ログインChapter Two Hundred and EighteenA few days passed, and Minnesota settled into a rhythm that Damien did not try to disrupt.He didn’t call her.He didn’t show up at her door.He didn’t create a moment that would force her to face him.Instead, he chose something harder.He stayed back.Not out of fear. Not out of uncertainty. But because, for once, he understood that showing up the wrong way would only push her further away.So he learned her routine.Not in a way that crossed a line, but in the quiet, distant way of someone who simply paid attention. The hospital she worked at wasn’t hidden. Her schedule wasn’t something he needed to dig into. It was all there, in plain sight, if you knew where to look.And he did.Every evening, around the same time, she stepped out.Consistent.Calm.Unaware.The first time he saw her again after the conference hadn’t been enough. That brief moment, that look they shared—it stayed with him longer than he expected. Not because it was dramatic, but b
Chapter Two Hundred and SeventeenAria was already awake before her alarm went off, lying still for a moment as she stared at the ceiling, letting her mind settle into the day ahead. There was no rush in her movements when she finally got up, no hesitation either. Just a steady rhythm she had built for herself over time.Her life in Minnesota had found its balance again.Not perfect, not untouched but stable in a way that felt real.She moved through her morning routine without overthinking it. A quick shower, simple clothes, her hair pulled back neatly in a way that suited her face without trying too hard. There was something about her now that felt different from before, something quieter but stronger. Not guarded, just… self-contained.She wasn’t trying to impress anyone.She wasn’t trying to be seen.She was just living.By the time she stepped out of her apartment, the air carried that calm, early-day stillness. The streets weren’t crowded yet, and the drive to the hospital felt
Chapter Two Hundred and SixteenDamien didn’t take long to make the decision, and once he did, everything else followed without hesitation.His room was quiet as he pulled a suitcase from the corner and placed it on the bed. He didn’t stand there thinking about what to pack or whether this was the right move. For once, his mind wasn’t crowded with doubts or second thoughts. It was clear, steady, almost unfamiliar in how certain it felt.He folded his clothes neatly, placing them one after the other with careful precision. Not rushed, not careless. Just focused. Every movement carried intention, even the smallest ones. A shirt adjusted properly. A jacket smoothed out before being laid down. His watch placed gently into the side compartment.There was no chaos in him.Just direction.The door opened quietly behind him, and Richard stepped in, his eyes taking in the scene without needing an explanation.“So, you’re really going,” he said, his tone calm but knowing.Damien didn’t stop wha
Chapter Two Hundred and FifteenDamien stood by the large glass window of the Greyson estate, but he wasn’t really looking outside. His mind was elsewhere, stuck on the same thought that had been following him since the conference ended.He finally exhaled, turning slightly as his father entered the room.Richard didn’t speak at first. He could already see something was different in his son. Not in a broken way, not in the old unstable energy he once carried, but in a quieter kind of tension. The kind that comes when a man finally understands something too late.Damien didn’t waste time pretending.“I can’t let her go just like that, Dad,” he said, voice steady but honest. “I realized I love this woman.”Richard didn’t interrupt. He just listened.Damien continued, like the words had been sitting in him for too long. “Not because of what she did for me. I know she’s the one for me. She was always the one, but I was too blind to see it then. And now I don’t even know how to fix it.”Hi
Chapter Two Hundred and FourteenAria didn’t rush her departure from Canada. There was no emotional farewell, no dramatic pause at the door, just the simple act of folding her clothes and placing them neatly back into her bag as if she was closing a chapter she hadn’t fully understood while living it. The hotel room stayed quiet around her, the kind of quiet that doesn’t demand attention but still manages to fill every corner.She checked the room twice, not because she forgot anything, but because her hands needed something to do. Her passport was already in her bag, her phone charged, everything arranged with the same discipline she always carried into her professional life. Still, she stayed a little longer than necessary, sitting at the edge of the bed for a few seconds before standing again.When she finally left, she paused in the hotel lobby. People moved around her, checking out, arriving, talking softly in different directions. No one noticed her stillness. Her fingers tighte
Chapter Two Hundred and ThirteenAria didn’t realize how tired she was until the hotel room door closed behind her.The quiet met her immediately, soft and undisturbed, like the world had paused outside and left her alone with herself. For a moment, she just stood there, her hand still resting on the handle, her shoulders slightly slumped in a way she hadn’t allowed all day.The conference had been long, structured, demanding in that way where you had to stay sharp from start to finish. Conversations, presentations, professional smiles, controlled responses—it all required energy. And she had given it, the way she always did.But now, with no one watching, no expectations sitting on her shoulders, the stillness of the room settled around her in a way that made everything feel… real again.She stepped further in, closing the door fully behind her before dropping her bag gently on the chair by the wall. The room was neat, everything arranged perfectly, from the crisp sheets on the bed t
Chapter Seventy One She adjusted the bag on her shoulder and started walking toward the exit, her steps quicker now, like she needed to get out before the whole place caved in on her. The cool air from the AC felt colder suddenly, raising goosebumps on her arms. Her mind raced replaying the bump,
Chapter SeventyRichard stood in the hallway, arms crossed, watching Damien scroll through his phone like the world wasn't waiting on him. "Today the Greysons dinner you need to be there Damien. Though you know nothing about the empire your presence matters," he said, keeping his tone even, but ins
Chapter Sixty NineAria got home, but her body arrived before her mind did. She dropped her bag by the door and stood there longer than necessary, staring at nothing. Last night kept replaying, uninvited, unwanted, yet stubborn.She moved to the mirror and caught herself blushing.The way Damien’s
Chapter Seventy Two “Dad, was that really necessary?” Damien burst into the study, door banging behind him. “Do you have any idea how humiliating that was?”Richard stayed where he was, behind the wide desk, fingers working the cufflinks loose one by one. He didn’t rush. Didn’t even glance up righ







