Days passed quietly afterward.
Not dramatically.
Not painfully.
Not even particularly fast.
Just slowly.
Softly.
Like something delicate settling carefully into place between them.
Rege and Maya spoke every single day.
Sometimes through messages. Sometimes through phone calls that somehow stretched endlessly without either of them realizing how much time had passed.
Mostly, Maya talked.
She talked about everything.
About dramas that emotionally exhausted her. About Cassie nearly burning breakfast again. About books she randomly discovered at three in the morning. About Adela leaving for California. About Tatiana returning to London. About ridiculous internet arguments. About dreams she barely remembered after waking up.
Even the smallest things somehow became conversations with Rege.
And Rege listened.
Always.
Quietly. Completely.
Most of the time, he barely spoke beyond a few words here and there, but Maya never minded because somehow his silence never felt empty around her. She could hear his attention through it. Feel it.
And Rege preferred it that way too.
He liked hearing her voice filling the quietness around him. He liked the warmth in her tone whenever she got excited over something meaningless. He liked how easily she laughed. He liked that she trusted him enough to ramble.
Sometimes during calls, the corners of his lips would remain faintly lifted for nearly an hour without him noticing.
Meanwhile, life shifted around Maya too.
Tatiana returned to London.
Adela left for California.
And the penthouse suddenly felt strangely enormous afterward.
Only Cassie remained with her most days.
Then Maya discovered something that completely stunned her.
Tatiana had legally transferred ownership of the penthouse to her.
To Maya.
At first, Maya genuinely thought there had been some mistake.
There wasn't.
Tatiana merely smiled calmly during their video call and told her, "You belong there more than I do now dear."
Maya nearly cried after the call ended.
Not because of the penthouse.
Not because of the money.
But because someone had chosen her so completely without expecting anything in return.
That feeling stayed with her for days afterward.
And above her floor, in Rege's penthouse—
Rege missed her.
More than he was willing to admit to himself.
At first, he ignored it.
He buried himself beneath work, meetings, contracts, responsibilities, construction reports, endless calls and obligations.
But none of it helped.
Because every night somehow ended with him reaching for his phone.
Waiting for Maya.
Waiting for her messages.
Waiting for her voice.
And after weeks of only hearing her instead of seeing her, Rege finally reached the point where he simply couldn't tolerate it anymore.
So that Saturday morning, he went to her.
Rain had fallen heavily during the night, leaving Manhattan wrapped beneath soft silver-grey skies by morning. Water glistened faintly against the tall windows surrounding the city while cold wind drifted quietly between the towering buildings.
Inside Maya's penthouse, warmth filled the atmosphere softly.
Cassie was in the kitchen preparing tea when the doorbell rang.
She hurried toward the entrance immediately before pulling the door open.
And froze briefly.
Rege stood there wearing dark sweatpants and a charcoal sweatshirt, one hand resting loosely inside his pocket while faint traces of rain still clung to his dark hair.
Even dressed casually, he looked devastatingly handsome.
"Mr—" Cassie started instinctively before quickly correcting herself. "Rege."
His gaze shifted toward her politely. "Good morning."
Cassie stepped aside immediately. "Please come in."
Rege entered quietly.
And looked up just in time.
Maya was descending the staircase.
The second she saw him—
she smiled.
Not politely.
Not carefully.
Instinctively.
Brightly.
Happily.
And for one dangerous moment, she almost ran toward him.
The realization hit her midway down the stairs.
Maya stopped herself so abruptly she nearly startled herself.
Heat rushed violently into her face afterward.
She descended the remaining steps more carefully now, wriggling her fingers nervously while trying not to stare too openly.
Which proved impossible.
Because Rege looked unlawfully handsome.
Especially in sweats.
And that ridiculous smirk resting faintly against his lips was absolutely not helping.
Meanwhile, Rege noticed everything.
The brightness that flooded her face upon seeing him. The unconscious excitement. The way she almost rushed toward him before forcing herself to stop.
That smile alone settled somewhere permanent inside his memory.
And Maya— God.
She looked beautiful.
Painfully beautiful.
Minimalist cat-eye glasses rested softly against her nose while an oversized shirt reached just above her knees. Her long dirty blonde hair was twisted carelessly into a messy bun with loose strands falling around her face naturally.
Comfortable.
Unaware.
Dangerous.
And to make matters significantly worse for his self-control, she was braless beneath the thin fabric.
Every slight movement made her breasts move softly beneath the oversized shirt, and Rege had to exercise an alarming amount of restraint to drag his gaze upward instead of continuing to look.
Not because temptation wasn't there.
It absolutely was.
But because he respected her too much.
And once his eyes reached her face again— he forgot everything else anyway.
The brightness inside Maya's eyes nearly blinded him.
She looked happier than the last time he saw her.
Lighter.
Softer.
Beautiful beyond reason.
And Rege genuinely could not remember seeing anything more beautiful in his life than Maya standing in front of him now, shyly avoiding his gaze while practically fidgeting beneath his attention.
He wanted her eyes on him.
Desperately.
But he would have been content simply standing there looking at her all day.
Maya cleared her throat softly and muttered, "This is a pleasant surprise."
Rege stared at her quietly before answering with complete honesty.
"I needed to see you."
The sincerity in his voice made Maya finally glance upward.
And instantly—
she got trapped.
His aquamarine eyes held hers completely.
The glasses sharpened everything.
Every flicker.
Every emotion.
Every softness hidden inside him.
Maya had always thought Adela possessed illegal eyes with that ocean blue mixed with grey. Even Tatiana and Daario had unfairly beautiful eyes.
But Rege's eyes were different.
Because they did not simply look beautiful.
They revealed things.
And whatever existed inside them right now left Maya momentarily breathless.
It completely stupefied her.
She leaned slightly closer unconsciously.
Her lips parted softly.
"Krasota," Rege muttered softly under his breath before immediately tightening his jaw afterward.
Maya blinked quickly and looked away first.
"Have you had breakfast?"
"No."
"Cassie and I already ate," Maya replied softly. "But I can make breakfast for you."
Then awkwardly—
"Oh pardon my manners please have a seat, though I doubt you need my permission."
The last words came beneath her breath.
Rege chuckled softly.
Actually chuckled.
Maya's eyes widened instantly.
"Did you just chuckle?"
That earned her a genuine smile.
And Maya forgot how to think for a second.
"You really have a beautiful smile," she admitted unconsciously.
Rege's jaw tightened again.
Dangerous woman.
Maya rolled her eyes softly before sitting beside him on the couch, leaving only a small space between them.
Rege watched her quietly for several seconds before speaking.
"I want to take you somewhere."
Maya blinked. "Like a date?"
"Yes."
The answer came instantly.
Soft.
Certain.
It startled her.
Maya averted her eyes immediately afterward, smiling awkwardly as heat rushed back into her cheeks.
"Okay," she murmured. "Please wait and let me change first."
"You look fine."
The words escaped before Rege could stop them.
Maya snorted softly.
"You don't understand the struggles of the lower class."
"Lower class?" Rege repeated with raised brows.
"Yes," Maya replied dramatically. "People like me don't belong to the effortlessly gorgeous category like you."
Rege chuckled again quietly, shaking his head slightly.
And Maya immediately smiled wider because she genuinely liked hearing him laugh.
"I will always wait for you," Rege said softly.
The quiet sincerity beneath those words made Maya avert her eyes again before standing quickly.
"I'll be back shortly."
The moment she entered her room upstairs, Maya immediately spiraled.
She stood inside her closet staring helplessly at rows of clothes.
What exactly was she supposed to wear?
She didn't even know where they were going.
Something elegant?
Something casual?
Something warm?
Something pretty?
Rege looked gorgeous in literally anything. That certainly did not help her current crisis.
She groaned softly in frustration before pulling out several outfits only to reject all of them almost immediately afterward.
Then suddenly—
her phone vibrated.
Maya checked it instantly.
Comfort is just fine for you, Krasota.
Maya smiled so widely her cheeks hurt.
Of course he knew she was overthinking.
And somehow, that softened her instantly.
Because beneath all his control and restraint, Rege noticed everything about her.
Five minutes later, Maya returned downstairs wearing joggers and an oversized sweatshirt.
Her messy bun remained exactly the same, and she had removed her glasses but carried them carefully in their case instead.
She didn't want a repeat of the last time she ended up at Rege's penthouse and struggled to read because she didn't have them with her.
At the same time, she still disliked wearing glasses around people.
She always thought she looked better without them.
Rege stood the second she appeared.
And Maya stopped instinctively once he approached her.
Barely a foot separated them now.
Without saying a word, Rege gently took the glasses case from her hands before removing the frames carefully.
Then softly—
he placed them back onto her face himself.
Maya forgot how breathing worked.
His fingers brushed faintly against her skin during the process.
Warm.
Careful.
Dangerously gentle.
And through the entire thing, Maya could not stop looking at him.
Then finally, his eyes met hers again through the lenses.
And Maya could have sworn his eyes smiled.
Not his lips.
Only his eyes.
She didn't even know how such a thing was possible.
But the expression vanished almost immediately afterward before she could linger on it.
"Let's go, Krasota," Rege murmured softly.
Then naturally—
he took her hand in his.
Maya's heart stumbled unevenly.
"Cassie, I'll be back soon," Maya called softly. "Take care."
Cassie entered the living room carrying tea before immediately grinning.
"Enjoy!"
Maya laughed brightly.
And the corners of Rege's lips lifted faintly again, almost unnoticeably.
Together, they walked toward the front door.
And once it closed gently behind them—
their presence was immediately missed inside the penthouse.