Barbie in Tokyo: 2

A month later, back to reality. The fluorescent lights, the bad coffee, the fake smiles. Liz was knee-deep in work, prepping for the Tokyo client who was flying in to sign the final deal. Big moment. Everyone in suits, all tight smiles and corporate perfume. Then the door opens..

and in walks Ken.

Of course.

He looked different now. Sharper. The playful bar banter gone. The “life of the party” swapped for “boardroom assassin.” Didn’t even glance at her. Just straight to business, questions, figures, deadlines, cutting through the team like a chainsaw through butter.

Then, mid-meeting, he leans toward his lawyer, whispers something. The lawyer stands up and says, “If we’re doing business, Miss Barbie handles all our accounts.”

The room freezes. The boss blinks like he’s just been tasered. “Miss… Barbie?” he says, eyes darting around, utterly lost.

Ken turns to Liz. Cold. Controlled. “You’ll do fine,” he says.

She’s dying inside. Her boss looks like he’s swallowed ice. But Ken keeps going. “You should give her a raise. She’s the reason this deal’s even happening. My dad was going to back out, she convinced him otherwise.”

Then he just… leaves. No wink, no smirk. Just gone.

Liz sits there, cheeks on fire, suddenly the office golden girl. Within a week she’s promoted, 5th floor to 11th. Corner office, city view. And all she can think is, what the hell just happened?

Then, somehow, Ken is back in her life. Little meetings here and there. Coffee turns into dinner. Dinner turns into something softer. Next thing you know, he’s flying her and her friends out to Central Europe,private jet, champagne, the Alps.

Her friends lose it. Maria, her wild, unfiltered actress friend, looks around at the glass villa, the chauffeurs, the bodyguards, and says, “Liz, if you don’t marry him, I will.”

They all laugh, but it’s the kind of laugh that hides envy.

That night, Ken disappears for a while, some “business thing,” he says. Maria comes to Liz’s room, a bit tipsy. “Do you love him?” she asks.

Liz hesitates. “Too early to say. Love’s a strong word.”

Maria smirks, “If it’s too early, I’ll wait my turn.”

Later, Ken returns with two of his friends, Chris and Mike. They sit around the fire, drinks in hand, the Alps glowing outside the glass walls. Maria, being Maria, says, “Let’s play truth or dare.”

Six adults. Too much wine. What could go wrong?

The bottle spins. Lands on Sarah. She dares Chris to strip to his briefs. He does—awkwardly. Everyone laughs. Then the bottle lands on Maria.

“Truth,” she says.

Mike grins. “Tell us something you’ve never told anyone.”

The room shifts. The air goes still. Maria looks down, runs her fingers along the glass of her wine. “An actor tried to rape me on set once,” she says quietly. “Years ago. I fought him off. Never told anyone.”

No one moves. No one breathes. The fire crackles. Liz feels her throat tighten.

Ken looks furious,jaw locked, hands clenched. He gets up, walks to Maria, puts a hand on her shoulder. “You’re safe here,” he says softly. She nods, eyes wet, thanks him.

The night dissolves. No more laughter. Just quiet.

Later, in bed, Ken turns to Liz. “I feel sorry for Maria,” he says. But his eyes don’t match his words,they’re dark, distant.

Liz studies him in the dim light, wondering which Ken she’s really lying next to, the charming one from Tokyo or the cold one from the boardroom.

Because something about the way he held Maria’s gaze felt… off.

And as the wind howled through the Alps, Liz realized, this story wasn’t done with her yet.