Chapter Eleven: Wild Card
Jason's phone buzzed.
A message from Zane: Got the dinner set with Rina. Things are heating up. Are you ready to play your part?
Jason stared at the screen, his mind already shifting gears. He didn't want to admit how much this situation was getting under his skin. But the plan was clear they needed to get Catherine out of her comfort zone, close enough to Jason to crack the cold wall she'd built around herself. And if that meant enlisting Rina as bait… so be it.
Tell Rina to make it casual, Jason texted back. No pressure. Just a friendly dinner.
Zane's reply was instant: On it. She's good at this. Trust me.
---
Meanwhile, across town, Rina was already putting the plan into motion. She had called Catherine a few hours ago, sounding breezy and spontaneous.
"Come on, Cat," she'd said, voice light but insistent. "You need a break. Dinner, drinks, no work talk. Just us."
Catherine had hesitated. But the truth was, she was starving for normalcy for a night that didn't revolve around the cold war with Jason or the swirling confusion in her heart.
She'd said yes.
---
Now, sitting across from Zane in the dim glow of the restaurant's candlelight, Rina sipped her wine with a playful smile. "So, how's it feel, being the right-hand man in this little operation?"
Zane smirked, eyes twinkling. "Like I'm in charge of chaos management. And trust me, there's plenty of chaos to go around."
Rina laughed softly. "Including the 'wild card' you mentioned?"
"That's putting it mildly," Zane admitted. "Catherine's got a fire in her that you don't just tame. You have to dance around it."
Rina raised an eyebrow, leaning forward slightly. "Sounds dangerous. And exciting."
Zane's gaze flicked to the entrance as the door opened. Catherine stepped in, eyes scanning the room until they landed on Rina. For a moment, her face softened just a little before she forced a polite smile and walked over.
---
Dinner began with easy chatter, the kind that kept serious topics at bay. But beneath the laughter and clinking glasses, tension hummed quietly between Catherine and Zane. The subtle glances, the small shifts in posture whenever Jason's name was mentioned, were all part of the game.
At one point, Zane caught Catherine's eye and said teasingly, "You know, Jason's got plans. Big ones. And you're at the center of it."
Catherine's breath hitched, but she kept her voice steady. "I'm just trying to keep my head above water."
"Funny," Rina said, swirling her wine. "Because it seems like Jason's trying to drag you under."
The room fell silent for a heartbeat, then laughter bubbled up but the truth lingered in the air like a secret only they shared.
---
As the night deepened, the conversation turned personal. Rina and Zane exchanged knowing looks, subtly steering the topic toward the real reason Catherine was here.
"So," Rina said softly, "why did you really disappear that night?"
Catherine's fingers tightened around her glass. "I don't owe anyone an explanation."
"But you left him wondering," Zane added quietly. "Wondering if he meant something to you."
Catherine's eyes flicked to the door as if expecting Jason to walk in any second. "Sometimes, not knowing is easier."
Rina's voice dropped to a whisper. "Or maybe it's the hardest thing of all."
---
The butterflies fluttered through the space between them, unspoken and electric. Catherine's heart pounded, but she forced herself to breathe, to stay in control.
Yet beneath the surface, a tiny crack had formed.
Because no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't shake the feeling that this dinner, this whole tangled web, was only just beginning.
---
And somewhere far away, Jason checked his phone again.
A message from Zane: Dinner is going better than expected. She's listening.
Jason's lips curved into a slow, almost imperceptible smile.
The game was on.
The wine had loosened the edges of the evening, laughter flowing more freely now, but beneath it all, tension curled like a shadow. Catherine kept stealing glances toward the door, heart flickering with something she wasn't ready to name.
Zane leaned in, voice low and teasing. "You know, Jason's been pacing back at the office. He's restless like a storm waiting to break."
Rina smiled, eyes sparkling. "Maybe he should just come here and face the music."
Catherine swallowed hard, the pulse in her throat quickening.
Before anyone could say more, the restaurant door swung open.
Jason stepped inside, sharp and commanding as ever. His eyes immediately locked on Catherine.
For a moment, time seemed to freeze.
The soft murmur of conversations around them faded until all Catherine could hear was the pounding of her own heart.
Jason's gaze was unreadable, a storm held back behind a calm surface.
He walked toward their table, each step deliberate, like the beat of a drum echoing in her chest.
Rina caught Zane's eye, a silent understanding passing between them.
"Looks like our cue," she murmured with a knowing smile.
Zane nodded, sliding out of his seat. "We'll leave you two to catch up."
Catherine's breath hitched as the two friends rose and disappeared into the crowd, leaving her alone with Jason.
He pulled out the chair opposite her, sitting down with a quiet intensity that made the space between them crackle.
Jason's eyes never left hers.
"You left," he said, voice low but steady. "Without a word."
Catherine swallowed, the weight of his gaze pressing down like gravity.
"I didn't know what to say," she whispered.
Jason's jaw tightened, but he didn't look away.
The silence stretched, thick and fragile.
And beneath it all, something new something dangerously close to hope began to flicker.
Jason leaned back in his chair, his fingers tapping rhythmically on the table. The dim lighting of the restaurant seemed to highlight the tension between them, casting shadows across her face. She was sitting there, trying her hardest to remain composed, but the flicker in her eyes-the way her lips barely trembled when she spoke—told him everything.
She was as unsettled as he was.
But he wouldn't show it.
"Tell me, Catherine, what are you thinking right now?" His voice was smooth, almost playful, though the undertones of challenge were unmistakable. He leaned in just a little, his gaze locked on her, watching the way she tensed, even as she forced a smile.
"I'm thinking that you've made your intentions pretty clear." She shifted in her seat, avoiding his eyes. "You want to finish what we started, right?"
Jason's heart skipped a beat. She was right. But that wasn't all he wanted. It was far more complicated than that. He didn't have the words for it, but he knew that much. He wasn't sure if he was even trying to convince her or himself but he couldn't let the truth out. Not yet. Maybe not ever.
He shrugged, pushing his chair back slightly, the motion deliberate and slow. "We don't need to pretend it's anything more than that, do we?" The words came out sharper than he intended. "You're a freelancer. I'm a businessman. We're both here for one thing."
A flicker of something hurt, disappointment?
Passed through her eyes before she masked it, and for a second, Jason almost hated himself for saying it. But he didn't show it. He couldn't.