” she teased.
He exhaled, irritation prickling under his calm. Needed it? Maybe. Not that he’d admit it.
---
Back to Sharon
By mid-afternoon Zack finally texted:
Babe, sorry. Long night. Catch up later?
Later. Always later.
She typed Okay. Take care, and set the phone down like it burned.
Vera eyed her. “Mr. Vanishing Act again?”
“He’s busy.”
“Busy is code for ‘can’t be bothered.’ I’ve dated busy. It’s never worth it.”
“Relationships take patience,” Sharon muttered.
“Patience, yes. Blind devotion, no.”
The truth stung. Sharon busied herself with mugs and silence.
---
That Night – Leo
Neon lights washed Leo’s penthouse in electric blue. Paperwork blurred into the memory of a stubborn stranger calling him Mr. Bad Character.
Not admiration. Not fear. Something else.
He poured a drink, his father’s old warning echoing: Power is only as strong as the fear it commands.
But she hadn’t feared him. And he couldn’t decide if he hated or respected her for it.
---
Days Later
Sharon, arms full of groceries, turned a corner in the city market—and collided with a tall man in a sharp suit. Strong hands steadied her.
“Careful,” a deep voice said.
Her heart dipped. Him.
“You,” she blurted.
“You,” he echoed, equally surprised.
“Don’t worry. I don’t need rescuing,” she snapped.
“I wasn’t rescuing,” he replied smoothly. “Just preventing broken eggs.”
“Well, thank you, Mr. Bad Character,” she said before she could stop herself.
A flicker of amusement tugged at his mouth. “Still holding onto that?”
“Some titles stick.”
For a heartbeat they s
imply stared, the air charged. She told herself she despised him. He told himself she was insignificant.
Neither believed it.
- Writer
