The Vows of Vengeance

The elevator doors closed with a soft hiss, and silence followed. But not the uncomfortable kind the kind loaded with awareness.

Adrian stood beside Lara, leaving just enough space between them to still feel tension rather than touch. He didn't say anything right away, but he was watching her. He'd noticed her shift, the carefully timed laugh, the cool flick of her eyes toward Ethan by the lobby.

"You saw him," Adrian said simply.

"I always see him," Lara replied, not bothering to pretend otherwise.

Adrian's brow lifted, impressed. "And that laugh?"

"It was just strategic."

"Cruel," he added.

Lara tilted her head, that same unreadable look on her face. "Cruel would've been kissing you in front of him."

Adrian chuckled low, and for a moment, the tension shifted but not entirely gone, but heavier with something else.

The elevator dinged.

Lara stepped out, her heels clicking across the top floor's polished tiles like nothing had happened, like her nerves weren't buzzing beneath her skin.

She wasn't here to chase feelings.

She was here to control damage or better still, cause 

The hallway leading back to her office felt colder than it had that morning. Maybe because now, Lara wasn't just being watched.She was being studied,Judged or Feared. Well whatever it was it was good.

She pushed open the door to her office and found Nina already waiting, her fingers tapping against her tablet like she'd been holding in five thousand words and needed permission to speak them all at once.

"Well," Nina said, straightening, "you came back from lunch glowing. Should I be worried?"

Lara dropped her handbag on the couch, then turned and gave her a look. "Worried about what exactly?"

"Worried you'll get soft."

Lara walked to her desk. "You think a smile makes me soft?"

"I think Adrian Stone makes you distracted."

Lara paused briefly. Then she sat, crossing her legs. "He makes Ethan uncomfortable. That's enough use for now."

Nina's eyes flicked to the office window. "He also looks at you like he wants to ruin your lipstick and fix your whole life in the same breath."

Lara picked up a file. "Then it's a good thing I don't need saving."

Just then there was a knock.

"Meeting in ten," one of the interns poked her head in. "They're all gathering."

Lara nodded. "Send the room coffee strong and no cream."

The intern disappeared.

Nina lingered in the doorway. "And what about Ethan? You going to let him keep pretending he didn't almost kiss you in an elevator?"

Lara smirked, cool and slow. "He's free to pretend. I'm the one writing the story."

12:59 PM – Executive Conference Room

By the time Lara entered, the room was already filled.

Ethan was already seated at the far side of the table pretending to read through a printed report. But his eyes lifted the second she stepped in.

She didn't return the glance.

Instead, she spoke with authority, "Let's begin."

Nina followed with a stack of quarterly stats and forwarded the digital version to everyone's inbox. The room atmosphere changed. Some adjusted their chairs and silence settled.

"Last quarter, our numbers hit targets barely," Lara began. "But this quarter, we don't aim to survive. We dominate."

She stood as she spoke, walking slowly to the screen. "Marketing you're being too cautious. Legal...your draft delays cost us a client last week. PR clean up the narrative. There's blood in the water, and the press smells it."

Her voice was even. Not shouting. But commanding.

She continued, slicing through each department with precision, then turned back toward the table, standing at the head like a general before her army.

"The next time I walk into a room, I want us three moves ahead not scrambling behind damage control. Do I make myself clear?"

Everyone nodded. No one dared to look at Ethan.

But Lara did.

For a second, their eyes locked.

And in that second, it was all there.... the closeness from the elevator, the tension, the almost.

But she broke it. Deliberately.

"Meeting adjourned."

The chairs scraped and everyone started leaving.

But Ethan didn't move.

And neither did she.

She took her coffee and stepped out, calm and unbothered, Nina was already catching up with more paperwork when she heard her name

"Lara."

"His voice again" She said silently. 

She didn't stop, but he was at her side now. Not touching her. Just... there.

"You're really not going to talk about what happened?"

She didn't look at him. "What happened?"

"You know what I mean."

"Then say it."

He exhaled, frustrated. "We almost kissed."

She stopped walking.

Then turned to face him, cold and still. "And you think that means something?"

"It did mean something."

"No," she said softly. "It meant you miss what you destroyed. That's not love, Ethan. That's guilt with a memory."

He stared at her, his jaw clenched.

But before he could reply, a new voice broke in.

"Hope I'm not interrupting."

It was Adrian.

He stood a few feet away, his blazer off and his sleeves rolled, he was looking far too casual to be that composed.

Lara turned, her posture straightening. "Not at all."

"I figured you might want to see the draft proposal before it goes out. I had my team prep it after lunch."

She took it from him. "Thank you."

Ethan's eyes moved between them like burning holes through paper and silence.

Adrian didn't even glance at him. "Should I walk you through it?"

"Yes please," Lara said immediately.

She walked away with Adrian.

And didn't look back.