Chapter 13

Eliora’s POV

“I see you managed to get yourself a nice little office.”

Tonia’s voice slid through the air like perfume and poison. Sweet, deliberate, and impossible to ignore. She strolled in as if she still had a say in the kind of spaces I occupied.

“And you managed to get yourself through my security. Impressive.”

Her chuckle was smooth, practiced. “Aren’t you going to offer me a seat?”

“If you must.” I gestured lazily to the chair across from me. “Though I should warn you, I charge for consultations.”

Then I sat back, reclaiming my authority, as if this was any other meeting, not a ghost from my past walking through the door.

She lowered herself gracefully into the seat, crossing her legs with a precision that screamed control. Her eyes moved across the room, cataloging everything, the framed awards, the thick manuscripts, the window view that caught the city skyline. “You’ve built quite an empire for yourself.”

I leaned back, folding my arms. “You sound surprised.”

“Not surprised,” she said, smiling faintly. “Just amused. You were always so… determined.”

“That’s one word for survival,” I replied.

Her gaze lingered on my father’s photo. “You were never one to stay broken for long.”

I finally met her eyes. “And you were never one to visit without an agenda. What do you want, Tonia?”

She smiled wider, like a cat toying with its prey. “Must I have a reason? I heard about your little publicity storm. Headlines can be cruel.”

“I wouldn’t know,” I said, tone dry. “I’m usually too busy being in them.”

Her eyebrow twitched, just slightly. “Now sharp-tongued, I see.”

“Still meddling, I see.”

The faintest hint of irritation flickered across her face before smoothing into practiced charm. “You must have known that partnering with him again would draw attention.”

I smirked. “Is that what bothers you? That your son finally stopped doing exactly what you told him to?”

Her smile faltered for a heartbeat, quick, but I saw it. “Careful, dear. You don’t know what he’s capable of.”

“Oh, I do,” I said softly, holding her gaze. “Better than you ever did.”

The silence that followed wasn’t empty, It pulsed, heavy with everything unsaid. Her eyes narrowed slightly, studying me, like she was searching for cracks.

“You were never the woman I expected for him,” she said finally, her tone velvet but laced with something sharp. “Too independent. Too proud. But perhaps that’s why he couldn’t forget you.”

“Or maybe that’s why he lost me,” I replied, rising from my seat, meeting her height with equal calm.

Her eyes glinted with that familiar cold satisfaction. “Consider this a friendly visit, Eliora. A reminder that you’re walking a very thin line.”

“At least I’m walking in heels,” I said, smiling faintly. “Some people crawl on privilege instead.”

Her lips parted just a small breath, almost a laugh before her expression hardened. She tilted her head slightly, eyes bright with mock curiosity. “I hope you haven’t forgotten the reason you left my son. Or should I remind you?”

My chest tightened. My hand stilled against my desk. “Why, Ms. Donovan,” I said, smiling despite the lump in my throat, “do you suddenly enjoy me being part of your family?”

Her nostrils flared, the mask slipping for just a second before she composed herself again. “You being part of my family is not on my mind. And it never will be.”

“Good,” I said smoothly. “It’s not a family I envy.”

The silence that followed was strangely satisfying.

Tonia adjusted her pearl bracelet, stood, and smoothed her dress like she was wiping away invisible dust. “You’ve learned how to fight with words,” she said. “How…charming.”

“I learned from the best,” I replied. “You taught me that silence only serves the person holding the knife.”

Her brows lifted, impressed despite herself. “Perhaps you did learn something from us, after all.”

She turned toward the door, heels clicking sharply against the marble floor. Just before she reached it, her reflection caught in the glass. Elegant, poised, untouchable.

Without turning back, she said softly, “You were always stronger than he knew. But strength, my dear, doesn’t always save you.”

And with that, she was gone. Leaving behind the faint scent of jasmine and judgment.

I stood still, the quiet humming around me. My pulse was steady, too steady. She wanted to shake me.

She didn’t.Or maybe she did.

My gaze drifted to the photo of my father again and beside it, the folder Kian had given me last week. Everything about this family seemed to circle back like unfinished sentences.

I sighed, rubbing my temples.“What the hell does she mean?” I muttered under my breath.

This family sure had a way of leaving you confused… and cornered.

I moved around my desk, reaching for the pen that had rolled close to the edge when my phone buzzed against the wood sharp and sudden.

Unknown number.

It blinked once. Then again.

No name. No message. Just silence.

I stared at it for a moment, my chest tightening for no reason I could name. Then I turned it face-down and pushed it aside.

Probably nothing important.

But as I looked back at the door Tonia had walked through, a strange chill slid down my spine like the room had shifted, just slightly, and I was no longer alone in it.