5. The Weight of Gray Eyes

The shrill voice belonged to Juliet Woods, Hector’s mother. She stood in the doorway, her short, rounded figure radiating disapproval. Her intense blue eyes, the same shade as Hector’s but colder, sharper, darted between us, taking in our flushed faces and the charged atmosphere of the room. Her aging gray hair was perfectly coiffed, and her expensive silk robe spoke of a woman who always expected order and obedience.

“Mother,” Hector said, his tone immediately shifting, becoming more subdued. “We were just… having a discussion.”

“A discussion that sounds more like a battlefield,” she snapped, her gaze still fixed on me. “Avery, what have you done now to upset my son?”

My jaw dropped. She hadn’t even asked what was wrong, she had immediately assumed it was my fault. It was always my fault in her eye, even when I'm sure she could still see the red patches on my cheeks from Hector’s slap.

“Actually, Mrs. Woods,” I began, my voice trembling slightly but with a newfound resolve, “your son was just explaining to me why he feels entitled to cheat on his wife.”

Hector’s eyes widened in alarm, and Juliet’s face hardened into a mask of fury.

“Don’t be ridiculous, Avery,” Juliet said, her voice dangerously low. “Hector would never…”

“Oh, but I did, Mother,” Hector interrupted, his face pale. He knew better than to lie to his mother directly. “I… I made a mistake.”

Juliet’s sharp blue eyes narrowed, turning their full attention to her son. “A mistake? What kind of mistake?”

Before Hector could answer, the doorbell rang, its shrill sound cutting through the tense air like a knife. 

“You both can continue this ridiculous conversation later, because I'm sure whoever is at that door is none other than the important investor who might change our family’s life for good,” Juliet announced before walking majestically to the door to open it.

The air in the living room immediately thickened, heavy with unspoken questions and dawning realizations as the visitor walked into the room. My stomach plummeted, a cold knot of dread tightening within me. 

It was none other than Caspian, the intense stranger from the club who my heart still flutters for. Was he the investor? The man who held the future of the Woods family business in his hands. And now, he was standing in our messy living room, his gaze locked on a clearly petrified Hector.

My mind raced, trying to catch up with the impossible turn of events. The drunken kiss in the club, the magnetic pull I had felt towards him – it all suddenly felt tainted, shadowed by this unbelievable coincidence. Or was it a coincidence? The chilling thought sent a shiver down my spine.

I wanted to disappear, to melt into the worn floral wallpaper and escape the suffocating awkwardness of the situation. Being in the same room as Hector was already a trial, every glance a painful reminder of his betrayal. But now, with Caspian here, his presence a potent mix of intrigue and threat, the atmosphere was almost unbearable.

Juliet started with the charms she planned on using to convince him, obviously not reading the tension in the room. “Mr. Sterling, what a… delightful surprise.”

Hector finally seemed to snap out of his daze. He swallowed hard, his eyes darting nervously between Caspian and his stern-faced companion. “Yes… of course. Please, come in.” He gestured vaguely towards the sofas, his usual confident demeanor completely gone.

Caspian moved with a smooth, almost predatory grace, his gaze sweeping over the room, lingering for a brief moment on me. There was a flicker in his gray eyes, a hint of something that made my heart pound in my chest. Was it recognition? Amusement? Or something darker?

I forced myself to meet his gaze, trying to project an air of composure I certainly didn’t feel. My cheeks flushed as the memory of our kiss flooded back, the reckless abandon of that moment now feeling foolish and exposed under the harsh light of reality.

The meeting began, a bizarre and surreal affair. Juliet took charge, her voice overly enthusiastic as she outlined the current state of the business, her words laced with an almost desperate eagerness to impress Caspian. Hector sat beside her, his usual booming voice reduced to a nervous murmur as he tried to contribute to the conversation, all the while casting furtive glances at Caspian.

I sat on the edge of the other sofa, feeling like an unwelcome intruder. The weight of Caspian’s presence was palpable. Even when he wasn’t directly speaking to me, I could feel his gaze on me, a silent, assessing look that made my skin prickle.

He maintained a professional demeanor, his questions sharp and insightful, his tone polite but distant. Yet, there were undercurrents in his interactions, subtle shifts in his gaze, a lingering moment of eye contact that sent a jolt of awareness through me. It was as if there was a secret language passing between us, a silent acknowledgment of the stolen moments in the club, a dangerous secret that hung heavy in the air.

Hector, thankfully, seemed completely oblivious to the charged atmosphere between Caspian and me. He was too preoccupied with trying to salvage his family’s business, his focus entirely on impressing the powerful investor who held their fate in his hands. The meeting stretched on, each minute feeling like an eternity. I tried to focus on the business talk, the figures and projections that Juliet was so eagerly presenting, but my mind kept drifting back to Caspian. Who was he? Why was he here? Was it truly just about business, or was there something more at play? The unsettling feeling that his arrival was no accident grew stronger with each passing moment.

Finally, after what felt like hours, Caspian stood up, signaling the end of the meeting. “Thank you for your time, Mrs. Woods, Mr. Woods,” he said, his voice cool and professional. “I’ll have my team review the documents, and we’ll be in touch with our final decision.”

Juliet practically glowed with relief. “Oh, Mr. Sterling, we are so confident that you will see the immense potential of Woods Enterprises.”

Hector, however, looked far from relieved. His gaze was still fixed on Caspian, a flicker of something akin to fear in his blue eyes. “Caspian,” he said, his voice hesitant. “Can I have a word with you… privately?”

Caspian turned, his expression impassive. “I think we’ve covered everything for today, Hector. If there’s anything further, my associate, Mr. Davies, will be in contact.” He gestured towards the stern-faced man who had remained silent throughout the meeting.

Hector’s face fell. “But… it’s important.”

“Then you can relay it to Mr. Davies,” Caspian said, his tone leaving no room for argument. He turned his attention back to Juliet. “It was a pleasure meeting you, Mrs. Woods.”

He then turned to me, his gray eyes locking with mine for a long, intense moment. A ghost of a smile touched his lips, a smile that held a hint of something dangerous and knowing. “Avery,” he said, my name rolling off his tongue like a caress. “It seems our paths have crossed again.”

Before I could respond, before I could decipher the meaning behind his words and his gaze, he turned and walked out of the apartment, Mr. Davies following closely behind.