Chapter 50

[ 1,050 words ]

Katia’s POV

The glass doors of the IG Technologies headquarters hissed shut behind me, the cool, conditioned air of the lobby giving way to the humid, heavy reality of a Brooklyn evening. I looked at my watch; it was 6:15 PM. My head was pounding with the remnants of a three-hour budget review, but the physical fatigue was nothing compared to the mental exhaustion of the last week.

Ever since I stepped off that plane from Vegas, I had been living a double life. By day, I was the sharp, uncompromising CEO, the woman who was turning the tech world on its head. But in the quiet moments, in the spaces between emails and meetings, I was the woman pinned against a cold hallway wall, tasting whiskey and Julian Windsor’s tongue.

My phone buzzed in my hand, and that made me flinch. It was Gail.

“I’m in the neighborhood. Don’t you dare tell me you’re ’working late’ again. Meet me at our spot in twenty. I can smell the bullshit from across the bridge, Katia. We need to talk p>

I sighed, a long, shaky breath that did nothing to settle my nerves. I could keep a secret from the board of directors. I could keep a secret from the paparazzi. I could even keep a secret from my own mother. But Gail? Gail Windsor had a way of looking through me as if I were made of glass, spotting the fractures before I even knew I was breaking.

I swung by the daycare annex to pick up Aiden. The moment he saw me, his face lit up with that pure, uncomplicated joy that usually acted as my anchor.

“Mommy! Look! I made a spaceship!” he chirped, thrusting a crumpled piece of construction paper into my hand.

I knelt down, kissing his forehead and inhaling the scent of baby shampoo and crayons. “It’s beautiful, Aiden. Ready to go see Auntie Gail p>

“Auntie Gail!” he cheered, his little legs already moving toward the exit.

We arrived at the small, tucked-away bistro near the waterfront ten minutes later. It was a place where the light was always amber and the booths were deep enough to hide a thousand sins. Gail was already there, a glass of crisp white wine in her hand and a look of terrifying focus on her face.

“Aunt Gail!” Aiden called out, breaking into a run the moment he spotted her.

“Oh my God, look at my charming godson!” Gail laughed, her face softening instantly as she scooped him up into a hug. She peppered his face with kisses until he giggled, then she expertly helped him into the high chair at the end of the table. “You are getting so big, little man. Pretty soon you’re going to be taller than your mom p>

She handed him a bowl of fruit and a coloring book, distracting him, before she turned her sights on me. The warmth in her eyes vanished, replaced by that sharp Windsor intuition.

“Sit,” she commanded.

I sat. I didn’t look at her. I picked up the menu, then put it down. I pushed the salt shaker two inches to the left, then back to the right. I was playing with my food before it had even arrived.

“Spit it out,” Gail said, her voice low and dangerous. “You’ve been dodging my calls. You’ve been canceling lunch. You’ve been a ghost. What happened in Vegas p>

I looked at Aiden, who was preoccupied with a strawberry, then back at Gail. I felt the weight of the secret pressing against my ribs, suffocating me. “So, please don’t judge,” I started, my voice barely a whisper. “And before I tell you, please know I never asked for this. I never planned for this. And I know exactly how this makes me look. I know the optics are disgusting p>

Gail leaned forward, her elbows on the table. “Just talk, Katia. You’re making me nervous, and when I get nervous, I start thinking the worst p>

I took a deep breath, the words tumbling out before I could lose my nerve. “I was in Vegas a week ago. And since I got back, I have been dodging every single meeting with WEG. I’ve been sending my VPs to handle the IG-Windsor account because I can’t seem to face your brother. I can’t even look at his name in an email without feeling like I’m going to throw up p>

Gail’s brow furrowed. “Why not? Katia, working with my family is every company’s dream. It’s the ultimate seal of approval. Why would you throw that away? Is it because of Delia? Is she making things difficult? Because if she’s being a brat, I’ll handle her p>

“No,” I said, shaking my head. “It’s not Delia. Well, it is, but not in the way you think.” I looked around the bistro, making sure no one was eavesdropping. “Gail, ever since I met your brother, there has been this… this spark. This tension that is so thick it’s practically a physical object. I’m afraid of him. I’m afraid that if we are ever left in the same room together for more than five minutes, we might actually fuck p>

Gail gaped at me. Her mouth literally fell open. She looked like I had just told her the moon was made of cheese. “Julian? My brother? The man who has the emotional range of a granite countertop p>

“Tell me about it,” I said, my face burning. I decided to go all in. If I was going to be judged, I might as well give her the full evidence. “The hand your brother posted on his Instagram? The one that had the internet in a frenzy while he was supposed to be on his honeymoon? That was mine p>

Gail froze, her wine glass halfway to her lips. “What p>

“He was with me in France,” I confessed, the words feeling like a lead weight lifting off my chest. “The day he was supposed to be spending time with my sister on their wedding night… Julian was with me. I don’t know how he ended up in that village or how he found that specific bar, but we met. We stayed up all night. Nothing happened in France, Gail, I swear. We just talked. It was just… a connection I didn’t expect p>

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