The Man Who Broke Raphael

The Better Man

The Sky Lounge was dimly lit, designed specifically to highlight the profiles of its wealthy patrons. Noah Ryker poured champagne into Megan’s crystal glass, his movements fluid as if he were performing an expensive piece of choreography.

"I’m not saying Ethan is a bad man, Megan," Noah said, his voice a deep baritone. "He’s just a man born in the wrong decade. These days, honesty is just a seasoning for statistics, not a foundation. He’s too... traditional."

Megan gripped the stem of her glass until her knuckles turned white. The ivory leather handbag Noah had placed on the empty chair beside her shimmered under the spotlight. It was tangible proof, a physical object that validated her exhaustion.

Across the table, Raphael hovered in a seated position, legs crossed. He wore a designer trench coat that had appeared out of nowhere. He sneered as he watched Noah touch Megan’s hand. "Disgusting. I really want to summon a bolt of lightning from behind this building and char that rented Armani suit of his."

Ethan , who was watching the scene from a table at the far end of the room, ordered a glass of water with a slice of lime, remaining calm. He had come here on purpose, not to start a scene, but to see exactly what he was letting go of. He wanted to see for himself if the man across from Megan truly was "better" on paper.

"Look at him, Raphael," Ethan whispered to the empty air. "He’s giving Megan what she wants. That’s valid."

"He’s giving her bait, Ethan! That’s called a transaction!" Raphael brushed imaginary smoke from his hand. "If you want, I can make his buttons pop off one by one while he’s trying to propose. It would be quite a show for everyone here to see his flat chest and that cat tattoo on his shoulder."

"I already knew he had a cat tattoo," Ethan replied expressionlessly.

Noah laughed loudly at whatever story Megan had just told. "Tomorrow, I’m signing a massive deal. Do you know what that means? That luxury condo downtown is finally ours. It’s not just a dream anymore."

"Ours?" Megan asked softly.

"Yes. We. I know you need someone who can keep up with you. Ethan was always holding you back, wasn’t he? Always reminding you about morality that only made life harder for you both," Noah took a confident sip of his drink.

In the corner of the table, Raphael’s eyes emitted a silver glow that disrupted the stability of the lounge lights. "Okay, I can’t take it anymore. Should I write a prophecy of his business failing on his napkin? He’ll be scared to death."

"Quiet, Raphael. Let me watch this until the end," Ethan answered.

Megan went silent for a long time. She looked at Noah, then reflexively turned her head toward the corner of the room. Here gaze didn't go directly to Ethan, because ethan was a master of the art of not drawing attention, but she seemed to be searching for a ghost she had known for four years.

"He always stood up for his team when the board pressured them," Megan spoke almost in a whisper, thinking of Ethan.

Noah snorted. "And he stayed a runner-up. For what? This world is won by those who know how to play dirty. Megan, look at me. Look at the comfort I can provide. You deserve luxury, not just some boring peace of mind."

Raphael suddenly floated right in front of Noah’s face, exhaling an icy breath that made his rival shiver despite the warmth of the room. "Oh, you’re quite confident, aren’t you, you overpriced fly?"

"Do you feel like you’re better than him, Megan?" Noah asked again, leaning toward her. "If so, why are your eyes still searching for someone in this room?"

"I’m just... a little confused," Megan said, pulling her hand out of Noah’s reach.

Ethan finally stood up. He put down a bill for his glass of water, not touching the lime at all. He didn’t need a confrontation. He didn’t need an explanation. Seeing Megan in that position was enough for Ethan to draw a firm final line.

"Is he giving up, Ethan?" Raphael floated along with Ethan’s calm steps toward the exit.

"No. She’s making a choice," Ethan said.

"And you’re just letting her choose the man who’s better on paper?"

Ethan stopped in front of the heavy Sky Lounge doors, looking at his reflection in the glass. His slightly worn suit looked real, showing a kind of honesty that the modern world found hard to accept. "Raphael, 'deserving' has two meanings. There’s deserving according to the system, Noah. And then there’s deserving according to a human who isn’t afraid to fail, me."

"That’s philosopher crap that’ll keep you broke until you’re old!" Raphael rolled his eyes until they went completely white.

Suddenly, a waiter bumped into Ethan’s shoulder while rushing with a tray. Red wine from the tray spilled onto Ethan's jacket.

"Oops, I’m so sorry, sir!" the waiter said in a panic.

Megan, still at her table, saw it happen. She saw Ethan, the man she loved in her own awkward way, standing there with a large red stain on his chest. He wasn't angry. He didn't blow up like other men who might have yelled at the waiter. Ethan just took a napkin, gave the trembling waiter a polite smile, and continued walking out with his head held high.

Megan felt a strange ache in her chest. It was a sense of loss that even a luxury leather bag couldn’t fill.

Noah, seeing where Megan was looking, grew impatient. "Who is that? A client? Just forget it."

"It’s no one," Megan answered shortly, her eyes still fixed on Ethan’s back as it disappeared behind the doors.

Outside the room, Raphael walked beside Ethan, who now looked messy from the wine spill. "That was your favorite jacket. Why didn’t you demand compensation or at least chew out that stupid waiter so the world would feel a little more fair?"

Ethan stopped at the elevator and pressed the down button. "He’s just a person who made a mistake while being chased by work demands. Why should I make his life any harder?"

"Good grief," Raphael held his head, looking as though he were suffering from a chronic migraine caused by the human madness beside him. "You’re truly the kind of person who makes heaven question the definition of holiness. If this isn't a test of patience, then God must be writing a comedy about you."

Ethan stepped into the elevator, followed by Raphael. "And how does the story end, Raphael?"

"The main character gets nothing but a sense of pride that he can’t eat," Raphael grumbled as the elevator doors closed.

"That’s enough for me," Ethan said.

Inside the lounge, Megan pulled her bag off Noah’s chair. "Noah, I’m going home on my own."

Noah’s eyes widened. "Wait! What’s going on? I haven’t finished presenting our future."

Megan was already standing, looking at Noah with a gaze that finally, after all this time, had the courage to say no. "Maybe he was right, Noah. Maybe we were never on the same wavelength. You deserve the world, but Ethan... he is the world to me. The difference is, I’m only realizing it now."

Megan walked out in a hurry, leaving the luxury leather bag on the chair, an item that now seemed worthless because the man who bought it was someone she didn't know in her soul.

"Whoa," Raphael whispered as he watched the scene through a dimensional screen in the air. "She actually left the bag! Is this the start of a win, Ethan? She’s coming after you!"

Ethan , who had just reached the parking lot below the building, froze. He didn’t turn around. He just stared at the stars above the skyscrapers. "She chose stability, Raphael. But she doesn’t know that stability for a man like Noah always comes with a higher price tag in the end."

"So, are you going to take her back if she comes running down here?" Raphael asked curiously, his eyes sparkling like fireworks.

Ethan unlocked his beat-up old car. The click from the lock sounded very loud in the silence of the parking lot.

"I’m going to give her a choice."

"But not tonight. Tonight, I just want to go home and get this wine stain out."

"You are the most arrogant bastard I have ever had the misfortune of respecting!" Raphael vanished into a fading, reluctant golden light. "Tomorrow, we’ll see what happens!"

Ethan got into the car. Megan wasn’t there beside him. There was no bonus in his wallet. His suit was ruined. But when Ethan turned the key, the old engine roared to life on the first try, a total anomaly for a machine in that condition.

Ethan Gray smiled. His choice had paid off. It wasn’t the kind of success the world recognized, but a sense of clarity that would let him sleep soundly. To Raphael, watching from the shadows of the night, this man wasn’t a loser. He was a sea cliff that let the waves crash against him just to prove the tide would always break before he did.

Ethan pulled away, leaving the grand building behind.