Chapter 85: The Morning After

The next morning, both Mindy and Layla woke much earlier than usual.

Not because they had work. Not because of alarms. Because of their phones.

A single notification lit up each screen.

Matthias King

Good morning.

When will you be leaving for the office?

Mindy stared at the message for a full minute, her thumb hovering over the keyboard. Her mind went completely blank.

She typed: Good morning. Around 9.

Deleted it.

Typed again: Morning! Probably 9ish.

Deleted again. Too casual.

Tried once more: Good morning. I’ll be leaving at 9 AM.

Too formal. Deleted.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, she settled on: Good Morning! At 9.

She immediately locked her phone and buried her face in the pillow, groaning. "Why is this so hard?"

Across the estate, Layla was having the exact same crisis.

Zac Turner

Morning.

Heading to Rona Design today?

She frowned at the screen, her expression caught between panic and annoyance. "Why is this man texting so early..."

She typed: Morning.

Deleted it. Too short.

Typed again: Good morning.

Deleted. Too formal.

"...Why does this feel like a business email?" she muttered, staring at the blank message box.

After another thirty seconds of internal debate, she finally sent: Good Morning! Yes

She immediately threw her phone onto the bed as though it had burned her fingers, then stared at the ceiling. "...What is wrong with me?"

Twenty minutes later, both women walked downstairs at exactly the same moment. They looked at each other in the hallway, paused mid-step, and sighed in perfect unison.

"..."

"..."

Neither said anything. They simply walked toward the dining table, their expressions equally dazed.

Already seated there, Wade looked up from his breakfast—scrambled eggs and toast—and blinked. "...Morning."

No response.

Both sisters sat down mechanically, their movements synchronized like robots. They picked up toast, started eating, and said nothing.

Silently.

Wade looked from one to the other, then back again, his fork suspended mid-air. "...Did something happen?"

Both of them looked at him at the same time, sighed together—again in perfect unison—then continued eating.

Wade slowly lowered his coffee cup, his expression bewildered. "...Should I be worried?"

Neither answered. The only sound at the table was knives scraping plates and the occasional clink of silverware.

Wade blinked, his gaze shifting between his two sisters. "What on earth happened overnight?"

The drive to Rona Design was equally strange. For nearly five minutes, the car was filled with nothing but the hum of the engine and the distant sounds of traffic.

Finally, Layla spoke first, her voice quiet. "...Did you get his message?"

Mindy looked out the window, watching the city blur past. "...Yes." She paused. "You?"

Layla nodded slowly. "...Unfortunately."

Mindy couldn’t help smiling, the corner of her mouth twitching. "...Did you reply?"

Layla unlocked her phone and shoved it toward Mindy, her expression pained.

Zac:

Morning.

Heading to Rona Design today?

Her reply.

Good morning. Yes

Mindy laughed softly, her shoulders shaking. "That’s it?"

"What else was I supposed to say?" Layla groaned dramatically, covering her face with one hand. "And then he asked me if I’d like dinner tonight." She buried her face in both hands. "I don’t know what to do."

Mindy tilted her head, her expression thoughtful. "...Isn’t that a good thing?"

Layla slowly turned toward her, squinting suspiciously. "...Are you meeting Matthias?"

Mindy froze, her eyes widening slightly. "..." She paused, then blurted out, "I don’t know yet!"

Both women looked at each other, their expressions mirroring the same mix of confusion and resignation.

The driver glanced into the rearview mirror, his brow furrowing. "Why do they both look like they’re attending a funeral?"

As soon as they reached Rona Design, work took over. Layla disappeared into back-to-back meetings—budget reviews, vendor negotiations, staffing issues. Mindy buried herself beneath sketches, unfinished collections, and pending project reviews, her desk covered in fabric swatches and design boards.

Nearly an hour passed in focused silence.

Then her office phone rang, the sound jarring in the quiet.

She answered absentmindedly, not looking up from her sketches. "Yes?"

Her assistant sounded unusually nervous, her voice tight. "Miss Wilson..."

"Mr. King is here."

Mindy straightened instantly, her pen clattering to the desk. "...What?"

"He’s in reception. He asked to see you."

Mindy stood so quickly her chair rolled backward, hitting the wall with a soft thud. "What is he doing here?"

"...Should I send him in?"

Mindy panicked, her mind racing. "No!"

The assistant blinked, clearly confused. "...No?"

"I mean yes." Mindy paused, her hand pressed to her forehead. "...Actually no."

The assistant looked completely lost, her voice uncertain. "...Miss Wilson?"

Mindy rubbed her forehead, her thoughts spiraling. "Tell him..." She paused, searching for words. "...Tell him I went somewhere."

Silence on the other end.

"...Somewhere?"

"Yes."

"Where exactly?"

Mindy stared at the ceiling, her expression desperate. "...Make something up!"

She hung up before another question came, then grabbed her phone and ran straight out of the office, her heels clicking rapidly against the floor.

Layla was reviewing financial statements, her brow furrowed in concentration, when her office door burst open.

Mindy rushed inside, breathing heavily, her hair slightly disheveled.

Layla looked up, startled. "...What happened?"

"Matthias is here."

"...And?"

"I don’t know how to face him."

Layla blinked, her expression caught between amusement and disbelief. "...You’re hiding?"

"I am not hiding." Mindy crossed her arms defensively. "I’m strategically avoiding eye contact."

Layla burst into laughter, her hand covering her mouth. "You kissed the man yesterday."

"I know!"

"So?"

"...That’s exactly the problem!"

Before Layla could reply, there was a knock at the door. Her assistant entered, her expression professional. "Miss Hart."

"Mr. Turner is here."

Layla froze, her face going pale. "...What?"

"He would like to see you."

Mindy slowly turned toward Layla, her expression smug. "...Now who’s strategically avoiding eye contact?"

Layla looked horrified, her eyes widening. "No. No. I cannot see him right now."

Then, without another word, the office door opened wider.

Layla panicked. In one swift motion, she disappeared beneath her desk, crouching in the small space between the drawers and the chair.

Mindy stared, her mouth falling open. "...Seriously?"

Layla whispered urgently from below, her voice muffled. "Hide me!"

Before Mindy could react, Zac walked inside, his expression polite and professional. He smiled. "...Miss Wilson? I thought Miss Hart was here."

Without missing a beat, Mindy calmly sat behind Layla’s desk, folding her hands on the surface. "Oh. Layla?" She paused, her tone perfectly casual. "She just went to Human Resources."

Underneath the desk, Layla pinched Mindy’s ankle—hard.

Mindy jerked, her leg twitching. "Ah!"

Zac frowned, concerned. "Are you alright?"

"Perfectly." Mindy smiled sweetly, her voice steady. "Actually, on second thought, she’ll probably be there another hour. And after that, she has a meeting with Shipping."

Another pinch. Harder this time.

Mindy bit her lip to stop herself from laughing, her shoulders shaking slightly.

Zac nodded, accepting the explanation. "I see. I’ll come back later." He smiled politely. "Thank you, Miss Wilson."

Then he left, the door closing softly behind him.

The moment the latch clicked, Layla slowly emerged from beneath the desk, her hair slightly mussed, her expression indignant.

"You pinched me!"

"You deserved it."

Both women glared at each other, their expressions fierce. Then the office door creaked open again.

Mindy immediately recognized the silhouette in the doorway—tall, broad-shouldered, the silver mask catching the light. "...Oh no."

Without hesitation, she dove beneath the desk, squeezing into the small space beside where Layla had just been.

Layla looked down, her expression incredulous. "...Really?"

"You started it," Mindy hissed from below.

A second later, Matthias entered, his gaze sweeping the room. He glanced around, then smiled politely at Layla. "Miss Hart. I was looking for Mindy. Have you seen her?"

Layla looked perfectly composed, her expression neutral. "Oh. Mindy?" She paused, her tone thoughtful. "I believe she went to Human Resources."

Under the desk, Mindy stared up at her, one eyebrow raised. She just used the same excuse as her.

Layla continued innocently, her voice smooth. "After that, she has a meeting with Shipping."

Matthias looked at her for a long second, his expression unreadable. "...Really?"

Layla nodded with complete confidence. "...Really."

His phone rang, the sound cutting through the tension. He answered briefly, his voice low, then turned back. "If you see her, please tell her to call me."

"Of course."

He left, the door closing behind him.

The moment the latch clicked, both women collapsed under the desk, their backs against the wood paneling, breathing heavily.

"..."

"..."

After several seconds, Mindy looked at Layla, her expression exhausted. "...What are we doing?"

Layla sighed, her head falling back. "We’re CEOs. We’re hiding behind office furniture."

Both of them started laughing—quiet, breathless laughter that shook their shoulders.

After calming down, Layla nodded firmly, her expression determined. "Enough. We face them today."

Mindy nodded, her jaw set. "Agreed."

Just then, the office door opened once more.

Neither woman moved. Instead, another person crouched beneath the desk beside them—Wade.

He looked at both sisters, his expression bewildered. "...What exactly are you two doing?"

They both pointed at each other at the same time, their voices overlapping.

"She kissed Matthias."

"She kissed Zac."

Wade’s eyes widened, his mouth falling open. "...What?" He stared at them.

"My sisters are kissing men and hiding under desks afterwards?"

Neither answered.

Wade sighed deeply, his hand rubbing his face. "Get yourselves together."

At that exact moment, two shadows appeared on opposite sides of the desk—one on the left, one on the right.

Matthias. And Zac.

Both looked down simultaneously, their expressions amused.

"There you are."

Silence. Complete, mortified silence.

Matthias couldn’t stop himself from smiling, his eyes crinkling. "So this is where LUXT’s Founder disappeared."

He offered his hand toward Mindy, his palm open.

Without thinking, she took it, her fingers curling around his.

On the opposite side, Zac extended his hand toward Layla, his expression warm.

She hesitated only a second before accepting, her hand slipping into his.

Meanwhile, Wade remained sitting on the floor, watching all four of them with an expression of utter disbelief. "..." He slowly stood, walked over to the sofa, and folded his arms. "...Unbelievable."

Matthias looked at Mindy, his tone gentle. "What were you doing?"

Before she could answer, she pointed at Layla. "It was her idea."

"What?!" Layla stared, her voice rising. "It absolutely was not!"

Zac laughed, the sound warm and genuine. "I only came to ask if you’d like dinner tonight."

Layla looked away awkwardly, her cheeks flushing. "...Alright."

A smile immediately spread across Zac’s face, his expression brightening.

Matthias leaned slightly toward Mindy, his voice dropping to a murmur. "Have Dinner with me? I’ll cook tonight. Your favorite."

Mindy felt her cheeks warm, her heart beating faster. She nodded quietly. "...Okay."

Satisfied, both men finally left, the door closing softly behind them.

Silence returned, thick and heavy.

Wade looked at the closed door, then slowly turned toward the two women. Both were bright red, their faces flushed, their expressions caught between embarrassment and something softer.

He thought about his own evening plans and sighed deeply. "I’ll be eating alone." Both sisters immediately looked at him, guilt flashing across their faces.

"Wade—" Mindy started.

"No, no." He held up a hand, his expression resigned but amused. "You two enjoy your romantic dinners. I’ll just be here. With my microwave meal. And my loneliness."

Layla bit her lip, trying not to laugh. "We can—" "I’m fine."

Wade stood, brushing off his pants. "Really. I’ve always wanted to know what it’s like to be the third wheel in my own family."

Mindy threw a pen at him. "Stop being dramatic."

He caught it, grinning. "Dramatic? Me?"

He placed a hand over his heart. "I’m just a man. Abandoned by his sisters. For men in masks and suits."

"Wade!" both women said in unison.

He laughed, "I actually came here for work.", his expression turning serious.

Their expressions immediately changed, the warmth draining from their faces.

"What happened?" Mindy asked, her voice sharp.

Wade’s smile disappeared, his expression turning serious. "Everything is ready in Cracros City. We leave two days from now."

The warmth in the room faded, replaced by cold reality.

Mindy slowly nodded, her jaw tightening. "...It’s finally time."