ログインMia walked past him without saying anything.By the time she reached her room, she was no longer thinking about the board meeting. Not entirely, anyway.The next morning, she arrived at the office early. The board meeting was scheduled to begin shortly, and she wanted to be prepared.Once everyone had settled, Mia presented the Huay Project’s progress and explained the disagreement between her and Mason. Martin then invited Mason to outline his position.“Huay is one of our major projects,” Mason began. “My research and analysis show that the industrial park has considerable potential. However, if we propose developing it in stages rather than committing the full budget, the client may interpret that as a lack of confidence in our capacity. It could affect their willingness to proceed with us.”“That’s a valid point,” one of the board members remarked.Martin turned to Mia. “Let’s hear your position.”Mia stood. “The development will include industrial facilities, commercial buildings
Mason was already in the conference room when Mia arrived, studying the files spread across the table.“Good morning,” he said, looking up briefly.“Morning. Are we ready?”“As ready as we’ll ever be.”The client arrived shortly afterwards, accompanied by two members of their development team. Martin was present throughout the presentation, listening as Mia led the presentation. Mason handled some questions.The discussion lasted longer than expected, but the client appeared satisfied.“Scott Group certainly has capable people working as a team,” the lead representative remarked as he rose to shake their hands. “I believe your company could be the partner we need to bring this development to life.”“We look forward to the next stage,” Mia replied.They agreed that Scott Group would submit the remaining details within a week, after which both parties could review the proposal and move towards finalising the agreement.By the time the meeting ended, Mia felt she could finally breathe. I
They stayed for another half hour before leaving. Ethan remained behind.The ride home was quiet. Lily, unusually, had nothing to say, and Mia was grateful for it.The next day, work continued as usual. No one mentioned the cancelled honeymoon, and Mia threw herself into the Huay Project. By evening, she was tired enough to welcome the thought of going home.She found Mrs. Brooks waiting in the living room.“Good evening, Mummy.”“How are you, dear?”“I’m fine.”“Come and sit with me. I’d like to speak with you before Ethan gets home.”Mia sat beside her.“I know it must have been disappointing when Ethan cancelled your honeymoon,” Mrs. Brooks began. “Since his first wife died, Zina has been there for him. He thinks of her as family. And because Zina’s accident happened in circumstances that reminded him of what happened to his wife, I imagine it brought back some painful memories.”Mia listened without interrupting.“Ethan can seem hard on the outside, but he feels things deeply. I h
Before Mia could say anything, the call ended.She stared at her phone.“Mia? What happened?”“He just cancelled our honeymoon.”Lily’s smile disappeared. “Why?”“Zina was in an accident.”Lily let out a disbelieving breath. “Zina again? I wouldn’t be surprised if she faked that accident.”“Lily.”“What? ”Mia looked down at her untouched lunch.“You should have heard the fear in his voice,” she said quietly.Lily’s expression softened, but she didn’t look convinced.“Then why didn’t he just marry Zina if she matters that much to him?”Mia had no answer.“Why would his first instinct be to call you about cancelling the honeymoon while he was on his way to the hospital?” Lily asked.Mia looked down at her untouched lunch.“That’s what I’m worried about.”Lily studied her for a moment before reaching for her fork. “Come on. Let’s eat. Don’t spend your entire lunch break thinking about Ethan and Zina. Besides, I’m sure you weren’t exactly looking forward to a whole week alone with your h
The door stood slightly ajar.Ethan sat behind a desk, surrounded by books and documents. His jacket hung over the back of his chair, and his attention was fixed on a file.“Hey,” she said.He looked up. “Hi.”“How have you been?”“Good. You?”“Fine.”The silence that followed made Mia suddenly aware of how little they knew about each other.“We need to discuss the honeymoon,” she said, stepping farther into the room. “Your father said we’re leaving for the Maldives the day after tomorrow, and that I should get the details from you.”Ethan closed the file.“We’ll be staying for a week.”“A week?” Mia repeated.“Yes. Is that a problem?”“No. I just wasn’t expecting it to be that long.”He studied her for a moment.“Would you prefer a shorter trip?”Mia met his gaze, unsure whether he was asking out of consideration or simply giving her an opportunity to refuse.“I didn’t say that.”“Then we’ll leave the arrangements as they are.”He reached for another document, but Mia remained where
“Is Mr. Ethan home?” she asked the first maid she encountered.“No, ma’am.”“Do you know when he’ll be back?”“I’m sorry, ma’am. I don’t know.”Mia nodded and went upstairs.In her bedroom, Mia stopped before the mirror. Her wedding ring glimmered beneath the light, a small reminder of a decision that had changed almost everything about her life.She had survived Noah’s betrayal, rebuilt herself, returned to Scott Group, and helped her family reach a milestone they had pursued for years. Yet here she was, in a marriage where she barely saw her husband, wondering whether she had simply exchanged one kind of loneliness for another.And then there was Mason. Something about her brother’s recent distance troubled her, though she couldn’t quite explain it.Perhaps everyone was simply busy.She turned away from the mirror and headed for the bathroom.Three days until the Maldives.She wasn’t sure whether she wanted the trip to come sooner or never at all.The next morning, Mia stayed in her







