20
1000 Words
CHAPTER 20
“Before It’s Too Late”
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Raymond’s POV
I slumped further into the leather couch, glass of whiskey in hand, head full of thoughts I didn’t want and feelings I couldn’t stop.
“Damn, you look like hell,” Alex muttered from across the room, his tone dry but laced with concern. He was leaning against the counter, a glass of something darker in his hand.
“Yeah?” I shot back. “Well, hell has better drinks.”
He didn’t laugh. Just gave that slight nod he always did when something hit too close to home.
I sighed and looked down at the amber swirl in my glass. “Mia has a boyfriend. One year. She told me like it was no big deal. And I... I actually thought there was a chance.”
He didn’t say anything at first. Just stared out the window, the lights of the city flickering like embers behind him.
Then he spoke—quietly. “I know how you feel.”
I looked up.
Alex never volunteered emotional truths. That wasn’t his language. His silence was usually his armor. But right now, he wasn’t hiding.
His grip tightened on the edge of the marble counter. His shoulders were tense, jaw clenched.
“I think I love her,” he said finally.
I blinked. “Wait… Hazel?”
He nodded slowly, as if saying it out loud made it real. “It’s driving me insane. Every time she walks into the room, I can’t breathe. But I keep pushing her away.”
“Then don’t,” I said, setting my glass down and leaning forward. “Why the hell are you acting like a damn iceberg if you feel that strongly?”
He scoffed. “Because I don’t know what this is. She’s my assistant. What if it ruins everything? What if she doesn’t feel the same?”
I stood and walked over, placing a hand firmly on his shoulder.
“If anyone can handle your crap, Alex, it’s Hazel. You’ve been cold, rude, unpredictable—and she stays. She doesn’t flinch. She’s still here.”
He didn’t answer, but something flickered in his eyes.
A question he wasn’t ready to ask.
A hope he was afraid to have.
---
Vanessa’s POV
Sweet Bloom Café
I stirred my latte slowly, my mind spinning like the foam in the cup.
Sophie sat across from me, her eyes wide and lips spilling gossip like water.
“I’m serious,” she gushed. “They looked so good together. People were whispering all night at the Carter gala. Apparently, she’s his PA—but they were close-close. Like, date close.”
PA?
That word burned in my ears.
“His personal assistant?” I asked, forcing a sweet tone.
Sophie nodded with a giggle. “Yeah, she’s new. Pretty. Soft-spoken. A bit awkward but… sweet, I guess.”
I smiled. Or at least, I showed teeth. “Interesting.”
Alex. Cold, untouchable, emotionally bankrupt Alex. With her?
No.
He was mine.
Even if we ended, even if we never said it aloud, he was mine. No one else ever got past those walls. Not even me… fully.
Until now?
Until some starry-eyed girl in a pencil skirt breezed in and stole what I could never keep?
Sophie left with a cheery wave, still unaware she’d handed me the knife I needed.
I sat there longer, staring at my untouched drink.
Then I opened my phone and scrolled through my gallery—pictures of me and Alex from before. Dinners. Press conferences. That weekend in Paris he pretended never happened.
No one knew him like I did.
And if he thought I’d let her replace me without a fight…
He was sorely mistaken.
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Alexander’s POV
The city was quiet from up here—silent and blinking, like it was holding its breath.
Hazel.
Her name was a whisper in my thoughts. Her laugh, her voice, the way she said “sir” like it didn’t sting every time.
She haunted every inch of this damn penthouse.
The couch. The hallway. That guest room I passed every night but never knocked on.
My phone sat on the table, screen lit. Her name glowed.
One call. One message. One word.
But I didn’t tap it.
I couldn’t.
My fingers hovered, aching with hesitation.
I took a step back, running a hand through my hair.
I wasn’t just afraid of rejection—I was afraid of her. What she made me feel. The way she cracked open everything I worked so hard to bury.
Raymond’s words echoed in my head.
> “Don’t wait too long.”
But it wasn’t that simple.
If I let her in—really in—there would be no going back.
And if she left me?
That would destroy everything.
I picked up the phone again.
Paused.
Then dropped it with a sigh.
“Tomorrow,” I muttered.
Tomorrow, I’d figure it out.
Tomorrow, I’d stop hiding.
Tomorrow… before it’s too late.
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Hazel’s POV
I tossed in bed, covers tangled around my legs like ropes.
Sleep wouldn’t come.
Not with him in the next room. Not with the ghost of a kiss still lingering on my lips.
I was trying to move on. To act like nothing happened.
But nothing felt normal anymore.
He’d kissed me.
And then… he’d shut me out.
But every now and then, I’d catch him looking at me when he thought I wasn’t watching.
Like he regretted something.
Like he wanted to say something.
And part of me—despite everything—was waiting.
Waiting for him to speak. To stop pretending.
To break the silence before I shattered.
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To Be Continued…
In Episode 21:
– Alexander finally takes a risk... or does Vanessa get to Hazel first?
– Hazel faces the emotional toll of silence.
– Raymond crosses paths with Mia... again — fate isn’t done with them yet.
– Secrets begin to unravel.
- Writer
