Noah stood by the kitchen counter, half-focused on sorting through the week's unopened mail and Amazon packages. Envelopes, receipts, and PR junk mail littered the surface, but his attention kept drifting—not to the mess, but to the sound of Lexi's voice in the living room.
She paced barefoot across the floor, laptop balanced on one arm, Bluetooth earbuds tucked into place, her other hand gesturing in animated punctuation as she spoke.
"…And if we align the launch date with the shelter event, we can boost reach organically without paying for cross-promotion," she said, sounding bright and purposeful.
Noah quietly tore open a bubble-wrapped envelope without taking his eyes off her.
Her focus. Her smile. The way she bit her bottom lip when she was trying to phrase something just right.
She paused to sip her coffee, then laughed lightly at something the person on the other end said.
And then he heard it.
"…Jake said he can shoot the behind-the-scenes content himself. His team's already familiar with the gear, so it should save us time."
Jake.
There it was again.
Noah stiffened.
She kept talking, oblivious.
"We'll still tag the sponsor, but make the main angle more about community uplift. That way it feels less branded and more… authentic."
She laughed again. Soft, easy. A laugh Noah hadn't heard directed at him in days.
He leaned on the counter, jaw clenched. He wasn't proud of it, but he hated how natural it sounded—her talking to Jake. Collaborating. Laughing.
He glanced down at the unopened envelope in his hand, then dropped it back on the pile.
Lexi ended the call with a cheerful, "Great. I'll send over the finalized outline tonight."
She pulled out her earbuds and turned toward the kitchen.
Noah couldn't hold it in.
"Why does it have to be him?"
Lexi blinked. "What?"
"The charity project," Noah said, stepping forward. "Why Jake? Why is he always the guy you turn to?"
Lexi blinked, caught off guard. "Because it was his idea? He pitched it. I thought it was a good one."
"You couldn't pitch it to someone else?"
Her brows knit. "Are you serious right now?"
Noah tried to keep his tone even. "Your followers are already wondering why you're spending more time with a walking red flag than with your husband."
Lexi's jaw dropped. "Jake isn't a red flag. He's actually decent when you stop being petty."
"I'm not being petty," Noah said. "I'm being realistic. You work with him, you talk to him, you laugh with him—and you barely even look at me anymore."
Lexi's voice flattened. "Grow up, Noah."
Something inside him snapped. "Do you have feelings for him?"
Silence.
Lexi stared at him. He stared back, already regretting the words.
She didn't answer. She just turned and said, "I'm going to take a shower."
Noah let out a slow breath as she disappeared down the hallway.
Smooth. Real smooth.
His phone rang.
He answered. "Hey."
Tim's voice chirped on the other end. "We won the bidding. The necklace's yours."
Noah blinked. "Are you serious?"
"As a heart attack. You want me to drop it off?"
"No, I'll come get it."
He grabbed his keys and headed out, grateful for something—anything—to focus on that wasn't the slow unraveling of his self-control.
⸻
Downtown, at a boutique lined with mirrors and price tags that didn't believe in humility…
Lexi twirled in front of a mirror, frowning. "I've tried on ten dresses and I hate them all."
Gia flopped onto the velvet bench in the corner of the fitting room. "That's because you're not trying on dresses. You're trying to distract yourself."
Lexi sighed. "He accused me of liking Jake."
Gia raised a brow. "And you're surprised?"
Lexi blinked. "Yes? No. I don't know."
"If I didn't know any better," Gia said, stretching out with a yawn, "I'd say Noah was jealous."
Lexi rolled her eyes. "He's not jealous."
"Girl. He is jealous. Everyone can see it. Even Lucas noticed."
Lexi's head snapped up. "Wait—Lucas? Lucas Lucas?"
Gia froze. "Crap."
Lexi gasped. "Are you seeing Lucas?"
Gia turned red. "Define 'seeing.'"
Lexi grinned. "You little sneak!"
"We've just had lunch… twice. At the hospital."
"So ask him out."
"I can't just ask out a doctor in his workplace!"
Lexi marched over and pointed to a rack of dresses. "Then I'll pick out something that does the asking for you."
Gia groaned. "You're impossible."
Lexi smiled. "You love me."
⸻
Later, in their favorite post-shopping restaurant…
Shopping bags crowded the booth like colorful bodyguards. Lexi and Gia were deep into the menu when a voice floated above them like smoke.
"Well, well."
Lexi looked up. "Ugh."
Molly stood there, polished to perfection, her lips painted a smug shade of "I'm up to something."
"What are you doing here?" Lexi asked.
"Just having lunch with friends," Molly said, gesturing vaguely. "Saw you two and thought I'd say hi."
"Hi," Lexi said. "Bye."
Molly feigned offense. "Tense, are we? Must be exhausting, keeping Noah's attention with all that charity work."
Lexi narrowed her eyes. "Get to the point."
Molly leaned in, voice light but lethal. "You know, Noah must really like you."
Lexi's expression didn't change. "What are you getting at?"
"Why else," Molly continued, "would he marry the daughter of the man who destroyed his family?"
Lexi stared. "What?"
Molly sighed theatrically. "Oh, dear. You don't know? Your dad's company fired Charles Blackwood—Noah's father. Days before he ended his life. Poor Noah was only ten." She clasped her chest. "So tragic."
"You're lying," Lexi said, jaw tightening.
"It's all documented," Molly replied with a shrug. "I'd check with daddy."
Gia sat frozen.
"Well," Molly added sweetly, "don't let me ruin your day. Enjoy your lunch!"
She walked away, sliding into a booth like nothing happened.
Lexi stared at the table. "Do you think she's telling the truth?"
Gia whispered, "I don't know."
Lexi pulled out her phone, dialing. "We'll find out."
"Dad? I need to ask you about someone. Charles Blackwood. He used to work for you. Can we talk later?"
She ended the call and looked out the window, suddenly unsure of everything.