Romans de Naj

ETHAN'S POV I noticed Sophia the moment she entered.It was impossible not to.She had always known how to command attention.The hall was already full of guests. Conversations filled the air. Photographers still moved between groups.Yet Sophia walked through the entrance as if the entire event existed for her arrival.Isabella saw her too.I felt Isabella's body stiffen slightly beside me.I looked down at her. Her expression shifted from professional warmth to careful neutrality.Sophia approached a group of art collectors near the entrance. Started making conversation. Laughing. Charming them the way she'd always been able to charm people.Sophia approached slowly.Several guests turned to greet her. She smiled politely and exchanged a few quick words.Then she reached us."Ethan."Her voice was warm.I nodded."Sophia."She turned to Isabella."Isabella!" Sophia's voice carried across the gallery."What a beautiful exhibition. You must be so proud."Isabella's expression didn't

ISABELLA’S POV Two weeks passed after the ISMARA launch.In those two weeks, I kept my routine steady and careful. Meetings. Production calls. Interviews. Planning the next stage of the collaboration.But there was one thing I had changed.Brahms.I limited our communication.It has not been easy. Every instinct told me to call him every day. To hear his voice. To ask about school. To ask about his day.But I didn't.Instead, I texted.Short conversations. Careful words.I did not call at all.Because I knew Ethan could be listening.Because I knew Ethan would have started asking questions the night Laurent had spoken the name.Brahms.The name had stayed in Ethan's mind. I had seen it in his eyes.So I waited.I protected my son the only way I could.Distance.Abby sent photos daily. Brahms at piano lessons.Brahms playing in the garden.Brahms asking when Mama was coming home.Each photo felt like a knife. But I couldn't call. Couldn't risk speaking to him where Ethan might hear. C

ETHAN'S POV I stayed until the launch party finally ended.Staff moved through the showroom clearing tables. The music had already stopped.Still, I remained.My mind kept drifting.Back to the same name.Brahms.Laurent Beaumont’s voice echoed in my memory.And how is Brahms?Isabella’s reaction had been immediate. She had switched languages and redirected the discussion.Lucia stood near the entrance speaking quietly with the event staff while I lingered near one of the display racks.She noticed me watching and walked over.“Isabella already left,” she said.“I figured.”Lucia studied me for a moment.“Good night, Mr. Dexter.”“Good night.”I left a few minutes later.The city was quiet as the car carried me home, but my mind refused to settle.The same question repeated itself again and again.Brahms.Who was he?The next morning, I arrived at the office earlier than usual.I sat behind my desk staring at nothing until a knock sounded at the door.Caleb entered without waiting fo

ISABELLA’S POVI walked up the stairs to my office, ensuring my back was turned to Ethan. I didn't want him to see my face.The door closed behind me, and I let out a breath I didn't realise I was holding.I slumped into my chair.My heels came off immediately. I placed them beside the chair and leaned back, staring at the ceiling for a moment.The launch had gone exactly as planned. Every detail had worked. The collection had been received with enthusiasm. Investors had stayed longer than expected. The press had asked thoughtful questions.It should have felt like a victory.Instead, there was a strange emptiness settling inside me.Ethan had almost found out about Brahms.A knock sounded on the door.“Come in.”Lucia stepped inside holding her phone and a tablet. Her eyes moved over the room quickly before resting on me.“There you are. I wondered where you disappeared to.”“I needed a minute.”Lucia walked further into the office and placed the tablet on my desk.“Well, you picked

ETHAN’S POV The name stayed on my mind.Brahms.Isabella's response to when I asked also lingered.“Just someone from Paris.”Brahms.That must be the lover, the person whose name starts with the letter B.I turned to her direction. She had removed the earrings from earlier and held them loosely in her hand.I did not know why I noticed that.Her shoulders looked tired now. The composure she had maintained all evening was gone.There was something unguarded about her at that moment. Something I had not seen before. More like the particular exhaustion of someone who had been careful for a very long time.But my attention was not on her.It was on a single name.Brahms.I walked to her. The showroom had thinned out. A few staff members moved quietly between the displays, collecting glasses, dimming lights. No one paid attention to us. We were just two people standing in the same room.“Who is Brahms?” I asked.Isabella’s fingers tightened slightly around the earrings.It was subtle. A

ETHAN’S POVThe front doors opened again.A tall man stepped inside wearing a gray suit. Silver hair. Late fifties perhaps. Calm presence. His eyes scanned the almost empty hall until they fell on Isabella then his face broke into a warm smile.Laurent Beaumont.I recognized him from the photos my investigator had sent weeks ago. He walked towards Isabella. Isabella’s face transformed when she saw him. It was the first genuine warmth I had seen from her all evening.“Laurent.”She walked toward him quickly.“Isabella.”They embraced.It was brief but genuine.When they stepped apart the man held her shoulders and looked at her carefully.“You look exactly like your mother.”Isabella smiled softly.Lucia approached them.“Monsieur Beaumont, Welcome.”“I'm sorry I'm late.” “We are honored you could come.” Lucia answered Laurent nodded politely.His attention returned to Isabella. He looked at her with obvious affection “You have built something remarkable here.”“Thank you. That m