Back in Westania, the aftermath of the business trip brought with it an air of subtle change. Perce, always the picture of control and aloofness, found himself in unfamiliar territory. Carla Rivera, the cheerful hurricane of energy, occupied far too much space in his mind. Yet, as was his nature, he kept his emotions locked tight—at least, he thought he did.
Pearll, his twin sister, was the first to notice. She always did.
"You're brooding again," Pearll said one morning, her voice teasing as she breezed into Perce's office.
"I'm working," Perce replied without looking up from his laptop.
Pearll perched on the edge of his desk, her golden-brown curls bouncing as she leaned forward. "Sure, you're working. And I'm a world-class chef."
"You barely know how to boil water," Perce muttered.
"Exactly," she said with a grin. "Which means you're not working. You're sulking about Carla."
Perce's fingers paused briefly over the keyboard, but he quickly resumed typing. "I don't sulk. And I'm not thinking about her."
"Oh, please," Pearll said, rolling her eyes. "You've been acting weird ever since you got back. Liam told me you've been 'accidentally' bringing her up in conversations."
"I have not," Perce said defensively.
"Liar." Pearll poked his arm. "Admit it, you like her."
"I don't like her," Perce said, his tone firm. "She's just... interesting."
"Oh, this is rich," Pearll said, hopping off the desk. "Mr. Ice King has a crush. I'm calling Liam. He'll want to hear this."
"Don't you dare," Perce warned, but Pearll was already skipping out of the office, her laughter echoing down the hallway.
---
Meanwhile, Carla was dealing with her own share of chaos. Back at her penthouse, she was in the middle of brainstorming ideas for a new charity event when Frances and Geraldine burst in, both carrying bags of takeout and wearing identical smirks.
"Why do I feel like I'm about to be interrogated?" Carla asked as she eyed her sisters warily.
"Because you are," Frances said, dropping onto the couch.
"We want details," Geraldine added, sitting cross-legged on the carpet.
"Details about what?" Carla asked, feigning ignorance.
"About Perce, obviously," Frances said. "You've been smiling like a lunatic since we got back. What's going on between you two?"
"Nothing's going on," Carla said, though the flush on her cheeks said otherwise.
Geraldine raised an eyebrow. "You're a terrible liar."
"I'm not lying!" Carla insisted.
"Come on," Frances said, nudging Carla's arm. "We saw the way he looked at you at the airport. And don't even get me started on the way you've been sneaking glances at your phone like a lovesick teenager."
"I do not sneak glances!" Carla said, her voice a pitch higher than usual.
Her sisters exchanged knowing looks.
"Fine," Carla admitted, crossing her arms. "He's... intriguing. And kind of infuriating. But also—" She cut herself off, realizing she was about to spill too much.
"Also?" Geraldine prompted, her grin widening.
"Also nothing," Carla said quickly. "Drop it."
But her sisters didn't drop it. In fact, they spent the next hour teasing Carla relentlessly, much to her dismay.
---
Over at Perce's place, Liam and Kellan were having a similar conversation—but their approach was far less subtle.
"So, how's Carla?" Liam asked casually as he lounged on the living room couch.
Perce shot him a warning look. "Don't start."
"Start what?" Liam said, feigning innocence. "I'm just making conversation."
"You're trying to bait me," Perce said.
"Who, me?" Liam placed a hand over his heart. "Never."
Kellan, who was seated in an armchair, smirked but said nothing.
"You're both ridiculous," Perce muttered.
"No, what's ridiculous is you pretending you don't like her," Liam said. "Just admit it already. You're smitten."
Perce sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I'm not smitten."
"Right," Liam said, dragging out the word. "And I'm not devastatingly handsome."
Kellan snorted. "You're half right."
Liam threw a pillow at him.
"Look," Liam said, turning to Perce, "if you don't make a move soon, someone else will. Carla's not the type to sit around waiting for a guy to get his act together."
"She's also not the type to be impressed by grand gestures," Kellan added. "She's smart. You'll need to match her wit."
Perce leaned back in his chair, his expression unreadable. Deep down, he knew his brothers were right. But the idea of putting his feelings out in the open was... daunting.
---
The next evening, fate decided to intervene. Carla and Perce ended up at the same charity gala, an event both had been invited to weeks ago but had forgotten about.
Carla was mid-conversation with an art collector when she spotted Perce across the room. He looked as composed as ever, his dark suit tailored to perfection.
"What are the odds?" she said, approaching him with a teasing smile.
"Apparently high," Perce replied, his tone dry but his eyes warm.
Carla tilted her head. "Are you following me, Mr. Eccentric Billionaire?"
"I could ask you the same thing, Ms. Quirky Billionaire," Perce shot back.
They stood in silence for a moment, the noise of the gala fading into the background.
"Dance with me," Perce said suddenly, surprising both of them.
Carla raised an eyebrow but didn't hesitate. "Lead the way."
As they moved to the rhythm of the music, Carla couldn't help but notice the way Perce's usually guarded demeanor softened.
"You're full of surprises," she said.
"You have no idea," Perce replied, a rare smile gracing his lips.
From a distance, Pearll watched them with a triumphant grin. "Told you," she whispered to Liam, who stood beside her.
"Told me what?" Liam asked.
"That he's hopelessly in love," Pearll said.
Liam chuckled. "We're all hopeless, aren't we?"
And with that, the evening unfolded in a whirlwind of laughter, stolen glances, and a growing connection that neither Carla nor Perce could ignore.
---