The evening air felt heavy as everyone prepared to leave the grand event. Devon's mind was racing with thoughts of Clara, and he couldn't shake the feeling that he needed to talk to her. "I'll take Clara home," Devon announced, his voice cutting through the chatter of goodbyes.
But Nana was quicker than he expected. Her weathered face broke into a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. "Oh, how about you take Yvonne home instead, dear?" Her tone was sweet, but Devon caught the steel underneath it.
Yvonne stepped forward, nodding eagerly. "My driver left already, and it'll be too late by the time he comes back to get me."
Devon felt his jaw clench. He wanted to argue, wanted to insist, but Nana's knowing look stopped him cold. "Relax, my dear," she said, her voice soft but firm. "You trusted the driver you assigned to bring Clara here tonight. Trust them to take her home safely too."
He had no choice but to nod, forcing a smile that felt like sandpaper on
Devon walked slowly with Clara, his hand gently guiding her up the stairs. She could feel his fingers brush against hers as he took the things she was carrying."Where are we going?" she asked, her voice soft in the quiet evening."You'll see," he said, not looking back at her. "Trust me."They reached the rooftop, and Clara gasped. The night sky stretched out above them like a dark blanket covered in tiny diamonds. The stars were so bright up here, away from all the city lights below. She had never seen anything like it."Oh my god," she whispered. "This is beautiful."Devon watched her face light up as she looked around. There was a big comfortable couch set up on one side of the rooftop, with soft cushions and a small table beside it. He had planned this."Come, sit," he said, placing the things they brought on the small table between them.Clara sat down on the couch, still looking up at the stars. "How did you know I would love t
Clara was sitting in the cozy living room with Elise and Aileen after dinner talking about her day and how she was settling into the mansion. The three women had been chatting for about a while, sharing stories and getting to know each other better."I'm really glad you're here, Clara," Elise said, curling up on the sofa. "It's nice having another woman around who's close to my age.""Me too," Aileen added. "The house feels more lively now."Clara smiled warmly. "Thank you both. I was so nervous about coming here, but everyone has been so welcoming."They were laughing about something Aileen had said when they heard footsteps approaching. All three women turned to see Devon walking into the room, looking a bit hesitant."Oh, hey Devon," Elise said with a knowing smile. "What brings you here?"Devon glanced around the room, his eyes settling on Clara. "I was just... I would like to talk to Clara for a bit. If that's okay."Elise and Ai
The morning sun was shining through the windows as Clara stood in the hallway of James' house, her bags packed and ready by the door. She felt nervous because she was leaving James’ apartment to go live at the Cage’s till she gives birth. Their relationship was already on a rocky phase because of all the back to back quarrels she was having with James and they haven’t gotten a chance to speak and reconcile so that worried her a lot. But she knew she needed peace, she needed serenity, not shouting and chaos, her pregnancy was a delicate one and she needed to treat it as such.The driver and her bodyguard were busy carrying her things down the stairs while the maid helped with the smaller bags. Clara watched them work and took a deep breath. She was really doing this. She was really leaving.James stood across from her in the hallway, his hands in his pockets. His face looked cold and distant, like he didn't care at all about what was happening. Clara s
James walked into Yvonne's office building like a man on a mission. His face was still red with anger from the morning's fight with Clara. The security guard barely looked up as he stormed past the reception desk and straight to the elevator.When he burst through Yvonne's office door without knocking, she looked up from her computer with sharp eyes. "What the hell are you doing here?" she snapped. "I told you never to come to my workplace. People might see you."But James wasn't listening to her scolding. He grabbed her waist and pulled her close, his grip tight and desperate. The sudden contact made her go quiet, and she could feel the tension radiating from his body."Something's wrong with you," she said, studying his face. "What happened?"
The evening air felt heavy as everyone prepared to leave the grand event. Devon's mind was racing with thoughts of Clara, and he couldn't shake the feeling that he needed to talk to her. "I'll take Clara home," Devon announced, his voice cutting through the chatter of goodbyes.But Nana was quicker than he expected. Her weathered face broke into a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. "Oh, how about you take Yvonne home instead, dear?" Her tone was sweet, but Devon caught the steel underneath it.Yvonne stepped forward, nodding eagerly. "My driver left already, and it'll be too late by the time he comes back to get me."Devon felt his jaw clench. He wanted to argue, wanted to insist, but Nana's knowing look stopped him cold. "Relax, my dear," she said, her voice soft but firm. "You trusted the driver you assigned to bring Clara here tonight. Trust them to take her home safely too."He had no choice but to nod, forcing a smile that felt like sandpaper on
The soft music filled the dining room as dinner came to an end. Richard pulled his wife Rita close, their bodies moving in perfect harmony to the gentle melody. Across the room, Damien extended his hand to his sister Elise, and they began to sway together like they had done countless times since they were children.Devon stood by his chair, his eyes moving between Clara and Yvonne. His heart wanted to walk over to Clara, to take her hand and pull her close, to feel her warmth against him as they moved to the music. But the memory of her earlier coldness still stung. The way she had pulled back when he tried to touch her hand during dinner, the way she avoided his eyes when he spoke. He had messed up somehow, and he knew it.He didn't want to risk the embarrassment of having Clara refuse to dance with him in front of everyone. Not when he hadn't even figured out how to apologize to her for his rudeness the previous day.So instead, he walked toward Yvonne, who wa