The front door clicked open, and Maya stepped in first, followed by Tessa and Sophie, their laughter dying the instant they spotted the all-too-familiar, unwelcome figure standing in the middle of the living room -- her father.
Arms crossed. Brow drawn tight. The very picture of authority she'd rather avoid.
"Where have you been?" his voice boomed, calm but edged with warning.
Maya blinked, still holding her tote bag, trying not to sound defensive. "We just went out..."
Her father cut in sharply. "We agreed on a curfew. I pick Sophie every evening by five. It's fifteen minutes to six, Maya. Where did you take her?"
"I..."
"And don't say you just 'went out.'"
Maya inhaled deeply, glaring at the floor for a second before snapping back. "Fine. We went to Adventure Land. Happy?"
Her father's brows shot up. "Adventure Land? Really? And you're only just home now?"
Maya scoffed, tossing her bag onto the couch. "Where do you think we went? A nightclub?"
He pinched the bridge of his nose, frustration threading his voice. "You know she has a curfew, yet you made her stay out late. I don't want a repeat of this, Maya." He stepped closer, lowering his tone. "Be more responsible."
Then, turning to Sophie, his voice softened. "Let's go, Sophie."
Sophie looked between them hesitantly before following him out.
The door shut with a hard click.
Maya folded her arms, muttering under her breath, "Can't believe he had the audacity to talk about responsibility. Talk about a hypocrite."
Tessa arched a brow from the hallway. "And this is why you have daddy issues."
"Shut up," Maya muttered, flopping onto the couch.
At the Cross Estate…
The echo of Evelyn's heels cut sharply across the marble floor. She strode through the wide corridor, the brown folder tight under her arm like a weapon, her posture tall, her expression venomous calm.
When she entered the patriarch's study, she didn't wait to be invited in. She dropped the folder onto his desk with a slap, her palm pressing it down hard.
"I did what you asked," she said, her tone clipped.
The old man raised his brows, taking his time as he opened it. He scanned the documents, then leaned back in his chair. "Not bad." His thin smile was more like a sneer. "You've proved your usefulness to this family. Well done, Evelyn."
She stared at him for a long moment, then said coolly, "That's Mrs. Marwick to you."
His smile faltered.
"From now on," she continued, voice slicing through the heavy air, "there is no Evelyn. Only Mrs. Marwick. And this..." she gestured to the folder "...will be the last time I ever do anything for this family again. I hope your brain's not too old yet to understand that."
His eyes narrowed, but she didn't wait for a reply.
Her heels struck the floor like gunshots as she turned and walked out.
At the Cross Residence, Later That Night…
The fridge door creaked open, bathing the dark kitchen in a dim yellow glow.
Tessa, dressed in soft pink jammies, leaned lazily against the counter, biting into a shiny apple when the front door opened.
"Oh, Ethan," she said with a grin, "you're back. Perfect timing. I was just about to call." She took another bite. "Care for an apple?"
Ethan froze near the doorway, his breath catching for a reason he couldn't explain.
The way her jammies hugged her form, her hair slightly messy yet beautiful -- it made his throat dry. Her voice was casual, but her presence made the air dense. He tried to blink away the image in his head -- her pressed against the counter, his hands on her waist -- but his imagination refused to listen.
"Don't just stand there," she said, snapping him out of it. "Tell me about your day."
He walked in cautiously as she motioned for him to sit. He did, trying not to look too long. She sat close beside him -- too close -- and smiled faintly.
"I, for one," she began, brushing a strand of hair from her face, "had an awful day."
He cleared his throat. "Where's Maya?"
"She's mad at your dad, so she went to bed early." She took another bite, juice glistening on her lips. "I'm actually supposed to be asleep too, but I had an awful day with an awful date and I just... " she sighed "...need to get it out of my system."
He raised a brow, instantly intrigued. "Wait. Date?"
She turned to him with a little smirk. "Yes, Ethan. A date. One I most regret."
He leaned back slightly, trying to mask the rush in his chest. "Why, what happened?"
She sighs slightly. "You won't believe that few minutes into the park we're talking and then he ditches me to talk to a kid who -- by the way -- is his kid!"
Ethan tries to hold his laughter. "What?"
The night stretched warm and charged between them. Her voice, her scent --everything pressed against his restraint until he had to glance away.
The Next Morning
Sunlight crawled through the curtains, soft but too bright for the two girls still buried under the quilt.
Maya mumbled in her sleep, half-dreaming, half-grumbling. "Bastard… stupid… I'll make you pay…"
Then came the beeping.
Loud. Sharp. Constant.
Her brows furrowed, and she pulled the pillow over her head.
"Ughhh… make it stop!" she yelled.
Tessa stirred beside her, groaning. "What's that sound so early in the morning?"
Maya sat up, hair tangled, drool drying at the corner of her lips. "I swear if that's Ethan's new ringtone…"
The beeping didn't stop.
With a growl, she kicked the blanket off and stormed out, Tessa dragging herself up to follow.
They found Linda in the kitchen.
"Morning, you're up early," Linda said cheerfully.
Maya, disheveled and cranky, blinked through the haze.
Ethan, brushing his teeth, froze mid-motion when he saw her.
"For fuck's sake, Maya," he said around the toothbrush. "Give me a heads-up next time before turning into a ghost."
Maya ignored him, yelling instead, "What the fuck is that sound!"
Linda tilted her head. "I think someone's moving in opposite us."
Before anyone could stop her, Maya stormed outside -- still in her jammies, hair wild.
"Hey!" she shouted. "It's too early to be disturbing the neighborhood with your stupid truck, you know!"
The man in the truck ignored her.
"Hey! You there! I'm talking to you!"
Ethan rushed after her, trying to pull her back inside. "Sorry, sir. Come on, Maya..."
Tessa joined, shouting in solidarity, "Are you deaf or what?!"
"Guys, please," Ethan muttered through clenched teeth. "Let's get back inside before you embarrass us."
Then came the voice -- familiar, calm, and unexpected.
"Maya."
She froze. That voice. That tone.
"I'm sorry we woke you," it said again.
She turned slowly toward the source --
"Logan?"
Her heartbeat skipped.
And the world fell still.