BONDS UNBROKEN

CHAPTER TEN

Chapter Ten

It had been three days since the welcoming party, and Briella had forced herself into a rhythm. She no longer let her eyes linger when Marcellus passed her in the hallway, no longer tried to ask him questions that he would only shut down. Instead, she kept it professional. Emails, meetings, reports. She treated him as she would any other superior, even though deep inside she was screaming.

Her phone buzzed on the desk. A notification from the old group chat: “The Trio.” She hesitated before opening it.

Annabel: So? How did it go? Don’t keep me waiting, Ella!

Christopher: Yeah, spill. Did he faint the moment he saw you? Or did you faint? 😂

Briella sighed, fingers hovering over the screen. She typed slowly.

Briella: He’s not the same, guys. He’s… different. Cold. He hardly spoke to me. It’s like he’s a stranger.

Annabel’s reply came instantly, full of disbelief.

Annabel: What? That doesn’t sound like our Marci. He adored you. Are you sure you’re talking about the same person?

Christopher: Hmm. People change, Ella. But cold? Toward you? That’s strange.

Briella: I don’t know what to think anymore. For now, I’ll just keep it professional.

Annabel: Professional? Oh, please. If you’re not careful, I’ll fly to London myself and knock some sense into him.

Christopher: Don’t worry. I’ll talk to him. Leave Marci to me.

Briella smiled faintly at the screen, though the ache in her chest remained.

Later that night, in a high-class club in Mayfair, London, Christopher sat across from Marcellus in a private lounge. The air was thick with music and chatter, but the room they had chosen was quiet, with dim lighting and leather seats. Their drinks rested untouched on the table.

Christopher studied his friend. Marcellus looked the same as ever—perfectly put together, suit sharp, expression unreadable—but there was a tension in his jaw that only someone who had known him for years could notice.

“So,” Christopher finally said, leaning back in his chair, “why are you acting like this with Briella? Do you… hate her now? Did she do something wrong?”

Marcellus’s glass stopped halfway to his lips. His eyes snapped to Christopher’s, sharp as ice.

“Hate her?” His voice was dangerously low. “Why would you even ask me that? How could I ever hate her?”

Christopher didn’t flinch. “Then what is it? You’ve been colder to her than to anyone else. That’s not you, Marci.”

For the first time since his return, Marcellus’s mask cracked. He set the glass down slowly, exhaling a breath he seemed to have been holding for years.

“I don’t know how to react to her,” he admitted quietly, almost like a confession. “It’s been so long. I’ve hurt her—I know I have. I don’t even know how to start explaining everything that happened… everything that kept me away.”

He leaned forward, elbows on his knees, his gaze distant. “Do you know what it’s like to carry someone in your heart every single day for ten years? And then stand in front of them and realize they might not even recognize the person you’ve become?”

Christopher softened, nodding slowly. “So you’re pushing her away to protect yourself?”

“No.” Marcellus shook his head firmly. “I came back for her. For both of you. I can’t explain how happy I was to see her again. But every time I look at her, I see all the years I lost. And I don’t know how to bridge that gap.”

Christopher smirked, though his eyes were kind. “Start by not calling her ‘employee’. That might help.”

Marcellus chuckled faintly, though the sound was hollow. He leaned back, running a hand through his hair. “Maybe you’re right. But I need time. I need to find the right way to tell her everything.”

Christopher raised his glass, finally taking a sip. “Well, don’t take too long, brother. She’s been carrying her own scars too, even if she hides them better than anyone. Don’t let her think you’ve abandoned her twice.”

Marcellus didn’t reply, but the weight in his chest seemed heavier than the glass in his hand.

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✨ End of Chapter Ten ✨