“W-what are you planning, Regis?” Amora asked, studying him suspiciously as he flashed her a meaningful smile.“That’s a secret,” Regis replied.“Ugh, are you messing with me?” Amora muttered in annoyance.Seeing the disappointment on her face, Regis softened. “Until I get a clear word from the doctor, I’ll do my best not to touch you, Amora.”He ruffled her hair and added, “Just wait. I’ll give it to you when the time’s right. For now, sit pretty here and stop tempting me.”With that, Regis headed back into the bathroom to wash up—and to deal with the desire his wife had stirred up earlier.Amora froze. “The right time? And when exactly is that supposed to be? Hah! He’s teasing me again,” she huffed, glancing at his blurred reflection through the frosted glass.“Still, I guess it’s not too bad having a handsome husband—free eye candy,” she giggled to herself.Amora’s amusement didn’t last long. A sudden call flashed across her screen from an unknown number. “Who’s calling me this lat
“Thanks for driving me home, Dad,” Amora said to her father.She had just arrived at the entrance of her penthouse after visiting her grandmother. “Are you really not coming in?” she asked.“No. It’s already too late. Go inside and get some rest,” Alejandro replied.Amora gave a small nod. “You too, Dad. Be careful on the road, and just head straight home. Don’t wander around alone at night,” she reminded him.Alejandro chuckled. “Now who’s the parent and who’s the child here?”Amora giggled softly before saying, “Alright then, I’ll go in.”Her eyes shifted to her two bodyguards, who had been working for her since morning. “You two should go home and get some rest as well. Thanks for your hard work today,” she told them.Seth and Pedro simply nodded. Amora then walked inside her place, which was dimly lit. Several lights had already been turned off by Regis. She figured he must have gone to bed.It was almost eleven at night. Amora had gotten carried away chatting with her grandmother
“Grandma …,” Amora called softly, her voice barely above a whisper.Slowly, she reached for her grandmother’s frail hand, skin stretched so thin it felt like it was barely clinging to the bone. She didn’t dare hold it too tightly, afraid she might hurt her. Still, the gesture was enough to draw the old woman’s gaze toward her.“Grandma,” Amora called again.But Gilda Orlena still didn’t answer. The old woman just stared at Amora with eyes that seemed unfamiliar, distant.Amora knew her grandmother had been struggling with dementia for a long time, making it difficult for her to remember the things she once did so easily. The nursing home staff had scheduled regular treatments and therapy for her, but even though Gilda no longer recognized her, Amora refused to give up.“Grandma, it’s me, Amora. I’ve come back,” she said in a shaky, tearful voice that finally broke into sobs.And miraculously, Gilda reacted. She blinked several times as if digging deep, trying to find the answer buried
“Wh-What’s wrong, Cedric?”Alejandro was caught off guard when his youngest son suddenly called. At that moment, he was on his way to pick up Amora.Hank, who was behind the wheel, shot his master a quick glance. He, too, was surprised by the call.It had been a long time since he’d heard his boss speaking with the second young master. But a part of him worried that the call might not bring good news.His worry turned out to be unnecessary. Alejandro’s face lit up as he spoke on the phone.‘Looks like the young master is finally opening his heart,’ Hank thought, sharing his boss’s joy.Not long after, the car pulled up in front of the Orchid Theater. Still on the phone, Alejandro finally said, “Cedric, let’s talk again later, okay? If you’ve got time, let’s have dinner together this week before I leave for Switzerland.”After hanging up, Alejandro stepped out of the car. Waiting outside the theater were Amora and Rayden, flanked by Seth and Pedro. Estelle and Kimmy had already been pi
Cedric scoffed coldly. “So … after getting your recognition, are you expecting me to start calling you ‘little sister’ and forgive everything your mother did to mine?”“No need. I don’t want to hear it. I don’t need your recognition,” Amora shot back, leaving Cedric at a loss for words.Hearing her unexpected response, Dave, who had been listening the whole time, couldn’t help but chuckle. It was the first time he’d ever seen Cedric rendered completely speechless like this.His laughter instantly died when Cedric threw him a sharp glare. Dave quickly pressed his lips together and decided to stay out of it.“I just hope you’ll make some time to visit Dad, that’s all. It doesn’t matter if you don’t acknowledge me. That’s nothing to me. But I just don’t want you to regret it when one day … You can’t see him anymore.”Her words made Cedric frown. “What’s that supposed to mean? Did something happen to Dad?” he asked, suspicion creeping into his tone.Amora’s lips curled into a faint smile.
“You two know each other, Cedric?”Dave glanced between Amora and Cedric, clearly confused.Estelle stiffened. She’d heard things about Cedric before—both from her husband and from Amora—and it made her instantly wary. She worried he might try something against Amora.Cedric, however, only gave a faint smile at his friend’s confusion. Yes, he and Dave Mikhailov were close friends. He’d come today to congratulate him on the recital.Amora met the gaze of her half-brother. Cedric looked sturdier than before, though tired. She thought he must be doing well in life, even if weighed down.She knew Cedric was the one running the Volker business, much like Regis did with his. After the downfall of Golden Snake, Volker Group had been rocked by falling stock prices and investors pulling out. It couldn’t have been easy to restore the company’s reputation.And yet, seeing it still standing, Amora knew Cedric had managed to pull it through.“Cedric, you haven’t answered me,” Dave pressed, noticin