Meanwhile.. In another place miles away from the abandoned factory...
The restaurant was quiet and elegant. Soft lights reflected off the tables, candles flickered, and faint piano music filled the background. Outside, rain streaked the window, blurring the city lights.
Even in such a calm place, Ivy and Noah looked like storm clouds sitting side by side. The light hit their faces, but it didn’t soften the tension. They sat by the window, each rigid, each unreadable, as if the beauty around them didn’t exist.
Noah stirred his drink slowly. “Do you always sit like that?” he asked.
Ivy raised an eyebrow. “Like what?”
“Like you’re trying to prove you’re perfect. It’s exhausting.”
“And you think slouching over your drink is better?” Ivy shot back. “At least I hold myself with some digni
