Chapter 9 #3
Amara visibly relaxed at his words.
“Besides,” Maverick added with a faint smile, “you’re the ex-wife of my close friend. Of course I will respect you.”
“Thank you,” Amara said softly.
“Thank you.”
This time, when she smiled at him, it felt more genuine.
The tension in her shoulders slowly eased as she lifted her latte and took another sip. Maverick no longer looked as cold as before, and hearing him speak so casually made her feel more comfortable.
Maverick rested one arm against the table while lazily turning the coffee cup between his fingers.
“So… the divorce,”
Amara looked up at him.
“I honestly didn’t expect either of you to end things. You seemed very much in love with Elias.”
The question caught her off guard for a second.
Her fingers paused against the cup before she lowered it onto the table.
“It’s just…” She smiled faintly, though there was obvious sadness behind it. “We weren’t a good match for each other, I guess.”
Her fingers traced lightly against the warm cup in her hands as she spoke.
“I did love him a lot,” she admitted honestly. “But I think some things just aren’t meant to work no matter how badly you want them to.”
She gave a small shrug and smiled.
“It’s okay though. What ended… probably ended for a reason.”
Maverick watched her quietly.
“You have a very positive outlook on this,” Maverick murmured. “Most people wouldn’t react this calmly after loving someone for years and then ending the marriage only a year later.”
His gaze sharpened slightly.
“There must’ve been a big reason for it.”
Amara only shrugged again.
Her eyes lifted to meet his again before she tilted her head slightly.
“Actually, now that I think about it…” she said curiously, “I’m surprised I never saw you at the wedding.”
Maverick’s fingers stopped moving against his coffee cup.
“Actually… now that I think about it, I’m surprised I never saw you at the wedding.”
She leaned forward slightly as she spoke.
“All of Elias’s friends were there, but you weren’t.”
For the first time since they sat down together, Amara saw a strange expression flash across Maverick’s face.
It disappeared quickly, but not before she noticed it.
For a second, she thought he wouldn’t answer at all.
“I was in an accident back then.”
Amara’s expression immediately changed.
“I injured my spine pretty badly,” he continued calmly. “I had to go overseas for treatment and recovery.”
His fingers tightened slightly around the coffee cup.
“My legs stopped working after the accident.” He gave a faint smile that looked almost emotionless. “So I spent a long time trying to fix them.”
Amara’s breath caught slightly as Maverick mentioned the accident, her fingers tightening around her cup without realizing it.
Zoe’s face flashed through her mind at once.
Her gaze lowered for a moment, the steam from her latte curling upward as if to fill the silence in her thoughts.
For a brief second, she wondered—’Was Maverick in the accident with Zoe?‘
She didn’t know the full story. Not really. Only fragments. Only gossip she had overheard after leaving the hospital months later.
She had been recovering from her own accident at that time. Three months confined between white walls and silence. And only after she left did she start hearing things—snippets of conversations, hushed voices at the parties, Zoe’s accident, a death, a sister gone too soon.
She had never met Zoe personally, only seen her from a distance once or twice. But even that brief memory was enough to leave an impression—young, bright, almost her age. The thought made something in Amara’s chest tighten quietly.
“I’m sorry to hear that,” she said gently. Her eyes lifted back to him. “How are you doing now? Are you… alright?”
“I’m fine.” A faint, almost careless smile touched his lips.
“I’ve been trying to fix everything that fell apart after that damn accident,” he said quietly, rolling his shoulders back slightly like he was carrying a weight that never truly left him.
“That’s why I pushed myself to get back on my feet as quickly as possible.
I needed to make the people responsible for my sister’s death pay for what they did. ”
His tone stayed calm, but there was something icy underneath it—like he was holding the rest of the sentence back.
Before Amara could respond, a sudden shift in the air made her look up.
Her eyes lifted instinctively—and her expression changed instantly.
Shock flickered across her face.
Maverick noticed it immediately.
His gaze followed hers just as the figure approached their table with controlled fury.
“Elias…” she whispered under her breath.
Before Maverick could even turn fully, Elias was already there.
He stopped beside the table like a storm cut in half mid-strike.
He was still dressed in his perfectly dark italian suit, but unlike his usual perfectly put-together appearance, the expensive fabric looked slightly crumpled, as though he had driven there in a hurry straight from work.
His tie had been loosened carelessly, and a few strands of his dark hair had fallen out of place, making him look rougher than usual.
His eyes were dark — burning with something raw and unrestrained. But the moment they landed on Maverick, that emotion shifted. Shock hit first. Then disbelief. And then something far sharper.
His eyes were dark—burning with something raw and unrestrained. But the moment they landed on Maverick, that emotion shifted. Shock hit first. Then disbelief. And then something sharper.
Fury.
“What the fuck?” Elias’s voice cut through the space.
Maverick, however, didn’t react the way someone caught off guard would.
He tilted his head slightly, lips curling at the edge into a faint, almost amused smile.
Like he had been expecting trouble.
“What the hell are you doing here?” Elias snapped again, stepping closer. His hand dragged down the edge of the table, the wood scraping faintly under the pressure.
Maverick leaned back in his chair, completely unbothered. One arm rested loosely on the table while the other lifted his coffee.
“What do you think?” he said calmly. “Can’t you see? I’m on a date, Elias.”
Elias’s jaw clenched so hard a muscle jumped in his cheek.
His eyes flashed.
His gaze immediately snapped to Amara.
“You’re on a date with him?” he asked.
The shock in his voice was sharper than the anger now. Almost disbelieving. Like the idea itself didn’t fit in his world.
Amara’s mouth parted slightly, caught off guard by the intensity of his stare.
“I—” she started.
But Maverick spoke at the same time, straightening in his seat.
“You called him here?” Maverick asked suddenly, his gaze shifting to her.
Amara almost looked offended by the accusation. Her head whipped toward him immediately.
“No! Of course not!” she cried out.
Her voice rose slightly in defense as she looked between them.
“I didn’t call anyone. I’m not even—” she gestured vaguely at the table, flustered.
Her words died in her throat when she looked at Elias again.
The expression on his face made her freeze.
He looked like he had caught her in bed with Maverick instead of sitting in a restaurant with a coffee cup in her hand. His jaw was tight, his dark eyes cold and furious as they locked onto her.
“Seems like you’re enjoying your time on your blind date, Mrs. Creed,” Elias said in a low voice. “Do you feel happy sitting across from another man instead of me?”
Amara stared at him in disbelief.
Elias’s head turned toward Maverick, eyes burning.
“Maverick,” he said sharply, each syllable controlled, “this is your last fucking warning. Stay away from Amara.”
Maverick lifted his coffee again, completely unbothered. He took a slow sip before placing it down with deliberate calm.
Then he exhaled lightly, as if bored.
“I don’t think it’s any of your business what I do,” he replied evenly.
Elias’s jaw tightened, a muscle ticking as he clenched his teeth. The fury on his face made Amara freeze, a cold chill running down her spine.
Then suddenly, he grabbed a chair from a nearby table. The legs scraped loudly against the floor, the sharp sound cutting through the restaurant and drawing attention from nearby customers.
He dragged it directly toward their table and shoved it right into the narrow space between them.
There were only supposed to be two seats at the table.
But Elias forced the chair right into the middle anyway before casually sitting down between them like he belonged there. One arm rested over the back of the chair while he leaned back slightly, completely ignoring the tension around him.
Amara blinked at him in shock.
“What are you doing?” she asked.
Elias adjusted his sleeves calmly before answering, “I want to have dinner with you too. Is it illegal for me to eat?”
Amara looked completely aghast. Her hand slowly rose to cover her mouth as she kept staring at him in shock.
Maverick finally spoke, his tone cold.
“Don’t you see there are only two seats at this table?” he asked. “That means this space was meant for two people.”
Elias shot him a brief glance.
“Can’t you see that I already pulled another chair over?” he replied lazily. “What’s wrong with me sitting with my wife and my friend?”
“I am not your friend!”
“I am not your wife!”
Maverick and Amara snapped at the exact same time.