PAINS OF LOVE

past

30 years ago....

Laughter once echoed through a much smaller office nothing like the empire that stood today. Felix Luz and David Brooks sat across from each other, sleeves rolled up, ties loosened, arguing over numbers scribbled across a whiteboard. It wasn't polished. It wasn't perfect. But it was theirs. Built from nothing but ambition, sleepless nights, and a friendship that felt unbreakable.

"You're thinking too small," Felix said, tapping the board. "If we expand now, we dominate later."

David leaned back in his chair, watching him with a faint smile. "Or we crash before we even get there."

Felix laughed. "Since when did you get scared?"

"Since I started thinking like someone who actually wants to keep what we build," David replied, though there was no real bite in his tone.

They were different but that difference had always worked.

Catherine walked in carrying a tray with three cups of coffee. The moment she stepped into the room, the air seemed to shift subtle, almost imperceptible, but enough. David's gaze followed her, sharp and unreadable, each step she took under his silent gaze.

She set the tray down carefully, handing a cup to Felix, then one to David. She kept the third for herself, moving closer to Felix to plant a light kiss on his lip, a soft peck. Something stirred in David, a flicker of heat and something unspoken, but as always, he maintained his composure. Neither of them noticed.

"Don't you two think you're overworking yourselves? For crying out loud, it's midnight," Catherine said, a hint of mock scolding in her tone as she rested a hand on Felix's waist.

"Well, men with big dreams don't have time to sleep or take breaks, honey," Felix replied softly, brushing a strand of hair from her face.Catherine sipped her coffee, eyes flicking between the two men. "So, what's keeping you awake this late? You haven't left this ..emm.. little home office of yours for a week. I understand you both have dreams and that's great. But health first. Mmm??"

Felix chuckled, leaning back in his chair.

"Yess momma" Felix said jokingly

"Hey..you!" Catherine replied and they both burst out laughing.

David didn't speak, but his eyes narrowed ever so slightly, following the way Catherine leaned toward Felix. Every laugh, every casual touch seemed to press against a part of him he refused to admit existed.

"Well the good news is we're finally down. All we need now are investors." David finally spoke.

"Really. Well now that's interesting and if I may ask why are neither or you are willing to share your 'business ideas' or whatever you call it or doing with me." Catherine said a bit sadly. She saw David and Felix as more like brothers than anything else, two completely opposite personalities, yet somehow aligned in mindset. She'd met David during their second year of college in a shared class. They had exchanged a few encouraging words over time and shared some conversations, and she'd come to know him as quiet, reserved, and introverted. Their relationship had always felt friendly or at least that's how Catherine had seen it. She had no idea David was secretly crazy in love with her. A love which lead to her tragic end.

She met Felix through David during their final year of college, and it had been an instant click. Outgoing, adventurous, and far more open-minded than David, Felix had quickly captured her heart. Soon after, the three of them became almost inseparable, especially once Catherine and Felix started dating. She married Felix three months after graduation.

For nearly a year, her husband and David had been working on something they called the "start of an empire." Catherine, meanwhile, worked as a manager at a large company, earning a comfortable income. Her husband and best friend didn't earn much yet, but she never complained she was a supportive, loving wife who believed in Felix wholeheartedly. She also admired the bond he shared with David.

Despite their differences, Catherine had always believed the strength of their relationship lay in their shared love for tech and their relentless ambition for sucess. It had been a long journey, and she was thrilled to hear they were finally done but, as always, they refused to tell her what they had been working on. "You'll find out when it goes big," they always said.

" You, Catherine would be the first person to know one everything's settled. We'll start to look for investors tomorrow and it shouldn't be that hard to find one. We have buildt something no investor can refuse." David said proudly, shifting his gaze towards Felix.

"Yes honey. So relax okay." Everything is gonna turn out great I promise, we promise."

Catherine's eyes flicked between Felix and David, a smile tugging at her lips. She still believed, still hoped and prayed for her husband and best friend. The trio spent the rest of the night laughing, teasing each other, and reminiscing about college days the late-night cram sessions, the jokes nobody else understood, the chaos they had survived together.

But a few weeks later, reality hit.

"Three months, Felix! Three f**king months since we completed this project, and we still haven't found a single investor!" David barked, pacing back and forth in the cramped home office.

"You don't think I know that, huh?" Felix shot back, throwing his hands up in exasperation. "I've been making calls, sending emails, hustling every damn day! You think I've been sitting around twiddling my thumbs?"

David stopped mid-step, his eyes flashing. "Hustling? Hustling gets results, Felix! Not excuses!"

Catherine, sitting quietly at the edge of the room with her coffee cup in hand, took a deep breath. She knew both men knew their pride, their stubbornness, their determination. "Hey," she said gently, standing and placing a hand on Felix's shoulder. "Yelling won't get you an investor any faster. You both know this. You've done everything right, it's just a matter of time."

David glanced at her, a flicker of gratitude and frustration crossing his face. Felix gave her a tired but appreciative smile. "You're right, Catherine. I just… I just hate the waiting," he admitted, rubbing the back of his neck.

David finally exhaled, shaking his head. "Fine. We wait. But mark my words, when the right person sees what we've built…" His jaw tightened. "…they're going to kick themselves for not investing sooner."

Catherine smiled, setting her cup down. "Then let's make sure we're ready when that happens. Together."

For a moment, the three of them stood there partners in ambition, bound by friendship, love, and shared dreams ready to face the storm that lay ahead. But David's mind was far far away from them. Suddenly remembering something, or someone.

"I have to leave. I just remembered something important I fought to do." David said as he grabbed his coat and left without waiting for a response from the couple.

They both left out a sigh of frustation watching him leave.

A few hours later, David's car rolled to a stop near a small, quiet park. The kind of park that belonged more to children than adults. Bright swings swaying gently in the breeze, a carousel standing idle under the dim glow of a streetlamp, and the faint scent of popcorn and grass lingering in the air. He didn't linger to watch the emptiness, he was here for a purpose.

He climbed into the passenger seat of a waiting car, sliding the door shut behind him.

The woman in the driver's seat glanced at him calmly. "To what do I this great displeasure Mr. Brooks?"

He didn't hesitate. "Ten million. That's how much I need."

A pause. Then, almost teasingly, she asked, "No hesitations I see. You've gotten bold, haven't ya?"

David's jaw tightened. "Can I have it or not?"

She nodded slowly, a sharp smirk playing on her lips calm, confident, untouchable.

"And you're willingly to do it." The woman asked, glaring deeply at him.

"Yes." David replied

"Okay. She said . Her eyes glinted with something dangerous, almost amused.

"Thank you Iris."

Present day....

Hailey Matins' penthouse was silent painfully so. A stark contrast to the glittering chaos she had left behind at the Brooks estate. The city stretched beneath her through floor-to-ceiling windows, lights flickering like distant stars. She walked barefoot across the polished hardwood, each step echoing softly, her mind replaying the night on a loop.

Her chest tightened. The anger refused to settle.

She moved to the kitchen, poured herself a drink, hands trembling slightly, and took a slow sip, eyes closing as she tried to steady herself.

It didn't work.

The laughter. The smiles. The arrogance.

Every moment replayed—the forced politeness, the mask she had worn, the way she had stood among them like she belonged.

It burned.

A scream tore from her throat before she could stop it. She hurled the glass across the kitchen. It shattered against the counter, shards scattering across the marble floor.

The sound echoed.

Violent. Final.

She collapsed, hands shaking as she pressed her forehead to the cold floor.

She hated them.

The Brooks. Their perfect lives. Their careless happiness.

She hated the way she had to sit there, smiling, while everything inside her screamed to tear them apart.

A memory cut through

Ethan

His eyes. Sharp. Observant.

For a moment, she had felt exposed. Seen.

It unsettled her more than it should have.

Her breathing grew uneven as another memory surfaced—the crash. The sound of metal. The silence that followed.

Her parents.

Gone.

Hailey pressed her hands against her temples.

I survived. I always survive.

The words grounded her, but the truth beneath them lingered—

Surviving wasn't enough.

Slowly, she rose, stepping carefully around the broken glass. Outside, the city remained calm, indifferent.

But she wasn't.

She was calculating. Waiting.

Every smile tonight had been part of the game.

And one day—

The Brooks would pay.

For now, the penthouse held only silence, broken glass, and the quiet burn of something far more dangerous than anger.

Revenge.