Chapter 61: Consequence, consequence
( this Chapter is told from a third persons pov and so will then others moving forward until I announced otherwise..enjoy )
Monday arrived far too quickly.
By noon, Ethan was already regretting being back at work.
The weekend in Clinton felt like it had happened months ago instead of yesterday. There had been no deadlines, no client meetings, no endless emails waiting for replies. Just quiet mornings, long drives, and Raina.
Now reality had returned.
The office hummed with its usual rhythm. Designers moved between workstations carrying tablets and coffee cups. Printers whirred in the background. Conversations drifted across the studio floor while half-finished campaign concepts covered the whiteboards lining the walls.
Ethan sat behind his desk reviewing the final revisions for the project.
At exactly twelve o’clock, Susan stepped into his office.
He glanced up briefly.
"Have a seat."
Susan lowered herself into the chair across from him and placed her handbag carefully on the desk.
The silence stretched.
Finally, she spoke.
"Ethan, I’m—"
"Save it."
The interruption was calm.
Far too calm.
Susan froze.
Ethan continued reviewing the document in front of him for several moments before finally setting his pen down.
"Let’s focus on work."
"But I really am sorry."
"No, you’re not."
The words landed harder than she expected.
"Ethan—"
"Susan."
His voice sharpened slightly.
"You hit my girlfriend."
Susan looked away.
"I know Raina keeps pretending it was an accident. I know she keeps trying to smooth things over and stop everyone from making a big deal out of it."
His jaw tightened.
"But I’m not stupid."
The memory still irritated him.
The mark on Raina’s cheek.
The way she’d immediately tried to protect everyone involved.
The way she’d refused to let him be angry on her behalf.
"I saw her face."
Susan swallowed.
"Ethan, please just listen to me."
"No."
The answer came instantly.
"After this project is finished, we’re done."
Her eyes widened.
"What?"
"I don’t want to work with you anymore."
For the first time since entering the office, genuine hurt flashed across Susan’s face.
Not because of the project.
Because of him.
Ethan had always listened.
Always.
The fact that he wasn’t even willing to hear her out told her exactly how much damage had been done.
"You don’t mean that."
"I do."
"Ethan—"
"Back to work."
He picked up his pen again.
Conversation over.
For the next ninety minutes they worked through revisions in near silence.
No jokes.
No casual conversation.
No familiar ease.
Just business.
When the meeting finally ended, Ethan didn’t walk her out.
He didn’t stand.
Didn’t smile.
Didn’t even look up when she gathered her belongings.
The realization stung more than Susan cared to admit.
By the time she reached her car, her frustration had already found a target.
Raina.
Everything somehow led back to Raina.
Every single time.
The drive across town felt shorter than usual.
Susan barely remembered parking.
She was already halfway to the front door before the engine had fully cooled.
The doorbell rang once.
Twice.
Three times.
"Himari!"
She slammed her hand against the bell again.
"Himari!"
A few moments later footsteps echoed from upstairs.
Raina appeared at the top of the staircase.
"What?"
Her expression was openly annoyed.
"Why are you screaming my name?"
Susan stepped inside.
"You know exactly why."
Raina descended the stairs at a leisurely pace.
Despite the anger radiating from Susan, she looked completely relaxed.
Almost amused.
"Actually, Susan, despite what you may think, I don’t."
"Ethan." Susan said Crossing her hands
Recognition flashed across Raina’s face.
Then a slow smile spread across her lips.
"Oh."
She crossed the room and settled onto the couch.
"He finally kicked your ass to the curb, didn’t he?"
Susan’s hands clenched.
"Like I said," Raina continued, crossing one leg over the other, "he doesn’t love you anymore."
The deliberate emphasis made Susan’s stomach twist.
"Enjoy that confidence while it lasts."
The smile remained on Raina’s face.
"Because once Ethan learns who you really are—"
"I could say the exact same thing about you."
Susan stopped.
Slowly turned.
"What is that supposed to mean?"
The amusement vanished from Raina’s face.
And something colder appeared.
Something far more dangerous.
She rose from the couch and walked toward the bar tucked into the corner of the room.
"One of the most important things my grandfather taught me during my stay in Japan was this."
She opened a cabinet and selected a bottle.
"’Always have friends in the right places.’"
Susan frowned.
Before she could respond, her phone rang.
Raina glanced toward it.
"You should answer that."
Something about the way she said it immediately made Susan uneasy.
She pulled out her phone.
"Hello?"
Several seconds passed.
Then her face drained of color.
"Yes, sir."
More silence.
"Understood."
The call ended.
Slowly, she lowered the phone.
"What did you do?"
"Nothing much."Raina said reaching for a glass .
"Nothing much?"
Susan took a step forward.
"I just got removed from the project."
Raina poured herself a drink.
The amber liquid swirled lazily inside the crystal glass. "Want one?"
"What did you do?"Susan asked again
Raina took a slow sip before answering.
"I called a friend."
Susan stared.
"Who called another friend."
Another sip.
"Who happened to know someone important."
The smile that followed was small.
Cold.
"And they agreed you were becoming more trouble than you were worth."
"You can’t do that." Susan said shaking her head
"I already did."
Susan felt sick.
"You had no right."
Raina laughed softly.
"Right?"
She set the glass down.
"Susan, we’re way past worrying about rights."
The room fell silent.
Outside, birds chirped somewhere beyond the windows.
Inside, neither woman moved.
"You really are a monster."
The insult barely registered.
Raina simply shrugged."Funny."
She picked up her glass again. "Hearing that doesn’t hurt nearly as much as it used to."
Susan hated how calm she looked.
How untouchable she looked.
How completely in control she looked.
"Oh relax !," Raina continued, "you still have your job."
Susan blinked.
"What?"
"I tried to get you fired too."Raina said
The casual delivery made the words even worse.
"But apparently they value your..." She lifted her fingers into air quotes. "’Impact on the company.’"
Susan stared.
"You tried to get me fired?"
"I did." Raina smiled pleasantly.
"They said no."Then her smile disappeared.
"But I learned something interesting while I was asking questions."
Susan said nothing.
Raina’s gaze hardened.
"You needed this job."
A pause.
"A lot."
Susan’s stomach dropped.
"You were terminated from your last position."
Another pause.
"Your savings aren’t exactly thriving."
Susan felt her pulse spike.
"And based on what I heard, finding another senior-level position won’t be easy."
The silence that followed felt suffocating.
Raina tilted her head slightly.
"You see, Susan, unlike you..."Her smile returned."I do my homework."
For the first time, Susan genuinely looked shaken.
Not angry.
Shaken.
"So if I were you..." Raina lifted her glass. "I’d start making better decisions."
"You think you’ve won." Susan said
"No." Raina swirled the drink lazily." I think you’ve lost."
The words hit harder than any slap ever could.
Susan stared at her for several seconds.
Then slowly shook her head.
"This isn’t over."
"Oh, honey, I know "Raina leaned casually against the bar.
The answer caught Susan off guard.
Raina’s expression darkened.
"That’s exactly what makes this interesting."
The room went quiet again.
Neither woman looked away.
Neither backed down.
Finally Susan turned toward the door.
But before she could leave—
Raina spoke one last time.
"If you’re planning to come after me, be smart about it."
Susan stopped.
"Because if Ethan gets hurt..." The warmth disappeared completely from Raina’s voice.
"then we stop playing office politics."
A chill ran down Susan’s spine.
Because she believed every word Raina was saying .
The front door slammed shut behind her.
Silence settled over the house.
Raina remained where she was for several moments before finally exhaling.
Then she picked up her phone and selected a number.
The call connected almost immediately.
"Well?" Zach asked.
"How did it go with the nuisance?"
A small smile appeared. "It went well." She said
"Good."
"Thanks to your help."
A laugh echoed through the speaker.
"You know I’d do anything for you." Zach said
"I know."
And she did.
That was the useful thing about loyalty.
Most people underestimated its value.
"Thank you, Zach."
"Anytime."
The call ended.
The house became quiet once again.
Raina stared at the dark screen for several moments.
One problem handled.
At least temporarily.
But another remained.
Her thoughts drifted toward X-Reveals.
Not Malcolm. Because st least for now Malcolm was contained.
Watched, managed.
But X-Reveals was different.
A ghost, a mystery, an enemy she couldn’t see.
And if there was one thing Raina hated more than enemies—
It was uncertainty.
Slowly, she set the phone down.
Then another notification appeared.
Unknown Number.
Her eyes narrowed.
A single message waited on the screen.
No greeting.
No explanation.
Just six words.
I know what happened to Felix.
For the first time that day—
Raina felt genuinely afraid.
To Be Continued...
