I forced myself to focus on my plate, mechanically cutting my food and bringing it to my mouth. The knot in my stomach made it hard to swallow, but I kept eating, desperate to appear unaffected by the tension around me.
"And Regan," my father said suddenly, dabbing the napkin to his mouth, "you should consider convincing Anastasia about the inheritance. It's crucial for the future of our company."
I froze my fork halfway to my mouth. I could feel Regan's eyes on me, and for a moment, the table went silent.
“That’s unnecessary, Dad” I replied sharply.
Regan's response was calm, "May I ask why?"
My father glanced at me and shook his head as if disappointed, "Well, she's a little stubborn. You know how she is she can be a little selfish."
"Gregory, that's enough," my grandfather warned.
"But Dad it's true. She can be a little brat."
I can even feel and hear his disgust and hate towards me. My grip on the fork tightened. I stopped
I looked at Regan — his clothes soaked, his face bruised and streaked with rain and blood. My breath hitched. Before I knew it, I was already stepping toward him, my hands twitching, aching to reach out — to wipe the blood away, to ask why he came. But I stopped myself. Forced my feet to stay still. Drew in a deep breath.I stood there, watching my father and brothers disappear into the house, the door left slightly ajar behind them. My pulse was still racing, my clothes sticking to my skin when a shadow fell over me.I turned—only to see Regan standing there, holding an umbrella over my head. His face was bruised, blood trailing from a small cut on his lip and eyebrow, but his voice… it was soft, low, that same deep tone I used to know.“You’ll get sick,” he said simply.I just stared at him for a moment—at his beautiful blue eyes. My heart stumbled, confused, and before I could stop myself, I slapped his hand away. The umbrella tilted to the side, his arm moving slightly from the fo
We exchanged a look.Marianne and I rushed out of my room, hurrying down the stairs when we noticed the house staff gathered near the entrance — their faces tense, eyes fixed on the gate.“What’s going on?” Marianne asked one of them, but before anyone could answer, we both caught sight of the chaos outside.My father and Gerard were at the gate — fists flying, rage written all over their faces — and in the middle of it all was the only person I am expecting at all to see this evening.Regan.He wasn’t fighting back. He just stood there, blood dripping from his lip, taking every hit as if he deserved it. Christopher was struggling to hold them back.“How dare you show your face here?!” Gerard’s voice thundered, his fist tightening again. “After everything you’ve done, you think you can just walk in like nothing happened?”My father’s tone was colder, sharper. “You’ve got some nerve, Regan. You should’ve stayed where you belong—far away from my daughter.”Regan didn’t respond. He just
I sighed and stopped what I was doing, the half-folded clothes forgotten on the bed. The air inside the room felt heavy, so I stepped out onto the balcony, letting the cool breeze brush against my skin. I closed my eyes, breathing in, trying to clear my thoughts — until my phone buzzed.An unknown number flashed across the screen. I hesitated for a moment before swiping to answer. “Hello?”“Anastasia?”I froze. That voice —deep, rough around the edges — I’d know it anywhere. “Regan?”“Yeah.” A slow breath. “Hi.”It was awkward. Painfully awkward.“I, uh… tried contacting you,” he started, his voice uncertain, almost hesitant. “But I didn’t know your number. I even tried asking Chris, but, well… he didn’t—which I expected. Fortunately, um… the divorce documents had it, so—”“Just tell me what you want,” I cut him off, sharper than I intended.He cleared his throat. “Are you—uh—yeah, sorry. Are you… available later?”I frowned slightly. “Later?”“I was thinking we could go out. Just di
That night, the house slowly fell quiet — one by one, doors shutting, lights dimming. I was already in my room, brushing my hair and preparing to sleep, when a soft knock came at the door.It was Phoenix.“Hey,” I said, smiling. “Couldn’t sleep?”She walked in, hugging a pillow to her chest. “Thought I’d crash here. It’s been a while since our last sleepover.”I nodded, motioning for her to sit on the bed with a chuckle. “Sure. It’s been months.”For a few minutes, we just talked — little things, light and easy. But then she fell quiet, her gaze turning distant.“Why didn’t you ask?” she said suddenly.“Ask what?” I frowned.“About earlier,” she replied softly. “About our reactions when you told us what Regan wanted. I thought you’d ask us. You didn’t.”I blinked, caught off guard by her tone. Before I could answer, she stood abruptly and hurried out of the room.“Phoenix?” I called after her, confused.Two minutes later, she came back — a black envelope in her hand.She didn’t say an
After that, I went back to the house. The moment I stepped inside, the familiar scent of freshly brewed in the living room greeted me. Then came Christopher. He was leaning casually by the staircase, but the instant he saw me, his face lit up.“Hey,” he said, crossing the room in a few strides before pressing a kiss on my cheek. “You’re finally back.”I smiled faintly. “Yeah. Just… had to meet someone.”His eyes narrowed slightly, sharp and knowing. “Someone?”“Regan,” I admitted, with a sigh.The shift in his expression was immediate — his jaw tensed, his playful ease vanishing in a heartbeat. “You what?”“Chris—” I sighed, holding up a hand before he could start. “I met him to end everything. I agreed to his condition so we can finally move on.”He stared at me for a long moment, his gaze unreadable, then finally looked away, his eyes fixed somewhere distant. Then, after a while, he exhaled softly, the tension in his shoulders loosening. Without a word, he stepped closer and pulled
Regan’s voice was sharp, the kind that made everyone freeze. The guards instantly lowered their heads, the nannies stepping back, stammering, “S-Sir, we—”But he wasn’t listening. His eyes were locked on Reid—clinging to me, face buried in my shoulder, trembling. I saw it then, that flicker of fear and guilt warping into anger. Not at the boy. At the world. At himself.Regan ran a hand down his face, his other hand tightening into a fist. His chest rose and fell fast, his breathing uneven. He looked like a man caught between rage and despair — and for the first time in years, I saw something in his eyes I didn’t expect. Fear.I swallowed hard, my hand instinctively tightening around Reid’s small frame. “He’s okay,” I said softly, breaking the silence. “Zarina—he tried to take him, but I stopped her.”He looked at me then — really looked. There was gratitude in his eyes, yes, but also something else, something darker, heavier.His jaw clenched again, eyes flickering with frustration.