Jade paced the kitchen, her arms crossed tightly over her chest. Her mind replayed the conversation with Vivienne over and over, each word cutting deeper. By the time the front door opened and the familiar sound of footsteps echoed through the house, her nerves were frayed.
The men entered, their voices low as they discussed something work-related. Milan walked in first, his sharp blue eyes scanning the room. Enzo followed close behind, his usual smirk replaced with a look of quiet curiosity, and Thiago brought up the rear, his casual swagger slightly subdued.
Jade stopped in her tracks, her gaze meeting Milan’s. She swallowed hard, her heart pounding.
“You’re home,” she said, her voice tight.
Milan nodded, setting his keys on the counter. “We are. What’s wrong?”
Jade hesitated, glancing at Enzo and Thiago before focusing on Milan again. “Your ex… Vivienne… she came by.”
The room went still. Milan’s expression didn’t change, but his eyes darkened. Enzo, on the other hand, raised an eyebrow, his smirk making a brief return. “Vivienne? Now that’s a name I haven’t heard in a while.”
Thiago, who had been leaning against the counter, straightened up. “What did she want?”
Jade crossed her arms, her voice shaking slightly. “To threaten me, apparently. She said I’m just a project to you three and that you’d get bored of me eventually.”
Milan’s jaw tightened, his eyes narrowing as he exchanged a glance with Enzo and Thiago. The tension between them was palpable, an unspoken conversation passing in the silence.
“This is not good,” Milan said finally, his voice low and controlled.
***
Jade stood frozen in the kitchen, staring at the study door that had been closed for nearly an hour. Milan, Enzo, and Thiago had all disappeared into it after she told them about Vivienne’s unexpected visit and her thinly veiled threats. The men hadn’t said much, just exchanged a series of tense glances before retreating behind the heavy oak door.
She felt like she was drowning in confusion. Why were they acting so strangely? What was Vivienne’s real deal, and why had her mere presence thrown them into such a frenzy?
Unable to keep her thoughts to herself, Jade grabbed her phone and dialed Mia’s number. The call barely rang before Mia’s cheerful voice came through.
“Hey, babe! What’s up?”
Jade let out a long sigh, leaning against the counter. “Mia, I’m losing my mind. I told Milan about Vivienne, and now the guys are acting so weird. They’ve been holed up in the study for an hour.”
“What?!” Mia’s voice rose with shock. “What did they say? Did Milan flip out?”
“No, not exactly,” Jade admitted. “He just stared at me for a second, said, ‘This is not good,’ and then practically ran to the study. Then Enzo and Thiago followed him like they were on some secret mission. Now they’re all in there, acting like I dropped a bomb on them.”
Mia let out a low whistle. “Wow, that sounds… intense. Did they tell you anything before disappearing?”
“Nothing,” Jade said, pacing the kitchen. “It’s like the moment I mentioned Vivienne, everything shifted. And they’re acting like there’s something I don’t know, something big.”
Mia’s tone became more serious. “What exactly did you tell them? Just what Vivienne said?”
Jade nodded, even though Mia couldn’t see her. “Yeah, I told them how she showed up, how she called me a ‘project’ and said they’d get bored of me. I told them about her warning to stay out of her way or I’d regret it.”
“And how did they react to that?” Mia asked, her curiosity sharp.
“They didn’t even react properly!” Jade burst out. “It’s like they already knew she’d pull something like this, but they still locked themselves away to discuss it, leaving me out here with no explanation.”
Mia hummed thoughtfully on the other end. “Sounds like they’re hiding something.”
“No kidding,” Jade muttered, glancing toward the study door. “I hate this. I don’t like being left in the dark, especially when it feels like it directly affects me.”
“Listen,” Mia said, her voice firm. “When they finally come out, demand answers. Don’t let them brush you off.”
Jade let out a shaky laugh. “Easier said than done. These guys are impossible to pin down when they don’t want to talk.”
“Then pin them down harder,” Mia replied, her tone lightening. “You’re tough, Jade. You’ve got this.”
Before Jade could respond, the study door creaked open. Her heart raced as the three men stepped out, their expressions as unreadable as ever.
“Gotta go,” Jade whispered into the phone. “I’ll call you later.” She ended the call and set the phone on the counter, crossing her arms as the men approached.
Milan was the first to speak, his tone calm but sharp. “Did Vivienne mention anything… out of the ordinary when she spoke to you?”