Celeste rubbed her temples, feeling a headache creeping in.
What the hell is wrong with this male lead?
More importantly—
what the hell is wrong with this story right now?!
Ethan was supposed to end up with Riley.
Riley.
Not her. So how, in the name of every predictable romance plot, did he suddenly start liking
her
again?
She hadn’t even tried to get his attention! She had done everything right—minding her own business, staying in her lane, and yet here she was, getting dragged into a
completely unnecessary
love triangle.
Ethan let out a scoff, arms crossed over his chest, his expression an infuriating mix of arrogance and amusement. "Misunderstanding?" His voice dripped with disbelief. "Don’t play hard to get now, Celeste. I
know
you still love me. You were just trying to make me jealous."
He leaned in slightly, his lips curling into a smirk. "Well, congratulations. It worked."
Celeste stared at him, completely
dumbfounded
.
Her brain short-circuited for a second before she let out a slow, incredulous laugh. "Wow. Just . . . wow." She shook her head in amazement. "Ethan Carter, you could
seriously
be a writer with that kind of imagination."
Ethan’s smirk faltered. His brows pulled together as he studied her face. "What do you mean by that?"
Celeste sighed, finally pulling herself together. She locked eyes with him, her expression void of any amusement. "I mean," she said coolly, "I don’t like you that way, Mr. Carter. Maybe I did once. A
long
time ago. But you? You’re
ancient history
." She tilted her head. "And I have absolutely
zero
intention of getting back with you. Ever."
Ethan’s confidence wavered for the first time.
His lips parted slightly, as if searching for a counterargument, but nothing came out. His brows furrowed deeper, his hands clenching slightly on the table. "That doesn’t make sense," he muttered. "If you were truly over me, why would you be with
Alexander
of all people?"
Celeste rolled her eyes. "Oh, here we go again."
Ethan’s jaw tightened. "You used to
hate
him. You called him arrogant, possessive, an absolute nightmare to deal with. And now, what? You suddenly think he’s ’a great guy’?"
"Yes," Celeste replied simply, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
Ethan’s frown deepened. "You’re lying."
"I’m really not."
"You’re just saying that to convince yourself."
Celeste let out an exasperated sigh. "And you’re just saying
this
because you suddenly realized you might have made a mistake losing me. Which, let’s be honest, is not the
real
reason you’re here. You just wanted to get even with Alexander."
Ethan stiffened. "That’s not—"
"Oh, please," Celeste cut him off. "You never cared when I was alone. You never cared when I walked away. But the
moment
I move on? The
moment
I stop pining over you and got together with Alexander? That’s when you suddenly decide you want me back?" She shook her head. "I’m not some prize you can reclaim whenever you feel like it, Ethan."
Ethan’s face darkened, his frustration growing. "That’s
not
what this is about."
"Oh?" Celeste lifted a brow. "Then what
is
it about? Because from where I’m standing, it seems like you just don’t like losing—not to
me
, and certainly not to Alexander."
Ethan clenched his jaw, his fingers twitching slightly, as if resisting the urge to slam them on the table.
Celeste could
see
it now—the slow realization dawning on him, the cracks forming in his perfect, confident demeanor. He wasn’t used to losing control. And she? She was walking away from him without a second thought.
A smirk tugged at her lips. Oh, how the tables have turned.
Ethan exhaled sharply. "Celeste—"
"If there’s nothing else," she cut him off smoothly, pushing back her chair, "I’ll be going now. Don’t worry, our little escapade won’t reach Riley’s ears."
She turned without waiting for a response, striding toward the exit with her head held high.
Ethan sat there, fists clenched, watching her go. For the first time, he had nothing to say.
And for the first time, Celeste had made it
painfully
clear—she was no longer coming back to him . . . not when Alexander was around.
Unbeknownst to Ethan and Celeste, Riley had been watching from inside her car.
She had followed Ethan here, thinking he was meeting with the heiresses he had been courting to secure their fathers’ business partnerships. That was supposed to be today’s agenda—smiling politely, flattering them just enough to close the deals. That’s what Riley had expected.
But when she saw
Celeste
sitting across from him in the private café, her stomach twisted.
Celeste. Of all people.
Her grip on the steering wheel tightened.
Why her?
She could have handled it if Ethan had been meeting one of those other women, the heiresses.
That
would have made sense. She knew Ethan never took them seriously—it was business, pure and simple. He could entertain them, flirt with them, and even take them out, but in the end, none of them
mattered.
They were just temporary for his business to grow.
But Celeste?
Meeting with his ex in secret? That was
different.
That was
suspicious.
Riley’s breath came out unevenly.
No. It’s probably nothing,
she told herself. Maybe he was just tying up loose ends, maybe—
But then she saw it.
Ethan reached across the table, took Celeste’s hands in his, and
held them.
Riley’s blood ran cold.
What the hell is this?
Before she could even process it, she was out of the car, marching toward the café.
She wasn’t the confrontational type. She wasn’t the kind of woman who made a scene. But something inside her—something she had buried deep for years—
snapped.
First, Celeste had taken Alexander from her.
And now Ethan?
Ethan, who was
all
she had left?
Her hands were trembling as she reached for the café door, but before she could push it open, their voices filtered through.
She hesitated.
And then she
listened.
And what she heard shattered everything.
"I want you back, Celeste."
"Be mine again, and I promise you—you’ll be my one and only woman from now on."
Riley’s heart
stopped.