MasukAdrian's phone kept ringing between them, the sharp sound cutting through the silence.Neither of them moved at first.Then Adrian reached for the phone and answered, his expression unreadable.“Yes, Grandfather.”Alessia stood still, her body tense. She couldn’t hear Augustus from where she stood, only Adrian’s side of the conversation.Adrian’s eyes lifted briefly to hers. “She’s here,” he said calmly.A cold feeling settled in Alessia’s stomach.There was a pause while Adrian listened. Then he gave a small nod. “Understood.”He ended the call and placed the phone back on the desk. For a moment, he said nothing.Alessia hated the silence more than anything.“Well?” she asked, sharper than intended.Adrian looked at her. “My grandfather wants to see you.”Her chest tightened. “Us?”Adrian shook his head. “You.”The single word landed heavily.Alessia stared at him. “What?”“He asked for you to come alone.”Her composure slipped for a brief second. That was worse.If Augustus had call
That night, Adrian never came home.Alessia stayed awake far longer than she should have, sitting alone in the dim light of her bedroom. With every passing hour, the quiet felt heavier.She waited, though not because this was unusual. Adrian rarely spent nights at the mansion, and their marriage had never been built on shared routines or domestic expectations. They had understood that years ago without ever discussing it.But tonight felt different.Not after what her mother had told her. Not after Elara. Not after learning there was a child.By midnight, Alessia had already called Adrian several times. None were answered. Eventually, every call went straight to voicemail.Her jaw tightened. He was avoiding her.And somehow, that irritated her more than if he had simply answered.By morning, her patience was gone.If Adrian refused to come home, then she would go to him.The lobby of Wolfe Group was already busy when Alessia arrived.Employees moved through the marble halls with pract
Alessia stood by the window in her room, holding a glass she had long stopped drinking from. Outside, the city lights stretched into the night, bright and alive in a way the house never was. Behind her, the mansion stayed quiet: grand, polished, beautiful on the surface, but cold underneath.Nothing about her marriage had ever felt warm.Not in the beginning. Not now.For years, she and Adrian had kept up the image everyone expected from them, a perfect couple from a powerful family. They shared the same last name, the same house, and the same public life.But behind closed doors, it was different.Separate rooms. Separate routines. Separate lives.A knock broke the silence.Alessia turned toward the door. Before she could answer, it opened.Her mother stepped in without waiting.Solen looked as polished as always, dressed in a dark coat, her expression calm and unreadable.That alone made Alessia uneasy. Solen never arrived unannounced unless something was wrong.“Mother?” Alessia st
Upstairs, Caelum began to quietly connect pieces that still didn’t form a complete picture.He sat cross-legged on the floor, his building kit untouched beside him. Normally, he would already be focused, carefully putting parts together. But today, his mind kept drifting back to what he had heard.You’ll meet him soon.The words kept repeating in his head, calm, simple, like a fact waiting for meaning.Caelum wasn’t easily confused. He was young, but unusually observant. He listened more than he spoke, and when he asked questions, it was because he already sensed something didn’t fit.Helena was nearby, folding a few books onto the shelf, when he finally spoke.“Nana Helena?”She turned. “Yes?”Caelum hesitated, then asked quietly, “What did he mean?”Helena paused. She already understood what he was referring to, but she answered carefully.“About what, Caelum?”His expression stayed steady, but his voice sharpened slightly. “My real father.”Helena sighed inwardly. Too soon.She set
The moment Caelum disappeared upstairs, the warmth in the house seemed to leave with him.A heavy silence settled over the living room.Aria stood near the staircase, arms loosely crossed, her posture calm but guarded. Across from her, Augustus remained standing with his hands behind his back, his sharp eyes fixed on her.For a few seconds, neither of them spoke.Then Augustus broke the silence.“You should have told me.”No greeting. No politeness. Straight to the point.Aria let out a slow breath. She had expected this conversation the moment he arrived.“When?” she asked.Augustus frowned. “When I came to your office.”His voice sharpened. “I went there to confirm whether Elara was really you. To confirm that you were Adrian’s stand-in wife.” His eyes narrowed. “We sat across from each other, and yet you never once mentioned you had a child.”Aria met his gaze evenly. “Because that meeting was never about Caelum.”“And that was your decision to make?”“Yes.”Her answer came without
Morning came quietly at the Ashbourne house, calm and almost normal.Sunlight filled the tall windows, warming the kitchen and dining area. For the first time since they arrived, the house felt less like a refuge and more like home.Caelum had been awake early. New places always made him curious.By the time Aria came downstairs, he was already at the dining table with a book while Helena prepared breakfast. The smell of toast, eggs, and coffee filled the room.He turned at her footsteps. “Good morning, Mom.”Aria gave a faint smile. “You’re up early.”“I wanted to see the house in daylight.”“Breakfast is ready,” Helena sa







