The CEO Who Wants Her Back

Chapter 3

Dan’s phone kept vibrating on the table, pulling his attention again and again. He frowned slightly, exhaling as he finally picked it up. The notification was the same as before. Her live stream was on again. A small smile formed on his face before he could stop it.

He stood up slowly, stretching his shoulders like it was nothing important. Dave glanced at him from across the room. “Where are you going again?” he asked casually. Dan didn’t even slow down. “Room,” he replied. Dave scoffed. “You act like it’s a secret mission every time.” Dan just laughed lightly.

Inside his room, everything felt quieter. He closed the door behind him and sat on the edge of the bed. The live stream loaded quickly. And there she was again. Maya. Talking softly, smiling while preparing food, acting like the world outside her little space didn’t exist at all.

Dan leaned back slightly, watching her carefully. She looked so natural on screen, so unaware of how many people were watching her every move. “She really likes food,” he muttered under his breath. A small smile stayed on his lips. He didn’t notice how long he had been staring.

The comment section kept moving fast. Hearts, emojis, compliments flooding the screen nonstop. “She’s so cute.” “Marry me already.” “She’s healing my day.” Dan ignored all of it. He wasn’t watching the comments. He was watching her face, the way she smiled, like nothing was wrong in her world.

Across the house, Dave also saw the notification. He hesitated for a second before opening it. The screen lit up with her image. He leaned back in his chair, expression unreadable. “So this is her,” he muttered quietly. His eyes stayed fixed, not soft, but focused, almost studying her carefully.

He scoffed slightly, shifting in his seat. “She talks too much,” he said under his breath, but he didn’t exit the stream. Instead, he kept watching. Something about her voice, her calm energy, didn’t let him scroll away. It wasn’t emotion yet. Just interest building slowly inside him.

Maya ended the live stream with a soft smile. “Okay guys, I have to go now,” she said gently. “Don’t forget to eat well.” She waved before ending the stream. The screen went dark, and she leaned back in her chair, exhaling deeply like she had been holding everything in.

She stood up quickly after that, grabbing her small bag. There was no time to rest. She had another shift waiting. “You can do this,” she told herself quietly before leaving. Her life didn’t stop because of emotions or tiredness. It only moved forward, whether she was ready or not.

The store was already crowded when she arrived. Customers were moving everywhere, voices overlapping, the noise filling the small space. “Maya, counter two!” her manager called. “I’m coming!” she replied quickly, tying her hair back while stepping behind the register. She barely had time to adjust before trouble started.

A woman slammed her items on the counter. “This is too expensive!” she snapped immediately. Maya blinked but stayed calm. “Ma’am, the prices are printed,” she tried to explain. But the woman interrupted sharply, raising her voice. “Don’t lie to me! You people always try to cheat customers!”

Maya’s hands tightened slightly, but she kept her voice steady. “Ma’am, I can check it for you if” “I don’t want excuses!” the woman shouted again. The surrounding customers started watching. Maya felt the pressure rise in her chest, but she refused to step back or react emotionally.

The woman demanded the manager loudly. The tension in the store grew heavier. Maya turned slightly to call him, but before she could speak properly, a calm voice cut through the noise. “I heard everything.” The entire store seemed to pause at once. Maya froze without even turning fully.

Dan walked into view slowly, completely unbothered by the attention. He had just come in casually, but the situation made him stop. His eyes shifted first to Maya, then to the woman. Something in his expression changed the moment he saw her standing there, trying not to break under pressure.

“Is there a problem?” he asked calmly. The woman immediately turned to him. “Yes! Your staff is trying to cheat me!” Dan didn’t react emotionally. He picked up one of the items, checked the label, and glanced at the register screen behind Maya. Everything matched perfectly without error.

He looked back at the woman. “The price is correct,” he said simply. “So either you misunderstood, or you’re causing a scene for no reason.” Silence followed instantly. The woman hesitated, then angrily dropped the items and stormed out. The tension in the store finally broke completely.

Maya exhaled quietly, her shoulders dropping slightly. She didn’t say anything immediately. Dan turned toward her slowly. There was a short pause between them. Not awkward. Just uncertain. Then he spoke gently. “Are you okay?” The question wasn’t loud or dramatic. It was simple, but it landed softly.

Maya nodded slowly. “Yes… thank you,” she replied. Dan gave a small, calm smile. “Good.” And just like that, the moment passed. But something subtle stayed behind. Something neither of them named. Something small, but real, sitting quietly between them before either of them fully understood it.

Across the city, Dave closed the live stream hours later. He leaned back in his chair, silent. His expression wasn’t soft or emotional. It was focused. “Interesting,” he muttered to himself. Not affection. Not obsession yet. Just curiosity settling deeper than he expected. And for once, he didn’t look away quickly.

He saw the notification pop up on his phone again, a new video from Dan, and without thinking much, he clicked on it, watching as the clip loaded slowly before showing his brother stepping into a*****e scene already in motion, then shifting to the background where a girl stood behind the counter trying to stay composed under pressure, and for a brief moment Dave’s attention narrowed completely on her face though something about it felt familiar without giving him anything clear to hold onto, until just as he leaned in slightly to replay it.