The sound of raised voices stopped Liora mid-step. She'd been walking toward the design studio, laptop tucked under her arm, mind focused on the final showcase draft — until that unmistakable voice reached her.
"—You don't even see what you're doing to her anymore, do you?" Ethan's voice. Low, furious.
Adrian's reply was sharper, colder. "I'm not doing anything. She's the one who insists on fighting me every step."
Liora froze outside the half-open door. Her pulse quickened. Ethan and Adrian never argued — at least not like this.
"Fighting you?" Ethan repeated, a bitter laugh escaping him. "You corner her, compete with her, and then act like you're protecting her the next day. You can't have it both ways, Adrian."
For a moment, there was silence. She heard footsteps — Adrian pacing, probably rubbing the back of his neck like he always did when he was frustrated.
"You don't understand," Adrian muttered finally. "It's not—"
"Then make me understand," Ethan snapped. "Because from where I'm standing, you're messing with her head. And maybe with your own too."
Liora pressed her back against the wall, breath shallow. Messing with her head? What was that supposed to mean?
Inside, Adrian's voice dropped, quieter but heavier. "You think I want this?"
Ethan's tone softened just slightly. "Then what is this, Adrian? The rivalry? The looks? The jealousy every time someone else talks to her?"
Jealousy. The word burned through Liora's chest like a live wire.
There was a long silence. She could almost hear Adrian trying to find the right words — the kind he never used.
Finally, he said, low and raw, "It's complicated."
Ethan sighed. "It always is with you." His voice hardened again. "Just… don't hurt her. She's not like the others."
Liora's grip on her laptop tightened. Her throat felt dry.
When Ethan's footsteps neared the door, she quickly turned the corner, pretending to scroll through her phone. He passed by, not noticing the faint tremor in her hands.
Adrian stayed behind, alone.
For a moment, Liora thought about walking away — pretending she hadn't heard a word. But something in her refused. She turned back toward the studio and quietly pushed the door open.
Adrian looked up instantly, surprise flashing across his face. "Liora."
She stood in the doorway, expression unreadable. "You don't have to protect me, Adrian. Especially from you."
His jaw tensed. "You heard."
"Enough," she said softly.
A storm of emotion flickered in his eyes — guilt, frustration, something deeper she couldn't name.
"Liora, it's not—"
She shook her head. "Don't. Whatever this is, whatever game you're playing, I'm not your project to fix."
He flinched, just slightly. For once, he didn't have a clever comeback.
Liora turned away, her voice barely steady. "And stop pretending it's complicated. It's only complicated because you make it that way."
When she walked out, the silence that followed was thick enough to drown in.
But neither of them realized that from that moment on — things between them weren't just tangled. They were dangerous.