𝐄𝐙𝐄𝐊𝐈𝐄𝐋 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐇𝐢𝐬 𝐌𝐚𝐭𝐞'𝐬 𝐃𝐞𝐟𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞

14

AKIRA:

I made my way toward the rooftop restaurant, determined to eat something to ease the unsettling thoughts swirling in my mind. I needed to get out of my head for a bit, breathe, and take in the view from up there. But in my distracted state, I somehow ended up on the wrong floor. The lobby felt too quiet, too empty, and I couldn't remember how to get back to where I needed to be.

I wandered aimlessly, hoping to stumble across the right direction, when something caught my eye. A large, framed picture hung on the wall, stark against the clean lines of the lobby. I froze, my breath catching in my throat as I stepped closer. There, sitting in a leather chair, dressed to perfection in a black tuxedo, was the man I never wanted to see again.

It wasn’t just the striking, familiar face that made my heart race. It was the name beneath the frame—EZEKIEL CHASE MORGANTHE.

Morganthe. Xavier Morganthe. Ezekiel Morganthe.

I stood frozen, my entire body tense with shock. My mind was racing, the pieces of the puzzle quickly falling into place. The Morganthe Tower, just across the street from this hotel. Both the tower and the hotel itself had intricate letter M carvings at the wall. How had I not made the connection sooner?

Shit!

I was in trouble. Real trouble.

My thoughts scrambled, my legs refusing to move. I felt trapped, caught in the gravity of the moment. I wasn’t supposed to be here—too close to them, to him. I couldn’t be in the same place as Ezekiel. I couldn’t even breathe properly.

I snapped out of my daze, quickly scanning the area for an exit. I needed to leave—now. My eyes darted to the stairwell, the elevator, the hallway. Anything to get back to my room, to retreat into the safety of solitude. Maybe I could just order room service and pretend this never happened.

Taking a deep breath, I moved swiftly toward the stairs, my heart hammering in my chest, my mind in complete turmoil. I needed to escape. I needed to get away from the face that haunted my thoughts, from the name that seemed to follow me everywhere.

But one thought lingered: What are the chances of bumping into him again?

🤍🤍🤍🤍

EZEKIEL:

I stepped out of the office, the door shutting behind me with a soft click. The hallway was quiet, as usual—the hotel’s familiar stillness settling around me. After a long day, I needed a break. A drink. A moment to clear my head.

Just as I neared the elevator, I caught a quick movement out of the corner of my eye. Someone had just darted around the corner, disappearing before I could get a proper look. My first thought was that it could be a guest, maybe a staff member. But something about the way she moved seemed off—almost like she was trying to avoid being seen.

Curiosity got the better of me, and I followed, but she’d already slipped away by the time I reached the corner. All I’d caught was a glimpse of her hair—curly, bouncing in the hurried steps she took. It threw me for a moment. Akira’s hair was straight as a pin, so maybe it wasn’t her after all. But still, something felt familiar.

Shaking my head, I made my way back to the elevator, reminding myself I was here to unwind, not chase shadows. The hum of the lift drowned out my thoughts as I pressed the button for the rooftop, but my mind kept circling back to her. The resemblance, that familiar aura—it was all strange.

The elevator doors opened to the rooftop, and I stepped into the night air. The city lights below were breathtaking, stretching out in a sea of colors and energy. Normally, this view was all I needed to clear my mind. Tonight, though, it couldn’t erase that nagging feeling.