Chapter 60

Chapter 60
Mai POV 

Immediately the call with Ian ended, I turned on my Bluetooth and connected to my car speakers. I needed this moment—needed to hear her scream with that ridiculous, high-pitched glee that only emerged when Ian’s name came up. That woman never hid her obsession with him. Not when we were together, not even after everything went to hell.

I leaned back into my seat, exhaled sharply, and unbuckled my seat belt. My heart was racing, the weight of the last twenty minutes sitting heavy on my chest. I dragged a hand through my hair, trying to pull myself back together. I tapped her number and pressed the call button.

“C’mon… pick up, Mom,” I muttered, my fingers rhythmically tapping the steering wheel. “Don’t fail me now.”

The line clicked.

“Mai!” Her voice immediately erupted with excitement. “Mai baby, what’s going on? Did Ian call you? I told you he would! I told you he—”

“Yes, yes, yes—he called,” I interrupted, rolling my eyes with a smirk she couldn’t see. “You can calm your old-lady hormones now.”

“Oh please,” she said, practically giggling, “that man is a walking Greek statue with a CEO job. You had him and let him go. Why—”

“—because love doesn’t fix betrayal, Mom,” I snapped, my tone sharper than intended.

The line went quiet. I sighed. “Sorry. That came out colder than I meant.”

“No… you’re right,” she said finally, her voice softer. “I just… I always believed in you two. But I get it. Really. I do.”

I closed my eyes and tilted my head back against the headrest. “I’m not calling to walk down memory lane or debate Ian’s jawline, okay?”

“I never debate that,” she said, smug. “It’s perfect.”

I groaned. “Anyway—he called about the Delano Tech deal. Apparently, your beloved Ian wants us to work together as partners on the expansion in Lisbon.”

“Ohhh,” she breathed, full of spark again. “Lisbon. Romantic.”

“This is business, Mother.”

“I’m just saying, that city has a certain… magic.”

I ignored her swooning. “He wants to partner on it. Told me he’s already had his legal team draft an agreement, and my secretary texted me about it too. Honestly, I knew something was cooking when my inbox started blowing up this morning.”

“And?”

“And,” I said, drawing it out, “I’m going to tell him yes.”

Her gasp sounded like she’d just been gifted a grandchild. “You’re giving him a second chance?!”

“Let’s be clear,” I said firmly, “I’m giving us—as in our companies—a chance to make money. This is not a rom-com. I’m not jumping into his arms under the Lisbon moonlight.”

“But you could,” she muttered dreamily.

I ignored her. “And before you explode with joy, I need you to stay in your lane. Don’t call him. Don’t send him banana bread. Don’t ask him to Sunday dinner.”

“But he loves my banana bread.”

I massaged my temple. “Focus. I’ll call him, tell him we’ll work together. And yes—before you ask—he’ll be happy. He’s been practically begging for this.”

There was a small pause. Then: “I’m proud of you.”

That hit me unexpectedly hard. I blinked. “Thanks, Mom.”

“No matter how messy it’s been, I know you’re doing this for the right reasons. Whether that’s business or something else, I just want you to be happy.”

“I know.”

I hung up and let the silence fill the car again. My heart was pounding. Saying yes to Ian… it felt like unlocking a door I had nailed shut months ago. But this wasn’t about feelings. This was strategy. Power. Money. Legacy.

Still…

I picked up my phone and found his number. I stared at it for a long beat before tapping “Call.” It rang once. Twice.

“Mai?” His voice came through, smooth, steady, and way too hopeful.

“Don’t get smug,” I said quickly. “But you got what you wanted.”

A pause. “You’re serious?”

“Dead serious. I’ll sign off on the deal. We’ll partner for the Lisbon expansion, under the terms my team reviewed.”

“Mai…” His voice trailed off like he was smiling. I could almost feel it through the phone.

“I’m not doing this for you, Ian,” I said, lacing my tone with steel. “I’m doing it because it’s smart, it’s profitable, and because I don’t need to burn bridges when I can walk over them in Louboutins.”

He laughed. “God, I missed your mouth.”

“You missed a lot more than that. But this isn’t a reunion tour. Don’t mistake business for reconciliation.”

“Understood,” he said. “But thank you. Really. I’ve been trying to prove to you that I can be trusted again, even if just in business.”

“Good,” I said, exhaling. “Because you’re on thin ice. And I wear stilettos.”

“I wouldn’t expect anything less.”

I hung up before he could get another word in. My hands were trembling just slightly. It wasn’t fear. It was adrenaline. The thrill of power, of playing the game on my own terms. For once, I was the one drawing the lines. And Ian? He was standing exactly where I wanted him.

I adjusted my rearview mirror, applied a swipe of red lipstick, and smirked at my reflection.

Let’s see if he can keep up.

I shouldn’t have called him.

I shouldn’t have agreed to the deal.

And I definitely shouldn’t have hung up without asking the question that had been eating at the edge of my mind like acid.

Mona.

Ian’s new plaything. Or at least, she was. And yet… the way he talked to me? The tone. The eagerness. The relief in his voice—it didn’t sound like a man freshly loved-up with someone new.

No. It sounded like something else.

I bit my lip hard, staring at the phone in my hand like it was a cursed object. I shouldn’t care. I don’t care.

Except I do. Damn it.

I hit his number again and lifted the phone to my ear before I could talk myself out of it.

He answered faster than before. “Mai?”

“I forgot to ask something,” I said coolly, feigning casual.

“Oh? Go on.”

“Yeah, I’m just curious.” I kept my tone sharp and light, like a dagger laced with sugar. “Where’s Mona in all of this?”

Silence.

A long one.

I arched a brow. “Cat got your tongue?”