writer.Nia의 작품

Dinner is over. As usual, Theo is the first person to finish, and he pushes his chair back, standing up. “I’m finished.” Nathaniel glances up as he settles his fork in his empty plate. “Brush your teeth before going to bed.” Theo lets out a long, suffering sigh, like he’s being asked to climb a mountain instead of walk ten feet to a bathroom. "I knew you were going to say that,” he drawls out, sounding lazily tired. Nathaniel, though, doesn’t give in to his shenanigans. His face is calm, voice even when he replies. “That's because I always do Theo mutters something under his breath before heading down the hallway, and a few seconds later, his bedroom door closes, leaving the penthouse in total silence. Without a word, I get up just as Nathaniel coincidentally does, and begun gathering the plates, only for him to reach for the stack in my hands. “I’ve got it.” "I know,” I say. "Then why are you still holding them?" He asks, lifting a brow. "Because I'm helping,” I shrug

The smell of food hits me before I even reach the dining room. At first, I stand a few feet close to the table, lost in my thoughts from how… amazed I still am. It’s not because it feels strange watching the house like this, and neither is it because of the food. It’s the peace in the whole space. The penthouse is quiet, unlike the way it always is these days. There are no phone calls from any lawyer, no arguments, and certainly no Jonathan Ellis trying to ruin my life. Just home. Pushing the thoughts away as I snap myself back to reality, I step fully into the dinning area. Theo lifts his head from whatever he’s tracing his fingers on, on the table, a grin splitting his lip. “Finally." I blink. “Excuse me?" "You took forever." A laugh escapes me as I take the seat beside him. “I took a shower." "It was a very long shower." Just as I open my mouth to answer, Nathaniel walks out the kitchen, holding a tray of food. He smiles when his gaze falls on me as he drops the tray

Nathaniel and I are leaving. In the rear view mirror, the townhouse grows smaller the farther we drive away, but I keep watching it anyway. Even after we turn the corner. Only after it disappears completely do I blink, then let out a small exhale. For some reason, I had expected to feel something bigger. I had expected to feel something dramatic or some overwhelming realization. But all I feel is a strange kind of quiet that makes the ache in my chest dissipate, leaving nothing but ease. As we pull into the main road, Nathaniel says nothing to me, and neither do I. However, I can feel his gaze as he turns to look at me time to time, though my own attention is on the city, the afternoon traffic, pedestrians crossing interceptions, and cars moving in every direction. Life just continues normally as though mine hasn’t spent the last few months being disrupted repeatedly. Eventually, Nathaniel glances toward me and asks. “Are you okay?” I look out the window. “I think so."

Less than forty minutes later, we arrive at the property. It’s a townhouse tucked into a quiet street lined with old trees. Unlike the other properties that belong to her, nothing about it screams wealth or status. It looks… modest and good, like a type of place anyone would come to whenever they wanted a break from the world. The moment we step out of the car, we find an older woman with silver hair and green eyes waiting outside the building. When she notices us, she begins to walk towards us just as we do too. “Good afternoon,” Nathaniel says. “Laurent gave us the—““Oh, you are the daughter,” she says to me, interrupting me. When I nod, she continues. “It’s great to meet you.”I glance at Nathaniel awkwardly, then nod at her. “Likewise.”“I’ll take you in,” is all she says, then turns towards the building again, She unlocks the door and pushes it open, gesturing for us to enter with a smile on her face, and we do. Only for me to come to a halt by the entrance. And gosh, it

The drive back home from the law firm is quiet.I’m seated in the front passenger seat of the car, my head resting against the window as I watch the city move past in blurred fragments while Nathaniel drives. My palm, on the other hand, still tingles slightly.God.I actually slapped Lidya. Again.The thought should probably make me feel guilty, but it doesn’t. If anything, it makes my heart swell with pride and determination that if she crossed any line again, I’d do it again and again. At the thought, a laugh almost escapes me, and Nathaniel glances over at me briefly. “Is everything alright?”I shake my head without looking at him. “Nothing.”I feel the way he narrows his eyes on me, obviously trying to communicate that he doesn’t believe me. Unfortunately for him, I don't elaborate.He shakes his head and faces the road while I continue staring out of the window, letting both of us sit in the comfortable silence that returns until the shrill sound of my ringing tone fills the

The sound of the slap echoes down the hallway, and for that split second, everything goes still. All I can feel is the heavy sting in my palm — because of how hard I hit her — sending sensations through me. God. That felt good. I wish I can do it again. As if she can hear my thoughts, Lydia straightens immediately and glares at me with one hand against her cheek, her breathing uneven like her body still hasn’t caught up with what just happened.Then she snaps. “You slapped me again?”I stare back at her unflinchingly. “Yes,” I say evenly. “And I’ll do it again if you cross the line again.”The disbelief on her face twists instantly into rage. “You insane bitch—”“Careful,” I cut in coldly. “You already got one warning.”A gasp escapes her. “Oh, so now you think you’re untouchable because you got your inheritance back?”At her words, a laugh almost escapes me, but I push it down as the throbbing at the back of my head intensifies. People and projecting their personalities on others