Chapter 4 All It Takes Is One Word

 Mia's POV

"You know, I don't think I've ever really said this enough... thank you," I said as I set my fork down and met Josh's eyes while we ate dinner.

He frowned slightly. "For what?"

"For saving me," I said softly. "After Liam..." My voice faltered, but I forced myself to continue. "That was the lowest point of my life. I had just started to recover from losing my dad, and then my entire family left me. I didn't think I could take another hit."

Josh leaned back, his expression softening.

"It was you," I continued, steadier now. "You and Daniel who gave me the strength to keep going. Even after Liam broke my heart and chose Stacy... even when I thought I had no reason to believe in people anymore, you and Daniel stayed. You're the only ones who never left."

My voice wavered, but I held his gaze. "And that summer, when you took me to your hometown after your father died..." My chest tightened. "You had just lost him, but you still found a way to help me. You didn't have to."

"You needed someone," Josh said quietly. "And I needed someone too. Guess we held each other together."

I smiled faintly. "And then you made me your part time assistant so I could keep studying."

"You were the only one I trusted," he said with a shrug. "And you were too stubborn to accept money, so I had to make it look like a job."

I laughed softly. "Still the best boss I ever had."

"Careful," he smirked. "I might hire you back."

For a while, everything felt light again. Like the past had finally loosened its grip.

Then Josh leaned back, a playful look in his eyes. "I told you years ago, get yourself a boyfriend. You've had plenty of options. And Mr. Vale? He's single now. Divorced, rich, good looking. What's your excuse?"

I shook my head, laughing. "My excuse is you. As long as you don't have a boyfriend, I'm not bothering. And I don't have time for romance."

His smile faded. He set his fork down, studying me. "I'm gay, Mia. And do you really think someone would love me for who I am? Not the version they see, not the role I play... but me?" His voice was steady, but I heard the truth beneath it. "I have Daniel. I have you. That's enough."

My chest tightened. "You deserve better than that."

He tilted his head, eyes sharpening. "And you deserve better than what you've convinced yourself of. Are you sure this isn't about him?"

My fork paused. "Josh—"

"You don't have to hate men just because one broke you," he said gently. "You deserve to be happy."

"I don't hate men," I said quickly. "And Liam has nothing to do with my decision." The look in his eyes told me he didn't believe me.

Before I could argue, a familiar voice came from behind.

"Am I interrupting, or can I join you?" I turned. Daniel stood there, hands in his pockets, wearing that same easy smile that once made me feel safe.

"Daniel," Josh said. "Perfect timing. Sit down before Mia eats everything."

Daniel pulled out the chair beside me, his presence steady and quiet, like always.

"Did I miss something?" he asked.

The silence that followed hurt more than his question.

His smile faltered, just slightly. And I felt it like a blow.

Because I remembered that summer. The way he stood in front of me, heart in his hands, telling me he had ended things with Dina because he couldn’t pretend anymore, not when he had been in love with me since grade eight.

Daniel told me he didn’t want anything in return. That I didn’t have to choose him or make any promises. He just wanted to love me, hoping that someday I would love him back. And he was still here, still waiting for me.

And I had seen Liam again. Since yesterday, I couldn't think of anything else.

My fingers tightened around my fork as I forced a smile. “Josh was just teasing. It’s about work.”

"Yeah," Josh said lightly. "Just work."

But it didn't feel light anymore. I felt it in every quiet glance from Daniel. In the way he still listened to me like I mattered more than anything. And guilt settled deep in my chest. Because he deserved more. And I was still broken by someone else.

I was at my desk the next morning, buried in files, when my office line rang.

"Attorney Villaruiz." Vale's voice came through the line, sharp and direct. "My office. Now."

The call ended before I could respond. My stomach dropped. He did not summon people lightly. And he definitely did not hang up like that unless something was wrong.

I set my pen down, my fingers lingering for a second longer than necessary before I forced myself to move. I straightened my blazer, steadying my breathing, and walked toward his office.

By the time I reached his door, I barely knocked before pushing it open.

The moment I stepped inside, I felt the tension in the air.

Vale stood behind his desk, one hand braced against it, the phone still in his other hand as if he had just ended a call. His jaw was tight, his expression controlled, but not calm.

His eyes lifted to mine. They looked sharp and assessing.

"Close the door." He ordered. I obeyed, the soft click echoing louder than it should have.

"Do you know why you're here?"

"No, sir," I answered, though something in my chest was already tightening.

He didn't waste time. He slid a folder across the desk toward me, the motion smooth, deliberate, final. I didn't even need to open it. The moment it stopped in front of me, I already knew. I recognized it instantly.

Liam Alcaraz's account.

My chest constricted, tight and sudden, like something inside me had locked into place.

"Alcaraz wants you," Vale said, his voice measured but edged with something firmer, something that left no room for misinterpretation. "Specifically you. He's refused Ortiz. Refused anyone else. If you don't take the lead, he won't just walk away quietly. He'll pull the account, take it to another firm, and make sure we feel the loss."

He let that sink in before continuing, his gaze locking on mine.

"And Mia, we cannot afford to lose this account. This isn't just another client. This is the kind of deal that shapes our standing in this industry and keeps us ahead of every firm competing with us."

My breath stalled, caught somewhere between my lungs and my throat. "Sir... I don't think I'm the right fit—"

"Stop."

His tone cut through me clean and sharp, leaving no space to argue, no space to breathe. He leaned forward slightly, his gaze pinning me in place.

"Do you understand what this means? This account could define the next decade of this firm."

"I know," I whispered, forcing the words out despite the tightness in my chest. "But I—"

"Mia," he said, softer now, but no less commanding, "if you take this account..."

I looked up, my pulse beginning to pound in my ears.

"I'll make you partner." Everything inside me stilled.

The word echoed in my head, louder than anything else.

Partner.

It affected me more than anything he had said, more than the pressure or the warning.

It was everything I had worked for. Every sleepless night, every sacrifice, every moment I chose this path over everything else in my life. It was the one thing I had been chasing for years, the one goal that kept me moving forward no matter how difficult it became.

"You'd... make me partner?" I asked, my voice quieter now, almost unrecognizable even to myself.

"If you want it," he said simply. "All it takes is one word. Yes."

But saying yes meant I have to deal with Liam Alcaraz.

It meant sitting across from him, hearing his voice, feeling the past claw its way back into the present with every meeting, every conversation, every glance.

My fingers tightened around the folder until the edges pressed into my skin. My lips parted, ready to answer, ready to decide. But no words came out.

For the first time in my career, I didn't know what to do.

I left his office feeling confused, like everything around me had faded. The city didn't feel real as I walked through it. By the time I got home, the weight in my chest felt heavier, almost making it hard to breathe.

I sat on the edge of my bed, the folder resting on my lap like a decision waiting to be made.

I should have been happy. I should have been celebrating, overwhelmed with relief that everything I had worked for was finally within reach.

But all I could see was my ex. His face. His eyes. That look he gave me in the boardroom, like no time had passed, like everything between us was still there, unfinished.

My chest tightened painfully as I pressed my hands against my eyes, as if I could block him out, erase him from my thoughts.

I told myself I would never break again. That the girl who once loved him was gone, replaced by someone stronger, someone untouchable.

But one look from him was enough to drag it all back, the pain, the anger, and the wounds I spent years trying to bury.

Now, partnership meant being tied to him. Every day. Every meeting. Every moment I thought I had left behind.

My breath came in shallow bursts, my thoughts spiraling faster than I could control.

"God… what am I supposed to do?" I whispered into the silence.