CHAPTER 18
646 Words
Raymond’s POV
I pulled up in front of the café, heart lighter than usual.
Why?
Because of her.
Mia.
Sassy. Beautiful. Infuriating. Addictive.
Calm down, Knight, I told myself. It’s just coffee.
She was already there, leaning casually against the counter, phone in hand, like she hadn’t spent the last few days running laps in my head rent-free.
When she looked up and saw me, her smirk returned.
“Finally. I thought you bailed.”
I laughed. “Wouldn’t dream of it.”
We grabbed our coffees and sat by the window, sunlight streaming through the glass like a filter over something too perfect to touch.
For the first time in a long while, I wasn’t performing.
I wasn’t the charming billionaire.
I wasn’t the player.
I was just… a man having coffee with a woman who intrigued the hell out of him.
Conversation flowed easily — teasing, laughter, a few awkward silences that somehow weren’t awkward at all.
And just when I was starting to believe maybe—just maybe—this could go somewhere…
Her phone buzzed.
She glanced at it quickly, then smiled. Soft. Familiar. Like she didn’t even realize she was doing it.
She typed a reply with practiced ease.
I caught the look.
“Boyfriend?” I asked, keeping my tone light. Too light.
She hesitated — just for a second.
Then nodded. “Yeah. We’ve been together for a year.”
I forced a smile. “He’s lucky.”
She looked down, like she couldn’t meet my eyes after that.
Inside, something cracked.
I hadn’t even realized how much I’d wanted her to say no.
The rest of the coffee date blurred.
I made excuses. Laughed it off. Left early.
Fool.
She was never yours to begin with.
---
Alexander’s Penthouse
I barged into Alex’s penthouse, needing a distraction.
Needing anything to drown the stupid ache in my chest.
But the moment I stepped in—I stopped.
There he was.
Standing by the window, tie loosened, glass of whiskey in hand.
Dark. Brooding. Troubled.
Something’s wrong.
“Alex?” I asked cautiously.
He didn’t even look at me. Just downed the whiskey.
“She’s getting under my skin,” he said quietly.
I blinked. “Who?”
He turned, eyes burning.
“Hazel.”
I exhaled sharply. Damn.
We were both wrecked tonight — by women who didn’t even know what they were doing to us.
Or maybe they did.
Alex poured me a drink, sliding it across the counter like it was second nature.
I caught it silently.
Two broken men.
Two different women.
One hell of a night.
No words needed.
---
Hazel’s POV
I sat curled up in my new room, laptop closed, the city humming quietly beyond the window.
I couldn’t focus.
Every time I closed my eyes—I saw him.
Felt his lips again.
The kiss.
The way he’d pulled back so fast, like it never happened.
Now he barely looked at me. Barely spoke to me.
I knew I should be relieved.
But my heart had other ideas.
And deep down… I wondered—
Was he feeling the same?
Was he regretting it?
Or… remembering it?
I opened my journal.
Entry:
He kissed me. He kissed me and then ran. Now he pretends it meant nothing. But the way he looked at me before he did… that wasn’t nothing.
It felt like the start of something. And now? Now I’m not sure if I want to run or fall.
I shut the journal.
Outside, the wind howled.
And inside me?
A storm was beginning.
---
TO BE CONTINUED ❤️🔥
Next:
🖒 The cold war between Alex & Hazel intensifies
🚶♂️ Raymond tries to move on from Mia — but fate isn't done with them yet
🕵️♂️ An unexpected moment will flip everything on its head
- Writer
