Page 34 of Clashing with the Ice Queen

“Just start wherever you feel is right.”

Cassandra sipped her wine and gathered her thoughts. “It’s about Nadine. She quit our collaboration after calling me out on my bullshit and I can’t stop thinking about it. I thought it was just business, but now…I’m not so sure.”

Vivienne’s expression turned serious. “What do you mean?”

“It was more than just work,” Cassandra admitted, her eyes glazing with unshed tears. “I think I used my cold persona to keep her at a distance. I never fully embraced my feelings...”

Even if she was embarrassed about what she was going to share, she was thankful to have someone to talk to. She took a moment to gather her thoughts and poured more red wineinto her already half-full glass. She leaned against the kitchen counter, her mind drifting back to her time with Nadine. She felt a rush of warmth as she remembered their laughter and passionate moments. They’d been together in that hotel just a week ago, but now that felt like a distant, bittersweet memory.

Cassandra took a deep breath. It was time to open up. “I said…well, I said I didn’t have feelings for her.”

Vivienne raised an eyebrow. “And you do have feelings for her?”

Cassandra bit her lip, nodding slowly. “I guess I’ve been reflecting on what she said. About how I’m not as calculated as I pretend to be. It’s embarrassing, but…all those times we were together, it felt so spontaneous. Like I was just grabbing hold of a moment without thinking it through.”

Vivienne looked thoughtful. “But that’s not a bad thing, is it? Sometimes the best things in life are impulsive.”

“I don’t know,” Cassandra replied, her voice almost a whisper. “I’m used to being in control, to planning every detail of my life. But with Nadine, it felt different. It was like I let go of the reins, and now I’m realizing I messed everything up.”

Vivienne reached out and placed her hand on Cassandra’s knee. “You didn’t mess up. You felt something real. That’s important. Are you wishing didn’t say what you did?”

Cassandra nodded, tears welling up in her eyes. “I thought I was protecting myself, but maybe I was just pushing her away.” She took a sip of her wine, trying to calm her racing thoughts. “I miss her, Viv. I miss the connection we had.”

Vivienne smiled softly. “You might want to reach out to her. Tell her how you really feel. The heart wants what it wants, even if it’s scary.”

“I don’t want to die alone.” Cassandra laughed, but there was a seriousness behind her words. “Now that would just be unfashionable.”

Vivienne nodded slowly, with understanding in her eyes. “Cassandra, you’re not alone in this. Emotional intimacy is difficult. It makes us vulnerable, and for women like us who take a lot of time to defrost…well, some people can’t wait around for us to melt.”

Cassandra took a moment to absorb Vivienne’s words. Perhaps it was time to stop hiding behind her cold persona. She felt a flicker of hope. Maybe she could be brave enough to face the vulnerability that came with emotional intimacy. It was a big step, but for the first time in quite a while, it felt like something inside her was shifting.

12

NADINE

Nadine stood by the window of her office, gazing at the city below. It was a bright afternoon, and the sunlight cast a warm glow on her short, dark brown hair. With her striking green eyes, she surveyed the world she’d built as a successful fashion and media conglomerate. But of course, her mind was still heavy with thoughts about her collaboration with Wynter Fashion and haunted by her loss of Cassandra. She felt heartbroken without her.

Nadine had always been a straightforward person, and now it was time to make an official decision. She’d talked about ending her partnership with Wynter Fashion last week, and now she was ready to follow through. Frustration bubbled inside her as she thought about Cassandra, who seemed like she was lost or overwhelmed by the responsibilities of running a business. Nadine couldn’t help but chuckle at the state of Wynter’s branding. It was a mess. Their attempts to grab attention on social media had flopped miserably, and it looked like they were trying too hard to catch up to the trends instead of setting them.

What a disaster, Nadine thought, shaking her head. Cassandra had acted as if Nadine’s association with Wynterwas a threat. It puzzled Nadine how Cassandra could be so defensive. In reality, all Nadine wanted was to create meaningful connections, but Cassandra had seemed to think she was stealing something from her.

It was all quite ironic. Wynter Fashion had become so inconsistent that people were now referring to it as Wynter Media, even though it had started as a fashion company. It seemed they were both benefiting from the collaboration. Was she so high on her white horse that her success made her blind to that?

As she continued to stare outside, Nadine admitted to herself that no matter how chaotic things seemed, Wynter Fashion was on its way to becoming a billion-dollar company. The pressure of that looming success might have added a lot of stress to Cassandra’s life, but that wasn’t Nadine’s problem. Nadine had her own business to run, and she couldn’t let herself become involved in someone else’s turmoil.

Nadine sighed. It was hard to think about ending the collaboration, especially because she had feelings for Cassandra. She recalled all the moments when she’d tried to express her emotions, but Cassandra never seemed to respond positively. All her romantic advances had been met with silence or rejection, and it was painful to acknowledge that. Nadine knew she needed to move on, but it was challenging when her heart was still stuck in the past.

“Enough is enough,” she whispered to herself.

She needed to talk to Elara Silver and tell her that one of them would have to continue the next stage of the project alone. Nadine had decided that it was time to put an end to the collaboration.

She made her way over to Silver Resorts and Residences headquarters for a surprise visit. She knew it wasn’t preferred, but would express the seriousness of this change to Elara.Nadine spoke to the receptionist and was told it could be a while before Elara was free to talk.

“How long are we talking?” Nadine smiled, trying to not seem impatient.

“Erm, thirty minutes? An hour. There’s really no saying and I don’t want to let you down, Ms. James. How about I let Elara kn?—”

“I’m fine waiting, thank you!” Nadine insisted as she walked across the luxurious lobby and plopped into a chair. “However long, that’s really fine.”

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