The Quiet Contract

Fixed (?)

Lisa's POV

Diana's behavior throughout the dinner had been... odd. At first, I thought it was just my nerves making me read too much into her actions. But as the evening went on, the red flags started stacking up.

She kept glancing toward a particular corner of the restaurant, as if expecting someone to show up. Her hand brushed against mine more times than I could count, lingering longer than was appropriate. I tried to keep the conversation focused, steering it away from any personal undertones, but Diana didn't seem to take the hint.

"Lisa," she said softly, her fingers lightly grazing mine as I moved to pick up my glass. "You're really tense tonight. Relax. You're too pretty to be this stressed."

I stiffened, pulling my hand away under the pretense of adjusting my watch. "I've got a lot on my plate right now," I replied curtly, forcing a polite smile.

She laughed lightly, but there was something calculated in her eyes. "Well, if you ever need someone to take your mind off things, you know where to find me."

I didn't respond, focusing on the food instead. The meal dragged on, every minute feeling heavier than the last. Her casual touches, her glances toward the same corner of the restaurant, and her overly familiar tone—it all made my skin crawl.

By the time we finished, I was practically itching to leave. As we stepped out into the crisp night air, I turned to say a polite goodbye, but Diana had other plans.

"Thanks for tonight," she said with a sly smile, leaning in and planting a kiss on my cheek before I could react.

My entire body tensed. It wasn't just the kiss—it was the way she lingered, her lips brushing my skin as if staking a claim. My mind raced, piecing together everything that had happened. The suspicious glances, the too-casual touches, the way she kept steering the conversation back to herself. And then there was that man in the parking lot earlier, the one with the camera.

Diana wasn't just being nice. She was orchestrating something.

"Goodnight, Lisa," she said, stepping back with a smirk before walking off.

I didn't respond, my jaw clenched as I watched her disappear into the night. Every instinct screamed at me that Diana wasn't just coincidentally at the center of all this chaos. She was the center.

When I got back to the car, Tzuyu was waiting for me, her expression grim. "Lisa," she said as soon as I slid into the passenger seat. "You need to see this."

She handed me her phone, and my stomach dropped as I watched the video she'd taken. The man with the camera from earlier had been at it again, capturing photos of Diana and me as we ate. There was even footage of Diana leaning in to kiss my cheek.

"That's the same guy from the parking lot," Tzuyu said, her voice low. "I saw him sneaking around, taking pictures of you two through the window. I got as much footage of him as I could without drawing attention."

The pieces clicked into place, each one more damning than the last. Diana had orchestrated this entire evening. She'd planted herself here, made sure to act just suspiciously enough to keep me on edge, and then sealed the deal with that kiss. She wasn't just involved—she was the mastermind behind the email, the photos, and the rumors.

My hands balled into fists. "She's behind all of this," I muttered, my voice shaking with fury.

Tzuyu nodded. "It's starting to look that way."

"I should've seen it sooner," I said, my voice rising. "She's always been calculating, always had an angle. And I let her manipulate me into thinking she was just being kind."