It was late into the morning, and the crisp sunlight was already pouring through the large glass windows of the mansion-like hotel. Scott and Emma had gotten up early, but they took their time before finally heading down the wide staircase. The two of them didn’t really look like a pair of tourists on vacation—instead, they looked more like a mismatched couple pulled straight out of two completely different commercials. Emma walked ahead, tugging lightly at the hem of her long gray cotton shrug as it swayed behind her. Beneath it, her black thumb-out shirt hugged her arms snugly, while her baggy cargo pants threatened to slip off her wide hips with every step. She hadn’t stopped talking since they got out of bed, and the topic hadn’t changed even once. "—and like, tell me how I’m supposed to feel about this? My best friend sneaking behind me with Isaac? Without even mentioning it? Not a text, not a look, not even a random emoji in the middle of the night—nothing! Can you imagine that?" She turned her head over her shoulder. Scott followed behind her like a depressed man on his way to an execution. He was dressed in all black—a fleece overshirt jacket over a turtleneck with fitted pants—making him look more like her bodyguard than her boyfriend. He raised a hand lazily, like he was volunteering in class. "Do I say my friend betrayed me?" Emma cut him off instantly, throwing her hands out like she was holding an invisible courtroom audience. "Because that’s what it feels like! And Isaac, of all people. Isaac. He’s been into me for years! Don’t even deny it, you’ve seen it. You’ve seen it." She poked the air twice as if Scott had no choice but to validate her. Scott sighed as both hands slid into his pockets. His voice was flat, already stripped of resistance. Emma whipped around again. "I don’t get how you’re so meh about this. This is Jenna and Isaac!" She waved her arms vigorously. "My two closest friends—here, together!" She slapped her palm with the back of her hand repeatedly to emphasize each word. Scott kept his slow pace as she aggravatedly stomped down the last steps. She paused at the foot of the stairs and spun around. "Did you know they were dating?" Finally. Actual eye contact. Scott straightened a little, inhaling dramatically and clearing his throat like it was his moment of glory. "What am I even saying? Of course you didn’t." Emma immediately shot her hand up to silence him, then planted both fists on her hips. "I didn’t even know. And Jenna’s supposed to be my best friend. I’m supposed to know everything she’s going through, but lately... it’s like I don’t even know who I can call a friend anymore." Her voice cracked just slightly. The brightness drained from her face to leave her standing in the middle of the hallway like a wilted flower. Scott’s frown deepened. He reached out, almost brushing her shoulder, ready to give something—words, comfort, anything. But Emma snapped upright before his hand could land. She clenched a fist high in the air as her eyes suddenly blazed with manic energy. "HMPH! I have an idea!" Her grin was so wide it was almost unsettling. "We should—no, MUST have brunch with them. Iron out the awkwardness. Right?!" Her eyes went wider. It was like a horror show. Scott chuckled nervously as she rose on her toes. Her face was way too close to his. He gently pressed her shoulders down with both hands. "Emma, let me be real with you. The only person that’s gonna make this awkward is you. Forcing a group hangout? Not a good idea." Emma blinked as her grin evaporated instantly. "Because they probably came out here to escape and focus on themselves... same as us." Scott exhaled and turned her by the shoulders so her view would fall on the grand dining hall. The room stretched wide with polished marble floors that glittered chandeliers, and neatly uniformed maids speeding through the space with trays. Well-dressed guests were already seated, trading polite laughter over their meals. Scott gently guided Emma to table #014, pulling her chair out like a gentleman before sliding into the seat across from her. Leaning in, he gave her a small smile. "So, how about you focus on us instead?" Emma’s lips curved slowly. "That’s... an easy promise to make." She reached across and laced her fingers through his. And then—like a bad punchline—the sound of footsteps sounded behind them. They had just reached the bottom of the stairs. Jenna wore ripped denim shorts that gleamed against her caramel thighs, paired with a light sweater. Isaac had gone with something simple—plain pants and a casual sweater—but the way his eyes kept dipping to Jenna’s thighs sold him out instantly. "Can you stop staring at my legs?" Jenna whispered as she smirked sideways. "I can’t help myself..." Isaac murmured back as his hand slid to her waist. The mood between them froze when they spotted Emma waving frantically from across the dining hall. Isaac froze, palm over his mouth. "... Oh God. What do we do?" Jenna’s strained smile looked more like a frown. "Just... smile. Maybe she’ll ignore us." But Emma was waving harder. Both of them frowned in unison. Jenna sighed through her nose. "It’s... Emma. She’s not going to ignore us." Sure enough, the next second Emma was already dragging chairs from table #015 to set them right beside hers. Scott muttered into his phone screen, though he wasn’t typing anything. "Told her to ignore them... (;一_一)" By the time Isaac sat reluctantly beside Scott and Jenna across from him, the silence was so heavy it could’ve flattened the cutlery. Everyone exchanged side-eyes like they were trapped in a hostage negotiation. Emma was the only one sweating bullets but still smiling ear to ear. Scott cleared his throat as he stabbed at his fork. "Quite the vacation, yeah?" Jenna cut her gaze to him, her fist tightening on the table. Jenna gave him a look that made it seem like everything was his fault. Her fist even tightened on the table. Scott leaned back a little in his chair, half-expecting her to swing at him. Jenna forced a laugh so stiff it cracked. "Trust me, Scott. TRUST ME. We had no idea you two would be here. Otherwise... well, I won’t say." Her smile collapsed into an awkward frown. She looked away like she was irritated. Emma clapped her hands dramatically. "And we had no idea you two were a thing either! My best friend and my coworker—who, by the way, used to have a thing for me—now together! What a fun pairing, right? It’s perfect. Fate!" Scott leaned back in his chair to think. "Kinda wild, though. That Dr. Goode gave us reservations for the exact same exclusive hotel in the exact same country they’re in. The chances of something like that happening are..." Both Scott and Isaac calculated at the same time— "One in thirty billion..." Then they both looked at each other, surprised. They didn’t say a word to each other. Isaac’s head whipped toward the ladies. "... Wait. Dr. Goode?" The others blinked at him, confused. Isaac sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose. Emma tilted her head with a lot of curiosity. Isaac let out a small, hesitant chuckle. "Yeah, I had a few sessions with him too. This Brazilian model I hooked up with once—" He glanced at Emma and Jenna, then quickly cut himself off to rethink his words. "Anyway, that’s not important. She told me how Goode helped her sort out her past relationships, so I figured I’d check him out myself. Honestly, he seemed legit, so I kept going back for more sessions. Eventually, he suggested I take a short break here to clear my head. I’m guessing he told you guys the same thing." But as Isaac said that, he suddenly started to regret following the man’s advice—especially now that it meant running into Emma here of all places. Seeing her here wasn’t on his bingo card for self-care. Emma’s brows shot up. "Wait—you? You’re literally one of America’s most eligible bachelors. The hell are you doing in therapy?" Isaac flinched like she’d stabbed him with a fork. "I... I have feelings too, you know..." His voice was so dull Emma didn’t catch it. He paused for a second. 『I’m madly in love with you, and I’m desperate to do anything just to be part of your world. But deep down, I know that no matter how hard I try, you’ll never see me the same way. Just thinking about that hurts so much it feels unbearable. So... I’m sorry if I end up turning to someone else, someone I can talk to about these feelings that are eating me up and making me feel sick and dead inside.』 He scrambled for words, nothing came. Finally, he muttered with spurious nonchalance— "... It’s none of your business." Emma sat back and lifted her hands in surrender. "Whatever, dude. (￢_￢)" Another crushing silence settled over the table. Not the calm, comfortable type—no, this was the kind of silence that strangled the air itself. But Emma wasn’t about to bow down to awkwardness. The kind of laugh that felt forced enough to peel wallpaper. "Ahaha! So now that we’re all here..." She slapped her palms on the table in a wild and disturbing drumroll that rattled the cutlery. "OKAY, OKAY! Can we finally talk about how my best friend Jenna is sleeping with my close coworker and decided not to tell me about it?!" Her smile stretched unnaturally wide. Even her teeth were all on display like some psycho. It was way too painful to watch. Jenna groaned and rolled her eyes like she was watching a bad sitcom. Isaac reclined in his chair with the energy of a man fifty years older as he dragged one hand down his face. Scott pinched the bridge of his nose, then looked from the couple back to Emma. His lips insufferably bent into that familiar "are you out of your damn mind" smile. "Emma, I think they just came here for brunch." He exhaled like each word cost him three years of life. Emma’s grin didn’t falter. If anything, it twitched—tighter and more disturbing. Then she slammed both hands down on the table so suddenly that Jenna flinched and Isaac jerked upright in his chair. "Good point. Then let’s go get some excellent food for us couples, huh?! Great idea!" Emma practically sang the words with force as she jumped to her feet. Without hesitation, she grabbed Jenna by the wrist. Jenna’s protest barely left her lips before she was yanked from her chair and dragged away. That left Scott and Isaac alone. Two men. Two strangers. One table. This was maximum awkwardness. Neither of them dared to look straight at the other. Their eyes wandered everywhere else—the walls, the chandeliers, the maids carrying trays, even the ridiculously shiny silverware. Both kept fiddling with their forks like they were the most interesting things ever invented. Scott’s fingers tapped unconsciously against the table in a steady rhythm. Isaac pointed at it like he was clinging to conversation. "Uh... nice beat, bro." Right after, that same heavy and suffocating silence. It was the kind of silence where you expected a funeral organ to start playing. Scott gave the world’s smallest nod. Isaac gave the world’s smallest smile. And then—both men turned their heads away at the exact same time. In unison, they both think— 『I better get good pussy tonight... (￢_￢)』 Outside on the luxury terrace, Jenna pulled her wrist free the moment she could breathe again. "Look, there’s a perfectly good explanation for why me and Isaac are here, so just listen—" Emma didn’t even let her finish. In a blink she super-sped right in front of Jenna to grab her gently by the shoulder with her soft hands. Her smile glowed like the sun. "Since when do you need an explanation for good news like that?!" The purity in her tone was so unnervingly genuine it made Jenna’s skin crawl. "Good... news? (・_・?)" Jenna took two instinctive steps back. Emma tiptoed forward instantly, not giving her space. She chuckled like a mischievous fairy. "I think it’s great. You and Isaac? Honestly, I’ve always thought you complemented each other in many ways. Both cocky, both obsessed with your careers—you’re basically the same brand of insufferable." Jenna blinked, caught completely off guard. "Wait... you really think so?" Emma patted her shoulders enthusiastically. "Don’t get me wrong, I’m super pissed you didn’t tell me. But I’m not about to fight you over a guy I don’t even like that way." Emma leaned in with gleaming eyes. "Besides, just think about it—double dates in Russia! Imagine the fun!" "Whoa, whoa, hold up!" Jenna raised both hands as she backed away like Emma had just suggested a blood pact. "I never said I was looking for something serious with Isaac, okay? Sure, we’re... doing things. But that doesn’t mean we’re a couple." Much like her voice, her fingers trembled as she tucked her bangs behind her ear. The words stumbled out nervously. Emma just gave her the most unimpressed half-lidded stare ever. "Oh please. If it quacks, it’s a duck." Jenna crossed her arms tightly as her shoulders curled. She paused to rub her arms for warmth. It was getting quite chilly. "We’re just... I don’t know. Friends with benefits?" She exhaled as her breath fogged in the cold. "I needed to blow off steam after all those insane medical industry meetings. And rather than hire some dumb gigolo who wouldn’t know the difference between RNA and DNA, I’d rather wake up naked next to someone who does." The terrace breeze made her shiver, so she rubbed her arms briskly and exhaled another frosty puff. "I don’t want it complicated, okay? No flowers, no stress, no expectations, and definitely no surprises." ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ 𝕟𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕝✦𝘧𝙞𝙧𝙚✦𝕟𝕖𝕥 Emma tilted her head, clearly ready to argue. Jenna immediately raised a finger, silencing her. "Don’t even start. Nothing you say will convince me otherwise." Emma slowly mimed zipping her lips, twisting an invisible key shut, and tossing it into the sky. Jenna’s shoulders slumped with a long breath of relief. Back inside, the man-duo-silence continued. Scott twisted his bottled water shut with a sigh. Isaac looked at him for a short second. 『I honestly don’t get how a guy can look this good. He has to have had some plastic surgery done—no way he got that godly jawline, perfect forehead, and diamond-shaped face just from genetics. And damn... he’s got blue eyes too. How did I not notice that before? His cheeks are hollowed just right, giving him that sharp look.』 He looked at Scott again, but with some envy this time. 『If he’s the one who brought Emma here, then he probably has money to back it up. Unless, of course, Emma’s just blinded by love and she’s the one footing the bill for him—I can totally see her doing that. But in the end, that doesn’t even matter. I’m richer than both of them combined, so in that category, I crush him without a doubt.』 Isaac adjusted his hair bangs, clearly irritated but pretending not to be. Their eyes met for a fraction of a second, then darted away like magnets repelling. Finally, Scott tried. "So, uh. Done any philanthropy work lately? Like... saved an orphan or something?" The moment the words left his mouth, he wanted to slam his head against the table. 『Sigh~ that sounded irredeemably stupid...』 Scott shook his head in regretful silence. Isaac blinked, then cleared his throat. "Well, I am an orphan. So I guess taking myself on this vacation counts?" Scott froze, unsure if he’d just committed social suicide. Isaac smirked faintly and lifted his tea. "Relax... it’s a joke." Scott let out the most fake laugh of the century. "Ah... ha... ha. Yeah. Just got it." He coughed into his fist. Both of them turned away again. Thirty seconds of painful silence later— Isaac tapped the table with a finger. "...So, how’s everything going on your end?" Scott twisted the cap of his water bottle. "It’s fine. Really fine. Haven’t been doing much. Just hanging out with Emma and stuff." Without thinking, Isaac scoffed. "Hopefully she doesn’t get arrested for hanging out with a minor like you. That’d ruin her image. I’ve spent a lot of time with her... helping her become the hero she is... so it’d be a shame if you ruined that for her." Scott’s eyes sharpened instantly. "First of all, I’m eighteen. Second of all, we had a REALLY decent start to this conversation, so maybe don’t ruin it by saying—" "I’ll say whatever I want." Isaac cut in smoothly with a proud face. He drummed his fingers casually on the table as he calmly enjoyed each sip of his tea. He leaned back to sip his water. "I’m sure you’re just looking out for her like any other coworker would." Isaac’s smirk vanished. His eyes narrowed on Scott. These two men weren’t a fan of each other.