The moment Nadia opened the doors to her walk-in closet, Maya stopped walking.
Then completely forgot how to breathe.
"Oh my God."
The words escaped before she could stop them.
The closet wasn't a closet.
It was a luxury boutique.
Maybe an entire department store.
Rows upon rows of clothing stretched across the enormous space beneath soft golden lighting.
Organized perfectly.
Color coordinated.
Meticulously displayed.
Shoes lined entire walls.
Handbags occupied illuminated glass shelves.
Accessories rested inside elegant display cases.
Everything looked expensive.
Everything looked untouched.
Everything looked impossible.
Maya slowly turned in a circle.
Her mouth remained slightly open.
"Wow."
Nadia laughed softly.
The reaction clearly wasn't new.
"I know."
"No."
Maya pointed dramatically.
"No, you don't understand."
She gestured toward everything.
"This isn't a closet."
Nadia folded her arms.
"No?"
"This is a fashion museum."
That earned another laugh.
Maya wandered farther inside.
The deeper she moved, the more overwhelmed she became.
Entire sections were dedicated to R&N pieces.
Comfort collections.
Formal collections.
Seasonal collections.
Limited editions.
Beyond those were displays from Gucci, Chanel, Prada, Saint Laurent, Dolce & Gabbana, Louis Vuitton and several others Maya only recognized from magazines.
Everything looked pristine.
Untouched.
Beautiful.
Maya glanced back at Nadia.
"You are officially a fashion icon."
Nadia groaned.
"Please don't call me that."
Maya laughed.
"You literally live inside a boutique."
"I manage the fashion division."
Nadia shrugged.
"I have to wear what I sell."
Maya continued staring.
Still unconvinced.
Nadia noticed the hesitation beginning to appear.
The uncertainty.
The discomfort.
The fear of touching anything.
Immediately she softened.
"Choose whatever you like."
Maya blinked.
"What?"
"Anything."
Nadia smiled.
"Take whatever you want."
"Oh no—"
"Maya."
Nadia interrupted gently.
"Choose like you're borrowing from your sister."
Something warm flickered across Maya's face.
The word sister.
Nadia noticed.
The smile that followed was smaller.
Softer.
More vulnerable.
"Okay."
She nodded.
"Thank you."
Then she began browsing.
Slowly.
Carefully.
Eventually drifting toward the R&N comfort collection.
Sweatshirts.
Joggers.
Shorts.
Soft dresses.
The kind of clothing she naturally gravitated toward.
Nadia watched her thoughtfully.
Then asked casually:
"Do you have sisters?"
Maya smiled immediately.
"I do."
She pulled out a cream sweatshirt.
"Adela."
Nadia nodded.
The name felt familiar.
The affection in Maya's voice even more so.
"Are you close?"
A brief silence followed.
Not uncomfortable.
Just thoughtful.
Maya smiled to herself.
"Very."
She selected matching shorts.
Then laughed softly.
"Although technically she isn't my biological sister."
Nadia looked over her shoulder.
"No?"
Maya shook her head.
"I was an only child."
The words came easily.
But something quieter followed.
"My father died."
Nadia's expression softened instantly.
Maya continued anyway.
"Afterward I moved in with Adela's family."
A small smile touched her lips.
"And somehow she became my sister."
The smile grew.
"Actually, she became my best friend first."
Nadia listened quietly.
"Then my sister."
Something warm settled between them.
Because Nadia understood immediately.
Blood wasn't always what made family.
Sometimes love did.
"And your mother?"
The question slipped out naturally.
Maya froze.
Only briefly.
But Nadia noticed.
The brightness dimmed.
Not completely.
Just enough.
"She's in Yorkshire."
Nothing more.
Nothing less.
Nadia immediately let it go.
The silence afterward felt respectful.
Not awkward.
Maya eventually changed into a cream sweatshirt and matching cream shorts.
When she stepped back out, Nadia smiled approvingly.
"See?"
Maya laughed.
"You're biased."
"Probably."
Both women settled onto an enormous cream sofa near the center of the closet.
The cushions practically swallowed them whole.
For a few moments neither spoke.
The room felt strangely peaceful.
Safe.
Then Nadia sighed softly.
"You probably have questions."
Maya immediately smiled.
"A million."
"I figured."
Nadia laughed.
"You just don't know how to ask them."
"Exactly."
Nadia leaned back.
Then looked toward the ceiling.
"Ask anything."
Maya hesitated.
"You mean that?"
"Of course."
Nadia smiled.
"It stays between us."
The sincerity surprised Maya.
"Really?"
Nadia's smile softened.
"I've always wanted a sister."
Something inside Maya melted instantly.
A huge grin appeared.
"Okay."
Nadia laughed.
"That was suspiciously easy."
Maya settled deeper into the ridiculously soft sofa and tucked one leg beneath herself.
"How long have Eleanor and Ivan been married?" she asked curiously.
Nadia tilted her head slightly.
"Seven years."
Maya's eyebrows shot upward.
Nadia nodded.
"Wow."
Maya leaned back.
"That long?"
A small smile touched Nadia's lips.
"There's actually a longer story behind that."
Maya immediately shifted toward her.
The movement earned a laugh from Nadia.
"I have all the time in the world."
Nadia laughed.
"Good."
She shifted comfortably against the cushions.
"Eleanor is actually only three years younger than Rege."
Maya nodded.
Maya listened carefully.
"The Sinclairs and Hastings families have known each other forever."
Nadia folded one leg beneath herself.
"Were they close?" Maya asked.
Nadia barked out a laugh.
"Close?"
She shook her head.
"Eleanor practically followed him around like a lost puppy."
Maya laughed.
"No."
"Yes."
"I'm serious."
Nadia grinned.
"If he walked left, Eleanor walked left."
"If he walked right, Eleanor walked right."
Maya chuckled.
"That's actually adorable."
"It was."
Nadia nodded.
"They got even closer when they attended Harvard."
Maya blinked.
"Together?"
"Yes and no."
Nadia adjusted one of the cushions behind her back.
"Rege was supposed to graduate three years before Eleanor."
Maya frowned immediately.
"Wait. Three years?"
"Three."
"So they weren't in the same class?"
"No."
Nadia smiled knowingly.
"But Eleanor wasn't willing to accept that."
Maya tilted her head.
"What do you mean?"
Nadia laughed softly.
"That girl practically declared war on time itself."
Maya laughed.
"No."
"I'm serious."
Nadia pointed toward her.
"Eleanor studied like her life depended on it."
"Extra classes."
"Additional credits."
"Summer semesters."
"Winter programs."
"Anything that allowed her to move faster."
Maya's eyes widened.
"Just because of him?"
"At first? Probably."
Nadia chuckled.
"After that, it became pride."
"She wanted to prove she could do it."
"And she actually did."
Nadia smiled faintly.
"But Eleanor has always been terrifyingly determined when she wants something."
Maya stared.
"Wait."
Realization slowly dawned.
"Don't tell me—"
Nadia grinned.
"She caught up."
Maya's mouth fell open.
"You're joking."
"Nope."
"Three years disappeared."
"By the time they graduated, they walked across that stage together."
Maya blinked.
"That's actually insane."
"It was."
Nadia laughed.
"Even Rege thought it was insane."
Maya thought about that.
Then quietly asked:
"And she wanted him that much?"
For the first time Nadia paused.
Then nodded.
"Yes."
"She really did."
Nadia adjusted herself against the sofa before continuing.
The enormous walk-in closet had somehow become quieter.
Outside the floor-to-ceiling windows, the estate glowed beneath the night sky while warm golden lights reflected softly against rows of clothing around them.
For a moment Nadia simply stared ahead.
Then she smiled faintly.
"After graduation, Eleanor joined the Sinclair Group."
Maya nodded.
"And Rege?"
Nadia laughed softly.
"Oh, Rege started from practically the bottom."
That surprised Maya.
"Really?"
"Really."
Nadia crossed one leg beneath herself.
"My father hired him as the assistant to his personal assistant."
Maya blinked.
"The assistant's assistant?"
"Exactly."
Maya immediately laughed.
"No way."
"Way."
Nadia pointed at her.
"Don't make that face. We all made the same face."
Maya grinned.
"But that's crazy."
"It was."
Nadia shook her head.
"Especially because within two years he had already made half the executives nervous."
Maya's smile widened.
That sounded very Rege.
"How?"
"Because he was annoyingly good at everything."
Maya laughed.
Nadia continued.
"I mean everything."
"Finance."
"Operations."
"Strategy."
"Expansion."
"Risk management."
"He would identify problems before entire departments realized they existed."
Maya slowly shook her head.
She could actually imagine that.
"Eventually the board noticed."
Nadia shrugged.
"They promoted him."
"Vice president."
Maya sat straighter.
"That fast?"
"Mm."
Nadia smiled knowingly.
"He earned it."
Something warm settled inside Maya's chest.
She wasn't even surprised.
Not really.
"Eleanor was also becoming successful."
"Managing parts of Sinclair Group."
"Building her own reputation."
"So both of them became busier."
"Much busier."
Maya nodded.
"And then?"
"And then everything became complicated."
The smile disappeared from Nadia's face.
"A year later the board started discussing succession."
Maya frowned.
"Succession?"
"The future president of Hastings Group."
Understanding immediately flashed through Maya.
"Oh."
Nadia nodded.
"At that point Ivan was already president."
"My father's favorite."
"My father always wanted Ivan."
"Always."
Nadia didn't even hesitate.
"He adored Ivan."
Maya looked surprised by the blunt honesty.
Nadia laughed.
"What?"
"You make it sound terrible."
"It was terrible."
That answer came too quickly.
Too honestly.
And Maya realized this wasn't an old family story.
There were still wounds attached to it.
"My father loved all of us."
Nadia added.
"But Ivan was different."
"He was obedient."
"He never challenged him."
"He followed instructions."
"He did exactly what my father wanted."
Maya nodded slowly.
"And Rege didn't?"
Nadia barked out a laugh.
"Absolutely not."
Maya couldn't help smiling.
That sounded very accurate.
"Rege questions everything."
"He argues."
"He pushes."
"He creates his own plans."
"He follows his instincts."
Nadia's smile softened.
"And unfortunately for my father..."
"He was usually right."
Maya laughed softly.
Then paused.
"So why was there a succession battle if Ivan was already president?"
Nadia leaned back.
"Because Rege became a threat."
The answer settled heavily between them.
Maya frowned.
"A threat?"
"Not intentionally."
Nadia shook her head.
"He wasn't trying to take Ivan's position."
"But everyone could see it."
"See what?"
"That he was better."
The words landed quietly.
Matter-of-fact.
Not cruel.
Not emotional.
Simply true.
Maya didn't speak.
Because she believed it.
And somehow that realization made her heart ache.
Then Nadia smiled faintly.
"And right in the middle of all that..."
"Eleanor confessed."
Maya's eyebrows shot upward.
"She confessed first?"
"Oh yes."
Nadia laughed.
"Completely first."
Maya tucked one leg beneath herself on the enormous cream sofa.
The walk-in closet felt impossibly luxurious around them.
Soft golden lights glowed from recessed shelves.
Designer handbags sat behind glass displays.
Rows of clothing stretched farther than Maya could see.
The faint scent of expensive perfume lingered in the air.
Yet somehow neither of them was paying attention to any of it anymore.
The conversation had become far more interesting.
Maya turned toward Nadia.
"So what about Andrei, Maxim and Nikolai?" she asked curiously. "Why weren't they included in the succession battle?"
Nadia laughed softly.
"I knew that question was coming."
Maya grinned.
Nadia shifted comfortably against the cushions.
"All of us were expected to manage different subsidiary companies."
She gestured vaguely.
"I run the fashion division."
Maya nodded.
"That one makes sense."
Nadia smiled.
"Maxim handles energy, oil and several industrial businesses."
"That also makes sense."
"Very much."
They both laughed.
"Nikolai manages the casinos, entertainment holdings and a few other ventures."
Maya immediately nodded.
"That one also makes sense."
Nadia barked out a laugh.
"It really does."
For a moment they both sat laughing.
Then Nadia's smile softened.
"Ivan was always different."
The laughter faded.
"He was the eldest."
A pause.
"And he was my father's favorite."
Maya noticed the slight change in Nadia's voice.
Not bitterness.
Not anger.
Just acceptance.
The kind that came from living with something for a very long time.
"So Father made him president."
Maya nodded slowly.
"And Rege?"
Nadia leaned back.
"What Father didn't anticipate was just how exceptional Rege would become."
There was genuine admiration in her voice.
"He wasn't supposed to become a threat."
"To Ivan's succession."
Nadia shrugged.
"Most people spend years proving themselves."
"Rege spent two."
Maya laughed.
Then her curiosity returned.
"What about Andrei?"
Nadia's smile returned.
"Andrei could have competed."
Maya looked surprised.
"Really?"
"Absolutely."
Nadia nodded.
"He's brilliant."
"Probably more brilliant than people realize."
"Then why didn't he?"
Nadia didn't hesitate.
"Because Andrei loves Ivan."
Maya blinked.
"What?"
"Not like that."
Nadia laughed.
"I mean as a brother."
"He worships him."
The answer made Maya smile.
"That's actually sweet."
"It is."
Nadia nodded.
"He never wanted Father's attention."
"He never wanted power."
"He never wanted the presidency."
"He only wanted to support Ivan."
"So he did."
Maya absorbed that quietly.
Then asked the question that had been lingering.
"So what happened after Eleanor confessed?"
Nadia exhaled.
"Oh."
A slow smile crossed her face.
"A lot happened."
Maya immediately sat straighter.
Nadia laughed.
"You look like you're about to hear gossip."
"I am about to hear gossip."
"Fair."
Nadia shook her head.
Maya grinned.
"Rege asked for time."
"To think."
Maya nodded.
That sounded exactly like Rege.
"He eventually accepted."
A pause.
"And they started seeing each other."
Maya's smile slowly faded.
Something uncomfortable moved through her chest.
A feeling she didn't particularly want to examine.
Then Nadia's expression darkened.
"The problem was my father."
The atmosphere changed immediately.
Maya noticed.
Nadia looked toward the illuminated shelves.
Thinking.
Choosing her words carefully.
"My father wasn't against Rege becoming successor."
Maya blinked.
"He wasn't?"
"No."
Nadia shook her head.
"He just didn't agree with some of Rege's plans."
"What plans?"
"Expansion."
Nadia shrugged.
"Risk."
"Growth."
"New markets."
"Father thought Rege moved too fast."
"And Ivan?"
Nadia laughed softly.
"Ivan did exactly what Father wanted."
The answer explained everything.
Maya leaned back slowly.
"Oh."
"Exactly."
Nadia nodded.
"Father trusted Ivan."
"He understood Ivan."
"He could predict Ivan."
"But Rege..."
She smiled faintly.
"No one could predict Rege."
Maya smiled.
That sounded familiar.
"So Father preferred Ivan."
"He preferred certainty."
Nadia corrected gently.
"Which happened to be Ivan."
Maya nodded.
That felt more accurate.
Then Nadia's expression darkened.
"My father realized something," Nadia said quietly.
Maya waited.
"If Rege ended up with Eleanor, it would strengthen his position in the succession battle."
Maya frowned.
"Because of the Sinclair family?"
Nadia nodded.
"The Sinclairs are powerful."
"Very powerful."
"Their influence would've helped."
She exhaled slowly.
"And Father knew it."
A brief silence settled between them.
Maya tucked one leg beneath herself.
"So he decided Ivan should be with Eleanor instead?"
"Basically."
Maya stared.
"Just like that?"
Nadia laughed.
There wasn't much amusement in it.
"Just like that."
"That's horrible."
"It was."
Nadia didn't try to defend it.
Not even slightly.
The honesty surprised Maya.
"So is that why they don't talk now?"
Nadia shook her head.
"Partly."
Then she sighed.
"But that's not really where everything fell apart."
Maya waited patiently.
Nadia shifted against the cushions.
"The funny thing is Ivan didn't really know Eleanor back then."
Maya frowned.
"What do you mean?"
"We'd known the Sinclairs forever."
Nadia shrugged.
"But Eleanor was younger."
"She was always around."
"But she was just..."
Nadia searched for the word.
"Eleanor."
Maya laughed softly.
"The little sister nobody paid attention to?"
Nadia pointed at her immediately.
"Exactly."
"Then one day Rege introduces her as his girlfriend."
Maya blinked.
"That's how Ivan found out?"
"Pretty much."
Nadia laughed softly.
"And that was the first time he actually looked at her."
The answer surprised Maya.
"Seriously?"
"Seriously."
Nadia shook her head.
"I swear."
"He fell immediately."
"At first sight?"
"At first sight."
Maya groaned.
"No."
"I'm serious."
Nadia laughed.
"The man saw her once and completely lost whatever common sense he had."
Maya laughed despite herself.
"That's ridiculous."
"It really is."
"But it happened."
Nadia reached for a decorative cushion and hugged it loosely.
"And once Father noticed..."
She shook her head.
"He practically became a professional matchmaker overnight."
Maya laughed.
"Oh no."
"Oh yes."
"Every family dinner."
"Every charity event."
"Every business gathering."
"Somehow Ivan and Eleanor always ended up sitting next to each other."
Maya winced.
"That's terrible."
"It gets worse."
Immediately Maya sat straighter.
"Nikolai overheard something."
"What?"
"A conversation."
"Between Father and Eleanor."
The warmth inside the closet seemed to dim.
Even the soft hum from the climate control system felt distant now.
Maya's expression hardened.
"What did he say?"
Nadia's smile disappeared.
"He told her she was wasting her time."
Maya frowned instantly.
"Wasting her time?"
Nadia nodded.
"He told her Rege would never become successor."
"He told her Rege had older brothers."
"He told her she should keep her options open."
Maya stared.
The words felt cruel.
Carefully calculated.
And somehow worse because they weren't entirely lies.
"Did Eleanor listen?"
Nadia was quiet for a moment.
Then answered honestly.
"At first?"
"No."
Maya relaxed slightly.
"At first she fought for him."
That made Maya smile.
"She really liked him."
Nadia laughed softly.
"Liked him?"
She shook her head.
"Eleanor adored him."
The answer came without hesitation.
"For years."
Maya's chest tightened unexpectedly.
Then Nadia continued.
"But things changed."
"How?"
"Rege left."
The answer came quietly.
Immediately Maya looked up.
"What do you mean he left?"
"He resigned."
Nadia's voice softened.
"He walked away from the Hastings Group."
"Completely."
Maya blinked.
"Just like that?"
"No."
Nadia laughed once.
"There were arguments."
"A lot of arguments."
"Months of them."
"Maybe longer."
She shook her head.
"But eventually he chose himself."
The words lingered.
"He chose his dream."
"He chose his vision."
"He chose the future he wanted."
Maya remained silent.
Listening.
"He gave up the position."
"The money."
"The security."
"The certainty."
"Everything."
Maya swallowed.
"And then?"
"He started his own company."
Nadia smiled faintly.
"A tiny company."
"No money."
"No investors."
"No guarantees."
"Nothing."
"Just Rege."
"And his stupidly ambitious vision."
Maya laughed softly.
Because somehow that sounded exactly like him.
"He really started from nothing?"
"Completely."
Nadia nodded.
"He built everything himself."
Something painful twisted inside Maya's chest.
Because suddenly she could picture it.
A younger Rege.
Alone.
Leaving behind everything familiar.
Everything comfortable.
Everything secure.
And gambling everything on himself.
"What about Eleanor?"
The question came quietly.
Nadia looked down briefly.
"Eleanor weighed her options."
The honesty hurt.
But Nadia refused to soften the truth.
"Her family preferred Ivan."
"My father preferred Ivan."
"Ivan already had everything."
"The position."
"The stability."
"The future."
Maya understood immediately.
"And Rege had none of that."
Nadia nodded.
"Exactly."
Silence settled between them.
Soft.
Heavy.
Sad.
Outside the windows, darkness stretched across the estate.
The distant gardens glowed beneath carefully placed lights.
Everything looked peaceful.
Yet the story Nadia was telling felt anything but peaceful.
"So she left him."
The words came from Maya before she could stop them.
Nadia nodded slowly.
"She left."
The simplicity somehow made it worse.
"Then she started seeing Ivan."
Maya looked away.
For reasons she didn't want to examine too closely.
The thought bothered her.
Far more than it should have.
"The engagement party was the worst part."
Maya immediately looked back.
"What happened?"
Nadia laughed.
Without humor.
"The biggest fight I've ever seen."
"Between Father and Rege."
The memory clearly still lingered.
"I can remember it perfectly."
"The entire room went silent."
"Nobody moved."
"Nobody breathed."
Maya listened carefully.
"Father demanded that he stay."
"He demanded that he return to the Hastings Group."
"He demanded that he abandon his plans."
"He demanded that he stop being stubborn."
"And Rege?"
A faint smile appeared on Nadia's face.
Small.
Fond.
Helpless.
"He refused."
Maya wasn't surprised.
Not even a little.
"He refused every single demand."
The smile lingered.
"Of course he did."
Nadia laughed softly.
"Exactly."
For a few seconds neither woman spoke.
Then Nadia sighed.
"After that..."
Her voice lowered.
"Something happened."
Maya frowned.
"What?"
Nadia shook her head.
"I don't know."
"Nobody does."
"Not really."
"But whatever happened completely destroyed everything."
"The conversations stopped."
"The friendship stopped."
"The relationship stopped."
"Everything stopped."
Maya sat quietly.
Trying to absorb seven years of silence.
Seven years of distance.
Seven years of unresolved pain.
Finally she asked:
"So how did he cope?"
Nadia's eyes softened instantly.
Because out of everything she'd just explained—
that was the question Maya cared about.
Not the succession battle.
Not the politics.
Not Eleanor.
Rege.
Only Rege.
Nadia smiled faintly.
"He survived."
Maya frowned.
"That's not really an answer."
Nadia laughed softly.
"No."
"I guess it isn't."
Her smile faded.
"He was hurt."
The admission came easily.
Because denying it would have been ridiculous.
"He hid it well."
"But he was hurt."
Maya lowered her gaze.
"I figured."
Nadia watched her quietly.
Then added:
"I don't think he was deeply in love."
Maya remained silent.
Thinking.
Then finally shook her head.
"I don't think that matters."
Nadia blinked.
"What do you mean?"
Maya leaned her head against the back of the sofa.
The cushions swallowed her slightly.
Her voice came softer now.
Thoughtful.
"Pain doesn't only come from losing someone you're deeply in love with."
Nadia stayed silent.
Listening.
"He lost someone he cared about."
"He lost his family."
"He lost his place there."
"He lost everything familiar."
A pause.
"He still got hurt."
The certainty in her voice surprised even her.
Then quieter:
"He has a big heart."
The room fell silent.
Nadia smiled.
A genuine smile.
Because Maya sounded protective.
Without realizing it.
And somehow that made her happier than she expected.
The two women sat quietly afterward beneath warm golden lights.
One remembering the past.
The other slowly understanding the man behind the silence.
And somewhere else inside the vast Hastings mansion—
Rege remained completely unaware that with every story Maya heard about him, her heart was moving a little closer in his direction.