Link Between Us

Chapter 4 - Business is Trouble

*First-Person POV: Ryna*

The next few days felt like a blur, the tension in the house thick enough to cut with a knife. It was as if nothing had changed, yet everything had. Marcus’ return stirred up all sorts of emotions I hadn’t been prepared to deal with. We were stuck in this absurd situation, where our families’ failed legacies hung around our necks like millstones. But it wasn’t just the business that was suffocating. It was the fact that Marcus was back, and I wasn’t sure what I was supposed to feel about it anymore.

He wasn’t the same boy I used to argue with. In fact, the man who stood in front of me now seemed like a stranger. His confidence—bordering on arrogance—was infuriating, but it was also oddly familiar. The way he carried himself, the way he spoke like he had all the answers, made me want to punch him as much as I wanted to kiss him.

I could never figure him out.

---

“Ryna.”

I froze mid-step, my hand gripping the railing as I turned to face the voice. Marcus stood at the bottom of the stairs, looking unusually... casual. Jeans and a t-shirt, his arms crossed over his chest as he studied me.

I raised an eyebrow, feeling instantly irritated. “What do you want?”

He stepped forward, his gaze flicking down to the coffee cup in my hand. “I thought we could talk. You know, about the business.”

I sighed, clearly annoyed. “Now you want to talk?”

“Now seems like a good time,” he said, walking up to join me at the top of the stairs. “I wasn’t here for the last four years. But I’m here now, and I’m not just going to sit around and watch this place fall apart.”

I didn’t know why I expected anything different from him. He was always good at acting like he knew everything. “So, you think you can fix it?” I shot back, trying to hide the doubt that crept into my voice.

His gaze softened, though there was still an edge to it. “I don’t know. But I know we can’t just keep going the way we have been.”

“Right,” I muttered, turning away and heading down the hall. “Let’s just throw everything out the window and start from scratch. No problem.”

He caught up to me, his footsteps purposeful but not hurried. “I’m not saying we should throw everything out. But you know as well as I do that things are... not working.”

I stopped in my tracks, turning to face him. “Oh, I know. But don’t expect me to be your partner in this, Marcus. I’m not about to hand over control to someone who walked away from everything four years ago.”

The words felt sharper than I intended, but I wasn’t about to back down. His return didn’t change the fact that he hadn’t been here when it mattered. When the s**t hit the fan, he wasn’t there to help clean it up.

He stared at me for a moment, his jaw tightening, but to my surprise, he didn’t snap back. Instead, he let out a long breath. “I’m not asking you to hand over control. I’m just asking you to work with me.”

“Why?” I asked, genuinely curious. “What’s in this for you?”

His eyes met mine, and for the first time since he returned, there was a vulnerability in his expression. “I don’t know, Ryna. Maybe I’m tired of watching everything fall apart. Maybe I’m tired of being the guy who only comes in when things are already broken.”

I shook my head, confused. “That doesn’t sound like you.”

“It’s not,” he admitted. “But I’ve seen enough in the last four years to know that sitting around waiting for someone else to fix things isn’t going to get us anywhere.”

---

We didn’t talk much after that. The silence between us was thick, but there was an unspoken agreement that we’d try to make things work. At least, that’s what I told myself. The problem was that I didn’t trust him—no, not just that. I didn’t trust us.

Every time I looked at him, I remembered what it was like when we were younger. The way we’d spend hours together, fighting, joking, dreaming about a future that was never meant to be. But none of that mattered now. The world we lived in was harsh, unforgiving, and all the old feelings in the world wouldn’t change the fact that we were both trapped in a business neither of us had asked for.

---

That night, the air was thick with unease as I walked into the kitchen. My parents were there, sitting at the table, but they both fell silent as soon as I entered.

“What’s going on?” I asked, my gaze moving between the two of them.

My father was the first to break the silence. “Your mother and I have been talking.”

“About what?” I asked, already knowing where this was headed.

“You’re going to have to work with Marcus,” my father said, his tone flat.

I clenched my fists, trying to hold back the frustration that bubbled up inside me. “I know that, but you don’t have to make it sound like I don’t have a choice.”

“You don’t,” my mother said softly, her voice almost apologetic.

I couldn’t understand why they were making this so hard. The entire situation was already unbearable, and now they were expecting me to work side by side with the one person I’d always clashed with.

“I’m doing what’s best for the business,” my father added.

I wanted to argue, but what was the point? The business was sinking, and they were too blinded by their pride to admit it. Maybe I wasn’t ready to face the reality of it all, but that didn’t mean I was going to let them push me around.

“Fine,” I said, my voice tight. “I’ll work with him. But don’t expect me to do it with a smile on my face.”

My mother’s eyes softened, but my father only nodded, as though he already expected this response.

“Good,” he said, standing up. “Now go get some rest. We have a lot of work to do tomorrow.”

---

Later that night, I sat in the garden again, staring out at the stars. My mind was racing, but there was something about the quiet that helped clear the noise. That was when I felt the presence behind me, the footsteps light but deliberate.

“Can’t sleep?” Marcus asked, his voice soft.

I didn’t turn to face him. “No. I’ve been thinking.”

“About?”

“About how much I hate this business,” I said, my words slipping out before I could stop them.

“I get it,” he replied. “I didn’t come back because I liked it.”

I let out a laugh, though it was hollow. “Yeah, well, welcome to my world.”

There was a pause before he spoke again, his tone almost uncertain. “You know... maybe we’re not so different after all.”

I didn’t respond. I couldn’t. Because, in some way, I knew he was right.