The fifth time Rhett Hayden asked me to set her up with a date, I didn’t bother dragging in a misfit or a newly divorced father of two. I just opened the tablet, pulled up a photo, and slid it across the marble table, strictly business. “How about Lewis Maxwell? Handsome, steady, exactly your type.” I leaned back, my voice flat. “Most importantly, he likes you.” But Rhett wasn't looking at the screen. Her eyes were locked on mine. Her voice was tight, low. “Piper Stone, where’s the jealousy?” I paused for a millisecond, then let out a laugh that felt brittle even to me. “Ms. Hayden, please. We’ve been divorced for years.” I let the next words hang in the air, a cool promise. “Once the debt is repaid, I will resign as your Executive Assistant. I will disappear from your world, just as you wished.” … Rhett’s gaze lingered on my smile, searching for a crack, a lie, some sign of the old Piper. Her pinky finger tapped the table twice—her habitual, subtle gesture to suppress deep irritation. “The family is pushing these dates. Just find someone manageable to get them off my back.” She glanced at the photo on the screen. “Toby Maxwell? Cancel it. You know I won’t marry him.” “Piper, I’ve explained this countless times. He’s just a partner’s son. Being kind to him doesn't mean anything. He’s sensitive. Why would you deliberately put him in front of me? That’s not how you play the game, is it?” It had been a long time since Rhett had spoken so much to me. She was always so guarded with her words. “Ms. Hayden, you misunderstand.” I cut her off, my tone utterly even. “The man you’re meeting is not Toby Maxwell. It’s his older brother, Lewis.” “He flew back to the States the day before yesterday. He contacted me personally.” “This arrangement? It was his idea. Do you still want to cancel?” The finger resting on the table twitched violently. Rhett immediately lowered her eyes to the screen. The man in the picture was smiling at the camera, a wisp of dark hair falling lazily across his forehead—the kind of lock that made you want to reach out and smooth it away. Rhett’s hand lifted halfway, then dropped back to her lap, casually. “If Lewis is back, then yes, it's probably necessary to see him.” She opened a file, as if to justify herself. “Just an old family friend I haven’t seen in years.” “Understood. Your schedule is clear this Saturday. I’ll arrange dinner for you and Mr. Maxwell.” I was purely professional. I turned to leave. Just as my hand touched the doorknob, Rhett’s voice stopped me. “Piper, you don’t have to call me ‘Ms. Hayden.’” Her brow furrowed in a look of near-helpless exasperation. “We’re divorced, but we’re not strangers.” “Ms. Hayden, we are now superior and subordinate. It’s appropriate.” It was like punching through cotton. Rhett stood up, her control finally slipping. “Piper, what is this act today? Just because the date is Lewis, you’ve been acting like a passive-aggressive martyr all morning?” She spat the final words, raw and accusatory. “Don’t forget, he was forced to leave the country because of you!” I hadn’t thought about those years in a long time. The sudden mention made me realize the heavy, humid rain of that past had never quite cleared from my soul. Back then, I was Piper Stone, the spoiled trust-fund kid, the King of the prep school. The most outrageous thing I ever did was ‘buy’ the quiet girl with the scholarship, Rhett Hayden. People teased me, asking if I was finally falling for someone. I dismissed them with a cavalier glance at her cool, impassive face. “Just a calculated investment. Doesn't she look like a perfect blue-chip stock?” I never expected that investment to bankrupt me. I fell for her long, dark lashes, the way they would tremble when she looked at me. I fell for her silent offering of meticulously organized notebooks as a return on my ‘investment.’ Being near her, catching the faint, clean scent of gardenia she always carried, was the only thing that ever calmed the storm in me. I proposed. I gave her everything. And Rhett accepted it all. I had so much then that I never worried about reciprocity. If she was reserved, I’d push her boundaries until I saw a blush. If she wanted to climb the ladder, I'd hand her the ladder. Until the day she became the new power player in the city. She took the project she'd poured her soul into and offered it to the Maxwell family—for free. All that hard work, all those resources I’d funneled to her, just to get one meeting. To say one thing. I learned later that years ago, during a corporate charity drive, Lewis Maxwell had donated boxes of books and clothes to her remote village. Tucked inside was a generic, corporate-approved note urging the kids to study hard and leave the mountains. A message a teenage girl had taken to heart. A message she'd carried for two decades. She walked thousands of miles, metaphorical and real, just to stand before Lewis and say thank you. I lost it. The scandal was huge. Everyone knew she’d used me as a stepping stone to reach her childhood hero, her Ghost, her unattainable ideal. But Rhett just arranged another private meeting with Lewis. She apologized to him for my disruption. The bigger the scene I made, the more considerate she became toward Lewis. She even sided with the Maxwells during a massive commercial dispute, using my trust to deliver the kill shot that sent my father to prison. My world ended. My tears, my begging—they earned me only Rhett’s chilling explanation: “The Stones’ finances were unstable anyway. I just expedited the inevitable.” When I demanded a divorce, she stayed silent for a long time, then murmured, “Not yet. The rumors about Lewis are bad enough. Us divorcing now would ruin his reputation.” For Lewis, every consideration. For me, absolute cruelty. I must have been truly insane then. I went to Lewis. I knelt in his lavish office, pleading for him to ask Rhett to spare my father, my only family. Lewis sipped his espresso, his easy elegance a stark contrast to my desperation. He smiled. “Piper, don’t be naive. Someone loves me enough to destroy their life for me. Why would I object?” A photographer captured the moment. The headline screamed: “The Homewrecker Forces the Ex-Husband to Kneel.” Rhett grabbed my arm that night—it still hurts thinking about how hard she squeezed. She threw the bought-out photos in my face, calling me a manipulator. She dismissed every word of my explanation. It wasn't until Lewis left the country to "ride out the storm" that Rhett’s anger finally evaporated. She lit a cigarette, smoked one after another, and finally, through the hazy smoke, whispered, “Let’s get divorced.” I closed the door without responding. When the listener doesn't believe, the speaker is only wasting his breath. Saturday arrived quickly. Rhett left the office early and slid into the back seat without a word. In the heavy silence, she finally spoke. “Your father’s next phase of medical treatment has been transferred.” “Thank you, Ms. Hayden. I was aware.” One sentence, and the distance between us was re-established. I sat in the passenger seat, watching her in the rearview mirror. Same impeccable power suit, but the silk scarf was tied in a fresh, intricate knot. Her hair was professionally styled. She hadn't dressed like this for me, not even on our wedding day. Young Rhett, even in simple clothes, was a breath of fresh air. I had easily forgiven her everything then. Now, I saw the first misstep that led to ruin. As she stepped out of the car, Rhett glanced back at me, her look a clear warning. “Stay put.” I wanted to be compliant, but work obligations wait for no one. When I walked into the restaurant holding my phone, I saw Rhett delicately brushing a stray strand of hair from Lewis’s cheek. She pulled her hand back, but her fingers lingered, tracing an invisible thread of silk. Right after the divorce, I used to despise her for this hypocrisy—the way she loved him so fiercely but would only admit to gratitude. She was so convinced she was fooling everyone, even herself. Yet for me, the one who paid for her education, she’d never offered a single thank you. “Ms. Hayden…” I began. Rhett was instantly on her feet, shielding Lewis. She looked at me with hostility. “Piper Stone, Lewis is not someone you can harass.” I paused, realizing her mistake. Honestly, I hadn't made a scene since the divorce. I was afraid to, and I didn't want to. Rhett thought I intentionally set her up with terrible dates because I was jealous. That was false. The jealousy was long dead. The small, calculated revenge—creating minor inconveniences for her—that was real. But Lewis was back. He had sought me out. “Piper, she’s lost that green edge.” Lewis had watched the massive screen outside the window, where Rhett was cutting the ribbon on a new corporate acquisition. “I once loved a woman. Now, I want someone who loves me.” I knew this was my last chance. After Lewis, I wouldn't have the opportunity to arrange any more dates for Rhett Hayden. “Ms. Hayden, it’s a work call. The project we discussed…” “Hang up.” “Excuse me?” My throat felt squeezed shut. “I said, hang up.” Rhett was furious. The last time she’d been this angry was when she was new to the corporate world, working until she passed out on her desk. A critical call came in. I let her sleep, thinking an hour more rest was worth it. When she woke up, her eyes were red with rage. “That was a partner I spent months courting! How could you…?” I always thought she was devoted to her work. Now, I understood. I just wasn’t important enough to outweigh it. “Of course.” I ended the call. Lewis suddenly spoke up, his tone gentle. “Rhett, how can you treat your husband like that? You're not this kind of person.” Because you do nothing, and Rhett manages everything for you. Even after you left, she doted on your brother, Toby. And I? Everything I do is wrong. “Mr. Maxwell, you are mistaken. We have been divorced for a long time. Ms. Hayden is single, and I am her employee. Our relationship is purely professional.” I was desperate to clarify, more concerned about the misperception than she was. And yet, Rhett was the one whose face darkened when I stressed our strictly professional status. The date ended sooner than I expected. I waited in the car, fighting the hunger pangs, watching Rhett graciously walk Lewis to his luxury sedan and stare as the taillights disappeared. Then, she opened the driver’s side door and sent our chauffeur home. It was the first time we’d sat side-by-side since the divorce, confined in that small space with only two sounds of breathing: one heavy and agitated, the other almost imperceptible. “Piper Stone, do you find this entertaining? I told you it was just old friends, but you insisted on coming here to check up on me.” “Ms. Hayden, I have to remind you again: we’re divorced. I don’t have the authority to ‘check up’ on you.” I stared out the window. The streets were vibrant, but I had nowhere to belong. “And yes, you said ‘old friends.’ I believe you. I believe everything you say.” Rhett pounded the steering wheel. The sudden, shrill sound of the horn was like the unhealable fissure between us. “Fine. If you insist on severing all ties, then I will stop paying your father’s medical bills.” She waited, expectant, for my reaction. She probably thought I'd collapse, helpless, a Stockholm patient crawling back into the cage she’d built. But I simply kept looking out the window, refusing to let my gaze fall on her. “As you wish.” I was put out of the car, left to walk along the sidewalk. The night was cold, very much like the day my father was released from prison on medical parole. His legs trembled that night, too. He was old, his heart diseased. He would have left earlier, they said, if not for me. He was afraid to leave me alone. I grew up loved by him, believing every love story was as pure as theirs. I was wrong. The treatment was expensive, and my family was ruined. Three days after the divorce, Rhett sought me out. She paid the bills. The price was becoming her Executive Assistant to repay the debt. The debt between us was never about money. It was about a life. Last week, the doctor warned me. My father was too old. The best medicine was barely postponing the inevitable. The terrible irony was that I found myself counting the days until his death, waiting for my own liberation. I went to the office on Monday as usual. I sensed the shift immediately. The receptionists were buzzing, their eyes darting excitedly toward the guest sofa. It was Lewis Maxwell. He was in a sharp gray suit, his hair neatly combed. He walked straight toward me. “Mr. Stone, you know which floor Rhett’s office is on, right? I texted, but she hasn't replied. I’m hoping you can take me up.” The receptionist sidled up to me, whispering anxiously, “Mr. Stone, everyone has to log in and out. What should I do about him?” “Follow company procedure.” I gestured to the desk. “Mr. Maxwell, please register with the front desk. I’ll take you up afterward.” Lewis didn't move. He just offered me a half-smile. The private executive elevator dinged open behind him. The crisp click of heels echoed on the tile. “Lewis, I came down as soon as I got your text. The elevator signal must be terrible; sorry it didn’t go through. You didn’t wait long, did you?” Rhett explained as she hurried toward him, her breathing still uneven. “Not long at all. You certainly didn’t need to come down just for me.” “But I ran into Mr. Stone. I was just about to sign in and head up with him.” Lewis reached for the pen, but Rhett stopped him. “You don’t need to sign in.” She took his arm and led him toward the elevator, never sparing me a glance. As the doors closed, the receptionist finally spoke. “Mr. Stone, who is that? Even you have to register, why doesn’t he?” I forced a tight smile and deflected. “Follow Ms. Hayden’s lead.” I took the employee elevator up. I headed to the pantry to brew Rhett’s customary pour-over coffee. The room was already crowded with gossipers. “Oh my god, did you see the man the CEO personally brought up? The Ice Queen was actually smiling! Is he her husband?” “I heard from HR that we’re getting a new Director from overseas. Maybe it’s him.” Someone nudged my arm, lowering their voice. “Mr. Stone, you’ve been with Ms. Hayden the longest. What’s the scoop? Is he the boyfriend?” I didn't want to talk about them, but silence would only draw more attention. I kept my answer vague. “You could say that. They certainly look good together.” “A new Director is a good thing for the company. No more running back and forth for me.” My coffee was ready. I turned to leave, only to see Rhett standing in the doorway, her face thunderous. The entire pantry fell silent. No one had warned me. I couldn’t fathom the source of her anger. That coffee cup ended up in the sink. I was suspended. The new arrival was flexing his muscle, and I was the first casualty. Lewis had discovered I had no formal employment contract. “Mr. Stone, are you two still playing these workplace fantasies, even after the divorce?” “The former prince becoming the mistress’s errand boy?” Lewis’s words were cruel, and I felt no need to explain myself to him. Over the years, I had traded my signature long hair for a simple buzz cut. Piper Stone died when the Stone family fell, leaving only the nameless Mr. Stone. We were in this awkward position because one of us wanted to leave and the other couldn't. Rhett didn't bother to explain either. She needed to save face for Lewis. But as I was leaving the building, my phone buzzed. A text from her: “Come home tonight. We need to renegotiate the terms of our agreement.” I found it laughable. Lewis was back. What was the point of keeping me shackled like this? A wave of suffocating bitterness washed over me. I shut off my phone and wandered to the hospital. Before going in, I stopped at a florist and bought a bouquet of Forget-Me-Nots. My father never cared for flowers when my mother was alive. After she passed, he took up gardening, and the Forget-Me-Nots became his favorite. Rhett hadn't skimped on the care. The hospital room was bright, with a window overlooking a distant lake. But as I walked in with the flowers, I felt a deep dread. The sunlight was too harsh, blinding me, bringing tears to my eyes. In that instant, the hunched figure vanished from the window.
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