Love Lost, Hope Found

The Regency Hotel's lobby gleamed with polished marble and crystal chandeliers, but I barely noticed as I paced back and forth, checking my watch for the fifth time in twenty minutes. Three hours early—I knew it was excessive, but I couldn't help myself. After six months apart, I needed everything to be perfect for Maverick's homecoming.

"Miss Patterson, would you like another glass of water?" The concierge approached with a sympathetic smile. "You've been here since noon."

I smoothed down the emerald silk dress Maverick had once said brought out the gold flecks in my eyes. "Thank you, James. And could you please make sure the Dom P�rignon is chilling? Maverick prefers it with one ice cube."

My fingers instinctively reached for the small pendant necklace at my throat—my mother's final gift before she passed. The cool metal against my skin usually calmed me, but today nothing could settle the butterflies in my stomach.

"The conference room is arranged exactly as you requested," James assured me. "The contracts are on the mahogany table, with fresh pens beside them."

I nodded, rehearsing once more what I would say when I finally saw him. Should I embrace him first? Or let him speak? Would he be tired from the flight? Six months was so long—had he changed?

My phone buzzed. No messages. I'd sent Maverick three texts this morning, each met with brief, distracted responses. Business was demanding, I understood that. But tonight would make it all worthwhile.

"Miss Patterson?" James's voice pulled me from my thoughts. "Mr. Dixon has arrived."

My heart leapt as I turned toward the entrance, a smile spreading across my face. But it froze there, halfway formed, as I saw him.

Maverick stood in the doorway, his tall frame silhouetted against the afternoon light. But he wasn't alone. A woman with sleek blonde hair hung on his arm, her body pressed intimately against his side as she laughed at something he whispered in her ear.

I stood frozen, my fingers still clutching my mother's pendant. This wasn't right. This wasn't how I'd imagined our reunion.

"Grace!" Maverick finally spotted me, his surprise evident. But there was something else in his expression—was it guilt? Or annoyance?

I forced my legs to move, crossing the lobby with trembling hands extended toward him. "Maverick, welcome home."

He accepted my embrace with stiff arms, patting my back twice before stepping away. The woman beside him smirked, her perfectly manicured hand possessively sliding back around his bicep.

"Grace, this is Sasha Simmons," Maverick said, his tone casual. "My invaluable business partner from the Singapore expansion."

Sasha extended a limp hand toward me, her smile not reaching her eyes. "So you're Grace. Maverick's mentioned you."

I took her hand automatically, searching Maverick's face for explanation. "I've prepared dinner for us in the private dining room. We should discuss the contracts—they need your signature before the quarterly meeting."

"Now?" Maverick frowned, glancing at his watch. "Grace, I'm exhausted from the flight. Can't this wait?"

"I've had the hotel prepare your favorite dishes," I pressed on, ignoring the warning in his eyes. "And the contracts really are important—they represent our future together."

"Our future?" Sasha laughed lightly, her fingers trailing up Maverick's arm. "How sweet."

Maverick didn't contradict her. Instead, he sighed heavily. "You're being clingy as usual, Grace. I need to unwind before diving into business."

The words stung like a physical blow. I stood there, humiliation burning through me as hotel staff discreetly averted their eyes.

Two hours later, I sat at the head of the dining table I'd meticulously arranged, watching as Sasha monopolized Maverick's attention. She leaned toward him, her hand resting on his forearm as she recounted some story about their time in Tokyo.

"And then," she continued, her voice carrying across the table, "the investors actually started bowing to Maverick! They were so impressed with his presentation."

Maverick beamed, his eyes bright in a way they hadn't been when he looked at me. I cleared my throat, sliding the contracts toward him.

"The equity transfer documents need your signature," I said quietly. "They're time-sensitive."

Maverick barely glanced at them, flipping through the pages with disinterest. "These look different from what we discussed."

"I made some adjustments based on the Patterson family trustees' requirements," I explained. "But they still honor our agreement—fifty percent equity in exchange for—"

"Fifty percent?" Sasha interrupted, her eyebrow arched. "That seems... excessive for what amounts to seed funding."

"These documents represent more than just business," I said, my voice stronger now. "They're our future together, Maverick. Everything we've worked for these past ten years."

Sasha's laugh cut through the air like glass. "Oh, Maverick, she's confusing romance with business again." She rolled her eyes dramatically. "It's adorable, really."

Maverick nodded, his expression distant as he handed the contracts back to me. "We'll review these properly tomorrow, Grace. Tonight is for celebrating."

As conversation flowed around me, I sat alone at my end of the table, the contracts untouched beside my plate, wondering when exactly I had become a stranger in my own relationship.