Chapter twelve: A Smile She Thought She Had Lost
953 Words
The moment Mia stepped back into Isla’s office, all three pairs of eyes turned toward her.
Isla was the first to stand.
“Well?”
“What happened?”
Mia casually dropped herself onto the sofa, crossed one leg over the other, and shrugged.
“Oh, nothing much.”
“I just said hello.”
Liam raised an eyebrow.
“That’s it?”
“Mm-hmm.”
She nodded innocently.
“Completely peaceful.”
Liam narrowed his eyes.
“I don’t believe you.”
“You shouldn’t.”
A mischievous grin spread across Mia’s face.
“I may have bruised someone’s ego a little.”
“A little?” Liam repeated.
“Just a tiny bit.”
She pinched her fingers together.
“Very tiny.”
Isla sighed, already knowing that expression.
“Mia…”
“What did you do?”
“I simply reminded your dear husband that downgrading isn’t exactly an achievement.”
Liam couldn’t help it.
A laugh escaped his lips.
He quickly covered his mouth, trying to hide it.
“I’m sorry…”
“I shouldn’t laugh.”
“But I really wish I could’ve seen his face.”
Mia pointed at him dramatically.
“Exactly!”
“Someone appreciates my art.”
Even Isla let out a soft laugh.
For the first time in days…
The office echoed with genuine laughter.
Liam looked at Isla for a brief moment.
He couldn’t remember the last time he had seen her smile like that.
And honestly…
He had missed it.
Mia noticed him staring.
“What?”
Liam quickly looked away.
“Nothing.”
“I was just thinking…”
“It’s nice seeing her laugh again.”
The room fell quiet for a second.
Isla lowered her eyes.
“So was I.”
Mia immediately clapped her hands together.
“Enough.”
“No more crying.”
“No more talking about that cheating idiot.”
She stood up.
“I have a much better idea.”
Both Isla and Liam looked at her.
“We’re going out.”
Isla blinked.
“Right now?”
“Yes.”
“Lunch.”
“You’ve been locking yourself inside this office for days.”
“Today…”
“You’re coming with me.”
A small smile appeared on Isla’s face.
“And where exactly are we going?”
Before Mia could answer, she looked at Liam.
“You decide.”
Liam looked slightly caught off guard.
“Me?”
“Yes.”
“You’ve been suspiciously quiet.”
He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.
“Well…”
“How about sushi?”
Mia snapped her fingers.
“There it is.”
“Finally.”
“A man with taste.”
Liam smiled.
“I’ll take that as a compliment.”
“It is.”
She pointed at him.
“And you’re coming with us.”
Liam immediately shook his head.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“I still have work.”
Mia folded her arms.
“No.”
“That wasn’t an invitation.”
“It was an order.”
“I’m kidnapping both of you.”
Liam looked helplessly toward Isla.
“Can you please tell your best friend she’s impossible?”
Isla smiled.
“I’ve been trying for years.”
“It doesn’t work.”
Mia grinned triumphantly.
“See?”
“You’ve already lost.”
Twenty minutes later…
The three of them stepped out of Cross Corporation together.
Isla wasn’t thinking about Damien.
She was simply enjoying the company of the two people who refused to let her drown in her own sadness.
Meanwhile…
Inside the CEO’s office…
Damien’s secretary knocked on the door.
“Sir?”
Damien looked up from his laptop.
“What is it?”
“Mrs. Cross has left the office.”
His fingers stopped moving across the keyboard.
“…Left?”
“Yes, sir.”
“She went out with Miss Mia Anderson and Mr. Liam Carter.”
For reasons even he couldn’t explain…
A strange feeling settled in Damien’s chest.
Annoyance.
Possessiveness.
Or perhaps…
Jealousy.
His expression hardened.
“Where did they go?”
“I’m not sure, sir.”
He looked out through the floor-to-ceiling window, his jaw tightening.
For years…
Isla had always told him where she was going.
Today…
She left without saying a single word.
It shouldn’t have bothered him.
Yet somehow…
It did.
⸻
A cozy Japanese restaurant welcomed them with warm lighting and the comforting aroma of freshly prepared food.
The atmosphere was calm.
Peaceful.
Exactly what Isla needed.
As soon as they sat down, Mia grabbed the menu.
“No one is allowed to be sad today.”
She looked directly at Isla.
“That’s my only rule.”
Isla smiled helplessly.
“Fine.”
“I’ll try.”
“Good.”
“Because if you cry…”
“I’m ordering the spiciest sushi on the menu and making you eat all of it.”
Liam laughed.
“You’ve thought this through.”
“It’s effective.”
Their food arrived a short while later.
Conversation flowed effortlessly.
Mia kept telling embarrassing stories from their university days.
Liam shared funny incidents from the office.
Even Isla found herself laughing so hard that tears formed in the corners of her eyes.
But this time…
They weren’t tears of pain.
They were tears of happiness.
Liam quietly watched her from across the table.
A faint smile appeared on his face.
This…
This was the Isla everyone had fallen in love with.
Not because she was beautiful…
But because her smile had a way of making even the heaviest days feel lighter.
For the first time in a long time…
She looked alive again.
- Writer
