The ride home was a blur as the thoughts and worries swirled in my head, like an impending storm. I needed to see Zoe and get to the bottom of whatever was going on. Yet, there was that undeniable tug from the evening I'd just shared with Ethan—his laughter, the way he slowly opened up. Those moments felt like a glimpse into the man he could become, but for now I needed to focus on my business before it all crumbled.
I entered the apartment, and immediately my eyes fell on Zoe, pacing up and down in the living room, furrowing her brows. "Chloe, you're back! We gotta talk," her tone reached out, strained.
Tell me everything," I urged, bracing myself for the worst.
Zoe looked at me with her face set in a frown of determination, while concern marked her face: "I went through the financials again, and it looks like there's a substantial amount of money missing from the accounts. I have this sinking feeling someone has been siphoning the funds."
My stomach fell. "How much are we talking about?
Enough to raise serious alarms," she said, crossing her arms. "I don't want to scare you, but we have to move fast. Already, I have contacted our accountant for an audit, but that will take time. While that is going on, we must keep business as usual.
"Right, but how are we supposed to do that when we are bleeding money?" I exclaimed, my panic rising in my throat. "We just can't let Ethan know a thing's wrong. He is still our client, and if he even senses some instability in our business, he could walk away."
She nodded, softening as she indicated she grasped the delicate balance we pulled. "I know, still we gotta be watchful. If somebody's trying to sabotage us, they could get to you. We gotta find out who's doing this."
My mind coursed with several possibilities. "You think this could be somebody close to us?
Honestly? Difficult to say, but we can't rule out nobody. We have got to make that our eyes and ears are open.
I took a deep breath and steeled myself for what was going to be the challenge ahead. "Alright, let's get this in order of priority, shall we? We say nothing for the time being but concentrate on our clients and see if we can find out who pulls this. We don't want them knowing how badly we flail.
Zoe nodded, an easy determination mirrored in her eyes. "Exactly. We keep our heads down, head to the rulebook. Collect evidence, denounce whoever this is, when we've got enough proof. Pretty simple, really."
"Alright," I agreed. "Let's do this."
***
Days turned into a stream of work, late nights, and increasing stress. It felt like the weight of the world rested on my shoulders, yet I couldn't show that-most of all, not to Ethan. He was still our client, and I needed to make sure he was comfortable with our services. I had to keep the momentum going with our matchmaking process, even though my personal life could feel spiralled out of control.
As the week progressed, I made a conscious effort to call and schedule our next appointment with Ethan. Despite everything, I looked forward to spending this time with him. It was like peeling the layers of an onion with each session that left me hungry to see what else was hiding behind these tangled layers.
On the day of our next session, I was again pacing, fidgeting anxiously with my notes. I had prepared a sequence of events designed to get Ethan out of his shell. I wanted to keep everything light and fun, but couldn't help feeling the tension that lay beneath the surface in my life-a tension which would seep into my time spent with Ethan.
He entered, looking a bit more relaxed than before, in a navy-blue shirt, and my heart went running. "Hey, Ethan!" I exclaimed, trying to let out a cheerful grin. "Ready for today's adventure?"
"Adventure? Is that what we're calling it?" he teased back, eyes sparkling with a hint of mirth.
"Absolutely! Today, we're going to play it like improvisation," I proclaimed, trying to sound perky.
His brow furrowed in confusion. "Improv? As in acting?"
"Yes! It is all about thinking on your feet and embracing spontaneity. You're going to learn how to go with the flow and connect with people in unexpected ways."
"You've got to be kidding me," he half-asked, half-laughed, half-concerned. "You want me to act?
"Just trust me! It'll be fun. Plus, it's a great way to break down those walls," I replied, my own excitement starting to bubble over.
As we pulled up to the improv studio, I could see the hesitation in Ethan's eyes. "I'm not sure this is going to help me find a partner," he grumbled as we walked inside.
I tried to reassure him by telling him, "It is not like it is about finding someone, it is to learn how to communicate and express yourself and not be able to control everything. "
This instructor was a curly-haired lady who greeted us very warmly with an infectious laugh. "Alright, everybody! Who wants to unleash their inner thespian?"
Ethan looked at me, and his face became shrouded with doubts. "This better not involve singing.
Relax, it's not a musical," I teased, nudging my elbow into his side.
In the beginning, the class did several rounds of icebreakers, and slowly but surely, Ethan loosened up around the other participants. But the moment actual improv exercises started, he flared right back up.
"Alright, let's do a scene! Pair up and do a little skit," the instructor said. "Go!"
I reached in and grasped Ethan's arm, hauling him along after me. "Come on, let's show them what we've got!
He groaned but I knew he was softening. As we stepped forward, a deluge of adrenaline coursed through my veins-good kind born from spontaneity and creativity.
"Okay, let's pretend we're two strangers meeting at a coffee shop," I said, trying to keep the energy light.
Ethan raised an eyebrow. "Two strangers at a coffee shop? How original.
"Just go with the flow, okaу?" I pressed, burbling over with excitement.
As we acted out the scene, I completely let myself get lost in the moment, but soon found Ethan holding back. He was working so hard to keep things right that he failed to see the beauty of improvisation-relishing it in the mistakes and going with the flow.
"Ethan, relax!" I ordered, inching closer. "Just feel it. You're overthinking everything."
He stopped, staring at me as if I spoke another language. "I don't know how to just… feel."
"
Exactly! That's what we're working on," I exclaimed, my heart racing while pushing him further. "Just let go. Trust me."
He began to take a deep breath, relaxing the look on his face. "Fine. Let's try it your way.
As the scene continued, I watched Ethan slowly come out of his shell, his laughter ringing out as he allowed himself to get silly. The more he relaxed, the more I felt a thread of connectedness forming between us, some kind of thread binding our experiences together.
But no sooner had I begun to think we truly were getting somewhere, I felt my phone buzz once more in my pocket. I pulled it out discreetly, my heart sinking as I saw another message from Zoe.
*Chloé, I think I found something. Meet me after class.*
My pulse quickened. "Ethan, I need to step out for a moment," I said, attempting to keep my voice steady.
Everything alright?" he asked, concern marking his features.
"Just a quick call," I assured him and stepped outside into the open to take the call.
"Zoe, what have you found?" I asked, my anxiety creeping back.
"It is worse than we thought. I managed to trace the financial discrepancies to someone within our network-an employee we hired some time recently. I think they are siphoning off money and deleting their tracks afterward," she said in urgent tones.
"Do you have a name?" I asked, my heart racing.
"Not yet, but I'm digging deeper. We do need to confront them, but we have to tread with caution. If they get wind of it, they may bolt," she warned.
"Understood, not a word about this, at least for now, most especially not to Ethan. He is still our client, and I cannot afford to lose him," I said, feeling the weight of it all weighing down on me.
"Keep me posted. I'll find out more and fill you in," she said, ringing off.
I breathed in deeply, feeling my racing heart attempt to settle. I knew I was going to have to go back in and face Ethan, but the tension between my professional obligations and personal feelings was becoming increasingly complicated.
When I came back into the class, Ethan was laughing along with the rest of the participants, where the gravity of our previous conversations was forgotten. At that particular instance, a wave of guilt hit me when I thought, Was I taking away an excellent opportunity from him when he needed it while I was so entangled in this financial quagmire?
"Hey, everything okay?" he asked when I reached him, searching my eyes.
Yeah, some business issue. But it's all sorted, I lied, forcing a smile.
"Are you sure?" he pursued, and I knew the care was still there.
"Absolutely," I said with determination filled in my voice. "Let's finish strong today.
As the class went on, I couldn't shake off this feeling that the ground shifted beneath our feet. While Ethan opened himself, I became increasingly worse at keeping my life from totally falling apart. Every laughter, each sharing moment seemed to weave a link between them, and me, and over my head, this specter of my misfortunes in business was an ongoing threat that would cut loose every thread in one swift second.
The class drew to a close, and I was a mess inside.
excited and terrified. Ethan leaned over to me, by now wearing a wide grin. "That was actually kind of fun. I didn't think I'd enjoy it."
"See? I told you!" I exclaimed, my smile real this time. "You're making progress, Ethan."
He nodded, his eyes gleaming with a newfound confidence. "Thanks for pushing me."
But just as I was going to respond, my phone buzzed again, and this time it was a call. I glanced down and saw Zoe's name. Immediately, my heart started pounding in my chest as I answered.
"Zoe, what's wrong?" I asked, preparing myself for more bad news.
"Chloe, you need to come back to the office. Now. We have a serious problem," she said, urgency lacing her voice.
I felt my heart drop. "I will be there as soon as I can."
Ethan looked at me with concern. "What's wrong?"
"I—" I hesitated, trying to find the words. "Something came up at work. I need to take care of it."
"Can I help?" he asked, real concern in his voice.
I shook my head, not wanting him to get involved in the mess. "No, it's okay. I just need to handle this."
"Alright. But let's schedule our next session soon. I want to keep this momentum going," he said, his smile still bright despite my abrupt departure.
"Definitely," I replied-my heart aching at the thought of leaving him in this moment of progress. "I'll text you."
I walked away, knowing with every step, guilt and urgency tangled inside me. The laughter and connection we'd built felt fragile, like spun glass ready to shatter. Still, I had to face whatever awaited me at the office-to protect everything we'd built, even if that meant putting my heart at risk.
I looked back again at Ethan, still standing there with the mainly perplexed look on his face, and as I turned away, a deep, foreboding feeling nestled in my chest.
The actual battle was about to begin.