Hearts Collide (Lingorm)

Chapter 23

 The past few weeks had been chaotic, with Freen still in Russia, handling the aftermath of recent attacks, while Ling stayed behind to manage everything else. The executive board meeting earlier had been useless, going in circles without accomplishing much. Ling's thoughts wandered—something felt off, either Faye was hiding something, or she was simply a genius at playing her cards close to her chest.

She barely had time to see Orm these days, both of them buried in their own work. When Faye had suddenly decided to assign Orm a bodyguard, Orm had been furious. "I don't need a babysitter!" she'd snapped, but Ling had reassured her it was for her safety. 

Things aren't under control, it's a great decision made.

Now, as Ling drove, she FaceTimed Orm, who was lounging on her bed, having just finished her university work. They missed each other, and it was good to steal a few moments together, even if only over the phone.

Ling's face appeared on the screen, the dim lighting of her car making her look even more serious. "Hey," Ling greeted, her voice soft but laced with exhaustion.

"Hey, baby," Orm replied, her voice instantly lighter, despite the tension surrounding her. "Still driving?"

" Yeah still, Same old. Meetings, driving, more meetings," Ling sighed, keeping her eyes on the road. "I miss you."

"Miss you too," Orm replied softly, a genuine smile breaking through her tiredness. They chatted for a bit about random things, catching up on each other's lives, before Orm brought up something that had been on her mind for a while.

"You know," Orm began, hesitating slightly, "I've a crazy idea, and been thinking about it... isn't all of Faye's judgment and hatred because of her issues with Freen? What if we tried to fix things between them? Maybe it would be better."

Ling paused, her brow furrowing as she considered Orm's suggestion. "That's... not a bad idea," she admitted slowly. "But what if things get worse?"

Orm shook her head, her expression resolute. "Things are already bad. Faye's mad at me just because I'm dating someone, and haven't been speaking to me.. Imagine if she knew it was you?" She paused, her voice softening as she added, "She'd lose it."

Ling couldn't help but remember the time Orm had confided in her about Faye almost finding out about their relationship. She'd been terrified at first but had quickly assured Orm it would be okay. Still, the idea of Faye and Freen being forced to deal with their unresolved issues made her uneasy.

Ling let out a small sigh. "Okay, but what do you suggest? What's the plan? I'm sure Freen would love to fix things, but Faye..."

Orm's eyes sparkled with mischief. "Next week, we're leaving for our usual vacation in Courchevel, France. I was thinking... what if we put both of them in one room and lock the door? Force them to talk things out?"