After watching those FBI agents retreat with their talls between their legs, Jade decided to head to the hospital. The cybersecurity drama had wasted enough of her time, and she was curious about how Ss’s mother was doing. Thest time she’d seen her, the doctors hadn’t been optimistic.
The hospital corridors were quiet in the evening hours, the fluorescent lights casting everyone in that sickly greenish tint that made even healthy people look half–dead. As she approached Mrs. Murphy’s room, Jade noticed Ss walking in with a paper bag that smelled like chicken soup. She hung back, not wanting to intrude on their family time, but the dour remained slightly ajar.
“I saw on <b>the </b>news what happened, Ss,” his mother’s weak voice filtered through the gap. The nurses were talking about it too. That social media ckout and the video of you at the garage.”
<b>Jade </b>leaned against the wall beside the door, her enhanced hearing picking up their conversation <b>easily</b>.
nothing. Mom. Ss reassured her. “Everything’s fine now. Jade is fine too.”
There <b>was </b>a pause, followed by rustling sounds–probably Ss arranging the food.
*Your father hasn’te looking g for you, has he?” Mrs. Murphy asked, her <b>voice </b>tight with worry.
“No.” Ss replied curtly.
Jade <b>heard </b><b>a </b>shaky sigh. “If he can’t find me, he’ll take it out on you. He always does.”
“I’m not <b>afraid </b>of him,” Ss said firmly.
Mrs. Murphy’s voice cracked with emotion. “You were only seven <b>when </b>he threatened to kill me because I wouldn’t give him money for gambling. You were <b>so </b>small, but you stood in front of me<b>, </b>saying you’d fight him. You didn’t even flinch when he threw that bottle at
you.
“Let’s not <b>talk </b>about the past, Mom,” Ss cut her off. And let’s not talk about him either.”
His mother quickly changed the subject. “How are things with that Jade girl? Is she still tutoring you?”
“Yeah,” Ss replied, his <b>voice </b>softening slightly. “She’s helped me a lot.”
“She seems like such a good person,” his mother said. “When we’re back on our feet, we need to find a way to repay her kindness.”
Jade backed away from the door. As she turned to leave, she caught sight of a nurse heading toward Mrs. Murphy’s room with medication. <b>She </b>slipped around the corner, but her curiosity got the better of her. After the nurse left, she circled back, staying out of sight.
“Ss, I think we should stop the treatment,” Mrs. Murphy was saying, her voice barely above a whisper. I want to go home.”
“Mom, no,” Ss protested.
<b>“</b>We <b>don’t </b><b>have </b>insurance. The daily costs are <b>too </b>high,” she continued. “I <b>can’t </b>watch you work yourself to death trying to pay for this.”
“Till figure something out,” <b>Ss </b>insisted, his <b>voice </b>tight with determination.
AO
By the timede got back to her apartment building, the sky had darkenedpletely. She spotted a familiar ck Maybach parked outside, its sleek silhouette unmistakable even in the dim street lighting. Ethan was sitting in the back seat, <b>his </b>head tilted back against the headrest, eyes closed. Connor sat alert in the driver’s seat, scrolling through his phone.
Connor noticed her first and nudged than, who straightened immediately and stepped out of the car. The strong smell of cigarettes clung to him–a lot of cigarettes, like he’d been chain–smoking for hours. His usually impable appearance was slightly disheveled, with dark circles under his eyes <b>and </b>his the loosened.
“Just got here,” he said, his casual tone contradicting the rumpled state of his suit.
“Right,” Jade replied, eyeing the cigarette butts in the nearby trash can. The volume suggested he’d been waiting for quite some time. “0721.”
Ethan’s brow furrowed, “What?”
“The building code. For the main entrance,” she rified<b>, </b>gesturing toward the door.
A small <b>smile </b>yed on his lips as he handed her a thermos. The warmth seeped through her fingers immediately.
“It’ste,” he said<b>. </b>“Did you resolve everything?”
jade decided to be honest. “Ss’s mother suddenly got worse.
Ethan’s expression softened slightly as she epted the thermos. “My chef made soup. I thought you might be hungry.”
<b>She </b><b>looked </b>at <b>the </b><b>e </b>thermos, then back at him. “Want toe up?”
He hesitated, a conflicted look crossing his face. “No, it’ste. <b>You </b>should eat <b>and </b>get some rest.”
“Okay,” she said, but neither of them moved.
They
stood there in awkward silence, the cool night air swirling around them. It had been over two weeks since they’d properly other, and it felt like they both had things to say but couldn’t find the right words.
ly seen each
“I should go, Ethan finally <b>said</b>, turning back toward his car.
Something tugged inside Jade–an unfamiliar impulse she couldn’t quite identify. <b>Maybe </b>it was the genuine concern in his eyes, or the fact <b>that </b>he’d clearly been waiting for hours just to bring her soup.
“Ethan,” she called out.
When he turned, she grabbed his <b>silk </b>tie and pulled him down to her level. His eyes widened in surprise <b>as </b>she pressed her lips against his in a brief, soft kiss. His lips were warm, slightly chapped from the cold air, and he smelled like expensive cologne mixed with cigarette
smoke.
She felt him freeze for a split second before he began to respond, but she pulled away before it could deepen. From theer of her eye, <b>she </b>caught Connor’s shocked expression from the driver’s seat, followed by the idental honk of <b>the </b>horn as he fumbled with his phone.
12:29 Sat, Sep 27<b>… </b>
Without another word, Jade tumed and walked into her building, the thermos clutched tightly in her hand, feeling Ethan’s eyes boring into her back the entire time.
<b>Ethan </b>remained rooted to the spot long after Jade disappeared through the building doors. He touched his lips with his fingertips, his expression unreadable in the dim light.
When he finally slid back into the car, Connor was practically vibrating with excitement, his grip on the steering wheel tight enough to whiten his <b>knuckles</b>.
“Sir, 1- Connor began, his
is voice pitched higher than normal.
“Drive,” Ethanmanded, his <b>voice </b>deceptively calm as he stared straight ahead.
Connor obediently started the engine, stealing nces at his boss through the rearview mirror. Ethan sat perfectly still, his face a mask ofposure, but his hands were clenched into tight fists on his knees, betraying the storm raging within.
They drove inplete silence <b>back </b>to the Haxton estate. Without a word to his assistant, Ethan disappeared into his study, the heavy door closing firmly behind him.
The next morning, when Ethan emerged for his 5 AM meeting, the dark circles under his eyes had deepened significantly, his expression distant. The night’s sleeplessness was evident in his slightly reddened eyes, though he carried himself with the samemanding presence as always,
Connor, who had been waiting with Ethan’s morning coffee, couldn’t help but notice that his boss seemed both exhausted and somehow more energized than he’d been in weeks.
Chapter Comments
Elizabeth Szar
7 days ago
I can’t wait for their rtionship to get deeper
5