Rick sat on the couch, his head buried in his hands. The guilt was suffocating him. The images of Ellen—her face radiant in the media, her designs everywhere—kept flashing in his mind, cutting through the haze of his thoughts like knives. He had been so blind. But now, everything felt wrong. He couldn’t shake the feeling that he’d ruined something irreplaceable.

Across the room, Alexis was sprawled on the armchair, a glass of wine in hand, looking more composed than ever. She was the picture of calm, while Rick felt like he was slowly unraveling. The contrast made his heart race even more.

“Rick, what’s going on with you tonight?” Alexis’s voice was smooth, as if she hadn’t a care in the world. She looked at him over the rim of her glass, her eyes gleaming with something far more calculating than concern. “You’ve been in a mood ever since we got back from that show. I thought you’d be celebrating.”

Rick didn’t look at her. His gaze stayed fixed on the floor. “I don’t know. I just keep thinking about everything. Ellen… what I did to her…” He closed his eyes, the weight of his words sinking in. “She’s moving on, and I feel like an idiot. It feels like she’s… thriving without me.”

Alexis tilted her head slightly, her expression softening, though the glint in her eyes betrayed her true feelings. She placed her wine glass down gently on the table and shifted toward him, as if she was trying to comfort him, but there was a sharp edge to her every movement.

“Oh, Rick…” she cooed, her voice syrupy sweet, the kind of tone that was meant to lull him into a false sense of security. She sat next to him, her body close enough to touch but just far enough to keep him guessing. “You’re thinking about it all wrong. You really are.”

He furrowed his brow, still not meeting her eyes. “How am I thinking about it wrong, Alexis? You saw her collection. It’s everywhere now. She’s become this… icon.” The words tasted bitter in his mouth, but he couldn’t ignore the truth. “And I’m… here. Stuck.”

Alexis placed a hand on his arm, her touch light but calculated. “Rick, you’ve got to stop letting her get inside your head. You’ve always been the one people admired. You’ve worked your ass off to build everything you have. Ellen… well, she’s just a designer. She’s trying to make something out of nothing.”

Rick turned to her now, his eyes searching for any hint of insincerity, but all he saw was concern, or at least, that’s what it looked like. He wanted to believe her. He really did.

“I mean, come on,” Alexis continued, leaning in slightly, her voice dropping to a low, conspiratorial whisper. “She’s just capitalizing on some trendy cause, Rick. All that ‘eco-friendly’ nonsense… who actually cares about that? No one.” She laughed lightly, as though the thought was ridiculous. “It’s a fad. You and I both know that. The world will forget about her soon enough. She’s going to crash and burn. People like her don’t last.”

Rick’s heart skipped a beat. There was something in Alexis’s tone—an undercurrent of certainty—that made him doubt everything he’d been thinking. Could Ellen’s success really just be some flash-in-the-pan moment? Had she just gotten lucky? The self-doubt crept in.

Alexis leaned back, her gaze cool and composed. “But you, Rick… you are something different. You’ve always been different. You’re a businessman. You build things that last. Ellen? She’s just playing dress-up in a world of make-believe.”

She let her words hang in the air, like a trap closing in on him.

Rick looked at her, his chest tight. “But… she’s doing well. She’s really making a name for herself. And I—I ruined it. I ruined us.”

“Listen to me, Rick,” Alexis interrupted, her voice firm, no longer the sweet, gentle tone she’d used earlier. “You didn’t ruin anything. She was always weak, always too emotional. She could never have given you the kind of life you deserve. She didn’t understand you the way I do.” She paused, a slow, knowing smile curling at the corners of her lips. “And don’t tell me you don’t see it. You’ve been with her for years, and where did it get you? Nowhere. You were always the one pulling the weight, always the one making things happen. She was just… there.”

Rick shifted uncomfortably. Alexis’s words had struck a nerve. “That’s not true. She was always supportive. She was always there for me.”

“Exactly!” Alexis’s eyes gleamed as she leaned in closer. “She was there for you. But not in a way that mattered. She didn’t bring anything real to the table. She was never going to help you grow.” Her voice dropped to a near-whisper. “She wasn’t like me.”

Rick felt a pang of confusion, but also, something else—something darker. “What do you mean?”

Alexis smiled slyly, then placed a hand on his knee, her touch deliberate and intimate. “I get you, Rick. I understand how hard you’ve worked to build your empire. I’ve always known what you need. I can help you expand, help you become the success you’ve always dreamed of. And not just in business. In everything. You’ve been so focused on the wrong things. Don’t let her take that from you. Let me help you stay on top.”

Rick’s mind was spinning. He was starting to feel a little dizzy, caught between his growing doubts and Alexis’s smooth words. She wasn’t wrong, was she? Ellen had always been the dreamer, the idealist, the one who wore her heart on her sleeve. And what had it gotten her? Fame? Sure. But how long would it last?

He felt a sharp twinge of guilt, but Alexis’s grip on his emotions tightened, clouding his judgment.

“Rick,” Alexis said softly, her voice soothing but firm, “You don’t need to keep punishing yourself for what happened with Ellen. It’s over. She’s not coming back. And deep down, you know that. She’s got her little world now, her little followers, but she’ll never have what you do. The power. The influence. The future.”

She looked at him with those big, innocent eyes, making it seem like she was doing him a favor, like she was the only one who truly understood. “Stay with me, Rick. Let’s make something that lasts. We can’t let her get in the way of that.”

Rick swallowed hard. He was caught—trapped by her words, by her manipulation. For a moment, he almost forgot how he got here, what had happened between them. Almost.

But before he could say anything, Alexis stood up, taking a step back. She looked at him with a small, pitying smile, as if she knew exactly what he was thinking.

“I’m not trying to pressure you,” she said lightly. “But if you want to keep winning, Rick… you need to think about what’s best for you. And trust me—I’m what’s best for you.”

Rick opened his mouth, but nothing came out. He felt like he was suffocating. Was she right? Was this all just a waste of time?

She walked to the window, casually looking out at the city lights, her back to him. “I’ll be here, waiting. Whenever you’re ready to make the right choice.”

Rick stared at her, feeling the weight of everything pressing on him. What had he become? And why, after all this, did he feel like he was losing?