Chapter 48: After sunset

Little by little, the evening drew to a close.

Richard rose from his armchair, stretching his shoulders after the long chess match.

"I've still got a few documents to look over before bed," he said, glancing around the room. "Don't stay up too late, everyone."

"You're one to talk," Lucas muttered with a grin. "You practically live in your study."

Richard chuckled, giving Lucas's shoulder a light pat as he walked out.

Vivian finished the last sip of her tea and stood gracefully. "I'm turning in. Good night."

"Good night," everyone answered almost in unison.

Lucas yawned so dramatically it earned a laugh from Evie.

"I've got an early meeting tomorrow," he complained as he climbed the stairs. "If my alarm doesn't wake me, someone better do it."

Maria called after him, "Only if you promise not to complain before breakfast."

"No promises," Lucas replied, disappearing upstairs to his guest room.

Lucas has always been like family to Scott since his parents died in an accident. Richard and Vivian, who trained him at the same school as Aiden, became close friends with him. After school, Richard took him in as his own son, employing him, but in business settings and work-related situations, he is treated as one of Richard's employees.

Before long, the once lively living room became quiet.

Evie reached for the novel lying on the coffee table and settled back onto the sofa, opening it to a random page. Her eyes skimmed over the words without absorbing a single sentence.

She wasn't reading. She was waiting.

Aiden stood from his seat as though he, too, intended to retire for the evening.

As he walked past the sofa, his pace never faltered. Without looking at her, he slipped a folded bookmark between the pages of her book.

The movement was so natural that anyone watching would have assumed he was simply straightening the novel before walking away.

He continued toward the hallway without a backward glance.

Evie's pulse quickened.

She waited until his footsteps disappeared before carefully unfolding the bookmark beneath the cover of the book.

Only three words were written in his familiar handwriting. “Five minutes. Rooftop.”

A smile threatened to betray her.

She quickly pressed her lips together and slipped the bookmark back inside the novel.

After counting slowly to three hundred in her head, she closed the book and stood.

"I think I'm getting sleepy too," she said casually.

Maria looked up from collecting the empty dessert plates. "Sleep well, dear."

"I will."

No one questioned her.

No one suspected that the night was only just beginning.

The rooftop welcomed her with a cool breeze that carried the faint scent of jasmine from the gardens below.

Above, the night stretched endlessly, scattered with stars that seemed brighter away from the city's noise. Beyond the estate walls, countless lights shimmered across the skyline like tiny lanterns.

Aiden stood near the railing with his hands resting lightly against it.

He didn't turn when the rooftop door clicked shut behind her.

Instead, a small smile appeared on his face.

"I was beginning to think you'd changed your mind."

Evie walked over until she stood beside him.

"I had to make sure Luca wasn't wandering around looking for snacks."

Aiden laughed softly. "That would've been unfortunate."

"He would've interrogated me for at least twenty minutes."

"And somehow still ended up asking Maria for cake."

She laughed, the sound carried away by the breeze.

For a while, they simply admired the view.

It wasn't an awkward silence. It was the kind that only existed between two people who never felt pressured to fill every quiet moment.

Evie rested her forearms against the railing.

"Do you remember the old blue bicycle Dad bought me?"

"The one with the basket?" Aiden asked immediately.

She nodded. "I was convinced I could ride it without training wheels."

"You were."

"And I lasted exactly seven seconds."

Aiden chuckled. "You didn't fall gracefully, either."

"I scraped both knees."

"You cried so loudly the neighbours came outside."

She nudged his arm. "I was eight."

"You were dramatic."

"I was injured."

"You were offended by gravity."

Evie burst into laughter. "And then you carried me all the way home."

"You refused to walk."

"My knees hurt."

"You were perfectly capable of walking."

"I preferred my chauffeur."

Aiden shook his head with an amused smile. "I remember thinking you weighed as much as a sack of bricks."

"You still carried me."

"I wasn't going to leave you there."

The conversation drifted naturally from one memory to another.

They talked about afternoons spent doing homework together.

How Aiden patiently explained mathematics until she finally understood.

How he'd quietly completed his own assignments only after making sure hers were finished.

"And every time I got the answer right," Evie recalled, "you'd pretend you were my teacher."

"I was an excellent teacher."

"You charged outrageous tuition."

"It was one chocolate bar.”

“Per lesson."

"I had standards."

They laughed again. Evie glanced sideways.

"You also terrified every child who ever tried to bully me."

"They stopped bothering you."

"They practically crossed the street whenever they saw you."

"I considered that an effective strategy."

She smiled warmly. "There was also the suit."

Aiden groaned dramatically. "I was hoping you'd forgotten."

"Never."

"I spilt an entire tray of blue paint all over your brand-new suit."

"My favourite one."

"You told Dad you'd accidentally knocked it over yourself."

He shrugged. "You looked like you were about to confess to a crime."

"I thought Dad would ground me forever."

"So I saved you."

Evie's smile softened. "You've been covering for me since I was little."

Aiden looked at her for a long moment before answering. "Some habits are impossible to break."

The words settled gently between them.

Neither spoke again for several moments.

The city sparkled beneath the night sky.

Evie let out a quiet breath. "I wish life could stay like this." "So peaceful." "So uncomplicated."

Aiden wasn't looking at the city anymore.

He was looking at her. "It is."

She turned slightly. "What?"

"It feels simple...whenever you're around."

Her heartbeat stumbled. He didn't look away.

Didn't laugh. Didn't try to soften what he'd said.

He simply continued.

"I've attended award ceremonies."

"Closed billion-dollar deals." "Travelled to places most people only dream about."

He smiled faintly. "But somehow...none of those moments stay with me the way an ordinary evening with you does."

Emotion welled in Evie's chest.

Without thinking, she rested her head gently against his shoulder. Aiden didn't move.

Didn't speak.

He simply leaned his head lightly against hers.

Sometimes silence carried more meaning than words ever could.

Downstairs, Maria made one last round through the kitchen, ensuring everything had been cleaned before the staff retired for the night.

Satisfied, she switched off the lights and stepped into the hallway.

As she passed the staircase, something caught her attention.

The rooftop door wasn't fully closed.

It rested slightly ajar.

Maria paused. A knowing smile slowly touched her lips. "So that's where you two disappeared to," she murmured fondly.

Instead of climbing the stairs, she quietly walked over and pushed the door almost shut, leaving just enough space that it wouldn't latch completely.

She had no intention of disturbing them.

Turning to one of the younger housemaids, she said casually, "I'll lock upstairs later. You can finish in the pantry."

"Yes, Ma."

Maria waited until the maid disappeared before glancing once more toward the staircase.

Then she walked away, leaving the rooftop undisturbed.

The breeze grew cooler.

Aiden slipped a hand into his pocket before pulling out a tiny silver keychain shaped like a compass. He held it out to her. "I saw it this afternoon...and it reminded me of you."

Evie accepted it carefully, turning it over in her palm. "A compass?"

He nodded. "So that whenever life feels uncertain...you'll remember there's always a way back."

She looked down at the little compass before lifting her eyes to his. A tender smile spread across her face. "I already know my way."

Aiden raised an eyebrow.

She intertwined her fingers with his. "My way home has always been you."

He squeezed her hand gently.

Above them, the stars continued to shine in quiet witness.

Neither noticed the faint glint of glass from somewhere beyond the estate walls.

Outside Scott Mansion, hidden beneath the shadow of an old tree beyond the wrought-iron gates, a dark SUV remained motionless.

Its engine was off. Its headlights dark.

Only the long lens of a professional camera emerged slightly from a half-open window.

Click.

A photograph captured Aiden and Evie standing shoulder to shoulder beneath the night sky.

Click.

Another froze the instant their hands met.

The unseen photographer studied the images one after another before zooming in.

A slow, satisfied smile formed. "No proof...not yet."

“At this point I would need proof of them making out.”

The camera disappeared back into the vehicle.

Moments later, the engine hummed quietly to life.

The SUV pulled away without attracting attention, melting into the darkness beyond the estate.

High above, Aiden and Evie remained beneath the stars, blissfully unaware that another seemingly ordinary evening had become one more piece in a puzzle someone else was patiently putting together.