Chapter 14 up
“Vanesa.”
The single word stopped her mid-step.
She turned slowly, the hem of her ivory dress whispering against the marble floor. The reception hall was smaller than the gala before—more private, more controlled. No cameras. No spectacle. Just people who mattered.
Axel stood a few feet away.
He looked… different.
Not polished. Not confident. His suit was immaculate as ever, but something in his posture betrayed him—shoulders tense, hands slightly clenched, as if he were bracing for impact.
“I was hoping we could talk,” he said, lowering his voice. “Just for a moment.”
Vanesa studied him.
Her face showed no surprise. No irritation. Just calm acknowledgment, like someone recognizing a stranger who happened to know her name.
“Of course,” she replied. Polite. Measured. “What would you like to talk about?”
The distance between them felt deliberate.
Axel swallowed. He had rehearsed this. A dozen versions. Apologies wrapped in humility. Regret framed as growth.
But standing in front of her now—standing in front of this Vanesa—every prepared sentence felt inadequate.
“I didn’t know,” he began. “Back then… I didn’t know who you really were.”
Vanesa’s brow lifted slightly. Not in offense. In curiosity.
“And now?” she asked.
Axel hesitated. “Now I do.”
A faint smile touched her lips—not warm, not cold. Just restrained. “That’s good,” she said. “Knowing the truth is important.”
He stepped closer, lowering his voice further. “I’ve been thinking a lot about us. About what I did. What I failed to see.”
She didn’t retreat.
But she didn’t move closer either.
“I’m glad you’re reflecting,” Vanesa said gently. “Self-awareness is never a bad thing.”
Her tone was kind.
And that kindness hurt more than anger ever could.
Axel searched her face for something—resentment, longing, any crack he could slip into.
There was nothing.
Across the room, Nathaniel Bastian approached, carrying two glasses of sparkling water. He stopped when he noticed Axel, his expression neutral, assessing—but not threatened.
“Am I interrupting?” Nathaniel asked, his voice calm.
Vanesa turned toward him immediately. “Not at all.”
She accepted the glass from his hand with a small nod of thanks.
The gesture was simple.
But Axel saw it.
Saw how naturally she included Nathaniel. How her body angled slightly toward him, not defensively—but comfortably.
“I was just checking on her,” Axel said quickly. “We have… history.”
Nathaniel met his gaze evenly. “So I’ve heard.”
There was no challenge in his tone. No need to assert dominance.
That, too, stung.
Vanesa took a sip of her drink. “Axel was reflecting on the past,” she said. “I wished him well.”
Wished him well.
Not us.
Not what we had.
Just him.
Axel’s chest tightened.
“I never meant to hurt you,” he said, the words slipping out rawer than intended. “If I could go back—”
Vanesa interrupted softly, “You can’t.”
The finality was gentle. Absolute.
“And I wouldn’t want you to,” she continued. “What happened brought us both to where we are now.”
Nathaniel glanced at her, something like respect deepening in his eyes.
Axel felt suddenly out of place.
Selina watched from the other side of the room, her nails biting into her palm.
She saw the way Axel leaned in. The way his eyes followed Vanesa with a hunger he never bothered to hide anymore.
She crossed the floor swiftly, heels clicking sharp and deliberate.
“Axel,” she said brightly, slipping her arm through his. “There you are. I’ve been looking for you.”
Her gaze flicked to Vanesa—measuring, resentful.
Vanesa met her eyes without flinching.
Selina smiled. “It’s nice to see you… thriving,” she added, her tone sweet and sharp all at once. “Though I suppose wealth does make reinvention easier.”
Vanesa didn’t bristle.
She smiled back. “Peace does that too.”
Selina’s smile faltered for half a second.
Nathaniel stepped subtly closer to Vanesa—not possessive, just present.
Axel felt it again.
That burn.
This man didn’t need to compete. He simply belonged beside her.
Selina tightened her grip on Axel’s arm. “We should go,” she whispered. “You’re making a scene.”
Axel didn’t move.
His eyes were still on Vanesa.
“Are you happy?” he asked suddenly.
The room seemed to pause.
Vanesa considered the question.
“Yes,” she said. “I am.”
No hesitation. No caveat.
Selina scoffed softly. “Already?”
Vanesa turned to her. “I didn’t say fulfilled. Or finished. I said happy.”
She glanced briefly at Nathaniel, then back at Axel. “And that’s something I learned to build on my own.”
Axel felt the weight of it crush down on him.
This wasn’t victory.
This was closure.
Nathaniel checked his watch. “We should join Adrian,” he said to Vanesa. “He’s waiting.”
She nodded. “Let’s go.”
Before leaving, she turned back to Axel one last time.
“I hope you find what you’re looking for,” she said sincerely.
And then she walked away.
Selina stared after her, fury simmering beneath her skin.
“She thinks she’s untouchable now,” Selina muttered. “Don’t let it fool you.”