"You're staring again."
Kylie looked up from her seat in the boardroom, a faint smirk curving her lips as she caught Cole's eyes lingering on her. The windows of Pioneer Corp's top floor, casted sharp shadows across the long mahogany table.
Cole leaned back in his chair, unbothered. "You've got a talent for commanding attention."
"And you've got a talent for watching like no one can see you."
They shared a glance that held more than just banter. It was tension. Unspoken questions. Mutual awareness.
Around them, the meeting continued with executives droning on about quarterly targets and risk analyses. But today was different. Today, Kylie had been asked to present.
And she had delivered flawlessly.
She had proposed a strategic rebranding of a flailing Pioneer subsidiary with sharp clarity and convincing numbers. Even the skeptics at the table leaned in to listen. When she finished, the room was silent impressed, calculating.
Then came the soft claps. Quiet nods. Even a rare smile from one of the older board members.
Cole stood and addressed the room. "Unless there are objections, I suggest we move forward with Mrs. Walter's proposal."
There were none.
As the meeting ended, Kylie collected her files calmly, but inside her chest thudded with adrenaline.
Cole followed her out of the boardroom. "You owned that room."
"I know," she said with a small smile. "But it's nice to hear you say it."
They walked in silence until they reached the elevators.
"We're attending a charity brunch this afternoon," he said. "Mayor's office is hosting it. The media will be there."
"Then let's give them something to talk about."
The venue was a sunlit garden lined with white tents and soft jazz music. Tables covered in champagne linens dotted the grounds while servers glided past with flutes of prosecco and small plates of tiny cakes.
Kylie, in a pale rose dress with an open back, moved like royalty beside Cole. The press was present, of course. Their first appearance since the gala. Their photos would be on blogs by evening.
But just as she was beginning to relax, a tall woman in a blue dress approached.
"Cole Walter."
The voice was soft, sultry.
Kylie turned just as Cole tensed beside her.
"Victoria," he said.
Victoria Long.
Of course. Kylie remembered the name.
Victoria Long heir to the Long Media Empire. Influential. Brilliant. Gorgeous. And once, years ago, she and Cole dated.
Victoria smiled, lips glossy and dangerously red. "I didn't expect to see you here."
"I could say the same."
"Then again, this is your crowd. High society, high stakes high wives."
Her gaze flicked to Kylie.
"You must be Mrs. Walter."
Kylie extended her hand, keeping her smile neutral. "Kylie Reynolds. And you are?"
"Victoria Long. your husband and go way back."
"So I've heard."
Victoria tilted her head. "Don't believe everything he tells you."
"I don't. I have eyes."
Cole cleared his throat. "Victoria, we're here for the mayor's event"
"Of course. I'll leave you to it," she said sweetly. "Lovely to meet you, Kylie."
With that, she sauntered off, hips swaying.
Kylie turned to Cole. "That woman hates me."
"She hates everyone. Don't take it personally."
"I don't. But I do take the way she touched your arm personally."
"It meant nothing."
Kylie sipped her wine. "It meant something to her."
Cole didn't answer.
The brunch passed in a haze of polite conversations, posed smiles, and subtle power plays. Kylie was flawless, but the knot in her chest wouldn't loosen.
Victoria lingered like a perfume she couldn't shake laughing too loudly near Cole, grazing his hand during a toast, watching Kylie with thinly veiled amusement.
And Cole he avoided Victoria like a plague, but not completely. Not enough to satisfy the knot in Kylie's stomach.
On the ride home, the silence was loud.
"So," Kylie said finally. "That's the infamous Victoria Long."
"Yes."
"She's very confident."
"She's used to getting what she wants."
"Did she get you?"
Cole sighed. "Yes, briefly. Years ago."
"You're not over her."
"I'm over her," he said firmly. "But I'm not over what she almost cost me."
"What was that?"
"My name. My company. My control."
Kylie studied him. "You don't like losing, do you?"
"No."
"Neither do I."
Later that evening, back at the penthouse, Kylie poured herself a drink and sat on the couch.
She was angry. Not just at Victoria, but at herself for caring.
She had no right to be jealous. This wasn't love and there was nothing between them. Their relationship was a contract.
So why did it feel so personal?
Cole found her there.
"I didn't tell you because I didn't think it mattered," he said.
"You're wrong. It matters. Not because of what she was to you, but because of what she saw in me."
"What do you mean?"
"She doesn't believe I belong next to you."
"She's wrong."
"Then prove it."
Cole stepped closer. "How?"
Kylie turned to face him, heart pounding. "Tell me this isn't fake anymore."
Silence.
Then he reached out, his hand brushing her cheek. "It stopped being fake the moment you walked into that boardroom and reminded me what real power looks like."
She leaned into his touch. "You still haven't answered the question."
He closed the space between them.
"It's not fake anymore. Not for me."
Their lips met, slow and burning. The kiss was not scripted. Not performative. It was real, for the first time their kiss meant something to both of them. Honest. And when it ended, neither of them moved away.
Kylie looked into his eyes. "Don't make me regret this."
Cole's voice was rough. "I won't."
Later, lying awake in the dark, Kylie stared at the ceiling.
She didn't know what happen tomorrow.
But tonight? She knew this.
Something had changed between them.
And the rules no longer mattered.