All Chapters of THE WOLFE LEGACY: HEIRESS OF THE EMPIRE: Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

~ARIA~The days blurred together like a painting I didn't choose. As I spent two more days in this place, I realized that some cages didn't need bars to feel like prisons.Yes… I hadn’t been stopped from moving around and no one had shouted, locked doors, or threatened me, but still, I knew better than to call it freedom.And the woman I was counting on -Sienna- my lifeline, had gone completely silent. Not a single word since she promised she’d reach out again. I had waited, and waited, but her number never connected whenever I tried to call. There were no missed calls. No messages. Nothing, and that silence was starting to feel like an answer I didn’t want. But even in the uncertainty, I didn’t panic. I chose to watch. Not in fear or helplessness, but to learn to bide my time.The sterile walls no longer felt entirely foreign, and I’d started to notice the patterns. One of the guards outside my door had a slight limp on his right foot. One of the hallway cameras flickered precisely e

~CASSIAN~I sat in my study, halfway through reviewing old files spread across the table when my phone rang. When the name lit up the screen, I hesitated, then answered on the third ring.The line crackled faintly before a voice came through—measured, aged, and laced with something that felt a lot like weariness. I straightened without thinking, one hand slipping into my pocket, the other holding the phone just close enough to catch every word.“Yes, sir, I understand,” I said, my voice quiet but firm. “She’d adjusted, but right now she doesn't remember much and has been asking questions. And yes… I will make sure she's safer this time, as promised, and has what she needs to help her.” My voice was measured, respectful. Not the tone I used in boardrooms or when giving orders. This was different and intentional.The voice spoke again, steadily, deliberately, and I listened without interruption.“I agree,” I said after a pause. “No sudden moves. I won't rush anything. You have my word.

~ARIA~As I stood on the threshold of the beautiful, spacious room they’d just prepared for me, guilt stung at me. I hadn’t meant to be impulsive or rude, but the idea of sharing a room with him didn’t sit right. Not because he made me feel unsafe. It wasn’t that. It was the intimacy of it. The closeness. Everything around me already felt unfamiliar at that moment, like I was walking through someone else’s life in borrowed shoes. Sharing a room would make it worse - too personal, too much, too soon.I pushed the thought away, strode into the room, and closed the door behind me, then I stood for a moment, letting the silence settle. Light filtered in through the tall windows, casting soft gold across the wooden floors and for a brief second, I forgot where I was.I peeled off my clothes and stepped into the shower, hoping the warmth would do something to quiet the war in my chest, but it didn't.When I emerged with a towel drying my hair, a soft knock came at the door. A girl stood wa

~CASSIAN~The sun hadn't risen fully, but I found myself pacing in my room contemplating if I should or shouldn't go to her room yet, but after a while I decided to wait.I didn't sleep last night, I couldn't, even though the doctors had left me reassured. I kept seeing her crumpling in my arms like a broken wing, her skin clammy, her breath shallow. It was like watching a porcelain figure collapse, and all strength stripped away. It reminded me too much of the explosion. Of the first time something in me broke because of her.That memory haunted me more than I was willing to admit.Once it was thirty minutes past eight, I found myself walking toward her room. When I reached her door, I paused just briefly before knocking once and stepping in.She was awake.Not just awake, freshly showered, standing by the window in denim shorts and a simple white T-shirt, her damp hair neatly tied back. Sunlight caught on the edge of her cheek, softening the tension that always lived between her br

~ARIA~A week ago, everything about this place felt foreign - its vastness, its silence, the way the staff bowed slightly when they passed me in the halls like I was someone important. I didn’t feel important. I felt lost. Caged in velvet walls. But now… it wasn’t the same.Somehow, slowly, I’d begun to loosen.I still didn’t remember who I was to this place or to Cassian but I was learning how to exist in it, and I had grown quite fond of Dani and her beautiful, bright smile. She'd been the warmest presence in the unfamiliar place, always knowing when to talk and when to simply walk beside me in silence. Three days ago, she showed me two places that out of the entire estate felt more alive. Quiet corners of beauty and calm tucked away from all the cold opulence. A sunroom and a garden.She led me to the sunroom first, her smile bright as always. “Come on, Miss Aria” she’d said, pushing open the glass door. It was tucked behind a veil of ivy, a room made entirely of glass that caught