All Chapters of THE WOLFE LEGACY: HEIRESS OF THE EMPIRE: Chapter 51 - Chapter 60

~CASSIAN~The next morning, I got to the dining room earlier than usual, a fresh cup of coffee in hand as Dani set the table for two.Aria hadn’t come down yet. She was probably still worn out from last night and even though I had urgent matters waiting for me outside these walls, I stayed put. Just a few more minutes, I told myself. Long enough to see her face before I left.“Dani,” I said quietly, glancing at the clock on the far wall. “Go let her know breakfast is ready.”She gave a small nod and disappeared upstairs. I sat there, my fingers tapping absently on the rim of my coffee cup, waiting.Minutes passed. Ten. Fifteen. Twenty. I should’ve left by now. Every second I spent here threw my entire morning schedule off. But I stayed. Because the image of her walking into the dining room, hair still damp from her shower, eyes soft and sleepy, was worth being late for.Finally, footsteps padded down the stairs, light but unmistakable. I glanced up just as Aria appeared in the doorway

~ARIA~I glanced up for what felt like the hundredth time that evening, my eyes darting toward my office door before I even realized I’d done it again and still, it was empty.It was ridiculous.For the past month, Cassian had gotten into the habit of showing up without warning, always in the evenings, always with that same mild explanation: I was around the area… thought I’d stop by.The first few times, I’d believed him. Or maybe I’d just let myself believe him. But after the third, the fourth, the fifth time… I’d started to recognize the pattern. And yet, I never said anything. Never teased him about how suspiciously often he just “happened” to be nearby. I didn’t dare risk turning this into something he felt he had to stop.And so, it became part of my rhythm.On the days he came, the air in the studio felt lighter. My exhaustion seemed… less important. And on the days he didn’t, I tried to pretend it didn’t matter, that I didn’t notice the absence until I caught myself glancing a

~CASSIAN~I glanced at Aria and then turned to the road ahead, knowing I should ignore him and already certain I wouldn’t.She shifted in her seat, her voice quiet but edged with curiosity. “Who was that?”“Nothing you should worry about. I can handle it.”Her gaze stayed on me. “I heard him ask you to meet up, let me come with you.”“You can’t,” I said simply.“Why not?”“Because it’s better if you don’t.”Before she could say more, my phone buzzed on the console. A new message from Viktor.The Hollow Bar. No handbags today. Come alone.My brows snapped down, sharp as a slammed door, erasing the last trace of amusement at his choice of words. Handbag - Vaughn.We drove a little further before I eased the car to the curb. The Wolfe vehicles slowed with us.“I’ll have the Shadow Team take you home,” I told her. “The one driving your car and two others will escort you back.”She hesitated, the faintest crease between her brows. But when I opened my door, her insistence faded. A guard s

~ARIA~The ride back to the estate passed in uneasy silence. I sat motionless, my thoughts circling the strange edge in Cassian’s voice before we parted. It had unsettled me, though I didn’t press him. Instead, I let myself be sent back ahead, and now hours had crawled by with no sign of his return.The estate had fallen into its usual hush at night. Not with silence entirely as the night still carried faint creaks of the old structure, the occasional shuffle of footsteps retreating down polished corridors, and the doors of the servants’ quarters closing one after another. By the time the last of the servants slipped quietly into their quarters and Teresa wished me a soft "good night, Mrs Wolfe" before retiring, I was left alone in the sitting room, wrapped in the quiet.I thought about calling him. I took out my phone, scrolled through my contacts, my thumb hovering over his name, and my heart thudding stupidly as though I was caught in something I shouldn’t be doing, but I didn’t pr

~ARIA~The sharp ringing of my alarm dragged me out of sleep. I groaned as I fumbled blindly across the nightstand until my fingers found the button to silence it. For a second, I thought about rolling over and burying myself deeper under the sheets to steal just a little more rest as my body begged for it. My eyes burned, my head ached faintly, and the heaviness in my chest reminded me too well of the tears that rocked me to sleep, but there was no use to try to sleep more because my mind was already awake, pulling me back to last night - to Cassian’s words, the pain in his voice, and the way my heart had crumpled under the weight of it all. The memory pressed in before I could push it aside.I forced my eyes open, blinking against the light that spilled on my face through the curtains. It was soft, and tender but still it felt too much for me this morning. I pushed myself upright with a sigh, stretching my arms above my head until the tension in my shoulders gave a small release, th