Lorette sat by the window, legs crossed neatly, posture calm. If someone looked at her now, they would never see the careless girl she used to be. The loud smiles were gone. The sharp jealousy too. What remained was control, patience, and a quiet kind of ambition she had learned the hard way.
Years had changed her.
She was smarter now. Not just book-smart, but the kind of intelligence that comes from watching people, from losing, from waiting. She had learned when to speak and when silence carried more weight. She had learned that feelings, when shown too openly, were weaknesses others could use.
Her family still wanted the same thing they always had. For her to marry into the Adrien family.
Once, she wanted that too. No, she wanted Liam. Loved him. Back then, she would have done anything to get him. She had been loud about it, careless, certain that persistence would win. But that Lorette was gone.
This Lorette was restrained.
She knew the truth now. Liam did not love her. He never had. And yet, she also knew something else. Liam would not always belong to himself. One day, duty would weigh heavier than choice. One day, his parents' demands would corner him, slowly, carefully, until surrender felt like logic instead of loss.
When they were younger, she had been happy. Truly happy. Even if she and Liam were not lovers, people had always said they looked perfect together. Two bright minds. Two strong families. Standing side by side like something inevitable.
She remembered her mother's voice clearly.
Soon, you will be with Liam. Together, you will shake the industry. Two geniuses. Unstoppable.
She had believed it. She had lived inside that fantasy until it became her future, her air, her addiction.
Then Oliver appeared.
Out of nowhere. Quiet, bold in the wrong ways. Taking space that Lorette believed was already promised. She hated him for that. Hated how fearless he was. How he reached for things without permission. How he took something she believed had always belonged to her.
That hatred never fully left.
But now, Lorette understood something she hadn't before. Love was not something you could earn by trying harder. It wasn't a prize for patience or loyalty. Love was unfair. Cruel. Random.
So she stopped asking for it.
Status was enough.
All she wanted now was to stand tall in the business world, unshakable. To be seen. To be respected. And if standing beside Liam gave her that power, then love no longer mattered. She didn't need his heart. She only needed his name, his position, his shadow beside hers.
That was why she listened to Mrs Adrien.
Even when it felt heavy. Even when it made her uneasy.
That morning, when Liam had told her to go to the clinic, she went. His driver took her, just as instructed. She stood at the counter, hands cold, thoughts racing. And then, at the last moment, she changed her request. Asked for something else instead.
She told herself it was only waiting.
Waiting had always been her strength.
Now, all she could do was watch how things would move. Watch how fate would bend. Her hand drifted to her stomach, resting there quietly, almost unconsciously.
She didn't know if there was a tiny life inside her.
But if there was, it might change everything.
And Lorette was patient enough to wait and see.
The weekend was cool in the way Oliver had come to value.
The sitting room was filled with soft afternoon light, the curtains half drawn, the city outside humming at a distance that felt polite. Oliver sat on one end of the couch, laptop balanced on his knees, lines of code and notes reflected faintly in his glasses. Across from him, Lois occupied the armchair near the window, one leg folded under the other, laptop resting on his thigh.
They weren't talking much. They rarely did when they worked like this.
Lois's screen was filled with documents, charts, and highlighted paragraphs. Not engineering formulas anymore, not circuit designs. His work now looked like policy drafts, social reports, email threads with subject lines that hinted at things like digital rights, online safety, and community response frameworks. He typed slowly, carefully, pausing often to reread what he wrote.
Oliver glanced up once.
"You're working today too?"
Lois didn't look offended. He never did.
"Deadline's flexible," he said calmly. "But the people aren't."
Oliver nodded. He hesitated, then asked, "Is this for that organization you mentioned before?"
"Yes." Lois scrolled, adjusted a paragraph. "They're building a platform for reporting online exploitation. What I have to do now is to make sure it doesn't become another tool that harms the people it claims to protect."
"You studied engineering, how do you know all these" Oliver asked, almost to himself.
Lois smiled faintly, eyes still on the screen.
"I just did. Systems are systems. Some are made of wires. Some are made of people."
That was all.
They returned to silence, the comfortable kind. Keys tapped. Time passed unnoticed.
Then the doorbell rang.
Oliver frowned slightly, surprised. They weren't expecting anyone.
"I'll get it," he said, closing his laptop. "Keep going."
Lois nodded once, already back in his work.
Oliver walked to the door and opened it.
Two young women stood outside.
They were holding their phones a little too carefully, smiles bright but nervous, the kind people wore when they weren't sure if they were crossing a line. They looked around the hallway once before focusing back on him.
"Hi," one of them said. "Sorry to bother you. We're new here."
"Yes?" Oliver replied politely.
"We were wondering… does someone named Lois live here?"
Oliver paused, then stepped aside slightly. "Yes."
Their eyes lit up immediately.
"Could we… see him?" the second girl asked, almost whispering. "Just for a moment?"
Oliver turned his head toward the sitting room. Lois had already noticed the change in atmosphere. He stood up slowly, closing his laptop with care, as if preparing himself.
He walked over, posture straight, expression neutral.
"Yes?" he asked.
The girls froze for half a second. He really was there, their idol.
Up close, his long hair caught the light, falling neatly over his shoulders. His face was calm, composed, neither welcoming nor cold. Just present.
"Oh," the first girl breathed, then laughed nervously. "You really do live here."
Lois inclined his head slightly. "I do."
"We're your neighbors," the second girl said quickly. "From the building across the street. We are a fan of yours, and… um… we really do admire you."
Lois's shoulders stiffened just a little. Not fear. Just discomfort.
"Okay," he said after a brief pause. His voice stayed polite, steady. "What can I help you with?"
They exchanged a look.
"Could we take a picture with you?" one asked. "Just one. We won't post it if you don't want us to."
Lois hesitated.
Oliver watched him closely but said nothing.
After a moment, Lois nodded once. "One is fine."
They stepped closer, excitement barely contained. One of them raised her phone, angling it carefully.
"Your hair," she blurted out before taking the photo. "Is it real?"
"Yes," Lois replied simply.
"And your skin," the other added. "What do you use?"
Lois blinked, clearly unprepared for that question.
"Water," he said after thinking. "And soap."
They laughed, not mockingly, but with genuine delight.
"That's unfair," one said. "You don't even try."
"I try to sleep," Lois replied calmly.
They took the picture, thanked him repeatedly, then lingered.
"You're very polite," one of them said. "We thought you'd be… different."
Lois tilted his head slightly. "Different how?"
She flushed. "I don't know. Less… normal."
He didn't smile, but his voice softened just a bit. "Normal is usually a guess."
They nodded, clearly unsure what to say next.
After a few more polite questions, which Lois answered patiently without offering anything extra, they finally stepped back, satisfied.
"Thank you, we'll come again some other time" they said again before leaving.
The door closed.
The apartment returned to its quiet.
Lois exhaled slowly and went back to his chair, opening his laptop like nothing had happened.
Oliver watched him for a moment longer than necessary.
"You handled that well," Oliver said.
Lois shrugged lightly. "I'm already used to such situations.They weren't unkind. Just curious."
He typed again, calm restored.
The weekend went on...