Chapter 226

Serena’s POV
I couldn’t shake the image of Maya’s face when she mentioned Ethan. There was something raw there, something hurt that went beyond professional frustration. And that “colleagues, not even friends” comment she’d dropped earlier? Ouch.
My phone buzzed with a text from Ryan: “Wear the blue dress tonight. The one from Paris.”
I smiled despite myself. Six months ago, I would’ve been thrilled by such a direct command about my wardrobe. Now I typed back: “I’ll wear what I want, but thanks for the fashion advice, Mr. Blackwood.”
The door swung open without warning, and Maya marched back in, clutching her tablet like a shield.
“I forgot to mention—” she stopped mid-sentence, catching me sprawled unprofessionally across my furniture. “Comfortable, are we?”
“Extremely,” I grinned, not bothering to sit up properly. “What’d you forget?”
She tapped something on her tablet. “Celeste can’t make it tonight. Family emergency.”
“Oh no, is everything okay?”
“Her grandmother fell. Nothing life-threatening, but she needs to be there.” Maya hesitated, biting her lower lip. “So it’ll just be us.”
I sat up straighter. “Us and about a hundred wealthy socialites dying to see Lucian West stick it to Kane.”
“And Ethan Quinn,” Maya added casually—too casually.
I froze. “Ethan’s coming?”
“LUXE is one of Celestial Gems’ biggest competitors. Of course he’ll be there.” Maya studied me with suspicion. “Why are you making that face?”
“What face? I’m not making a face.”
“That’s definitely a face. The same face you made when you called him a ’bad boy’ earlier.”
I winced. “It just slipped out.”
Maya crossed her arms, eyes narrowing. “You’re hiding something.”
“I’m not!” I protested, feeling my cheeks heat up.
“You are. You’re doing that thing where you blink too much.” She pointed accusingly at my face. “Spill it, Serena. How do you really know Ethan Quinn?”
I swallowed hard. This wasn’t how I’d planned to tell her—or anyone, for that matter.
“We… might have met before.”
“Before what?”
“Before… everything.” I waved my hand vaguely.
Maya sat down slowly in the chair opposite me, her expression shifting from suspicious to concerned. “Serena, what aren’t you telling me?”
I took a deep breath. Maya was my best friend, my rock through everything. She deserved some truth, even if I couldn’t tell her all of it yet.
“Remember when I couldn’t remember anything from before my accident? There are… pieces coming back.”
Her eyes widened. “Are you serious? Since when?”
“A while now,” I admitted. “Little flashes here and there. Nothing concrete enough to talk about.”
“And Ethan is in these memories?” she pressed.
I nodded reluctantly. “Something like that.”
“Were you two… involved?” Her voice had gone unnaturally flat.
“God, no!” I laughed, perhaps too loudly. “Nothing like that. We just… knew each other.”
Maya stared at me for a long moment, clearly not buying my vague explanation. Finally, she stood up.
“Fine. Keep your secrets. But promise me you’re not plotting something ridiculous like setting us up.”
I raised my right hand. “I solemnly swear I am not trying to set you up with Ethan Quinn.”
Not anymore, at least. Not after seeing that wounded look in her eyes this morning.
Maya nodded, apparently satisfied. As she turned to leave, I couldn’t help myself.
“So… what exactly happened after I so irresponsibly abandoned you last night?” I wiggled my eyebrows.
“Nothing happened.” She gripped her tablet tighter.
“Nothing? Not even a little something?Oh, honey.”
“Don’t ’oh honey’ me. I’m fine.” Maya headed for the door. “I’ll see you tonight. Wear something that’ll make Ryan’s jaw drop.”
After she left, I collapsed back onto the couch, staring at the ceiling. My brother was an idiot. The way he looked at Maya when he thought no one was watching—it was the same way Ryan sometimes looked at me now.
I sighed heavily. Tonight was going to be interesting.
My phone buzzed again with another text from Ryan: “Wear whatever you want. You look beautiful in everything.”
I smiled. At least one Blackwood man was learning.
I arrived at the venue with Ryan, fashionably late but perfectly timed. After our early dinner and a quick change into evening wear, we made quite the entrance at Celestial Gems’ gala.
The ballroom sparkled under crystal chandeliers, soft jazz floating through the air as New York’s elite mingled with champagne flutes in hand. I smoothed down my midnight blue gown, grateful Ryan had given me time to prepare mentally for tonight’s social chess match.
Lucian spotted us immediately, breaking away from his conversation to approach. His smile was different now—less calculating, more genuine.
“I knew you’d come to enjoy the show,” he said, clinking his glass against Ryan’s.
The familiarity in his voice surprised me. These two former rivals had clearly developed some kind of grudging respect for each other. Amazing how quickly things change when you share a common enemy.
“When you send an invitation this pretty,” Ryan replied smoothly, “how could we refuse? Though I’m curious if our mutual friend will make an appearance tonight.”
We all knew exactly who “our mutual friend” was. Kane. The name hung unspoken between us.
Lucian’s eyes gleamed mischievously. “That’s half the entertainment, isn’t it? Watching him squirm when he realizes White Industries signed with me instead.”
I couldn’t help but smile. “You’re enjoying this way too much.”
“Absolutely,” Lucian admitted without a hint of shame. “Kane’s been a thorn in everyone’s side for too long. Tonight’s just the beginning.”
Ryan slipped his arm around my waist, a subtle gesture of possession that didn’t go unnoticed by others in the room. I caught several curious glances our way.
“Speaking of entertainment,” I said, scanning the crowded room, “I invited Maya and Celeste tonight. Have you seen them?”
Lucian pointed toward the far end of the room. “Your designer friends arrived about twenty minutes ago. Fair warning—your brother’s been hovering around them like a shark.”
“My brother?” I tensed involuntarily. Ethan was here?
Ryan’s hand tightened slightly at my waist, his jaw setting in that way it did whenever Ethan was mentioned.
“Let’s go say hello,” Ryan suggested, his tone neutral but his eyes watching me carefully.
As we made our way across the room, I spotted Maya in a stunning red dress that made her look like a vintage movie star. She was deep in conversation with a potential client, her professional smile firmly in place. No sign of the hungover mess from this morning. That woman’s recovery powers were superhuman.
And then I saw him. Ethan stood nearby, pretending to listen to someone else while his eyes remained fixed on Maya. His expression was so carefully controlled it had to be deliberate.
“This should be interesting,” I muttered under my breath.
Ryan leaned down, his lips brushing my ear. “Want to place bets on who breaks first?”
I elbowed him playfully. “That’s terrible! But my money’s on Ethan. He looks ready to combust.”
“Ten minutes before he makes some excuse to talk to her?”
“Five,” I countered with a smirk.
Little did I know, the real drama of the evening hadn’t even begun. The ballroom doors swung open dramatically, and Kane and Tiffany Vergara came.
The music seemed to falter for just a moment as heads turned.
“Well,” Ryan said quietly, “looks like everyone’s here for the show now.”