CHAPTER 4: A FRIEND WHO NEVER LEFT
823 Words
The receptionist didn't bother announcing Sophie Carter anymore.
She simply smiled and pointed toward the private elevator.
"She's expecting you."
Sophie lifted the paper bag in her hand.
"I certainly hope so."
"If this coffee gets cold, I may reconsider twenty years of friendship."
The receptionist laughed.
"I'll pretend I didn't hear that."
"You should."
The elevator doors closed.
Sophie leaned against the mirrored wall, balancing two coffees in one hand and a paper bag from Ethan's favorite bakery in the other.
She'd lost count of how many mornings she'd walked into Maison Laurent without an appointment.
Friendship had a habit of ignoring calendars.
The executive floor was already buzzing with activity when she stepped out.
Assistants crossed the hallway carrying tablets.
Designers hurried toward presentation rooms.
Someone was arguing—politely—about fabric samples.
Olivia Bennett spotted her immediately.
"You brought peace offerings."
"I brought caffeine."
"Even better."
Olivia accepted one of the coffees with visible gratitude.
"I was beginning to think today might never end."
"It's only two in the afternoon."
"Exactly."
Sophie smiled.
"Where is she?"
Olivia nodded toward the office.
"Trying to finish enough work to convince herself she's leaving on time."
"Again?"
"You know Isabella."
"I do."
"Which is why I'm here."
She knocked once before pushing open the office door.
Without looking up from the document she was reading, Isabella said,
"You're late."
Sophie placed the coffee on the desk.
"I'm eight minutes early."
"For what?"
"For convincing you to stop working."
That finally earned her attention.
Isabella looked up, smiling despite herself.
"You came armed."
"I know what motivates you."
"Caffeine?"
"And pastries."
Isabella laughed softly.
"You know me too well."
"I've earned that privilege."
For a few moments, neither woman spoke.
They simply enjoyed the rare quiet that came with being around someone who required no explanations.
Sophie glanced around the office.
"It still feels strange."
"What does?"
"You."
Isabella raised an eyebrow.
"I remember when your office was one tiny room above a bakery."
"The ceiling leaked."
"The printer worked only if you kicked it."
"It preferred encouragement."
"It preferred violence."
They both laughed.
Sophie looked around again.
The spacious office.
The skyline.
The carefully arranged shelves displaying awards from around the world.
"You've done well."
Isabella followed her gaze.
"We've done well."
"No."
Sophie shook her head.
"You built this."
"I just argued with your contracts."
"You make it sound easy."
"It wasn't."
"It never is."
A comfortable silence settled between them.
It had always been that way.
They didn't need to fill every pause with conversation.
Sophie took a careful sip of her coffee before speaking again.
"Ethan asked me yesterday if penguins have knees."
Isabella smiled immediately.
"What did you tell him?"
"I looked it up."
"And?"
"They do."
"I knew it."
"You didn't."
"I absolutely did."
"You guessed."
"I guessed correctly."
Sophie laughed.
"He's turning you into a child again."
"I don't mind."
"I know."
There was no mistaking the warmth that entered Isabella's voice whenever Ethan's name came up.
Sophie had seen that warmth from the very beginning.
Long before anyone else.
Long before Maison Laurent became a global name.
She had watched her best friend build a company with one hand while raising a little boy with the other.
Neither had been easy.
Neither had ever become an excuse.
A gentle knock interrupted them.
Olivia stepped inside.
"Sorry."
"Your three o'clock call has been moved to tomorrow."
Isabella blinked.
"I didn't ask for that."
Olivia looked toward Sophie.
"I did."
Sophie smiled innocently.
"I may have mentioned that someone promised a certain six-year-old an afternoon at the park."
Isabella folded her arms.
"You two are conspiring against me."
"We prefer the term 'supportive intervention.'"
Olivia nodded solemnly.
"It sounds more professional."
Despite herself, Isabella laughed.
"Fine."
"I surrender."
"Excellent."
Sophie stood.
"Then finish your coffee."
"We're leaving in ten minutes."
"For the park?"
"For the park."
"And ice cream."
"I didn't agree to ice cream."
"You will."
"I probably will."
"You definitely will."
As the three women shared another laugh, Olivia glanced at the clock.
"You know..."
"What?"
"This building feels different whenever Ethan visits."
Sophie smiled.
"That's because he talks to everyone."
"He remembers everyone's names."
Olivia looked toward Isabella.
"...Just like his mother."
For a brief second, Isabella's smile lingered.
Then she picked up her handbag.
"Come on."
"I know someone who's probably been counting the minutes."
Outside the office, employees stepped aside as the founder walked down the corridor.
Not because they feared her.
But because they respected her.
Several greeted her on the way to the elevator.
She greeted every one of them in return.
By name.
And somewhere across the city, completely unaware of the woman laughing with her best friend on the way to collect her son, another billionaire was ending his own workday.
Neither knew how little time remained before two separate lives would begin moving toward the same destination.
- Writer
