Page 9 of Kai
"Yes, I'll be there," he replied, his tone devoid of any emotion, as if he could compartmentalize the turmoil inside him.
But as he set the phone down, his gaze drifted back to the photo. He traced the image once more, his resolve weakening. Perhaps he had been fooling himself all this time. Perhaps Maxie had never been his past—because she still felt like his future, slipping further out of reach with every passing moment.
Turning the page, he discovered more photos. One where she was at home with her arms wrapped around a black dog. She had a dog? And she was laughing, tendrils escaping the careless bun on top of her head. There was still another, his man had somehow caught her at her place of business. This Maxie was cool and classically beautiful in blue and cream wool, her thick hair styled in a neat chignon at the nape of her neck.
He scanned the report quickly. She was single – had graduated from NYU with honors. Her parents were still alive – he paused over the part where she had been involved with some guy in college and tried to get rid of the violent reaction that he identified as jealousy. Slamming the folder shut, he pushed away from his desk and strode over to the cabinet to press the button. The cabinet glided out slowly.
Inside the cabinet, Kai revealed a hidden compartment containing more files, neatly stacked and labeled. He reached for one marked "Expansion Strategy - Tokyo 2025," his mind attempting to shift gears. But as he flipped through the strategic plans and market projections, his thoughts betrayed him once again. The photos had shattered the carefully constructed walls he had spent years building, and the cracks were widening by the second.
He fought to focus on the numbers. The Tokyo expansion was crucial to the company's future—an enterprise his father had envisioned but never lived to see. Kai owed it to him, to the legacy they had built together, to see this through. Yet the haunting image of Maxie, with her radiant smile and captivating presence, lingered in the back of his mind like an unresolved melody.
He slammed the cabinet shut, his movements brusque and deliberate. If he gave in to these emotions now, if he allowed himself to be swallowed by this tidal wave of longing, he risked losing the very foundation that kept him afloat. Kai strode back to his desk, his jaw tightening. He needed to compartmentalize, to push Maxie out of his thoughts—or at least try.
But as he sat down, the weight of the folder pulled at him once more. It was more than just paper and ink; it was a doorwayto the life he had abandoned. His fingers hovered over the edge, indecisive, as the seconds ticked by. Finally, he shoved it aside, determined to bury himself in work. There were contracts to review, market analyses to dissect, and a board meeting to prepare for.
Yet even as he immersed himself in the minutiae of corporate strategy, Kai knew he was only delaying the inevitable. The past was no longer a distant shadow; it had become a glaring light, illuminating the path he could have taken but didn't. And for the first time in years, he questioned whether the pursuit of duty and legacy was worth the sacrifice of a love he had never truly let go.
"So?"
"So, nothing." Maxie was starting to regret she had called her friend and told her about Kai. Yvette was making a bigger deal out of it than required.
"Bitch–" Lowering her voice, Yvette plucked the sheer silk robe from Maxie's hand and tossed it over a shelf. The store was closed for the afternoon with only the members of staff who had stayed behind to stock the shelves and restock the accessories. The day had been so hectic, she had had no time to reflect on Kai– not until she had sat down to eat her sub and made the call to Yvette.
"Stop evading the conversation. I need details." With bull-headed determination, she steered Maxie into the tiny office and shut the door with a snap.
"I have work to do."
"You can take five minutes. God, I am starving." Marching over to the refreshment table, she chose some shortbread cookies and a bottle of Perrier.
"Spill."
Giving the woman a resigned look, Maxie went behind the desk and started shuffling papers.
"There really is nothing to tell. He came in with his girlfriend," even saying it hurt, even if she shied away from admitting it. "He was as shocked as I was. We both stood there staring at each other for a full two minutes. And then the woman changed her mind about the dress she was admiring." She shrugged and stared at an invoice.
"What did he say to you?"
"He sent her away and said he wanted to talk."
"About?" The impatience in Yvette's voice had her lips twitching.
"I have no clue. I told him I had work to do and left him standing there."
Uncapping the bottle, her friend took a long swallow, golden-brown eyes trained on her.
"That's it? No follow up?"
"Why should there be?" She shrugged again and tried to hide the fact that it had hurt even more that he had not even tried to get in touch with her. "He's my past. Besides, I have a sort of date on Saturday."
Yvette's eyes sharpened.
"With whom? And why am I just hearing of this now?"
"His name is Matthew Oakley, divorced, white and lives a few miles up the street from me. He's a lawyer and he came into the store a few times to buy some item of clothing for his sister."
"What?"
"Nothing." Yvette continued to sip the water as she eyed her friend.
