The apartment was quiet again. After Elijah left, the stillness that returned wasn't comforting. Pearl paced her room for a moment before sitting at her desk. Her laptop blinked to life, the bright screen cutting through the dull gray of the late afternoon. She sighed and cracked her knuckles, trying to focus.
Freelancing was the only steady thing she had. Since graduating, she had applied to over twenty reputable companies across Velmora or if she was lucky a job in Motenlucia city. No calls. No interviews. Just radio silence. The jobs she wanted always felt just a little too far out of reach.
So she turned to what she could control: writing.
She scrolled through her inbox and opened up a pending gig, an article draft for a travel blog about hidden gems in Montelucia. She'd been working with the client for a few weeks now. Not a huge paycheck, but enough to keep her afloat. As she typed, her mind wandered—Elijah's face, the look in his eyes, his words about money. She wasn't doing this for the money. Not entirely. She was doing it for herself, to survive. To stay sane.
She pushed those thoughts aside and leaned in closer to the screen.
Meanwhile, across town...
The glass doors to Harrison's Capital opened with a quiet swoosh as a tall figure stepped into the building, his tailored navy-blue coat fluttering slightly behind him. Heads turned, recognizing him instantly, Jaxon Kane. CEO of KaneTech Solutions. Charming. Wildly successful. And impossible to ignore.
He strolled up to the reception with a smirk. "Tell your boss his better half is here to rescue him."
The receptionist laughed. "He's in his office. You know the way, Mr. Kane."
"Of course I do. I practically own this hallway."
He then went to the private lift and took it to the last floor.
Without knocking, Jaxon pushed open Richard's office door.
Richard, seated behind his massive desk, "You're back." He suddenly said.
The words left Richard's lips before he even looked up from the stack of papers spread across his sleek office desk. His voice was calm, almost unreadable, but the slight twitch at the corner of his mouth gave away a trace of familiarity, something only one person could bring out of him.
Jaxon Cross stepped into the room with his usual cocky swagger, the door clicking shut behind him. Tall, broad-shouldered, and effortlessly charming, he grinned as he adjusted the strap of the leather bag slung over his shoulder.
"Miss me already?" he asked, tossing the bag onto one of the guest chairs without waiting for an invitation.
Richard leaned back in his seat, arms folded. "You could've called."
"Where's the fun in that?" Jaxon replied, casually strolling toward the floor-to-ceiling window that overlooked the glittering skyline of Montelucia. "I figured I'd show up and see if the great Richard Harrison was still breathing.
He turned slightly, his expression smug. "Still cold as ever. That's a relief. I'd have been disappointed if you'd turned soft in my absence."
Richard smirked faintly. "I don't do soft."
"Right," Jaxon said, tapping the glass with his knuckle, then spinning back toward the desk. "So, how's business? Still making headlines and enemies?"
"The usual. We sealed a few major investments. And if tomorrow goes as planned, the Zenith contract will be ours."
Jaxon's brows rose in amusement. "Ah, that deal. The billion-dollar headache you've been chasing like it's the holy grail."
"It is the holy grail," Richard replied smoothly. "Land that, and the firm's valuation skyrockets."
Jaxon walked over to the small bar in the corner of the office and poured himself a drink without asking. "You always did like your victories loud and expensive."
Richard didn't respond, only watched as his friend sipped the whiskey and sank into the chair across from him like he'd never left.
"How long are you back for?" Richard asked.
"Undecided." Jaxon's tone was deliberately vague. "Could be a week, could be a month. Depends on what Montelucia throws at me."
"Business?"
"Partly. KaneTech has a few things cooking here." He raised his glass. "And maybe I missed the chaos. You always had a way of making the city feel alive.
Richard gave a low chuckle. "Or maybe you just missed sticking your nose in my business."
Jaxon grinned, unapologetic. "What can I say? Watching you juggle billion-dollar deals and PR disasters is better than Netflix."
And you're still the loudest tech mogul this side of the continent. How's KaneTech holding up without your micromanagement?"
"Thriving, obviously. I spent few months in Paris setting up our first European innovation lab. Ate enough croissants to make my ancestors proud."
"Glad to hear you weren't just chasing women in berets."
"Only on weekends. During the week, I was a perfect gentleman."
Richard shook his head, amused.
"But seriously," Jaxon said, his tone softening, "I missed Montelucia. Missed this, the chaos, the drama."
"And me, clearly."
"Obviously. You're my favorite headache."
Richard glanced at the time. "You just dropping by to mock me, or...?"
"I was actually hoping to drag you out. Let's hit a bar. Celebrate my return. We'll pretend you're not emotionally repressed for a night."
Richard smirked. "Tempting."
"I'll even pay."
"In that case... lead the way."
They ended up at a sleek bar in the heart of Montelucia—dim lights, low jazz, and overpriced whiskey.
Jaxon took a long sip and leaned back. "So, what's this I hear about you being engaged?"
Richard's brows flicked up. "Already?"
"My assistant flagged it like a national emergency. Something about a rooftop party and a woman in heels."
"And you believed it?"
"I didn't even look at the picture," Jaxon said with a snort. "I figured it was a prank. You don't even like parties."
Richard stared at his drink. "It's not fake."
Jaxon blinked. "Wait, hold on. You're actually engaged?"
"In a manner of speaking."
"You mean in a business manner."
Richard gave a one-shoulder shrug.
Jaxon groaned. "Oh no. You contracted yourself into a relationship. Rich, I leave for a few months and you start merging your love life?"
"There were… complications."
"There always are." Jaxon squinted at him. "Is this about Viola?"
Richard tensed slightly. "What about her?"
"She's been calling me. Texting. Apparently trying to get in touch with you."
"I know."
"Says she wants to talk. Apologize. Beg. Whatever it is girls like her do when the drama cools off."
Richard's jaw flexed. "She had her chance. I'm not giving her the satisfaction of seeing me broken."
"So you pulled a publicity stunt just to prove you're over her?"
Richard met his gaze. "Not entirely. Pearl was caught up in a situation. It was the best way to shield her."
Jaxon raised a brow. "Pearl?"
Richard realized too late that he'd said her name. He looked away, pretending to swirl the liquid in his glass. "Don't read into it."
"Oh, but I'm absolutely reading into it," Jaxon said, leaning back with a wolfish grin. "You, my emotionally constipated friend, just used a name. A real one. Not 'that woman' or 'the situation.' Progress."
Richard took a slow sip. "Don't get ahead of yourself. It's just a name."
"Mmhmm." Jaxon's grin widened. "And this 'name' just so happened to stumble into your world, got herself tangled in a PR nightmare, and now she's the poster girl for your fake engagement."
"I'm not talking about this with you."
"Which only makes me more curious."
Richard gave him a warning look, one he'd perfected over the years, cool, sharp, final.
Jaxon ignored it entirely. "Fine, fine. I'll drop it… for now. But you can't hide behind brooding silences forever. You're already playing fiance, might as well practice some vulnerability."
Richard chuckled darkly. "I'd rather swallow glass."
Jaxon raised his glass in mock salute. "To selective suffering."
They clinked glasses, the mood softening into something more familiar. For a while, they drank in companionable silence, the buzz of jazz and low conversation surrounding them like a comfortable haze.
"So," Jaxon eventually said, tossing Richard a sideways glance, "what happens when this little arrangement of yours outlives its usefulness?"
Richard didn't answer immediately. His gaze had drifted toward the bar, his thoughts clearly somewhere else, somewhere quieter, messier.
"Then it ends," he said at last, his voice low.
Jaxon nodded slowly. "Right. Just make sure you know where the ending is. And don't let it sneak up on you."
Richard finished his drink and set the glass down with a soft clink. "I always know where the ending is."
But the flicker in his eyes betrayed him.
Jaxon studied him for a moment longer, then leaned back and stretched. "Well, I should let you get back to work. Big day tomorrow, yeah? Zenith reps?"
Richard gave a curt nod. "Eight A.M. meeting. Everything's in place."
"Of course it is. You wouldn't be Richard Harrison otherwise."
Richard stood, adjusting his cuffs. "Don't act surprised. Some of us actually enjoy being prepared."
Jaxon smirked as he rose too. "You're a machine, that's what you are."
"At least one of us is holding things together."
Jaxon clapped him lightly on the shoulder. "Try not to stress over everything all at once. You've already got half the city shaking in their suits."
Richard allowed the corner of his mouth to lift, just slightly. "Good. That means they're paying attention."
As they walked toward the exit of the upscale lounge, Jaxon paused at the door, tossing him a meaningful look. "It's good to see you again, Rich. Even if your life is still a walking headline."
Richard chuckled under his breath. "Good to have you back. Try not to make too much noise while you're here."
"No promises," Jaxon said with a grin, stepping into the night air.
Richard drove back to his office, And just like that, Richard was alone again, his thoughts already shifting back to tomorrow. The Zenith meeting wasn't just another contract. It was the next defining step.