In the dim corner, the light barely sketched out the hard lines of the man’s face, leaving his profile


    shrouded in shadow.


    Only the glowing tip of his cigarette flickered in and out of existence, a tiny ember in the gloom.


    Maybe the smoke was too thick, because Noreen could no longer smell the faint trace of perfume that had lingered in the air.


    She had no idea how long he’d been standing there, chain–smoking by himself. The ashtray beside him was already cluttered with seven or eight spent cigarette butts.


    But in Noreen’s memory, Seth never smoked. Even at the height of thepany’s early struggles, when the pressure was crushing and the nights were long, he’d always kept that line uncrossed.


    So why now–when he had both love and sess–did he suddenly take up the habit? The thought was so out of character, it bordered on absurd.


    Still, her curiosity was fleeting. Whatever the reason, she couldn’t care less.


    She turned her attention away from Seth, ready to head back to the dining room and finish her meal.


    But as she took her first step, his voice cut through the darkness behind her.


    He sounded as contemptuous as ever, tone dripping with sarcasm.


    “Scoring a minor deal and you’re already getting cocky? Noreen, I never realized you could be so ungrateful.”


    Her fist clenched involuntarily, a sharp ache twisting in her chest as if someone had stabbed her with


    a needle.


    Ungrateful?


    Is that really how he sees her?


    But Seth didn’t let up. His words came sharper than before, relentless. “Did you forget you still owe me something, Noreen?”


    He dragged up old debts on purpose, intent on forcing her back into the role he’d always expected–submissive, yielding, with no boundaries.


    He stepped closer, facing her head–on.


    His eyes were cold as winter, the kind of cold that bore down on her. His face betrayed nothing, but his gaze was deep and imprable, like a midnight sea–remote, detached… and hiding something she could no longer read.


    Once, she would have tried to decipher those private storms behind his eyes. But not anymore.


    Noreen stood her ground, refusing to flinch, matching his icy stare with one of her own. She spoke slowly, each word distinct and unwavering.


    “Seth, whatever I owed you–I’ve paid it back. I <b>don’t </b>owe you anything anymore.”


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    10:03


    Seth’s expression didn’t change. “You think you can just say that and make it true?”


    “Yes,” she answered, voice steady. “I’ve paid back everything I owed you.”


    She had nothing to be ashamed of–not after what she’d done for InnoCore.


    Seth narrowed his eyes, studying her for a long moment.


    Then he let out a short, derisiveugh. “And just what did you use to pay me back?”


    It was a question that sliced straight through her–a wound so deep it would never fully heal.


    She couldn’t even bring herself to think about it, much less speak of it. But Seth, as always, showed no mercy. He threw the past in her face, ripping open old scars she’d tried so hard to forget.


    He didn’t care if it destroyed her.


    Noreen met his gaze, her reddened eyes slowly turning cold, all warmth draining away until they were empty, lifeless.


    “In any case, I’ve paid my debt.” Her voice trembled, but she forced the words out.


    Barely above a whisper.


    When she finished, it was as if all her strength had been drained from her. She turned away on instinct, walking off–one step at a time, putting distance between herself and the man she’d once loved without reservation.


    Seth just stood there, watching her retreat.


    Her pace was slow, but every step was deliberate.


    He couldn’t shake the image of the tears she’d forced herself to hold back, the way her eyes had glistened with pain.


    A strange heaviness pressed down on his chest, emotions surging up that he couldn’t put a name to.


    For a moment, he wondered–what had she remembered, in that instant, that could hurt so much?


    Before he could untangle that thought, his phone buzzed with a group message from Healy.


    “Dn isn’t falling <i>for </i>Noreen, is he? I just looked it up–sunflowers mean adoration, silent longing, unspoken love.”


    Healy tagged Dn directly. “Dn? You got anything to say?”


    Nobody replied.


    But Seth stared at that message for a long time, unable to look away.


    …


    Maybe it was the mood, but dinner didn’tst much longer after that. The three of them finished quickly and left in silence.


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