Chapter 23 #2
“I say keep it as is, but redo your will. Split your shares evenly between us. There’s already talk of him selling the company to salvage what’s left.
You know Matt better than anyone. He won’t need much convincing to sell CTEC the moment you’re gone.
All your hard work. Poof!” Max spreads his hands theatrically in the air.
“Gone,” he says, punctuating the word with a sharp snap of his fingers.
“The right step forward is obvious, Dad. Name me your successor as Chair in the bylaws, and transfer part of your voting block to me now. It’s only fair. We’re both your sons, after all. I’ll make sure CTEC stays in the family—and thrives.”
For the first time, Michael studies his second son with an intensity he’s never shown before. Pride and a rare, quiet approval flicker in his eyes.
“All right,” Michael says, his voice heavy with finality. “I’ll split it evenly.”
23
Lila steps out of a taxi and onto the cracked pavement, nerves tightening in her chest as she makes her way toward a small pizzeria tucked into a corner of Soho.
Adjusting her black jacket and matching baseball cap, she glances up at the flickering neon sign of a pizza slice above her.
It buzzes intermittently, casting a muted pink glow that mingles with the dim streetlights.
The establishment bears a weathered, almost forsaken appearance.
Peeling paint and fogged windows add to its neglected charm.
A few smokers linger near the entrance, engaged in lively conversation.
Among them, a tall figure casts a watchful gaze in her direction as he puffs on his cigarette, his large, dark eyes evoking a disquieting resemblance to the ones that haunt her dreams.
She hurries inside, eager to escape the intensity of the stranger’s scrutiny.
She told Max she was meeting a friend for dinner, and though he said he was fine with it, an unsettling feeling still grips her. It feels as if she’s on the brink of committing a crime.
“Lila!”
She jerks her head toward the familiar voice calling her name.
His hair, once long waves that nearly reached his shoulders, is now cropped short and neatly styled. A trimmed beard frames his face, and the thick glasses that once concealed his blue eyes are gone.
Moving swiftly toward him, she wraps her arms around his waist and buries her face in his chest, inhaling his scent deeply.
The spicy cologne he wears now is different from the one she remembers.
Though he remains stiff in her embrace, she doesn’t let it bother her.
She’s brimming with joy. After the briefest moment of hesitation, he returns her hug, enveloping her in his arms.
“Oh my gosh,” she breathes, her eyes lighting up as she takes him in. Being this close to him again, she can’t help letting her gaze wander over him from head to toe. “You look… a lot different than before.”
“Different in a bad way?” he teases with a low chuckle.
“No.” She grins. He looks sharper now. Instead of glasses, a baggy T-shirt, and worn jeans, he’s wearing contacts and dark, fitted clothes that show off his athletic frame.
Still, she recognizes the same sweet, nerdy guy she once secretly watched in the library, buried in science textbooks when he wasn’t out on the soccer field.
“You seem different, too,” he says, his tone easy and playful.
“How?”
“Well… you look the same, but not. It’s hard to explain.” He studies her, his gaze flicking down before returning to her face. It’s deliberate enough to make her pulse skip. She laughs nervously, tucking a stray lock of hair behind her ear.
“Different in a bad way?”
“Never.” His smile is soft, but there’s a pull behind it that makes her stomach flip. He places a guiding hand at her back, leading her toward a booth in the far corner. “Ever been here before?”
“No. You?”
“First time for me, too.” Once they slide into the booth, he leans forward, curiosity bright in his eyes. “So, what have you been up to all this time?”
“Not much. I’ve been working as a server,” she replies, removing her hat and roughing up her hair for volume. He’s looking at her like he’s studying every detail under a microscope, and the weight of it makes her want to squirm.
“Where at?”
“At a club…” she says, hesitating. Her hands drop to her lap, fingers drumming nervously against her thighs in a restless rhythm. “But, um, a customer said he wants to commission me for a big piece. If it goes well, he’ll introduce me to more opportunities.”
“This isn’t some shady club, is it?” Jake teases with a chuckle, a playful glint flashing in his eyes as they lock on hers.
Her instinct is to shrink back, but instead she scrunches up her nose at him. It’s hella shady, she thinks.
“I’m just kidding,” he adds quickly, laughing. “You’re always so easy to rile up, Lila.”
“Ha. Ha,” she says dryly, relieved the conversation is steering away from her recent job. In that moment, she can feel the awkward tension begin to melt.
He heads to the counter and returns with a large, greasy pepperoni pizza and two Cokes he’s ordered for them. They dive in eagerly, and the moment she takes her first bite, she nearly moans. It feels like forever since she’s tasted something this indulgent.
Their conversation flows easily as they eat, shifting effortlessly from one topic to the next.
Laughter bursts between them when Jake launches into stories about his mother’s recent antics, all rooted in her alternative lifestyle.
Lila listens, captivated, watching the slow movement of his jaw as he swipes a napkin across his mouth.
“I literally came home this past summer and had to sleep on the couch,” he says, shaking his head. “She turned my old bedroom into storage for her crystals and other random shit.”
“No way!”
“Yep. She’s also been luring people in with free herbal tea just so she can give them aura readings in the front yard,” he chuckles, blue eyes twinkling. “Unsurprisingly, free tea from a suspicious old lady isn’t exactly popular in that neighborhood. Don’t tell your granny, though.”
They both know Lila’s overly religious grandmother would erupt if she ever found out. She’d always made her disapproval of his mother painfully clear.
Reminiscing with Jake feels effortless and natural. It’s an experience she can’t imagine ever sharing with Max. The only thing Max and she seem to have in common is their physical attraction to one another.
“You should eat a little more,” Jake remarks, concern flickering across his face when he notices she’s already finished. “You’ve become all skin and bones.”
“Really? Does it look bad?” A wave of self-consciousness washes over her.
She shifts in her seat, uneasy, her gaze darting to the remaining slices before flicking back to him.
She’s always been on the slimmer side, but ever since moving out on her own, she’s been unintentionally losing weight.
Even though she’s been eating better thanks to Max’s strict diet, recent stress has wrecked her appetite.
“No, you could never look bad, Lila. Everyone always said you were out of my league, especially your grandma,” he adds with an earnest sigh and a shrug.
“That’s not true,” she says quickly, heat creeping into her cheeks.
“Well, my own mother said so, too,” he adds with a grin. “Jokes aside, you do look a bit… pale. Sort of haunted. I think you lost some color. You’re still a stunner, of course. A real New York ten.”
“Haunted. Pale,” she repeats, forcing a smile. “So you’re saying I’m scary… in a good way?”
“Exactly that,” he laughs. “Kidding, kidding. But seriously… Has something been going on?”
Working nights at The Velvet Stag had drained her of color, and London’s gray skies hadn’t helped.
The demands of her schedule, combined with the stress of navigating an intense, contractual relationship with an unpredictable and controlling man, had left their mark.
She feels like a shell of her former self.
“They’re wrong, you know,” she says quietly. “You were really great, and I was so happy to have you in my life. I’m sorry for the way things ended.”
“You dodged my question.”
“What?”
“Never mind.”
After dinner, they step out into the crisp night air.
The cool breeze brushes her skin, refreshing and sharp.
They pause beneath the neon sign, soaking in the noise of the city.
The hum of traffic mixes with the distant laughter of passersby.
The night feels alive, full of possibilities, as they stand there together.
“Where are you staying again?” he asks, shoving his hands into his coat pockets. “It’s not far from here, right?” He glances around. “Damn, it’s cold. Want me to walk you home? I live nearby.”
She shakes her head gently. “No, it’s fine. I’m meeting up with a friend.” While her apartment is nearby, Max’s place on the Upper East Side is not.
“Well,” he says, offering a small smile, “I guess this is it, then.”
Her heart twists at the thought of saying goodbye. Again.
“Why did you reach out to me after all this time?” she blurts, unable to contain her curiosity.
“I just wanted to know how you were doing,” he says, his voice warm and sincere.
“I’ve missed you,” she admits.
“I’ve missed you, too, Lila.”
Fueled by his admission, she closes the small gap between them and throws her arms around him, holding him tightly.
When she feels him reciprocate, she looks up at him, eyes brimming with tears.
Jake isn’t as tall as Max, but he feels like the perfect height for her.
Rising onto the tips of her toes, she leans in, poised to kiss him. However, he gently holds her back.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” he says softly.
“Why? Are you dating someone?” she asks, stepping back, her brows furrowing in confusion.