Chapter Six: " Glass Walls and Whispers"

The walk to my office felt akin to a funeral procession I was the corpse, and everyone was watching. The glass hallway functioned like the walls of an aquarium; the Carter twins and I were on display, the subject of everyone’s scrutiny.

As soon as the office door latched shut, I spun around to face them, my tone sharp enough to draw blood. "Get out of my company."

Killian didn't even blink. He sauntered over to the guest chair, made himself comfortable, and propped his Italian leather loafers onto the edge of my pristine mahogany desk, resting them directly on the documents I had just spent hours finalizing.

My skin burned with indignant fury. "Is that any way to speak to the man who just rescued your firm from a total collapse?" Killian asked, his eyes dancing with a manic, playful mischief.

"Saved?" I scoffed. My chest was heaving as my professional composure finally fractured under the absurdity of the situation. "You didn't save anything. This place was running perfectly. You walked into my lobby and dismantled five years of my reputation in less than a minute. What is the point of this?".

I shifted my gaze to Kade, who stood by the door like a silent sentinel. For a fleeting second, I regretted the time I had spent obsessing over him as my savior, and the next moment, a wave of guilt washed over me. "And you. I thought you were different, yet you’re enabling this? You’re setting up shop across the hall? This isn't management it's just an incredibly expensive way to stalk me."

Kade’s expression remained unreadable. He didn't look offended; he looked intrigued, as if he were observing a rare specimen. He always did this he looked at me as though he were trying to peer directly through my skin.

"The litigation department is the cornerstone of this firm's value, Ms. Perez. My presence here is a logical business strategy to ensure the ROI on such a significant investment."

"Don't lie to me," I hissed. "You're both here because of some twisted game you're playing, and I refuse to be the scoreboard."

"You're painting yourself as the victim, Mia. It doesn't suit you," Killian replied, his shoe scuffing my desk. I suppressed the urge to smack it away to banish him back to wherever he originated before he arrived to upend my life. "We’re just two brothers who happen to appreciate talent... and beauty. Is it our fault they come as a package deal?"

"I am your Managing Director, Mr. Carter," I reminded him, my voice trembling with a cocktail of rage and terrifying anxiety. "I am not your girlfriend."

Killian let out a dark, rich laugh that made my stomach flip. "I think I prefer you when you're angry. You get this spark in your eyes. Don't you think so, Kade?"

Kade didn't offer a verbal response. Instead, he walked toward me, forcing me to retreat until the edge of my desk pressed against my thighs. He leaned in, his shadow consuming me. "We are here for business, Ms. Perez. There is no need for defensiveness."

He offered no apology. Neither of them did. In fact, as I looked from Killian’s smug grin to Kade’s unwavering stare, a chilling realization took root: they were enjoying this. My distress was merely another facet of the "culture" they were so keen on exploring.

The rest of the morning was a train wreck in slow motion.

I tried to lose myself in work, but the office had transformed into a hive of speculation. Whenever I stepped out toward the breakroom, the silence that followed me was more deafening than any shout.

"Did you see the way the tall one looked at her?" a voice whispered from behind a row of filing cabinets.

"Which one? They’re identical."

"The one in the charcoal suit. Mr. Kade. It was like he wanted to devour her. But the other one, Mr. Killian... Madeline and Linda said they were discussing breakfast."

"Wait, is she dating both of them? Is that how she landed the M.D. position?"

"If that’s true, it’s honestly disgusting. Why would she date two brothers? Ew."

The words struck me like physical blows. My authority was hemorrhaging. I went to get coffee, hoping to clear my head, when my phone buzzed in my pocket.

Killian: “Lunch at 1? I’m thinking Italian. Or we could just order in and lock your office door. Your choice. I’m happy to let you be the boss.”*

I shut off my phone.

On the walk back to my desk, I was intercepted by Clover. Her eyes were alight with predatory curiosity, and she blocked my path near the coffee station with a tight, forced smile.

Not my best friend, too.

"Mia, honey, we're all a bit confused," she announced, her voice loud enough to carry. "The office pool is already at three hundred dollars, and we need a tie-breaker."

I tried to push past her. "I have a briefing, Clover."

She held her ground, leaning in to whisper. "Just tell us the truth so we can get back to work. Which twin is it? Are you with your 'savior' or the flirty one? Which Carter are you actually dating? Why didn’t you tell me?"

Was this my life now? People asking which twin I was dating as if I were jumping between men? I’d been single for years, saving myself for Kade. Then, the moment I gave myself to Killian, everything imploded.

"I'm not dating anyone," I said, my voice cracking.

"That's not what it looked like in the lobby," Clover countered, her grin widening. "So, who is it? Kade or Killian?”