2025-08-12 19:37:00
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384. Uninvited Guest
Ivy’s phone buzzed once, twice, then three times in quick repetition. She had been going over Billy and Chloe's homework at the dining table, the hum of the dishwasher in the background, when she glanced at the screen.It was a number she didn’t recognize.The preview of the first message made her pause.> “I haven’t been able to get you out of my mind since the double date. You’re stunning and I can’t stop thinking about how beautiful you are… and the way you speak, so intelligent and graceful, it’s haunting me. I have to see you again.”
383. Double Date
The restaurant Ivy chose for the double date was a warm, candlelit place in the city, the kind of spot where the low hum of conversation and the faint notes of piano music made it easy to relax. Or, at least, it would have been easy if the entire evening hadn’t been so bizarre.Van arrived with Ivy a little early. He’d agreed to the dinner only because she’d explained Bianca’s request in careful, measured words, insisting she could handle it. Still, Van didn’t like the idea— Bianca had always been unpredictable, and “closure” didn’t usually involve elaborate dinners.Bianca arrived a few minutes later, her hand on the arm of a tall, sandy haired man with an easy smile.“This is Daniel,” she introduced brightly, as though she and Van were old friends meeting after years apart. “And this,” she turned to Daniel, “is Ivy, Van's beautiful wife. You remember her right?”“Of course I do.” Daniel shook Van’s hand politely before turning to Ivy with a smile that lingered just a second too long
382. A Request To Meet
The week after the charity event was a blur of meetings, follow ups, and the usual avalanche of post event reports. Van was glad the evening had been a success— both financially for the orphanage and as a public celebration of the merger between his company and Ivy’s. The press coverage had been flattering, the guests seemed genuinely engaged, and all the employees left with that extra lift in their steps.But there had been one unexpected element.Bianca.She’d shown up like she’d been invited— graceful, well dressed, and smiling as if she belonged there. He wasn’t sure if he was supposed to be annoyed or indifferent, but Van noticed her hovering in his personal space far more than he cared to admit. What was stranger, though, was how she handled Ivy— no tension, no pointed remarks. If anything, she was overly polite. Too polite.Ivy didn’t bring it up that night, and he didn’t either. They had both learned, over the years, that some conversations were best saved for the right moment
381. The Charity Event
The glass atrium of the Everest headquarters had never looked so alive. A sweep of soft golden lights wrapped around the marble pillars, glinting off the crystal chandeliers and illuminating every corner in a warm, celebratory glow. The air hummed with the quiet murmur of voices, the soft clinking of champagne flutes, and the gentle strains of the quartet playing near the stage.Van stood near the balcony railing, scanning the scene below, not as the CEO tonight, but as a host watching something personal come to life. This wasn’t just a company event. It had been Ivy’s idea from the start, a joint celebration of their companies merging into one powerhouse and a fundraiser for the community orphanage. A merging of legacies, both personal and professional.It was also, in many ways, a celebration of their love and unity.Ivy was across the room, talking to Isadora and Brandt. She was radiant in an emerald gown that seemed to catch the light with every step, her hair swept up in a way t
380. Coincidental Meetings
The week had started quietly, which was exactly how Van liked it. The company was in good shape, Ivy was busy with the kids and the final stages of merging her business into his, and his own schedule felt… balanced.That sense of balance was something he didn’t take for granted anymore. Years ago, He might have called it boring, maybe even complained about it. Now, it was the one thing he wanted to protect.On wednesday morning, he decided to stop at his usual café before work. The place was a little hole in the wall spot tucked between a flower shop and a stationery store. The smell of freshly ground coffee beans hit him before he even opened the door.“Good morning, Mr Van,” the barista, Mia, called from behind the counter.“Morning,” he replied, returning the smile. She was already preparing his usual drink— black coffee, extra shot, no sugar.He was halfway through paying when I felt it —that quiet but unmistakable sense of being watched. He looked up, and there she was.Bianca.
379. What Really Matters
Van sat at his desk, the late afternoon sunlight spilling across the mahogany surface in golden streaks. The city skyline glistened beyond his office windows, its usual bustle muffled behind the glass. Normally, this was his sanctuary — a place where work came first, where the noise of the past couldn’t touch him. But today, his thoughts kept circling back to the conversation with Bianca.Closure.She had used that word so casually, as if it could erase years of chaos. As if the word alone could smooth over the betrayal, the complications, and the games. Van wasn’t naive. He had seen the look in her eyes, the tiny hesitation before she said it. Her voice had been steady, but her eyes had searched his face for a reaction, a crack, something to tell her she still had a hold on him.He leaned back in his chair, rubbing the bridge of his nose.It wasn’t that he hated Bianca. He didn’t. In some ways, he almost pitied her. She’d built her whole identity on power, on winning — and when she’d
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