تسجيل الدخولA brief silence settled between them. Finally, Adrian spoke. “Things have changed dad.”Victor stared at him. “What changed?”Adrian looked away for a moment. “I saw my children today.”Victor froze. “You… what?”“I went to their school.” His voice softened. Victor didn’t say a word. A faint smile appeared on Adrian’s face, but it carried more pain than happiness. “They hugged me.” His eyes lowered. “They didn’t hate me.”Victor slowly sat back down. He had never seen his son like this. For years, Adrian had buried every feeling behind work. Today… That wall had cracked.Victor spoke more gently. “I know seeing them affected you.”“It did.”“But that doesn’t mean you throw away everything we have built.”Adrian looked back at him. “I’m tired, Dad.”“Tired of what?”“Trying to fix everything just because of the company, I have my own life to live. I have a family I have to win back..”Victor remained quiet.“I have caused Serena so much, I don't even know what it's like to train those
By the time I arrived at the bar, the sky had turned completely dark. Warm lights glowed through the large glass windows, giving the place a calm, welcoming feeling. Soft music played in the background as people laughed quietly over dinner.Nathan was already there. The moment he saw me, he stood up with a smile. “I was beginning to think you’d changed your mind.”I laughed as I walked over. “I'm sorry, I was quite busy.”“You also said you’d be on time.” “I got caught up at work.”“I figured.”He pulled out a chair for me. “Thank you.”“You’ve earned it after working all day.”I smiled and sat down. A waiter came over with two menus. Nathan looked at me. “Still letting me choose?”“I’ve never complained before.”“That’s true.”He handed the menus back to the waiter and told the waiter what to bring for us.The waiter nodded politely and walked away. I leaned back in my chair and looked around. “This place is quieter than I expected.”“I chose it for that reason.”“So we can actually
By the time I looked up from my laptop, the office had become unusually quiet. The steady sound of keyboards had disappeared. The conversations outside my office were gone. I glanced at the clock. It was already evening.I rubbed my eyes and stretched my shoulders before saving the last file. A soft knock came from my office door. “Come in.”Emma stepped inside with her handbag over one shoulder. “You’ve been in here for hours.”“I know.”She looked at the papers scattered across my desk and smiled. “Still working?”“I just need to finish a few things.”She walked over and placed another folder beside me. “I’ve already reviewed tomorrow’s schedule.”“Anything urgent?”“Nothing that can’t wait until morning.” she replied.I closed the folder in front of me. “Good.”Emma studied me for a second. “You don’t look like you’re coming straight home.”I smiled. “I’m not.”“Oh?”“I’m meeting Nathan.”Emma raised an eyebrow. “So that’s why you’ve been trying to finish everything.”“I promised h
At the office, Nathan stayed longer than I expected. The conversation that started with business slowly became more relaxed, but we never drifted too far from work. My laptop was still open between us, displaying the latest concept for Lumina Studio’s upcoming project.Nathan leaned forward and studied the design carefully. “I like this entrance,” he said, pointing at the screen. “But why did you choose this layout instead of the original one?”I smiled. “Because the original design looked beautiful, but it wasn’t practical.”“How so?”“It created too many blind spots. We want people to walk into the space and immediately feel comfortable because of how th design makes them feel. If they’re confused the moment they enter, we’ve already failed.”He nodded thoughtfully. “That makes sense.”I clicked to the next page. “This section is still unfinished.”“The lighting?”“Exactly.”He looked at me with genuine interest. “So you’re trying to make the whole place feel warmer?”“Not just warm
Adrian had barely taken a few steps when he stopped at the entrance of the Laurent group. Group headquarters. Meetings were waiting. Reports needed signing. People expected him. Yet none of it felt important anymore.His thoughts kept returning to one thing, his children.The conversation he had with himself earlier refused to leave his mind. If he truly wanted to change, if he truly wanted Serena to believe he was no longer the man who had hurt her, then he had to start with the people who deserved him the most.He turned and went back to his car. Without another thought, he started the car and turned the steering wheel. The car left the building and headed toward the children’s school. His heart beat faster the closer he got. He didn’t even know if seeing them was the right decision. He only knew he couldn’t keep pretending they didn’t exist.Back at Lumina company. I had barely opened another design file when my phone rang again. Nathan. I answered almost immediately.“Hello, Natha
Nathan ended the call after checking up on me. I smiled as I slipped my phone back into my bag. When I turned around, Adrian was still standing where I had left him. The officers had already cleared the office, and the noise outside had faded. The room felt quiet.I walked back to him. “Thank you,” I said sincerely. “For today.”He smiled. “You already thanked me.”“I know. I’m saying it again.”His smile grew a little. “I’m just glad we got him.”“So am I.”For a moment, neither of us spoke. Then as I was leaving I remembered something. “Oh… and Adrian.”He looked at me.“I’m still waiting to hear from you about the contract.” Without looking back, I walked out of the office.The office door closed behind Serena. Adrian remained where he stood. Her final words echoed in his mind. The contract. Nothing else. Not his apology. Not the years they had lost. Just the contract.He let out a slow breath. That single word reminded him how much distance still stood between them. Serena truste
I spent the morning trying to make myself useful. Anything to feel less like a shadow in this house. One of the younger maids was struggling with heavy flower vases in the main hall, so I stepped in to help carry one. Her eyes widened in surprise, but she gave me a small, grateful smile.We were ha
I avoided everyone for the rest of the day. It wasn’t hard.Nobody came looking for me anyway.The mansion was too large, too cold, filled with people who work as maids. Every hallway felt unfamiliar. Every room reminded me that this wasn’t my home.I spent most of the afternoon sitting near the wi
“There’s a family willing to help us,” my mother explained quickly. “Very powerful. Very wealthy. But they have conditions.”My stomach tightened. “What kind of conditions?” I asked.My sister let out a soft, shaky breath. “They want their son to be married so that they can get a grandchild out of
That night, I sat alone in the vast bedroom that wasn’t mine, wearing a white light robe they had given me after the wedding with no panties under. My hands were clenched so tightly in my lap that my nails left little crescent marks on my palms. I felt nervous.The door opened.He stepped in, jacke







