They stared at each other's gaze for a moment; the air between them was heavy with something unspoken. Austin looked closer into her eyes; he noticed a bit of sadness, and he became worried.
Vanessa lowered her gaze, taking a steady breath before she spoke something from her heart.
"My husband is coming back from one of his trips," she began softly. "He's… complicated. Controlling. At first, I thought he was caring. But he only ever cared about his own obsessions, and it's only gotten worse."
Austin's heart sank. He was surprised because he hadn't known she was married. At that moment, Austin could see that Vanessa wasn't the elegant CEO she used to be; she was a woman burdened with loneliness and vulnerability.The revelation struck him hard, igniting a mix of anger and sorrow at the thought of her being trapped in such a painful situation.
"I'm sorry to hear that," he said gently.
"It's fine," she replied, a flicker of defiance in her eyes. "We're going to divorce soon, so I'll be okay."
"You're a caring woman. You deserve someone who will care for you too." He said softly yet firmly, their eyes meeting. He could see the vulnerability glistening in hers. Moved by an instinct to protect her, Austin reached across the table and gently placed his hand over hers. To his relief, Vanessa didn't pull away; instead, her shoulders relaxed, as if a weight had lifted.
"You deserve someone who values everything about you," he murmured, his thumb brushing softly over her hand. "Not just as a CEO, but the woman you are."
"Thank you, Austin. This means a lot, you know." Vanessa said, a smile softened her gaze, and in that fleeting moment, the world around them fell away, leaving only the silent promise of something more.
Slowly, Austin leaned in, and she met him halfway. Their lips met in a gentle, lingering kiss, unhurried and sincere, a quiet promise of something more.
Suddenly, a tall figure appeared near their table, casting a shadow across them. Vanessa pulled back sharply, her gaze turning to the figure with a sudden awareness that shattered the intimacy they had shared. Austin also turned to see a tall man with a striking, intense presence. His skin was pale, and dark, long, wavy hair fell over one of his eyes, leaving the other sharp, piercing blue eye staring at them intently. He was dressed in a tailored black suit, dark leather gloves covering his hands. His beauty seemed almost too perfect, like a figure carved from marble. A faint smile curved on the man's lips, his gaze fixed on Vanessa, and Austin mysteriously felt a chill creep up his spine.
"Vanessa," he greeted, his voice smooth and low. "I didn't expect to find you… here."
Vanessa's face became serious, and her fingers slipped away from Austin's as she stood up from her chair. "Leonardo," she replied, her tone cool but betrayed by a flicker of nervousness. "You're back earlier than I thought."
"It seems I've interrupted something." Leonardo Vega said before he shifted his gaze to Austin, assessing him with a cold, calculating look before returning to Vanessa.
"I was just catching up with my friend," Vanessa said, her voice tense.
Leonardo's smile faded, replaced by a serious expression. "Okay, Vanessa. Let's go home now; come with me."
Vanessa's eyebrow furrowed, and Austin could see her jaw clenched. As she picked up her bag, she came beside Leonardo and whispered, her voice low but harsh. "You don't get to control every part of my life again, Leonardo. Not anymore."
To Austin's shock, Leonardo unexpectedly grabbed her arm, not with a comforting touch but with a firm grip that twisted just enough for her to feel pain. He looked at her seriously. "You're still my wife, Vanessa, and I don't recall agreeing to this kind of behavior for the meantime."
The air between them grew thick with tension, and Austin could feel it. Vanessa's husband—or should he say soon-to-be ex-husband—could be good-looking, but he is definitely disrespectful. Austin became angry.He couldn't stand the way Leonardo was looking at her, as if she were something to be possessed.
"Hey," Austin spoke up before he could think twice. Austin rose from his seat, his voice firm. "She doesn't have to go anywhere if she doesn't want to."
Leonardo's eyes darkened as he turned to Austin. "And who are you to tell me what she wants?"
"She has a choice. If she wants to stay, she stays." Austin frowned, feeling a surge of protectiveness. "I won't just stand by and let you control her like that."
Leonardo's gaze hardened, his eyes darkening. "You've made me lose my calm, young man," he said. In a flash, his hand shot out, seizing Austin by the throat, lifting him off the ground with unnatural strength.
"Wh-Stop!" Austin gasped, his breath hitching as panic surged, clawing at Leonardo's iron grip. He struggled against the hold, but his vision began to blur, the vibrant restaurant fading into darkness.
Suddenly, he found himself in a void-like realm, the air thick and suffocating. Cold whispers drifted into emptiness through the space, ghostly shadows weaving around him. He felt a sudden, stabbing pain in his chest, as if his heart might burst. He tried to move, but his body felt sluggish, paralyzed under an invisible force.
"What... what the hell is this?" Austin asked himself, struggling to breathe as a ghost-like pressure clamped around his mind, dulling his senses.
He could still take a glimpse of Vanessa in the distance, kneeling down and begging Leonardo.
Austin couldn't hear her words; her face twisted with worry, but her image flickered in and out, fading.
"I can't let this be it. Not like this, I have to protect Vanessa?" Austin thought.