Semua Bab Runway Matrix : Bab 61 - Bab 70

“Eloise?” Aurelia’s voice softened with concern.“I—I think he was a fan,” Eloise said quietly. “I told him to go away, I didn’t want to make a scene in front of Kyle.”Lucas’s brow furrowed, his tone measured but protective. “Did he follow you?”Eloise shook her head quickly. “No, I don’t think so. We left right after.”Aurelia could feel the tension rising between them. She rose to her feet and went to her sister, taking her hands. “You should’ve called me immediately, El.”“I know,” Eloise whispered. “I just… didn’t want to worry you. You’ve had so much already.”Lucas stood up then, his presence quiet but commanding. He crouched beside Kyle. “Hey, champ. How about we go see if those peacocks are still in the garden?”Kyle’s eyes widened in instant delight. “Really?! The ones that make the funny noise?”“Exactly those,” Lucas said with a grin. “And we’ll check the kitchen—see what’s cooking for dinner, hmm?”Kyle bounced on his toes. “Yay! I hope it’s pasta!”Lucas winked at Aureli

Henry’s smile returned — colder this time, a perfect mask of control. “We’ll see,” he murmured. She took a deep breath, her hands clenched at her sides. “Go back to whatever hell you crawled out of, Henry. And don’t ever come near me or my son. I'm warning you." He chuckled, unfazed, lifting his glass one last time. “You’ve always had fire in you, Aurelia. I almost missed it.” She turned sharply and walked away, her heart pounding, the folded report still clutched in her hand. The moment she pushed through the bar doors, the chill night air hit her, but she didn’t stop walking. Her chest was tight, her mind spinning, rage and fear clawing at her insides. Back in the booth, Henry finished his drink in one long gulp, jaw tightening. He pulled out his iPhone, dialed a number, and waited. When the voice on the other end answered, his tone dropped — cold, commanding. “Yeah. The drum is already rolling.” A pause. The faint murmur of the voice responding. Henry’s mouth curved into a

As they moved through the aisles, Eloise picked up a flowing pink dress, running her hands along the fabric. Her mind, however, wasn’t on the dress. She couldn’t stop thinking about Aurelia’s pale face earlier that morning, the tightness in her voice when she mentioned she had to meet someone and couldn't join them for shopping. “Eloise,” Lucas said suddenly, breaking her reverie. She blinked, startled. “Hm?” He turned toward her, studying her with that sharp, perceptive gaze of his. “Two days ago,” he began, voice calm but steady, “you came home looking... troubled. What happened?” Eloise’s pulse jumped. “Oh, that?” she said quickly, forcing a light tone. “It was nothing. I was just tired. Paris has been... busy.” Lucas didn’t buy it. “Busy,” he repeated slowly, crossing his arms. “That’s what you call looking pale as a ghost and nearly tripping over yourself walking in?” Eloise let out a nervous laugh. “You have a very creative memory.” He took a step closer, lowering

She got to the door, her knuckles white around the handle. She didn’t knock. She pushed the door open. Lucas sat behind his desk, papers scattered before him, his phone pressed to his ear. His sleeves were rolled up, his tie loosened, and there was a tension in his posture that hadn’t left since he returned. The sound of the door made him glance up immediately. When he saw her — hair slightly disheveled, chest rising and falling with barely contained emotion — he muttered a quick “I’ll call you back,” and dropped the phone onto the desk. “Are you okay?” he said quietly, his tone guarded. Aurelia stepped inside, shutting the door behind her. The click of the latch sounded louder than it should have. “What did you ask Eloise?” she demanded, her voice trembling but sharp. Lucas frowned, taken aback. “I asked her what’s been bothering you. You’ve been distant since the press conference when...I thought—” “You thought interrogating my sister was the way to find out?” she cut in, he

Her hands clenched in her lap. “He was married. I didn’t know that for a while. He lied. He told me he loved me in ways that made me feel like a person again. I was foolish. I wanted him to see me. We met in motels. It was messy and secret and dangerous because I thought—if I had him, maybe I was not the girl who ate dinner in her bed and brushed off insults from her stepmother.” Lucas’s face was unreadable, the lines around his mouth taut with the effort of containing himself. Aurelia didn’t look at him; she looked at the space where the shadows pooled in the corner. “Eloise found out.” The word landed like a stone. “She saw him at a café with his wife. She followed him and saw him go home with her. She came home and told me. I… I went to confront him. I was furious, humiliated. He didn’t deny it. He looked at me like I was a foolish child and then—then his wife followed. She was not the quiet type. She burst into the motel we were meeting, and everything was chaos. She beat me. Sh