Caspian:I watched as the elevator doors closed with soft chime. It sealed me away from Valerie and Elias, but her son lingered. It was warm, familiar, and maddeningly distracting. And the fact that I found her, that she was so close and yet so far, was something that I could not just easily allow myself to process.I cashed my first trying to calm myself down. She was here standing in front of me after all these years with my son. A song that I did not even know about. She had violated something that he shouldn't have crossed. She played a game that she shouldn't have played.Adrian, my son.His name echoed in my mind, fueling my anger even more. How could she keep something like this? How could she even look me in the eye? She held the boy that she prevented me from getting a chance to know, and yet she still acted like she had the right to decide what I should and shouldn't be told, what I should be doing, how I should be reacting.Who the hell did she think she was?My phone rang
Valerie:The tension in the café was suffocating, the air thick with unspoken accusations and barely contained anger. Knowing him, I knew that he was just threatening to explode. I knew that he was waiting for the right moment for me to tell him everything that I had in mind, but I did not believe that I owed him any explanations.After everything that he has done to me and after all the pain that I have been forced to live through, I did not believe or think that I owed him more than he got.He as a person proves to me that he was not worth me fighting for because even after all the fights that I fought for him, he still chose the woman that he played me with. He still chose to let me go for her. What was I supposed to do? At that point, what was I supposed to do? Was I supposed to fight for the man that did not want me around? Or was I supposed to protect my son? In my opinion, I was supposed to protect my son.Casting side in front of me, his eyes darkening as he reflected his ange
Caspian:The entire hotel felt colder now as the morning sun doing little to thaw the icy determination coursing through my veins.80s stood in front of me, stiff and unyielding, but I could see his conflicts in his eyes, and I could see that he did not like where things were going. However, he understood this more than anyone else. He was an alpha too, and he knew what it was to actually be crossing in a limit like this one.“You have lost your mind, Caspian, if you think that she is going to actually be willing to give up her son to you.” He said, crossing his arms over his chest as he looked me in the eye.Valerie had already gone to her room after our conversation and since then I had not seen her. I doubted that she was going to go out until she was sure that I was away from the hotel in the first place, but I was also going to make sure that she did not leave at all. At least, not with my son. With her.“This isn’t up for debate, Elias,” I said firmly, knowing that arguing with
Valerie:I was surprised when the knock on my door came earlier than I expected it to.Thankfully, Adrian was still asleep, curled up in the blankets on the couch in front of the TV, his small chest rising and falling with each breath that he took, making me smile as I realized how comfortable he felt.I opened the door to find Elias standing there, his face hard and unreadable.“Elias,” I said, stepping into the hallway and pulling the door halfway closed behind me to keep Adrian undisturbed. “What’s going on? You look more disturbed than I would have expected you to be.”He didn’t answer right away, his eyes searching mine as if he were weighing his words. That alone was enough to set me on edge. I crossed my arms over my chest as I looked at him, studying his expression for a moment too long. I opened the door, widening it. Allowing him inside, the two of us were going to have to settle things in my bedroom, considering that Adrian was asleep in the living room.“Caspian spoke to m
Caspian:I said in one of the arm treads in the hotel lobby, watching as the morning sunlight streamed through the large windows of the hotel's lounge.My fingers drummed against the armrest as I watched Elias approach me with a measured pace. I knew that he was not happy. I could tell that something happened.His expression was tight, the lines around his eyes deeper than they’d been the night before. He dropped into the chair opposite mine, rubbing a hand over his face before fixing me with a hard stare. And though he did not say a word, I could tell what he was going to talk about. It was going to be his sister. And the fact that she did not approve of what I said.Then again, knowing Valerie, I did not expect her to be as easily convinced about anything that I told her right now. I expected her to give me a hard time. However, what I did not expect was for her to give a harder time than necessary.She was normally a lightweight. She normally chose to listen to what I said. She nor
Valerie:My son's laughter echoed through the hotel's courtyard as he kicked the ball back and forth with the babysitter. His carefree joy was a sharp contrast to the storm that was boiling inside of me. I stood near the edge of the patio. My arms were crossed over my chest as I stared at him, watching with a tight chest and a clenched jaw, thinking about how I was going to end up dealing with the situation that I was in.Caspian’s words from earlier replayed in my mind, each one laced with entitlement and control. The man just wanted to get what he wanted. He did not care about anything else except whatever duty he had to carry. He spoke about Adrian as if he were some artifact to claim, some duty to fulfill, instead of the sweet, sensitive boy who giggled when his favorite cartoons played and cried when he scraped his knee. He did not know him. He did not care about him as a son. He did not care about him as a person either.But this was not something that I was going to allow him t
Caspian:The warm glow gave the dining area a serene atmosphere over the bustling hotel.I entered the room, my steps calm as my gaze scanned the table. It did not take me long to find him, Adrian, who was sitting with Elias near the window.For a moment I found myself staring at him. He was laughing at his small hands, gestured animatedly as he spoke to his uncle. The site made my trust tighten. It was a mixture of emotions that swirled in me.Pride, longing, and regret, they were emotions that I felt towards the boy. For a moment, I wondered whether or not she was right, whether or not Valerie knew what she was talking about when it came to the child. However, this was still far beyond her, far beyond whatever it is that she wanted to say.Right now, I did not care about what she felt about this. I knew that my son needed me around him. I knew that I had to be in his life. It was not something that he could just choose. Why? Because he was my son. She chose to prevent him from growi
Elias:I found myself staring into space as the morning sunlight poured through the hotel’s grand windows. It illuminated the lounge of the golden warmth, one that should have been soothing, but all it did was highlight the way that I carried.Today not only went against everything that I wanted, but it was not going the way that I needed it to go at all. And no matter how hard I tried to think about it, no matter how hard I tried to find the solution to what I was dealing with, I couldn't.I sat in one of the oversized chairs, staring blankly on my coffee cup. It had gone cold long ago, but I couldn’t bring myself to drink it or ask for a fresh one. All I did was sulk as I stared at it, getting lost in my thoughts, not knowing how I was going to deal with things, not knowing how I was supposed to be enduring all of this by myself.From one side, I knew that I should be doing the right thing, but from the other I knew that doing the right thing was going to end up harming my sister.
Eva:The moment we left the hotel, I barely managed to hold my composure. My fingers clenched into fists as I sat stiffly in the passenger seat, my jaw tight with irritation. Caspian had dismissed me. Dismissed me like I was nothing more than an annoyance in his way, all because of her.And if I was angry before, no, now, I was more than just a little furious. I wanted nothing more than to break everything that was in front of me. I wanted nothing more than to take my anger out.Valerie Belmont.The one woman who had always been on his mind despite everything. His comparison. The way he would look at me. The way that I knew he looked at her.‘Why don’t you be like her?’ He had once asked. He apologized for it. But I was no fool, I knew that I was never going to amount to whatever criteria she drew for him. The impossible criteria for me, or any other woman, to follow without playing the role of a perfectionist.I should have calculated this better. I should have known that she would m
Caspian:The tension in the air thickened the moment Eva walked into the hotel lounge.I did not expect her to be coming here, nor did I expect the fact that she would be willing to leave the house to come to the hotel, especially since she knew that I did not want her to be here.Her heels clicked against the marble floor as she strode toward me, her expression dark with irritation. I could already tell that she was not in the mood for pleasantries, not that she ever truly was, but today, there was something sharper in her gaze. And I knew that she was upset with the fact that I was here. I knew that the idea of Valerie and I being in the same place was not one that settled her. However, no matter what was going to happen, she did not have the right to defy me the way that she did.She was well aware about the fact that I did not want her to be here. She was aware about the fact that I wanted her to be at home with Daniel. However, she chose to call and now she was going to have to d
Valerie:I stepped into the hotel lobby, my breath still slightly uneven from my escape, but my expression? Calm. Collected. Controlled.I knew that I could have left and I knew that I could have taken my son away. However, I also knew this if I chose to play this game then I could just end up endangering him. And as his mother, as the woman who has fought to protect him throughout all this time, I did not aim to do that, Not after all these years.The moment I stepped inside, I spotted Elias sitting in one of the lounge chairs, his hand wrapped around a glass of what I could only assume was whiskey. He looked up, his gaze locking onto mine the instant I entered.He did not expect me to leave as easily as I did, however, what he did not know was the fact that I was not a game in his own plan, whatever that was. He was going to need to understand that I was stronger than he was going to acknowledge. Maybe he did, however he did not want to admit that much.For a brief moment, I saw som
Caspian:I barely made it to my office before I heard the door slam open behind me. I figured that leaving the hotel for the day would be the best option. I figured that heading to the office to finish the work that I needed to take care of was going to be a little better for me.However, it seemed to me that fate had another plan, especially considering the fact that I knew that it left behind a raging woman, a wolf, a mother who I knew would come, not only to fight me, but also to give me a hard time.Her sent her my nostrils before she entered my office. I put the pen down, waiting for her to storm in. And just like that, Valerie stormed inside, her eyes blazing with fury, her chest rising and falling as she fought to control her breathing. If she was aiming for an intimidating entrance, she succeeded. The moment I laid eyes on her, I could tell, she was beyond angry.She wasn’t just annoyed. She was livid.If anyone knew her and if anyone understood everything that she had when it
Valerie:The room was quiet, the kind of stillness that felt suffocating rather than peace. This was something that I would have normally admired. I would have normally loved my piece, but right now I just found myself feeling like I was completely alone, feeling like I was in complete conflict.Adrian's laughter from earlier still echoed in my ear, but now it just felt like a distant memory, like a fleeting moment that I could not hold on to. The way that he spoke about Caspian after he left and the way he felt like he had admired the man was one that I could not just ignore.He was his father, and yet he did not know the damage that that man, his own father, could inflict on him, could inflict on everyone who was around him. I was the one person who saw that, and it killed me because I knew that no matter how hard I tried, no one was going to listen, especially not now.I sat on the edge of the bed, staring at the door, waiting. I knew Elias was coming. The tension between us earlie
Elias:I found myself staring into space as the morning sunlight poured through the hotel’s grand windows. It illuminated the lounge of the golden warmth, one that should have been soothing, but all it did was highlight the way that I carried.Today not only went against everything that I wanted, but it was not going the way that I needed it to go at all. And no matter how hard I tried to think about it, no matter how hard I tried to find the solution to what I was dealing with, I couldn't.I sat in one of the oversized chairs, staring blankly on my coffee cup. It had gone cold long ago, but I couldn’t bring myself to drink it or ask for a fresh one. All I did was sulk as I stared at it, getting lost in my thoughts, not knowing how I was going to deal with things, not knowing how I was supposed to be enduring all of this by myself.From one side, I knew that I should be doing the right thing, but from the other I knew that doing the right thing was going to end up harming my sister.
Caspian:The warm glow gave the dining area a serene atmosphere over the bustling hotel.I entered the room, my steps calm as my gaze scanned the table. It did not take me long to find him, Adrian, who was sitting with Elias near the window.For a moment I found myself staring at him. He was laughing at his small hands, gestured animatedly as he spoke to his uncle. The site made my trust tighten. It was a mixture of emotions that swirled in me.Pride, longing, and regret, they were emotions that I felt towards the boy. For a moment, I wondered whether or not she was right, whether or not Valerie knew what she was talking about when it came to the child. However, this was still far beyond her, far beyond whatever it is that she wanted to say.Right now, I did not care about what she felt about this. I knew that my son needed me around him. I knew that I had to be in his life. It was not something that he could just choose. Why? Because he was my son. She chose to prevent him from growi
Valerie:My son's laughter echoed through the hotel's courtyard as he kicked the ball back and forth with the babysitter. His carefree joy was a sharp contrast to the storm that was boiling inside of me. I stood near the edge of the patio. My arms were crossed over my chest as I stared at him, watching with a tight chest and a clenched jaw, thinking about how I was going to end up dealing with the situation that I was in.Caspian’s words from earlier replayed in my mind, each one laced with entitlement and control. The man just wanted to get what he wanted. He did not care about anything else except whatever duty he had to carry. He spoke about Adrian as if he were some artifact to claim, some duty to fulfill, instead of the sweet, sensitive boy who giggled when his favorite cartoons played and cried when he scraped his knee. He did not know him. He did not care about him as a son. He did not care about him as a person either.But this was not something that I was going to allow him t
Caspian:I said in one of the arm treads in the hotel lobby, watching as the morning sunlight streamed through the large windows of the hotel's lounge.My fingers drummed against the armrest as I watched Elias approach me with a measured pace. I knew that he was not happy. I could tell that something happened.His expression was tight, the lines around his eyes deeper than they’d been the night before. He dropped into the chair opposite mine, rubbing a hand over his face before fixing me with a hard stare. And though he did not say a word, I could tell what he was going to talk about. It was going to be his sister. And the fact that she did not approve of what I said.Then again, knowing Valerie, I did not expect her to be as easily convinced about anything that I told her right now. I expected her to give me a hard time. However, what I did not expect was for her to give a harder time than necessary.She was normally a lightweight. She normally chose to listen to what I said. She nor