Mission Pretty Possible Chapter 15.7 (Patreon)

Ethan looked away before his face could betray him. Before the tears he refused to acknowledge could win.But he heard Sam.He really did.

He sensed Claire before she spoke— the familiar warmth of her presence at his side. Robert hovered behind her.

Claire touched his arm lightly. “Ethan… breathe. Please.”

He didn’t trust his voice yet. Didn’t trust anything in his face either.

Robert nudged him with an elbow—not rough, just grounding. “Dude. You looked insane out there. Like—if I didn’t know you, I’d have voted for you.”

Ethan almost smiled. Almost. “Thanks. Very comforting.”

Claire stepped closer, her voice threading softly into the space he was too ashamed to hold. “Ethan… losing doesn’t make you smaller. It means the world wasn’t ready for you yet.”

Sam exhaled sharply, then clapped his hands once. “Okay. Enough moping.”His tone shifted—the familiar playful sparkle sliding back into place.

Ethan blinked. Sam’s shoulders loosened, hips settling into that signature sass.

“Alright, Elena,” “I have connections. Real connections. I can get you a few minutes with Maximillian.”

Ethan froze. “Are you serious?”

Sam gasped theatrically. “Sweetheart, what do you think of me? I might be glitter, but I’m powerful glitter.”

Claire snorted. Robert actually laughed.

Something warm curled in Ethan’s chest—small, fragile, but real.

Sam put a hand on his shoulder. “It’ll be short. He won’t give you much time. But promise me, girl—leave an impression.”

Ethan inhaled slowly.Then nodded.

“I will. I swear I will.”

And for the first time since losing, the words didn’t hurt.

They felt like a beginning.