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"I have all that I could ever want," she said finally, her voice soft yet firm, as though this answer had been rehearsed so many times that it felt like truth.

"A warm home, family, memories. What more could one wish for?

" Yet her tone lacked conviction, and Kai could see the faint crease of doubt in her brow.

"That's not quite what I asked," he pressed gently, unwilling to let the moment slip away. "Not what you have, but if it makes you feel fulfilled. Truly happy."

She tilted her head slightly, a faint smile curving her lips but never reaching her eyes.

"Happiness is such a fleeting thing, isn't it?

A bird that rests in the branches for a moment, only to fly away when the wind changes.

Contentment, though, is steady, like the roots of a tree.

I have been content, Kai. Perhaps that is enough. "

The answer settled between them, a delicate veil of uncertainty that neither dared to pierce. Kai realized her response might be the closest he would ever come to understanding her inner world -- a world shaped by quiet sacrifices and the weight of familial expectations.

"You deserve more than contentment," he said softly, almost to himself.

Akemi's gaze lingered on him, and for the briefest moment, her almond-shaped eyes filled with something that might have been longing -- or regret. Then she straightened, her composure impeccable once more, and reached for the teapot. "Would you like another cup of tea?"

Kai hesitated, torn between pressing further and accepting her answer as the final word.

"Yes, thank you," he said finally, though his thoughts churned like storm clouds.

He watched her pour the tea, graceful and practiced, and wondered if the woman before him had ever dared to dream beyond the rigid roles assigned to her.

He wondered if it was too late for her to try.

But he knew he wanted more. Seeing Maxie again had cemented that. When she handed him the cup, he opened his mouth to say something about it but decided against it. He had a long way to go before he could even consider calling her his own or expect her to forgive him.

*****

"She's here."

"What?" Maxie looked up distractedly from the box she was labeling.

It was Monday and it meant several things.

A trip to the back, the restocking to be finished, a delayed shipment and the fact that she had spent a restless night tossing and turning.

She resented that she had to lather on foundation to hide the cracks and creases under her eyes. Damn him!

"The actress. The one with the very gorgeous Mr. Tanaka. She's asking for you."

Marjorie was hovering just inside the doorway, an avid look of interest on her plain face.

Maxie put the invoices back carefully and tried her best to school her expression. "Is she alone?"

The woman nodded.

"Is there a reason why Marjorie cannot attend to her needs?"

It was cowardly, but the last thing she wanted to do was to face the woman.

"She specifically asked for you."

"Okay, tell her I'll be right there."

"She doesn't look as if she is here to buy anything," Marjorie provided.

"Was that what she told you?"

"No. She's just standing there and not looking at anything. Want me to send her back?"

She started to say no but decided that would be the best plan. Whatever the woman had to say to her would best be said in privacy. And what would she want to say to her? "Send her in."

Marjorie melted away and left her standing there. The woman was beautiful, exotically beautiful, talented and just his type. She was Japanese as well.

It did not matter, she told herself fiercely. She had moved on and whatever Ms. Marie Sato had to say was of no interest to her.

She had just lowered herself in her chair when she came sailing in.

A smug smile coated lips painted vermilion red.

Maxie had enough fashion sense to admire the snug blue-green wool sweater worn over skintight leather pants.

Her long black hair spilled over one shoulder artfully, causing her to wonder if she had just stepped from a stylist's chair.

"What a darling little office." She gushed.

"And as neat as a pin." Almond-shaped eyes slid over Maxie from head to chest. "Kai was in such a hurry, we never got a chance to become acquainted.

" She draped herself gracefully on the chair in front of the desk.

"He told me who you are of course." A flick of one delicate hand, with talon-like red nails dismissed that immediately.

"Childhood lovers. How sweet. Anyway--" She crossed her legs, the leather whispering.

"I saw the way you looked at him when we were here and I am here to tell you that he's mine. "

"Oh?" Maxie felt the fist-sized ball getting bigger. The woman was even more beautiful than before.

Maxie leaned back in her chair, keeping her expression neutral as the woman's words hung in the air like a challenge. "I'm glad you took the time to clarify that," she replied, her voice measured and steady. "Though I'm not sure why you think it's necessary to come here to make such a declaration."

Marie tilted her head, her vermilion smile unwavering. "Oh darling, don't play coy. The way you looked at him said everything. I'm just here to save you from any misunderstandings. Kai and I are unbreakable."

Maxie tried to suppress the fury rising up inside her as she folded her hands on the desk. "What you have with Kai is none of my concern, Ms. Sato. It's good that you're so confident about your relationship -- but I assure you, there's no misunderstanding to clear up."

Marie shifted, the leather of her pants rustling as she leaned forward slightly, her gaze narrowing.

"You're very composed. I admire that. But let me warn you, men like Kai don't linger in the past. They only move forward.

" Her voice softened into something resembling a purr, a note of triumph dancing on her tongue.

Maxie allowed a small smile to flicker across her lips, though it lacked warmth. "Thank you for the advice. I'll consider myself duly warned." She glanced at the clock on the wall, a subtle cue that the conversation had reached its limit.

Marie rose with fluid grace, her smugness undiminished. "I hope we understand each other now. Have a lovely day, Maxie." With a final flick of her hair and a lingering smile that threatened to sink into condescension, she swept out of the room.

Maxie let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding. Her hands tightened slightly on the edge of the desk, her thoughts swirling. Whatever Marie Sato had meant to accomplish, all she had done was stir a storm Maxie thought she had already left behind.

Pressing a hand to her chest, she took several deep breaths and tried to get back to her tasks. She certainly did not have time for all that drama.

*****

"That bitch." Yvette picked up her wineglass, eyes blazing furiously.

"Why the hell didn't you call me? Or kick her out of the store?

" She rounded on her friend. "Why on earth are you so goddamned nice?

The woman came into your territory -- into your space and told you to stay away from her man, who by the way is not even hers.

The fact that she had to come to you to mark her territory, means that the territory is in dire danger. "

"Territory?" Maxie lifted a brow as she settled back and stretched her legs out. She had called her friend on her way from the store and decided to drop by.

Making an impatient gesture with her free hand, Yvette stretched sinuously. "Darling, we both know the female of the species. She came to you because she feels threatened. Did she mention the visit he paid to you on Sunday?"

"No."

"Exactly." Her friend pointed the glass at her triumphantly. "He never told her about it. That simply means that they are on shaky ground. And another thing -- he went out the other night to a gala put on by his company and he was solo."

Refusing to let that influence her thinking and her heart, she took a sip of wine. "How do you know that?"

Yvette cast her an incredulous glare. "You know better than to ask that question. And she has been whispering and complaining that he is not sleeping with her." A smug smile played around her full lips. "There's definitely trouble in paradise."

"That has nothing to do with me."

Yvette sent her a knowing look. "Tell that to someone who doesn't know you. Darling, you're still hooked on the guy, and I cannot blame you."

"It doesn't matter," she muttered.

"Has he called?"

"No. And I'm happy he hasn't. No doubt he got the message from his last visit."

"You think so?"

"I certainly hope so. I have no intention of complicating my life with the likes of Kai Tanaka. That bitch is welcome to him."

Her friend merely sent her a level glance that almost had her squirming.

Maxie studied the liquid swirling in her glass, letting Yvette's words simmer in the back of her mind. Her friend's fiery determination was always admirable, even if sometimes exhausting. "I'm not hooked on him," she said finally, her voice quieter now, yet firm. "I've moved on."

Yvette's smile didn't falter, but the knowing tilt of her head spoke volumes.

"Moved on? Darling, you're holding onto your independence like a shield, but shields don't prevent feelings.

" She leaned forward, resting her elbow on the armrest of her chair, eyes glinting with mischief.

"This woman, Marie, doesn't scare you. It's him -- the idea of opening that door again. That's what ties you up in knots."

Maxie let out a scoff, shaking her head as she reached for the wine bottle and topped up both their glasses. "You always think you know me better than I know myself."

"Because I do," Yvette replied simply, raising her glass in a toast. "To loving yourself enough to admit it."

Maxie clinked her glass lazily against Yvette's, refusing to let her friend's relentless insight crack the walls she'd built around her heart. "To forgetting Kai Tanaka," she countered, her lips curving into a defiant, if brittle, smile.

Yvette's eyes sparkled, though she didn't echo the sentiment. Instead, she leaned back, sipping her wine with the kind of smugness that rivaled Marie's earlier departure. "We'll see, darling. We'll see."