He looked Elias over slowly—calm, unbothered, almost amused.
He was dressed in a simple black T-shirt and jeans. His hair, slightly overgrown and swept back, brushed his neck, giving him a relaxed, effortless look that somehow made him more striking.
A faint, indifferent smile tugged at his lips as he shifted the bouquet slightly in his hand.
Elias stopped right in front of him.
For a brief second, his eyes flicked toward the apartment entrance behind Maverick.
Then back to him.
His brows lifted slightly.
“Tell me,” Elias said lowly. “What the hell is going on?”
Maverick looked at Elias with a completely unbothered expression, as if the tension in the air meant nothing to him.
“What do you think I’m doing? Isn’t it obvious?” He said casually. Then he tilted his head slightly, glancing down at the bouquet in his hand. His tone was light, almost teasing. “I’m going on a date.”
Elias’s jaw tightened instantly.
For a second, he didn’t move. Then something in it shifted, like a curtain dropping over his face. The calm vanished, replaced by something darker.
He stepped forward, invading Maverick’s space.
His voice dropped dangerously. “Don’t get involved in Amara’s life. She has nothing to do with what happened that night.”
Maverick raised his eyebrows slightly, completely unfazed.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said simply, his expression innocent.
That only made Elias’s irritation spike.
“She has nothing to do with Zoe,” Elias snapped. “She didn’t know anything that happened that night. Stay away from her. I’m warning you—don’t even think about getting close to her.”
For the first time, Maverick’s smile disappeared.
A sharp flicker of anger crossed his face.
“Oh?” he let out a short, disbelieving laugh. “I’ll take back what your precious wife took away from me.”
Elias’s eyes turned cold. “She didn’t take anything from you. It was an accident.”
Maverick’s gaze hardened further. He stepped closer suddenly, closing the distance in a quick, aggressive movement. His hand shot out, grabbing Elias by the collar of his shirt and jerking him slightly forward.
Their faces were now close enough for the tension between them to snap at any second.
Maverick’s eyes darkened as he growled, “I’ll judge it myself. It has nothing to do with you.”
His grip tightened as he leaned in slightly, voice turning sharp with fury. “And don’t forget… I haven’t forgotten how quick you are to take sides when it suits you, you arrogant asshole.”
His jaw clenched hard. “I haven’t forgotten how you chose Amara over me—how you got married instead of helping me get my revenge. You dropped a friendship of decades… over a woman. Youfuckingtraitor!”
Before Elias could respond, the sharp echo of footsteps rang out from the entrance of the apartment building.
Both men turned sharply.
Amara stepped out.
