The Broken Lunas Redemption by Cynthia Chris

The scent of freshly brewed coffee filled the air, mingling with the faint aroma of vanilla and cinnamon. Ava Carter stood behind the counter of Coastal Brews, wiping her hands on a towel as she watched the early morning crowd filter in. The little café had been her sanctuary for the past five years-a small, warm space with wooden tables, soft yellow lighting, and a wall filled with handwritten notes from loyal customers.

It was a place built on love, on memories, on survival.

She had fought tooth and nail to keep it running.

And she wasn't going to lose it now.

The moment the door swung open, a gust of cold ocean air rushed in, along with the deep, controlled footsteps of a man she hadn't seen in ten years.

Ava's fingers tightened around the coffee mug in her hand.

Ethan Hawthorne.

He stepped inside like he owned the world-which, in a way, he did. The man who once kissed her like she was his last breath, who whispered promises under the stars, who vanished from her life without looking back.

He had changed.

The warm, easy-going Ethan she had once loved was gone.

In his place stood a ruthless billionaire, his presence commanding the entire café. Dressed in a sharp black suit, he looked like he had just walked out of a Wall Street meeting rather than a sleepy coastal town. His face, all sharp angles and dark stubble, was unreadable.

But his eyes-those piercing stormy-blue eyes-landed on her.

And Ava felt herself being dragged back in time.

Silence stretched between them. The noise of the café faded, drowned out by the roaring pulse in Ava's ears.

She forced herself to breathe, setting down the mug before she shattered it.

Ethan, for his part, remained perfectly composed.

Until he spoke.

"You look well."

The deep timbre of his voice sent an unwelcome shiver down her spine.

Ava swallowed, keeping her expression neutral. "You don't."

A flicker of something-amusement? Annoyance?-passed through his gaze before it vanished behind a mask of indifference.

"I see you still have a sharp tongue," he murmured.

"And I see you still have a habit of showing up uninvited," she shot back.

That got a reaction. His jaw tightened.

"Actually," he said, sliding a document onto the counter, "I have every right to be here."

Ava frowned, hesitating before reaching for it. As her eyes scanned the bolded words at the top, her stomach dropped.

Hawthorne Industries is now the official owner of this establishment.

The words blurred.

Her fingers clenched the paper as she lifted her gaze, her heart hammering. "No. This... this is a mistake."

Ethan's expression remained infuriatingly calm.

"It's not a mistake," he said, tilting his head slightly. "I own this entire block, including your café."

Ava felt like the ground had been yanked from beneath her.

"You're lying."