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Every pair of eyes shifts to me.

The only empty seat left is beside Ethan, directly across from me. Zayn ignores me entirely, greeting the others with quick hugs, then takes his seat.

As he leans down to adjust his chair, his gaze flicks to mine for a brief second, and his cologne drifts through the air.

Memories of our night together crash into me all at once, like system glitches tearing through my mind.

Memories of his scent being all I could breathe in as I kissed every inch of his body.

“You can start,” he says sharply, pulling me out of the spiral my thoughts keep falling into.

I answer with a murderous glare as I walk over to the wall where my project is displayed.

Honestly, I don’t know when I found the time to finish this presentation.

But I’m proud of it.

Proud of this project.

Warmth spreads through my chest as I walk them through every detail, every decision, every challenge.

“Obviously, mirrors are strictly forbidden in gaming areas,” I explain with a bright smile, “but we found one place where we could actually use them…”

“I found it,” Zayn cuts in. “The day you had other priorities.”

He’s talking about the day I chose not to go to work because I was too hurt by what he’d done.

As always, whenever things turn tense between us, everyone else watches in silence, their attention shifting from me to him and back again.

But this is the first time he’s come at me directly.

So coldly.

And his voice sounds harsher than I’ve ever heard it before.

“Good thing I missed work then,” I shoot back, my tone laced with venom. “That way you finally get to say you contributed something.”

“So…” Colt says with an amused grin, “looks like you two work together really well.”

A ripple of laughter spreads through the table, and even Ethan can’t suppress a grin.

“Should I be concerned for the safety of anyone working with you?” he adds.

I draw in a deep breath, hold it a moment, then slowly release it as I switch off the projector.

“This design is truly one of a kind,” Theo says, looking at me. “You created something extraordinary. Congratulations, Selene.”

“Thank you,” I answer, pride swelling inside me. “It’s the best project I’ve ever done,” I admit, unable to hide the emotion in my voice. “And I’m grateful you chose to work with me.”

I mean, Zayn made the decision.

But I’m not giving him credit for it.

Not today.

TWENTY-ONE

Zayn