MasukThen he turns, and the world simply stops.Their eyes meet, and Jadeâs pulse stumbles, a frantic, uneven rhythm that betrays her. He stands there, half-clad and dangerous, exuding a raw authority that makes her twenty years feel like a lifetime away from his forty.âYouâre⌠not red anymore,â she manages, her voice small.His gaze dips, heavy and intentional, as it brushes over her mouth before lifting back to her eyes. âMedicine works,â he says, his voice a low vibration. âApparently.âThere it is. That composure. That infuriating, adult calm that makes her want to scream or meltâshe isnât sure which.âIâm sorry,â she rushes out, the words tumbling over each other. âI shouldâve remembered your allergy. I donât know why I didnât think about the jasmineâââIâll only accept your apology,â he interrupts, his tone shifting into something darker, more velvet, âif you make it up to me.âJadeâs stomach flips. The air in the kitchen feels suddenly too thin. âWhat do you want?âA slow, devasta
****BACK AT THE ESTATE***** âIâll show you the rest of the house.â Jade nods and follows, the weight of his jacket still resting on her shoulders. Jade notices it gradually. The way conversations stop when she enters a room. The way eyes drop too quickly. The way two maids nearly collide trying to step out of her path. She pauses under the hallway arch. âWhy are they behaving like that?â Nanny Flo offers a careful smile. âItâs nothing serious. The staff can be⌠dramatic. Theyâre often nervous around the young master. They tend to say foolish things.â âNervous?â Jade frowns. âWhy?â A younger servant, polishing a side table a little too aggressively, lets out a brittle laugh. âYou donât know him,â she says before she can stop herself. âNot really. Heâs not what you think.â Nanny Flo stiffens. âThatâs enough.â But the servantâs eyes lock on Jade now â bright, reckless. âHeâs violent,â she blurts. âHot-tempered. A cruel beast when he wants to be.â Cruel. Jadeâs stomach twi
Kain is still fighting the faint sting in his lungs from the jasmine when he steps onto the pavement. The air feels too thin. His eyes are slightly red, jaw tight, irritation crawling under his skin. He despises weakness â especially the kind his own body forces on him. Losing control, even for a moment, feels like failure. He pulls out his phone and dials. She answers on the first ring. âIs it positive?,â Aunt Sylvia says immediately, straight to the point. No time for greetings. âNot yet.â His voice is clipped, carefully neutral. âAnd I hate that Iâm doing this.â A beat. âBut itâs working.â A soft chuckle hums through the line. âYou owe me.â âI know.â âYou owe me beautiful grandchildren.â Despite himself, his mouth curves. âLetâs not schedule my wifeâs uterus like itâs a quarterly meeting. Children happen when she wants them.â âPlease. So protective already?â âAlways.â He doesnât hesitate when he says as it settles into his chest. Silence stretches between them, thought
âYou said you wanted to understand her properly.â âI do.â He nods once. âThen this is where she lives. All of her.â Something in the way he says it makes her glance at him. He isnât looking at her. Heâs looking at the desk. Jade steps forward and picks up the first bundle. The paper is thin with age. As she loosens the ribbon, a soft cloud of dust rises into the air. She barely turns before she sneezes. Once. Twice. Then againâsharp and breathless. She waves at the air, cheeks warming. The sound echoes too loudly in the still room. Kain goes rigid. The shift is immediate. His shoulders tighten. His jaw locks. For a split second, anger flashes across his faceâquick and reflexive. Then it changes. âNanny Flo,â he says, his voice slicing through the quiet. âWhy is this room not being maintained?â Nanny Flo hurries in from the hallway. âKain, it hasnât been opened properly sinceââ âSince the funeral?â His tone sharpens. âAnd that means it should gather dust?â
âŚHe was laughing. Bright-eyed. Seated on his grandmotherâs lap, utterly unguarded. Elba Vanridge Wolf. The sight pierces her unexpectedly. Behind her, he stiffens. He hates that she sees this version of him. âSo this is where you grew up,â she says quietly. âParts of me were raised here.â âAnd the rest?â His gaze flicks to hers. âThe rest learned not to be.â No sarcasm. No deflection. Nanny Flo gestures toward a wooden music box resting on the table. âMadam Elba kept this until her last day. She wanted you to have it.â The room stills. Kain steps forward and lifts it carefully. A melody spills into the room â soft, aching, fragile. Jade doesnât move closer. She doesnât touch him. She simply stays. And somehow that steadiness feels louder than comfort. As the tune continues, she drifts down the hallway. A framed photograph catches her attention. Teenage Kain. Holding a small child with protective ease. Her brows lift. Before she can ask, he steps behind her.
âBut if you donât come with me, the project stalls. And if the project stallsâŚâ His eyes flick toward the building. ââŚyou lose this job.â His gaze returns to her face. âAll that work for a fake id⌠Mia.â The name rolls off his tongue deliberately. He extends his hand. âCome.â The world feels very small. She hates that heâs right. She hates that he knows heâs right. A faint smirk touches his mouth. âUnless you want me to carry you.â Her pride ignites instantly. Without another word, she places her hand in his. His fingers close around hers. And she lets him guide her into the car. Across the parking lot, Clarice watches â her expression tight with suspicion and jealousy. The door shuts and the outside noise disappears. Inside, the space feels intimate. Almost suffocating. Kain slides in beside her. Instead of letting the driver lean in, he reaches across her himself and pulls the seatbelt over her body. Slowly. Unhurried. His arm brushes lightly against her chest. H
âIâve always had my eyes on one person,â Kain said sharply. âScarlett is the woman I love. My fiancĂŠe. The rest is fiction.â The journalist turned to Scarlett. âYour response?â Scarlett didnât hesitate. âI am not my sister,â she said calmly, each word precise. âWe are not close. I donât know her
Her hair was released, cascading in glossy black waves. Nails filed. Jewelry arranged like offerings. Scarlett glanced at the clock. âMy interview is in three minutes,â she snapped. âMove faster.â âIâm trying to make it flawless,â the makeup artist said carefully. âIâm just struggling to cover th
âGood morning, Jade.â His mouth brushed her knuckles, a claim disguised as manners. Air rushed into his lungs like heâd been drowning. He straightened instantly, energy flooding his limbs. âYouâre awake.â He realized he was holding her hand only when his thumb pressed into her knuckles. He didn
Her thoughts scrambled, desperate and panicked. How did it get there? Who touched my things? She felt eyes on herâburning, heavy. Kain. She didnât look at him, but she felt him anyway. Like gravity. Like home she wasnât allowed to reach. âObjection!â her lawyer snapped. âThis is circumstantial.







