Chapter Four_Boundaries

Serena woke up the next morning already regretting the way her heart reacted around Kael Vale.

It annoyed her.

She was twenty-four years old, not some teenager getting nervous because a handsome man looked at her for too long. Yet ever since the storm, something had changed between them, and pretending she didn’t feel it was becoming harder.

The worst part was that Kael barely did anything, he wasn’t flirting with her ,he wasn’t touching her.he wasn’t saying inappropriate things.

It was the quietness between them that kept throwing her off. The eye contact that lasted a second too long.

The way his voice softened around her sometimes. The way he watched her with Lia like he was seeing something he hadn’t realized he missed.

Serena hated how much she noticed all of it. Which was exactly why she decided to avoid him.

Not obviously of course.

She simply timed things differently. If Kael usually had breakfast at eight, she took Lia to the garden earlier. If he worked in the library, Serena stayed upstairs with Lia. If he entered a room, Serena suddenly found a reason to leave it. It was childish but more safer that way.

Because no matter how much she tried to deny it, there was tension growing between them, and Serena had seen enough complicated relationships in life to know how quickly things could become messy.

Especially when feelings got involved.

And it was not okay at all

---

By noon, the mansion was peaceful.

Lia sat at the dining table with crayons scattered everywhere while Serena helped her finish a drawing for school.

“That doesn’t look like a cat,” Serena said, trying not to laugh.

Lia gasped in offense. “It does to me.”

“It looks like a potato with whiskers.”

“It’s artistic.”

Serena burst into laughter.

“You sound exactly like your father when he talks about those weird paintings downstairs.”

Lia grinned proudly. “Daddy says art is supposed to confuse people.”

“That explains a lot actually.”

“You don’t like Daddy’s paintings?”

“I think one of them looked like sadness fighting for its life.”

Lia blinked at her. “That’s exactly what Daddy said.”

Serena paused.

“Wait, seriously?”

Lia nodded enthusiastically. “And then Aunt Vivienne said it looked ugly.”

Serena had heard that name before.

Mrs. Rowan mentioned her once while talking about people who frequently visited the mansion.

Before Serena could ask another question, footsteps entered the dining room.

Kael.

As usual, Serena noticed him before even looking up. She didn’t know why she was becoming so aware of his presence all the time, but it was starting to irritate her.

Kael loosened the cuffs of his dark shirt as he walked toward the table, looking like he had just stepped out of one of those expensive magazine ads rich people somehow made look effortless.

“Daddy,” Lia said immediately, “Serena insulted your paintings.”

Serena nearly choked.

“I did not insult them.”

Kael looked between both of them calmly before pulling out a chair.

“What exactly did she say?”

“That one painting downstairs looks like sadness fighting for survival.”

Kael’s eyes slowly shifted toward Serena.

And then, unexpectedly, he smiled.

Which made her heart flip.

“That’s exactly what the artist intended.”

Serena stared at him suspiciously. “You’re joking.”

“I’m not.”

Lia looked delighted by Serena’s confusion.

Kael sat beside his daughter while reaching for the coffee Mrs. Rowan placed near him.

“You don’t like modern art?” he asked Serena.

“I like art that actually looks like something.”

“That’s unfortunate.”

Serena narrowed her eyes slightly. “You sound personally offended."

“I paid a ridiculous amount of money for that painting. I’d prefer if guests respected it.”

“Guests?”

Kael looked at her over the rim of his coffee cup.

“You’re not a guest?”

The question caught her off guard.

She didn’t know why. Before she could answer, Lia suddenly climbed down from her chair holding up her drawing proudly.

“Look what I made.”

Serena looked first.

Three people stood beneath a giant yellow sun.

One tall figure and one tiny figure.

And one with curly hair wearing a pink dress.

Kael stared at the drawing quietly.

“That’s us,” Lia explained happily. “Me, Daddy, and Serena.”

Something uncomfortable twisted in Serena’s stomach but not because of the drawing.

Because of how normal it suddenly felt seeing herself included beside them.

Kael’s expression changed slightly too, though he hid it quickly.

Lia pointed at Serena’s figure proudly. “You’re holding Daddy’s hand because you’re both taking care of me.”

Serena almost dropped the glass in her hand.

Children truly had no fear.

“Okay,” Serena laughed nervously, “I think somebody has been watching too many cartoons.”

“But it’s true.”

Kael stayed strangely quiet. And for some reason, that silence affected Serena more than if he had laughed it off.

She quickly stood from her chair. “Lia, why don’t we go finish your homework upstairs?”

Lia groaned dramatically. “Homework is evil.”

“Unfortunately, evil still has to be completed.”

Lia dragged herself upstairs while Serena gathered the crayons quickly. Anything to escape the sudden weirdness in the room.

She had barely picked up the last notebook when Kael spoke behind her.

“You’ve been avoiding me.”

Serena froze for half a second before turning around. Ohh lord help me.

“I haven’t.”

Kael leaned back slightly in his chair, studying her with that same calm expression that somehow always made her nervous.

“You left the kitchen yesterday when I walked in.”

“I had laundry to fold.”

“You took Lia outside for breakfast this morning because I came into the dining room.”

Serena crossed her arms. “You’re very observant.”

“I have to be.”

He answered very naturally.

Like paying attention to her had become automatic. That realization made Serena’s chest feel strangely tight.

She looked away first. “You’re imagining things.”

“No, I’m not.” His voice had softened now.

That somehow made it worse.

Serena sighed quietly before setting the crayons down.

“I just think boundaries are important.”

Kael’s gaze stayed fixed on her. “What boundaries exactly?”

“This is your house. I work for you. That alone is complicated enough.”

For a moment he said nothing. Then he stood up slowly. Serena instantly became aware of how close they suddenly were.

Kael wasn’t touching her or cornering her. But his presence had a way of filling space completely.

“You think I’m making things complicated?” he asked quietly.

Serena laughed nervously. “You really want honesty?”

“Yes.”

“You stare at me too much.”

The words slipped out before she could stop them. Silence filled the dining room immediately.

Kael looked genuinely surprised for the first time since she met him.

Then something unreadable crossed his face.

“Do I?”

Serena swallowed. “You know you do.”

He held her gaze for so long that Serena’s heartbeat started acting stupid again.

And when he finally spoke, his voice came out lower than before.

“Maybe I like looking at you.”

The air left Serena’s lungs completely because he sounded honest.

Serena stared at him, suddenly unable to think properly. And somehow that terrified her more than anything else so far.

Because she realized two dangerous things at the exact same moment. Kael Vale was no longer pretending not to feel the tension between them. And worse—

a part of her didn’t want him to stop looking at her at all.