RARE SMILES AND DANGEROUS THOUGHT

CHAPTER NINE: RARE SMILES AND DANGEROUS THOUGHT

CASPIAN'S POV

I opened the front door and stopped immediately.

My aunt Helena, stood on the other side. She looked shocked when she saw me. Her eyes widened for a second before she controlled her face again.

“So you actually came home,” she said, sounding shocked. But her voice was still cold, like always.

“Aunt Helena.” I stepped aside and let her in. She walked into the house and looked around. Then she saw Serena sitting at the kitchen island, still eating the lunch I had made. Helena glanced at her. She didn’t say anything. She just nodded once. Then she turned back to me.

“There was a board meeting today,” she said. “And you missed it. You didn’t pick your calls. Then I remembered I had left my phone upstairs.”

She continued speaking while she held a folder in her hand. “I came to give you the documents myself.”

Helena glanced at Serena again. The look was short and sharp. Then she turned and handed the documents to me. Gave me a sharp look and then walked out of the house without another word. The door closed behind her with a soft click.

I locked the door and looked at Serena. Her face looked uneasy. She had stopped eating for a moment. The calm expression she had on earlier was gone. I knew Helena’s presence always made her tense. My aunt had that effect on most people.

I walked back to the kitchen and sat down across from her again. We went back to eating in silence for a few minutes. The food was still warm. I watched Serena take small bites. She was careful not to look at me for too long.

I decided to tell her the news.

“Lucas has been moved to the top of the list. He's now a priority.” I said softly.

Serena’s head snapped up. For a second she just stared at me. Then her face broke into a real smile. It was bright and full. Something I rarely saw. She only smiled like that when she talked about her brother. The smile reached her eyes and made her whole face soft.

“Really?” she asked. Her voice was full of hope.

I nodded. “Yes. The procedure is set. You can go and visit him whenever you want. His doctor would contact you directly about everything.”

Serena’s smile grew even bigger, clasping her hands in front of her, she said softly, “Thank you, Caspian. Really. Thank you very much.”

I looked at her smile and felt something tight in my chest. I wanted to see that smile more. I loved it. I knew I shouldn’t. Attachment was a weakness. Helena had told me that for years. It has been ringing in my head for years. Emotions destroyed my mother. I had built my life on control. But right now, looking at Serena’s happy face, I didn’t care about those rules. I wanted to make her smile more.

I cleared my throat and looked down at my plate. “Remember the dinner tonight.”

Serena nodded, still smiling. “I remember.”

I stood up and walked toward the stairs. When I reached the bottom step, I looked back. Serena was still sitting at the island. She thought I had gone upstairs. She started doing a small happy dance in her seat while she continued eating. Her shoulders moved a little. Her head bobbed. The smile was still on her face.

I stood there and watched her for a few seconds. Something warm spread in my chest. It was dangerous. I knew it was. But I couldn’t look away.

I turned and walked up the stairs. My mind was full of her smile. The rare one. The one that only appeared when she talked about Lucas. I wanted to see it again. I wanted to be the reason for it more often. Even if I knew it was a bad idea.

In the room, I closed the door and sat on the edge of the bed. The documents Helena had left were still in my hand. I put them on the nightstand without opening them. Work could wait. For the first time in a long time, work could wait.

I thought about what she was doing in the study earlier. I would look further into that.

I also looked forward to the dinner tonight. I had planned it on purpose. I wanted more time with her. More of that smile. More of the way she looked when she forgot to hate me for a moment.

My phone buzzed on the bed. A message from Nathan. I ignored it for now. Everything else could wait.

I leaned back and closed my eyes. Serena’s smile stayed in my mind. The happy dance. The soft thank you. The way her face lit up.

I knew I was in trouble. I had married her to control a scandal. Now I was staying home from meetings just to cook her lunch and watch after her.

Helena would call it weakness. I called it something else. Something I wasn’t ready to name yet.

I stood up and walked to the window. Outside, the city buzzed. Inside this house.

Tonight at dinner, I would watch her again. I would try to make her smile one more time. Even if it was dangerous. Even if it went against everything I had been taught.

I wanted that smile. And I was starting to want the woman who wore it.

Then suddenly, a ringing tone snapped me out of my thoughts.

I glanced around. It wasn't my phone.

It was Serena's.

“Serena!” I called out as I walked towards the sound. I found it on the nightstand. I picked it up and the name across was strange.

“A”

Who is “A”?

Before I could pick it, Serena appeared in the doorway, looking panicked.

“Stop.” she yelled, snatching the phone from me with an unbelievable speed.

My brows furrowed. “What the fuck, Serena?”