The Vows of Vengeance

The sound of running water echoed from the bathroom, steam curling into the air like soft fingers wrapping around Lara's skin. She stood barefoot, a silk robe clinging to her damp body bare beneath. She hadn't bothered with a bra, what was the point? It was her space and that meant her moment to breathe.

She had just lit a candle near the edge of the bathtub when something outside caught her attention she could hear voices, Male it was low but disturbing. She frowned.

Still holding the candle lighter, she made her way towards the front door. The voices grew clearer as she reached it.

It was the guard's voice: "Sir, I told you, Ms. Alden isn't seeing anyone tonight."

And then the voice that responded sounded familiar, angry and too sharp to mistake.

"She'll see me. I'm not leaving until she does."

Lara exhaled, long and slow. She unlocked the door and pulled it open just enough to see one of her security guards stiffen and step back.

"Ma'am I'm sorry. He showed up unannounced and refused to leave."

Lara's eyes moved past him.

Ethan stood just outside, his fists clenched at his sides, his jaw locked, his white shirt half-unbuttoned like he'd either just gotten out of bed or hadn't touched one all night.

Her voice was flat. "Let him in."

She turned without waiting, not glancing back, the soft swish of silk trailing behind her as she walked back inside.

The door closed behind him gently.

For a moment, he didn't move. Just stared at her at the curve of her back, at her legs, at the damp skin beneath the robe that refused to hide much of anything she didn't show , Didn't cover herself. She didn't need to, She was beyond shame.

"Is he here?" Ethan's voice finally came sarcastic, angry, a little too loud for the room. 

"What?"

"Adrian. Is that why you didn't want to see me? You let him in but not me?"

Lara turned slowly.

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"You know what I'm talking about," he snapped, stepping forward. "Maybe you're already sleeping with him. Maybe he's here right now, in your bed. I saw the way he looks at you. Like he has you."

She stared at him stunned, clearly offended but she remained silent.

He kept going. "Do you just......what? Open the door for any man who throws a compliment your way?"

Her voice dropped.

"Are you calling me a whore?"

The room froze.

Then her hand came up and struck him across the face. A clean, sharp slap.

Ethan didn't move.

"I gave you everything," she said, her voice trembling not with weakness, but anger. "And you left me in a white dress, with my heart in pieces, in front of everyone I loved. And now...now...you come into my home and call me that?"

He blinked, and she saw it. The way anger gave way to something else entirely.

"I'm sorry," he breathed, his voice cracking. "God, Lara, I didn't come here to say that. I didn't come here to… accuse you."

She didn't respond, she just stood there, arms wrapped loosely around herself, breathing slowly.

"I came here because I haven't been able to sleep," Ethan said, stepping closer. "Because every time I close my eyes, I see your face in that elevator. I see the way you looked at me like I didn't exist anymore."

Her eyes shimmered, but she didn't let them fall.

"Maybe you don't," she said, voice quiet.

"I do," he whispered. "Because I never stopped loving you. I've just been too much of a coward to say it."

She still didn't move.

"I made the worst mistake of my life walking away from you. And it's not because I saw you with Adrian, or because I'm jealous. It's because I know no one will ever look at me the way you once did."

His hand lifted, slow. Barely touching her face. His fingers brushed her cheek like she was something delicate he didn't want to break again.

And she let him.

His touch sent a ripple through her spine. Her lips parted slightly, eyes locked on his. She should have pulled away.

But she didn't.

He leaned in, and this time she didn't resist when their lips met. His mouth was warm, desperate, familiar. Her fingers curled against his shirt, and for a moment, time folded in on itself.

She kissed him like she used to, Like nothing had been broken.

Like he never left. And for a few seconds.....it felt real.

But when she pulled away, the silence seemed louder than before.

"That," she said softly, looking at him through wet lashes, "was what it could've been."

He stepped closer again, but she gently placed her palm on his chest.

"That woman...the one you loved..she waited....she cried. She begged God for answers," her voice cracked slightly. "She's not here anymore."

His eyes were wet now, but he didn't stop her when she stepped back.

She didn't look at him as she walked away.

This time, she closed the door behind him.

Lara didn't sleep that night, Not really.

She lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, her robe still loose around her waist, Ethan's kiss still lingering like a bruise she couldn't see but couldn't stop feeling. It wasn't the kiss that haunted her....it was the moment after. The weight of silence. The way she closed the door and the look in his eyes when she did.

He still loved her.

And for a second worse than anything she had loved him back. She got up at dawn, made coffee, shower. She picked up a nice gown, sharp heels, and a red lip that matched her elegance. She had a company to run, She wasn't here for ghosts.

9:00 AM – Sterling & Vale HQ

The office buzzed with quiet energy. Lara's heels echoed crisply across the marble floors as she walked in. Her assistant, Nina, stood waiting near the elevators with tablet in hand, her expression unreadable.

"You're early," Nina said, falling into step beside her.

"So are you."

"I had a feeling you'd need caffeine and damage control."

Lara accepted the coffee with a nod. "I already had coffee this morning but I'll take it, what's the damage?"

"Well," Nina began, swiping her screen. "Someone from PR leaked a half-formed press memo about the Maya video. We managed to kill it before it hit any real outlets, but the legal team is twitchy."

"And Maya?"

"Still hiding behind her lawyers. But she's shaken."

"Good," Lara said, sipping her coffee like it was victory.

Nina looked at her carefully. "You okay?"

Lara didn't answer at first. Then she spoke "I kissed him."

Nina blinked. "Adrian?"

She shook her head.

"Oh."

"It wasn't planned," Lara added quickly. "He showed up last night. Accused me of sleeping with Adrian. Called me..." her voice faltered for half a second, "...things."

Nina's eyes darkened. "You slapped him, I hope."

"I did."

"And then?"

"And then I remembered what it felt like to be loved by him. Not the man he became. But the one who used to pull me close when I had nightmares and whisper promises like they were holy."

Nina's voice was soft now. "And now?"

Lara's jaw tightened. "Now I remember how promises mean nothing when a man runs."

They stopped at her office. Before stepping in, Nina said, "You don't have to prove you're made of steel all the time, you know."

"I'm not proving anything," Lara said. "I am steel. I just learned to make it look like skin."

Later that day, Lara attended a closed strategy session, just her, two department heads, and, of course, Ethan. They hadn't spoken since the night before. Not a word. But he watched her.

Watched her like she was the only person in the room. Like she might disappear if he blinked too long.

Lara didn't flinch. She laid out projections, challenged finance over bloated figures, redirected marketing's sluggish campaign rollout.

All the while Ethan sat silent, his pen unmoving, his gaze resting on her throat each time she sipped water.

When the meeting ended, the others filed out.

She stayed behind. So did he.

He spoke first.

"Last night...."

"Was nothing," she interrupted flatly.

He looked like he'd been slapped again. "It didn't feel like nothing."

"Feelings lie, Ethan," she said, gathering her notes. "We learned that the hard way."

"You're allowed to be angry."

"I'm not angry," she said, walking toward the door. "I'm indifferent."

But her hands were shaking slightly as she reached for the handle.

[4:00 PM –Rooftop Garden]

Lara stood near the edge of the rooftop garden a place no one visited during office hours. The air was cooler up there, quieter.

She wasn't alone for long.

Adrian stepped out, no jacket, his sleeves rolled, holding two iced coffees. "Figured you'd need something cold to fight the heat downstairs."

She accepted one without looking at him. "Thanks."

He studied her for a beat. "You okay?"

"I'm Fine."

"You're not."

She gave him a sidelong glance.

Adrian sipped his drink, then added, "He looked wrecked in the meeting."

"Good."

"And you… look like someone trying not to fall apart."

Lara's jaw clenched. "Mr Adrian you seem to study people alot, why didn't you do it for a living."

Adrian's brow rose slightly. "I love my job ."

There was a pause, then, quietly he said "Something happened between you two… Or you let it happen?"

Lara turned to face him fully, her voice steady. "I'm not someone you rebound with."

Adrian's smile was faint. "I never thought you were."

Their eyes were locked, It wasn't electric. It wasn't explosive.

It was calm. Real. A little terrifying.

Before anything else could be said, her phone buzzed.

A message from Maya's lawyer:

"Our client denies involvement in the leak. She suggests a private settlement. No press."

Lara stared at the screen, then smiled, cold, elegant, untouchable.

She looked up at Adrian.

"Dinner tonight?"

He blinked. "You're asking me?"

She shrugged. "Why not? Better dinner with someone who sees me than sitting home wondering if I'm still the woman someone else walked away from."

Adrian's smile widened. "You're full of fire, you know that?"

She turned to leave.

"I'm full of control," she said over her shoulder. "But fire burns when it has to."