My gaze lifted to find Colette, dressed to kill in an opulent, dramatic evening gown. The group clustered behind her, and I recognized them instantly—the algorithm team from LaunchTech, my old coworkers and my college friends.
Kaitlyn stood off to the side, dismissive as ever. "Colette, why are you even wasting your breath on her?"
I frowned, genuinely puzzled. Yeah, I'd left without a big explanation back then, but I couldn't recall doing anything to screw her over.
Colette's smile turned warm, almost friendly. "It's been ages, Cecelia. I heard you landed at Misfit. I figured we'd end up crossing paths again, either as rivals or maybe even collaborators. How come we haven't heard a peep from you lately?"
I narrowed my eyes a fraction, slowly pushing myself to my feet. "I'm just a data analyst. It's pretty unlikely I'd ever be working closely with Chief Engineer Colette."
My words just hung there, freezing everyone for a beat. Nobody in that crew knew better than me exactly what Colette had pulled to claw her way up to chief engineer.
Kaitlyn shot forward, anger flaring. "Quit playing dumb, Cecelia. You ditched LaunchTech for Ian. If Alonso hadn't been so damn lenient, you’d be facing some serious consequences right now."
I stood there, stunned by the insane accusation, opening my mouth to demand an explanation when Colette cut in smoothly. "Alright, let's just drop it. Alonso's waiting for us."
Her smile stayed gentle, but she leaned in close, her whisper hot against my ear. "If I were you, I'd steer clear of making an even bigger fool of yourself."
The LaunchTech crew swept out together, leaving me alone to finish my cigarette in the silence.
Three years ago, when I walked away, I was completely crushed. Ian had reached out, telling me Misfit would open its doors for me. I turned him down flat.
Misfit and LaunchTech were the two titans of the electric vehicle world. Despite whatever had gone down with Alonso, I couldn't just hop over to a rival company the second I resigned.
Back then, Colette showed up with a bogus job offer, my signature already on it. "Alonso's idea," she explained. "You've got talent that'll make you succeed anywhere. He's wishing you well."
By that point, Colette was LaunchTech's youngest chief engineer, while I felt like a total failure after four years of grinding.
I stared at that flimsy scrap of paper and let out a hollow laugh.
Alonso was that desperate to get rid of me.
With nothing but a light suitcase, I fled the chaos of the city, traveling over a thousand miles to that sleepy coastal town. Algorithms, data, dreams—they all felt a million miles away.
Back in my hotel room, I started packing for the crack-of-dawn flight. A knock at the door made me think it was just room service.
Swinging it open, my heart nearly stopped. Alonso.
Through the gap, his eyes zeroed in on my packed suitcase. "Leaving already? So damn eager to run back to him?"
I frowned, ready to snap back, but before I could get a word out, Alonso shoved his way inside.
He pinned me hard against the door, his hand cradling the back of my head, and in the scuffle, our bodies slammed the wall switch, drowning the room in a low, intimate glow.
His fingers bit into my chin, tilting my face up as he kissed me with a desperate, hungry passion. The whiskey on his tongue was shockingly sweet. I swore I heard him groan against my lips, "Catalina, Catalina..."
For a moment, I was completely undone, like the last three years had vanished and I was lost in that familiar heat between us all over again.
It wasn't until the cold air hit my bare skin that reality crashed back in. I shoved him off me, hard.
Alonso blinked, looking disoriented, as vulnerable as a lost puppy, his eyes shimmering.
After a few heartbeats, he pulled his usual cool mask back into place. "Why can't we? We were so good together before. You always enjoyed it."
I twisted my face away, mumbling, "We're not in that kind of relationship."
"What kind of relationship?" He locked his eyes on mine, relentless.
"You were legally my brother, and I still ended up in your bed for three goddamn years. What the hell is this? It’s just wrong…"
The words died as my palm cracked across his cheek.
Fighting the wave of shame crashing inside me, I sank my teeth into my lip so hard I could taste blood, refusing to let a single tear fall in front of him.
"That filthy, unbearable mess we had—can we please just let it go, brother?"
Alonso's face went deathly pale in an instant.
