I woke up slowly, the soft light of dawn filtering through my curtains. My muscles ached pleasantly as I stretched, arching my back and letting my fingertips graze the sheets in search of warmth. Habitually, I reached for the side of the bed where Ethan usually slept, half-expecting him to be there, half-hoping. When my hand found nothing but empty linen, I let out a small sigh and swung my legs over the edge.

I got up, grabbed one of Ethan’s oversized T-shirts from the floor, slipped it on along with a pair of simple underwear, then headed downstairs.

The moment I stepped out of the hallway, the smell hit me.

Something sweet.

Something buttery.

And something slightly burnt.

I followed the smell into the kitchen and stopped at the entrance.

There he was.

Ethan stood in front of the stove flipping pancakes while trying to squeeze oranges into a glass bowl at the same time. The kitchen looked like a disaster zone. Orange peels littered the counter. Pineapple skin sat in one corner beside an open carton of eggs. Flour dusted part of the island counter and there was syrup spilled near the toaster.

He had one of my aprons tied around his waist.

It was pink.

With tiny cartoon strawberries on it.

I bit back a laugh.

"Good morning, pretty," he said without turning around.

"Good morning..." I leaned against the stairway. "Ethan, what are you doing?"

He glanced at me like I had asked the dumbest question alive.

"What does it look like I’m doing?"

"I know what it looks like," I said as I walked closer, "but what are you doing ? You didn’t have to make breakfast."

"Yeah, I know," he said casually while flipping another pancake, "but I wanted to make you something this morning."

I climbed down and rested my arms on the counter and watched him move around the kitchen.

He looked good like this.

Comfortable.

Domestic.

Like he belonged

His hair was messy from sleep and his sleeves were rolled to his elbows. Every now and then he would look down at the recipe on his phone then pretend he wasn’t checking it.

He was so cute ..

He slid a fresh pancake onto a plate then leaned over the counter and kissed me softly.

"Good morning," he said again.

I smiled.

"Good morning."

"So," he said, "what would the madam like? Pancakes? Eggs? I haven’t done the bacon yet but there’s fresh juice too."

I laughed.

"Wooow. Someone’s been busy."

"I try."

"I’ll take pancakes."

"With syrup and blueberries?" he asked, tilting his head, a playful challenge in his voice.

"You know it," I answered, already reaching for my fork.

I took a bite, and the warmth of the pancake, the sweetness of the blueberries, the slight tang of fresh syrup—it all hit me like a comforting hug.

"Damn!" I exclaimed.

"Uh-uh," he said, shaking his head with pride.

"It’s so good," I said, smiling up at him.

"I know," he replied simply, flipping another pancake .

"What did you put in it?" I asked curiously.

"Just flour, sugar, milk... the usual," he said, shrugging lightly.

"Well, it’s perfect," I said softly. "Thank you for this."

"You’re welcome," he said.

He continued cooking, moving on to the bacon while the aroma of sizzling meat filled the kitchen, mingling with the sweet smell of pancakes. Soon, he had arranged a plate for me: pancakes, eggs, bacon, and a cup of freshly squeezed juice. He even made one for Yuki, covering it carefully, unsure if she would take it.

We ate breakfast together, chatting quietly, savoring the calm of the morning. When I glanced at the clock, I realized it was almost nine.

"Are you gonna go to work today?" I asked casually, though I could feel a subtle tension creeping into the air.

He turned to me, his expression hard to read. His usual spark was muted, replaced by a shadow I hadn’t seen before.

"Baby, what’s wrong?" I asked, concern threading my voice.

"I quit my job yesterday," he said.

I froze mid-bite. "You... quit? What happened?"

"I didn’t get the promotion," he admitted, the words tasting bitter even as he said them.

"What? You said it was practically yours!"

"I know, I know... that’s what Brian said. I shouldn’t have trusted him," he said, voice low, almost broken.

My heart ached. "Oh my God... I’m so sorry. Was there a reason?"

"All I got was that I lacked leadership skills," he muttered.

"Bullshit!" I said, a rush of anger and frustration rising in me. "Everyone in that office knows no one deserves that promotion more than you. You work hard, Ethan, and you managed to pull me into this company. Lord knows if it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have even wanted to work with them."

"Thanks," he said quietly. "It means a lot... coming from you."

I could see it in his eyes—the sadness. Deep and heavy, and i didn’t like the way it made me feel .

"You’ll find another job," I said softly, taking his hand. "A company that deserves you. That sees your worth."

He gave me a small, grateful smile, but it didn’t reach the corners of his eyes.

We lingered over breakfast, the morning slipping past us unnoticed. By noon, he left for home, and the house immediately felt emptier, colder. I found myself replaying his words, his face, that sadness. I hated that anyone could make him feel that way.

I grabbed my phone impulsively and dialed a number.

It went to voicemail.

"I need to see you. It’s important," I said into the phone, my voice firm. "Call me back."

Later that evening, I found myself standing in front of the Apex Tech Co. building, the city lights reflecting off the glass

"I’m here to see your CEO," I told the receptionist.

"Do you have an appointment?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Your boss would want to see me," I said confidently.

She hesitated.

"Sorry, what name should I say?"

I smiled slightly.

"Tell him Lumilove is here."

Her eyebrows lifted instantly.

Interesting.

She quickly picked up the office phone.

"Sir? Miss Lumilove is here to see you."

A pause.

She pulled the phone slightly away from her ear.

"Yes sir... right away."

She hung up then looked at me again with a completely different attitude.

"You can go up. Eighteenth floor. The elevator will require a guest pass." She produced a small card from the desk and slid it across. "Tap it when you board."

I walked toward the elevators. The lobby stretched high above me, marble floors glinting, the scent of polished wood and expensive perfume hanging faintly in the air. The elevator doors slid open, and I stepped inside, placed the card and waited as I watched the numbers climb eighteen floors.

Ding!

The elevator opened.

"Well, well, well. Look who it is," a familiar voice called, smooth, confident.

"If it isn’t Lumi♡Live In the flesh."he said, stretching his hands towards me

He was tall, mixed, early-thirties, dressed in a way that was expensive without announcing it.

I smiled, stepping forward. "It’s nice to see you too, Zach," I said, embracing him lightly.

Zachariah Peddigton. CEO. Entrepreneur. Friend. Sponsor.

I had met him three years ago in Mizuhara. He had come to the compound looking for Katsuro’s blessing and network to push his company into the Japanese market. He was younger then and hungrier. We had bonded immediately. Friends, confidants, sometimes more—a no strings attached kinda thing .

"So," he said while pouring himself a drink, "what brings the young heiress to my humble kingdom?"

"Heiress? I don’t know about that," I laughed, brushing it off.

"Really? Because last time I checked your grandfather basically owns half the underworld."

"Allegedly."

He laughed.

Then I pointed at him.

"Speaking of heirs... I heard you got one of your girlfriends pregnant."

He nearly choked on his drink.

"Those are baseless rumors and I refuse to entertain them."

"Mhmm."

"I’m serious."

"Sure you are."

He narrowed his eyes playfully before sitting on the edge of his desk.

"Seriously though... why are you here? You never come or call unless you need something."

He wasn’t wrong.

At some point during the friends with benefits thing , Zach caught feelings and things became awkward and complicated after that. I pulled back. He didn’t completely..and we barely spoke after that .

Oh, come on. I call sometimes. We’re both busy. You’re jetting around the world, I’m streaming. We barely see each other," I said, brushing the tension off lightly.

"True," he said with a sigh. "And congratulations on signing with Soul Beauty. You’re joining the big leagues."

"Thank you," I said softly.

"But really," he pressed, leaning back in his chair, eyes sharp, "why are you here?"

"I need your help," I said simply. "With Parallax Design Company. You still have shares there , right?"

"Of course," he said.

"Good. I need someone promoted at one of their branches... to HQ," I explained.

"Hmm." He leaned back slightly. "I might be able to pull strings but I only own around three percent. Not exactly enough to start moving mountains."

"But enough to influence conversations." I said .

A small grin appeared on his face.

"There’s the manipulative charm I remember."

"Will you do it?"

"Depends."

"On?"

"Who’s the lucky guy?"

I hesitated for exactly half a second.

"His name is Ethan."

Something flickered across Zach’s face.

Recognition.

Interest.

Maybe jealousy too.

"You like him."

"I’m dating him."

"Ah."

Silence stretched briefly.

Then Zach sighed dramatically.

"You know, hearing that physically wounded me."

"You’ll survive."

"Barely."

I laughed quietly.

He stared at me for a second before finally shaking his head.

"Alright. Fine. I’ll help."

"Really?"

"Yeah. I know people on the board. I can make calls."

Relief spread through my chest immediately.

"Thank you, Zach. Seriously."

"Anything for you..." he paused briefly before correcting himself with a grin, "Raina."

I smiled.

"So," he said while grabbing his coat, "now that I’m out here saving your boyfriend’s career, the least you can do is have dinner with me."

"Dinner?"

"As old friends."

I thought about it for a moment.

Then nodded.

"Sure."

His grin widened instantly.

"Excellent. I know a place."