Cracks in the Glass
It was supposed to be a quick strategy session—a routine check-in with Sky and Muri about the upcoming joint venture. Lex had scheduled it with clinical efficiency, as if putting them both in a boardroom wouldn't feel like being punched in the chest.
The room was all glass and chrome, sunlight pouring in over expensive suits and colder expressions.
Lex sat at the head of the table. Controlled. Powerful. Ice in a custom-tailored suit.
Then Sky walked in, hand on Muri's lower back like it was second nature.
She laughed at something he whispered in her ear, her face lit with that same softness Lex used to know.
And something in Lex's chest twisted.
He didn't speak for a full ten seconds. Just watched. Stone-faced. Quiet. But his jaw clenched just a little too hard, his knuckles pale around the pen in his hand.
Sky didn't notice.
But Muri did.
For a flicker of a moment, her eyes met his.
And Lex saw it—uncertainty.
Like maybe... just maybe... she felt something too.
He looked away first.
The meeting started. Lex was sharp. Ruthless. His feedback was relentless, his questions surgical. He gave no space, no softness.
Sky laughed it off. "Someone woke up in CEO mode."
Lex smiled thinly. "Just trying to make sure everyone keeps up."
Muri didn't speak much. Her gaze lingered on Lex's face once or twice, as if searching for something she couldn't quite name.
When the meeting ended, Sky stood and kissed her temple before leaving the room.
Lex watched it happen. And this time—he didn't hide it.
The flicker of jealousy. The shadow of something darker in his eyes.
Muri saw it.
And for the first time since her return... she looked shaken.