Chapter 31 Ready?

Chapter 31 Ready?
Zoey

The cursor flickered at me like it was in on some private joke. Meanwhile, the page stayed completely blank, emptier than my own exhausted head. I’d been stuck here for an hour, just staring, waiting for any idea to pop up. Something bold, something that would crush this competition and finally prove I deserved that promotion.

But there was nothing. Not even a spark. I slumped back, rubbing my temples, when the door flew open so hard it rattled. Ethan barged in. No knock. He never bothered, especially when he was pissed. He stalked into the room, I barely got a breath in before he slammed the door behind him.

“Did you see what Leo pulled yesterday?” The sound of his voice bounced off the wall.

I adjusted my posture, sitting upright. “What do you mean?”

He clenched his jaw, then took a deep breath. “The announcement, Zoey. The damn design exhibition.” He was still angry, but his voice was much calmer now as he waltzed toward me.

I shook my head fast. “No, I had no clue.  I learned about it right after lunch like everyone else.”

“Hmmm!” I heard him mutter under his breath. He started pacing, running a hand through his hair, looking ready to explode, but still maintaining a calm demeanor. “It wasn’t for the public. It was supposed to stay internal, just a concept test, not an open invitation for every vulture in the business.”

“Competitors?” I asked, though I already knew.

He stopped and spun to face me, arms crossed tight. “Exactly. You think the other firms won’t jump on this? Leo just handed them a free shot at our ideas. The press will get ahold of it, investors’ll start making noise, and if the board figures out he leaked the brief…”He broke off, fists clenched so tight his knuckles went white. “No! I won’t let that happen.”

I kept my voice low. “So what now?”

He let out a long breath, finally unclenching his hands. “Same as always. I’ll fix what Leo screwed up.”

I started to say something, but then the door swung open. Gracing us with her presence was the same woman at the cafeteria yesterday, the one he called Zara.

She had this way of filling a room, subtle, but hard to miss. She had on a beige blazer, tailored perfectly, and this quiet confidence that seemed sewn right into her sleeves. Her heels tapped across the floor, giving away her arrival before she even said a word.

“Ethan,” she said, confidently, like she already owned the place. “You vanished right after your call last night.”

My eyes almost popped out. Last night, huh?

Ethan turned to her, and suddenly he looked softer, that small, private smile back on his face. “Yeah. Had a few things to wrap up.”

Yeah, of course he did.

I braced myself for her to ignore me, to treat me like some extra in the background, invisible in my own office. But she looked right at me and smiled, actually smiled, warm and real.

“You must be Zoey,” she said. “Ethan’s mentioned you. He says you’re sharp and driven, and honestly, I can already see it.”

I just stared at her, totally caught off guard. Compliments were the last thing I expected.

“Oh. Uh, thanks,” I stumbled, trying to put on a polite smile. “That’s…nice of you.”

She grinned wider. “No, I mean it. I’ve seen your work, I can tell you’ve got something.”

And now I had no idea what to feel.

This was the same woman I saw laughing with Ethan yesterday, like they had their own inside joke. And now she was being…nice. Too nice.

Which, honestly, just made everything feel worse.

“Ready?” Zara turned to Ethan, totally missing the awkwardness thickening the air.

He nodded. “Yeah, let’s go. I’ll deal with everything else later.”

I stared at the door for way too long before letting out a slow breath. If something was happening between them, I wasn’t going to get in the way. Whatever existed between me and Ethan was already a mess. Maybe it was actually smart to just give him some space.

Time to focus on the competition. Work, not feelings. Logic over emotion. I flipped my laptop open again. If Leo wanted the best design by the end of the week, that’s exactly what he’d get, something new, bold, and impossible to ignore. I started sketching, rough ideas taking shape in my head. Lines, curves, flashes of color. I was just starting to find my groove when the door swung open again.

This time it was Leo. The nerve of him, strolling in like it was just another Tuesday, made my blood prickle. “Busy?” he asked, like he didn’t already know the answer, holding this stack of folders that looked heavy enough to break a table.

“Trying to be,” I shot back, glancing up.

“Perfect,” he said, dropping the pile right in front of me. Papers fell everywhere, covering half my desk. “Here’s something to keep you busy.”

I just stared at him. “You’re joking.”

“I never joke,” he said.

He sounded genuine, but his eyes had a glint of mischief mischief, or maybe something worse. “Those are overdue reports. I need them compiled by tomorrow morning.”

I wanted to push back, to say something sharp, but nothing came out. Maybe it was pride. Maybe I just didn’t want to give him the satisfaction of seeing me crack.

So I just nodded. “Fine.”

He looked me over, smirked, and said, “Good.”

Then he turned to leave. I couldn’t keep my mouth shut. “You know you smiled at me yesterday like an actual human being, right? And now you’re dumping all this paperwork on me. You bipolar or something?”

Leo stopped at the door, glanced back, and grinned. “Maybe.”

And just like that, he was gone.

I just stood there, not sure if I wanted to cry or scream.

By the time I glanced down, the files had already started mocking me, a pile of numbers and deadlines that looked ready to swallow me whole. Still, maybe it was for the best. Distraction beat overthinking every time. Hours slipped away. The sky outside faded from blue to gray. Some people had already called it a night. I was knee-deep in the fourth file when my phone buzzed.

Leo had texted the group chat:
Meeting postponed. Heading out for the night. Don’t wait up.  

Translation: He’s off to party.

Of course.

I groaned and rubbed my eyes. Someone needed to keep tabs on him. And honestly, I didn’t want to see Ethan right now. But if I just let Leo run wild, something was bound to blow up.

So I sent off a quick message:

Zoey: Heads up. Leo’s heading out. He looked way too smug for it to be “just drinks.”

Ethan: Got it. Stay out of it, Zoey.

I didn’t answer. Because even if he told me to back off, I couldn’t shake this weird feeling that something about Leo’s “party” was wrong.