Chapter 10 The Past Wears Expensive Shoes

Tuesday, 2:03 PM – Cade Penthouse, Main Hall

The knock at the door echoed like a warning.

Amara wasn't expecting anyone. She was barefoot, wrapped in a cream satin robe, sorting through fabric swatches on the floor of the living room. Her hair was in a messy bun, a pencil tucked behind her ear, and her phone balanced on her thigh playing lo-fi jazz.

She glanced at the penthouse door, confused.

"Ms. Ellis?" The doorman's voice crackled from the intercom. "You have a visitor. A... Mr. Kola?"

Amara's heart stumbled in her chest.

Kola.

She hadn't heard that name in months.

She cleared her throat and replied evenly, "Let him up."

2:07 PM – Foyer

The elevator doors opened with a chime, and there he was.

Kola Ajayi. Her ex. Tall, effortlessly charming, still dressed like he stepped out of a GQ editorial. Navy blue suit, pocket square, and that knowing smile that used to make her feel safe. Before he'd shattered her trust.

"Wow," he said, eyes slowly taking her in. "You look..."

"Like I wasn't expecting company," she interrupted, arms crossed. "What are you doing here?"

He stepped inside, glancing around the penthouse. "Heard through the grapevine you were working with Sebastian Cade. Figured I'd come say hi. Catch up."

"Catch up?" She laughed under her breath. "After ghosting me for six months?"

He shrugged, unbothered. "That's not entirely fair."

"No? How about you disappearing after my mom's surgery, blocking my number, and showing up now like this is some casual reconnection?"

"I was going through things."

"And I was going through hell."

He stepped closer. "Look, Amara. I messed up. But I came to say I'm sorry. And to ask if you're... okay. Working with Cade isn't exactly low-pressure."

"Why do you care?"

"Because I know what kind of man he is."

Before she could respond, a second door opened.

From the hallway, barefoot but devastating in black slacks and a fitted grey shirt, emerged Sebastian Cade.

He took in the scene-the open robe, the man in the suit, and the tension crackling between them-with one cool, assessing glance.

"Did I interrupt something?" His voice was a blade sheathed in silk.

Amara straightened. "Sebastian, this is Kola. An old friend."

Kola extended a hand. "Kola Ajayi. Amara and I used to date."

Sebastian didn't take the hand.

He simply looked him up and down like he was estimating the price of his watch.

"Charming. And irrelevant," he said.

Kola let the hand drop, amused. "I can see how this arrangement works. She designs your home. You... enjoy her company."

Amara stepped between them. "Okay, stop. Both of you."

Kola's eyes softened. "Just came to say I miss you. And I think you still feel something too."

"I don't," she lied quickly. Too quickly.

And Kola caught it.

He smiled faintly, then looked past her. "Word of advice, Cade: women like Amara don't stay broken for long. You either love her or lose her. There's no in-between."

Sebastian didn't blink. "And you already learned that the hard way."

The tension thickened, swirled. It took every ounce of Amara's self-control not to throw them both out a window.

"I think it's time you left, Kola," she said calmly.

He nodded. "If you ever want to talk-"

"She doesn't," Sebastian cut in.

Amara shot him a look. "Sebastian."

Kola slipped a business card into her sketchpad anyway, then leaned in. "Take care of yourself, Ama."

And with that, he was gone.

2:40 PM – Living Room

Amara stood by the floor-to-ceiling windows, arms folded, shoulders tense. Behind her, Sebastian poured a drink-something dark, expensive, and likely older than both of them.

"Want one?" he offered.

"I'm fine."

A beat.

"Didn't realize you had a thing for cocky men in overpriced suits," he said.

"I didn't realize you had a thing for barging into rooms like you own people."

He downed the drink in one go, the glass clinking as he set it down.

"You still love him?" he asked bluntly.

She turned around slowly. "Does it matter?"

"More than I want it to."

They stood on opposite ends of the room, the distance between them suddenly more than physical.

Sebastian added, quieter this time, "He left you when you needed him. I would never do that."

"You used me to settle a personal score," she said. "You've hurt me, too."

He nodded. "But I didn't lie about what I feel now."

Silence.

Amara rubbed her temple. "This isn't the time for declarations, Sebastian. I need space."

"I can't give you space when I feel like he's trying to take you from me."

"You can't take something that doesn't belong to you," she said, voice hard.

He walked over slowly. "Then tell me how to deserve you."

Her heart stuttered.

She wanted to scream at him. Run from him. Fall into him.

All at once.

Instead, she stepped back. "You don't get to demand my loyalty while you're still unraveling me."

His gaze softened just enough to hurt. "Then unravel me, too."

Later That Night – Amara's Guest Room

She lay on her bed, Kola's card on one side, and a crumpled sketch of Sebastian's redesigned study on the other.

One from her past.

One from her present.

Both men dangerous in different ways.

She picked up her pen and wrote in her journal:

Kola left me when I needed help.

Sebastian pulled me in when I needed space.

I don't know which is worse-abandonment or obsession.

But I do know this: I'm not here to be a prize.

I'm here to be seen.

Sebastian's Penthouse Office – Private Voice Memo

"She looked at him like she used to look at me-before she knew everything.

It's terrifying how fast she can go from soft to steel.

And I deserve it.

But God help me, I still want to be the man she chooses when the dust settles."