LOGINReading the trending news online at we chat it says, "CEO Of Malcovichs corporation with his fiancée linked up with his cousin." I tilted my head, reading the headline again and again, hoping maybe it would change or blink and vanish, but it didn’t. It stayed right there in bold black letters, mocking Miriam.The comments were flooding in faster than my thumb could scroll. Hundreds of hearts. Thousands of laughing faces. Endless paragraphs of people praising Norah. They loved her. They adored her. They called her a goddess. A perfect match for Ethan Malcovich. Some even wrote that she looked like royalty, with her elegant neck, long lashes, and the curve of her hips.But they didn’t know the truth. They didn’t know the fire burning in my chest. They didn’t know the kind of woman she was. Or maybe, they didn’t know who I truly was. The girl behind the makeup. The woman behind the smile. The fury behind the calm.I clicked off my phone and tossed it back into my purse without blinking.
"Miriam, what are you doing?" Ethan asked, lowering his fork slightly and tilting his head to look at her. His voice was low, careful, the way someone speaks when they know everyone is watching. The sound of the silverware clinking and glasses touching remained soft in the background, but the energy around our table had completely shifted. Like a silent earthquake had moved beneath the fine floors of the five-star restaurant.Some diners turned their heads for a second, pretending to check the light fixtures or adjust their napkins. But their eyes lingered. You could feel it. That hum of curiosity. Even if they couldn’t hear what Miriam was saying, the air around us was loud with tension.Miriam didn’t answer immediately. She sat down slowly, like a balloon letting out air in quiet exhaustion. She looked like she was trying to keep the last piece of her pride from slipping off her face. Her body slumped for a second before she straightened again, her neck stiff, jaw locked. Her eyes w
As I said that, I watched Miriam fume with the back of my eyes. I didn’t even need to look directly at her to know she was boiling. Her body was stiff like a pole, her jaw clenched, and she had that tight fake smile stretched across her lips like she was trying hard to play calm. But me? I was comfortable. My head leaned gently on Ethan’s shoulder, and his hand was slowly running through my hair like I was the most precious thing in the room. I saw everything. I felt everything. And most of all, I loved how this irritated Miriam.But she wasn't going to keep quiet. I knew it. I felt her breath growing heavier. She was holding herself back, and the moment my question dropped, the one I asked Ethan about why he didn’t call me after his trip, she snapped.“As a concerned girlfriend, you should come to the airport and pick him by yourself,” Miriam said, as her voice came very sharp like the edge of a broken glass.I didn’t flinch. Not even a little. I wasn’t hurt. I wasn't surprised. I di
AriaAs my lips brushed on Ethan, I felt this tingling sensation crawl deep into my belly. It wasn’t supposed to be there. I didn’t invite it. It came on its own like a foolish butterfly in the wrong garden. God, I thought I had already forgotten about our wild encounter. I masked it up quickly, faster than a blink. My eyes didn’t show it. My lips didn’t shake. I just kept smiling. It was fake, pretty, and powerful.Ethan, surprised yet too polite to react, slipped his hand around my waist as I stood close to him. Ethan was nothing but a naughty fellow. His fingers rested lightly but confidently, the way a man might hold a woman he was so much into. He didn’t say a word. He didn’t need to. His face said it all. His eyes screamed, "Girl, this ain’t my cousin," but I didn’t flinch.Miriam’s eyes were stabbing daggers, blazing with so much fury that it could melt the expensive chandelier hanging above our table. She wasn’t even blinking. Her hand was still hooked tightly to Ethan's, as i
As Miriam drives through the traffic, her knuckles tighten around the wheel as if she was clenching onto the very thoughts haunting her mind. Her eyes darted sharply across the road, not from nervousness but from the rising fury boiling beneath her gentle smile.Inside, her heart wasn't settled, and her breathing was slightly heavier than normal. Her lashes blinked slower like her mind was processing something dangerous. The question had slipped from her mouth before she could sugar-coat it, and it left a sharp air hanging in the car.Ethan, sitting on the passenger side with his arms folded across his chest and his brows slightly furrowed, turned slowly toward her. He looked at her carefully, almost studying the meaning of the words she had just asked. His lips parted slightly, and he took in a soft breath like someone about to explain himself.But before the words could fall from his mouth, Miriam cut him off.“Oh, Ethan, don't get yourself worked up over my question,” she said swee
Coming out from the airplane, Ethan looked up at the wide sky. The clouds were scattered like cotton wool drifting lazily across a pale blue canvas. He took in a long, deep breath, letting the cold, fresh breeze brush past his skin, rushing through his jet-black hair that was slicked back neatly just hours ago. He felt the chill in the air bite lightly at his cheeks, making him tighten the lapels of his sleek navy blue suit as he stepped forward."Oh, here we go," he murmured under his breath, almost like a whisper meant only for the wind to carry.He descended the aircraft’s stairs slowly, every step calculated, every movement calm, sharp, and full of grace. His brown loafers made soft tapping sounds against the metal stairs as he adjusted his stance and stepped onto the solid ground. The air tasted different, like crisp, and almost too clean. He tugged slightly on the bottom of his blazer to straighten it, then slipped one hand into his pocket and pulled out his phone.The screen li







