"Wow!"
The crowd filling the terrace cheered and clapped politely as the band finished its song.
After a delicious dinner, the place offered typical French music, led by the sounds of accordion, guitar, and melodica. The music left every visitor with a sense that they were truly experiencing France. A cheerful tune with gentle guitar strumming was next, and the wine and full bellies inspired some of the guests to get up and dance freely in front of the stage.
This seemed to be a tradition, as soon as many chairs were left empty.
"Come on," Raven extended his hand.
Gia quickly shook her head. "I can't dance!" she replied hastily.
"Can’t, or never tried?"
Gia opened the kitchen fridge and was a bit surprised. There were five or maybe six large bottles of apple juice in there. Apparently, the people who came to clean the old castle not only tidied it up but also stocked the fridge with various food supplies.Gia also noticed that some details in the house no longer looked as creepy. Yesterday's red curtains had given way to pastel blue, and the line of mounted animal heads had vanished. These changes alone made the house feel a bit brighter. However, Gia wished that the chandelier no longer hung firmly in the middle of the room."That's a lot. How did they know I like apple juice?" Gia murmured, opening one of the bottles in surprise."They didn’t know, Haze. I knew and made the order," Raven responded, rolling his eyes at Gia's mumbling.
Gia opened her eyes and looked to the side. As usual, it was empty. Raven was not there.Since she didn’t have work obligations, Gia always slept in late while staying in Eze. Typically, Raven would already be up and out for his morning jog. But this morning, jogging wasn’t the reason. Raven had already left for Switzerland. This was Gia’s second night sleeping alone, and it was unpleasant.This had never been an issue before. Gia could sleep anywhere, anytime, without needing any particular conditions. But Raven had poisoned her, to the point of a rather pitiful dependence.Gia tossed and turned nearly all night, waking up multiple times. It wasn’t due to fear; she had left her bedroom lights on. Gia was restless because she felt empty. Something inside her felt withered. It reminded h
Gia put down her spoon, no longer tempted to throw her cereal bowl at Jasper."One message. Just one message, replying to the one you sent before. That's all," Jasper repeated.Gia’s mind spun but came up with nothing substantial. "That message was from you. From your number," Gia said, trying to understand more clearly."It’s my number, but it wasn’t me.""Then who used your number to message me? No! Wait! How could you allow someone to use your phone to send me a message?"To Gia, Jasper's actions seemed absurd. Hijacking someone's phone to send a message was something only someone as crazy as Caius would do, but Jasper had allowed his phone to be used willingly?"Of course I let him. He paid me. I work for him," Jasper replied, sipping his coffee casually."Jaz…" Gia started to protest again, but she stopped, letting Jasper's words sink in."Raven? Raven sent that message?" Gia exclaimed, her eyes wi
Gia glanced at Jasper's phone, her mind leaping to the recollection of Caius inadvertently adding the words "handsome and kind" to a reply message that Raven accidentally received and read.Caius suspected the message was from Raven, so he sent a crazy reply, praising himself as handsome—intentionally to annoy Raven.“This is the first time this has happened, Gia. He got jealous when he heard about your closeness with Mr. Gustaf. That night, he even developed a new habit I found amusing—stalking. Mr. Lindgren willingly and purposefully checked on you.”“He did what?” Gia was, of course, shocked."At first, he just wanted to see if you two were truly close, but even after proving otherwise, he continued this habit whenever he had free time. He even extended his stay in London just to keep up with this strange routine.”And that explanation led Gia to a strange memory—the night she saw a luxury se
Gia glanced at Jasper's phone, her mind leaping to the recollection of Caius inadvertently adding the words "handsome and kind" to a reply message that Raven accidentally received and read.Caius suspected the message was from Raven, so he sent a crazy reply, praising himself as handsome—intentionally to annoy Raven.“This is the first time this has happened, Gia. He got jealous when he heard about your closeness with Mr. Gustaf. That night, he even developed a new habit I found amusing—stalking. Mr. Lindgren willingly and purposefully checked on you.”“He did what?” Gia was, of course, shocked."At first, he just wanted to see if you two were truly close, but even after proving otherwise, he continued this habit whenever he had free time. He even extended his stay in London just to keep up with this strange routine.”And that explanation led Gia to a strange memory—the night she saw a luxury se
But that piercing gaze lasted only a few seconds. Slowly, Raven looked down at the table. It seemed he was starting to realize where Gia’s words were leading."You can't expect my love, Haze. I'll never love anyone in this world," Raven whispered softly."If that's what you want, fine. I won’t hope anymore. But let me go. I want to return to London," Gia replied flatly.Though she tried to stay calm, Gia’s tear ducts had other ideas—they sprang to life, quickly forming tears.An invisible knife pierced Gia's heart as she heard Raven reject his own feelings, disregarding her plea for recognition.But Gia’s tears flowed, especially at the thought that Raven might actually grant her wish, as he once
Since they didn’t have a specific plan, Raven ended up just taking Gia around the village of Eze. The village’s lively center was located not far from Raven’s small castle.The village was as old as Raven’s castle, a remnant of medieval Europe. It was unique because it felt Italian despite being in France. The House of Savoy from Italy once ruled it around the tenth century, which explains its uniqueness.The village sprawled across the hillside. From the hill where Raven's castle stood, Gia could see white houses amidst the greenery. Exploring the village that she had only ever seen from her window was enough of an adventure for Gia.“Wow!”Gia’s eyes widened as she looked at the cactus garden. She quickly went down the white st
After putting on a black hat and glasses, Raven's face appeared slightly more ordinary, drawing less attention—especially from women."Why are we in disguise?" Gia still didn’t understand."Just follow my lead," Raven said, then pulled her along the cobblestone paths of Eze.The village streets were narrow, as they were only meant for pedestrians. Because of this, the paths twisted and turned like a labyrinth. But Gia didn’t complain—the simplicity of the cobbled streets was beautiful to her.Stone dominated Eze's streets, mirroring the walls of the surrounding houses. The afternoon sunlight hitting those charming walls cast a warm, exotic glow over the scene.Gia actually wanted to savor it all, but h
"Yes. Just a few days ago,” Gia answered smoothly, without hesitation. Quite convincing.“And you?” Martha pointed at Matteo. “What happened to Dion?”Gia didn’t know who Dion was, but based on the context, he seemed to be Haakon’s usual bodyguard.“He’s sick. Resting,” Matteo answered coldly and briefly.The sunglasses hid almost all of his facial expressions. The other bodyguard glanced at Matteo. He surely knew it was a lie, but he didn’t interfere.“Really? I didn’t know he was sick. He seemed fine yesterday,” Martha said, looking surprised. She trusted Matteo but was puzzled by the sudden illness.“A severe flu,” Matteo added to clear Martha’s remaining doubts.“What about Natalie?”After hearing Matteo’s reasonable explanation, she turned back to Gia. This time, Gia knew that Natalie was the name of Mette’s usual assistant.“She had a sudden family emergency. They couldn’t be left alone. She left unexpectedly yesterday.”Gia inwardly groaned as she realized she had unintentional
Svvere laughed as he listened to Gia’s criticism.“It’s not pleasant at all. I hate it too,” Svvere said.“Does it have to be like this every year?” Gia questioned the gloomy tradition, secretly wishing Svvere didn’t have to go through it annually. It would be too sad if he did.Svvere nodded with exaggerated enthusiasm. “It’s annoying, isn’t it? But thankfully, Mamma replaced it with another party.”“What do you mean?”“When the formal party ends, Mamma hosts a second birthday party the next day. It’s more relaxed, with just cousins and a few close relatives attending.”“That’s wonderful!”Svvere nodded and smiled, knowing the additional party was meant to cheer him up. No wonder he grew up to be such a cheerful young man despite enduring such odd traditions. Mette had ensured that Svvere’s childhood was as normal as possible.Gia’s admiration for Mette grew a little more. At first, she had judged the family for holding such a stiff and formal birthday party.But while they adhered t
Gia hugged Al one more time before handing him over to Marlow. Sophie and Marlow would take care of them. Eventually, Marlow was summoned back to Geirangerfjord, leaving Sophie unable to handle them alone.Fortunately, Al and Frey no longer relied heavily on breast milk since they ate complementary foods. The frozen breast milk supply was also enough to last for a week.Frey immediately reached out his hand as soon as Gia freed hers. He always felt jealous whenever his older brother received more attention, whether from Gia or Raven.Sensing Gia’s unease, the little girl nestled her head against Gia’s neck and wrapped her arms around it in silence, offering comfort and reassurance.“I’ll be back soon, sweetheart. Wait a little longer. I’ll bring Daddy home,” Gia whispered.Frey missed Raven the most. He often cried and became fussy at night, his only way to express how much he missed his father. Gia understood the meaning behind those cries, which made her feel even more devastated.W
“I think this works,” Sophie said, pulling out two suits—one in blue and the other in black. "Go ahead, try them on."Gia nodded obediently and took the two suits into the fitting room. She complied because she understood the necessity of it all. After checking herself in the mirror twice, Gia finally nodded. The suits Sophie had chosen fit her petite frame perfectly."How is it?" Sophie asked."I think they’re fine," Gia replied."Great! Now all we need is to find a party dress.” With quick movements, Sophie handed the two formal suits to the sales assistant for processing."Add these too," Sophie said, pointing to two more outfits she had picked earlier.Gia was already content with the first two suits, but Sophie thought two were far too few. There was no point in arguing with Sophie about the number of clothes. Gia had to comply, or things would drag on unnecessarily.After paying for the purchases, they moved to another boutique specializing in evening and cocktail dresses.Choos
While waiting for Haakon, they enjoyed lunch. Al and Frey needed extra attention during the meal. Mette happily took over Sophie’s role and helped feed Frey. Matteo, on the other hand, wasn’t exceptionally skilled at this.It was clear that Svvere adored Freya. As he sat beside his mother, watching her feed Frey, his eyes never left her. Several times, Gia noticed him gently stroking Frey’s head with affection.Svvere even tried feeding Frey himself, though his hands were clumsy. When he succeeded, he clapped his hands like he had just won a prestigious competition. Frey’s laughter matched Svvere’s excitement, filling the room with joy.Seeing this warmed Gia’s heart a little. She truly hoped that Haakon would provide the answer she was longing for.“She doesn’t want to anymore. You don’t need to force her,” Gia explained, noticing Svvere’s sad expression when Frey refused to open her mouth again.“Is she full?” Svvere asked.“And she’ll probably feel sleepy soon,” Gia replied, explai
Mette’s residence was just as Gia remembered it, though perhaps a bit livelier now that flowers were beginning to bloom in the garden in front of the house. The last time she visited was during autumn when the garden looked much barer.“He’s the prince of Norway?” Matteo still seemed unable to believe that Gia could be close to someone of such stature. He had underestimated Lindgren’s influence before.Gia nodded. “Haakon, Mette’s husband, is the heir to the throne of Norway.”“Let’s see how this unfolds,” Matteo ended the discussion as the car stopped.Al clung tightly to Gia as they got out of the car. The boy always seemed uncomfortable in unfamiliar environments. On the other hand, Frey didn’t seem to care—especially since he was fast asleep in Matteo’s arms.The staff welcomed Gia the first time she visited. Today was special. She saw Mette standing at the main door; naturally, Svvere was with her.“Gia!” Svvere shouted, running toward her. The noise disturbed Frey, but Matteo ca
“It’s colder here,” Gia murmured. She had gotten used to Italy’s climate and forgotten that Norway was several degrees cooler.Italy’s spring temperature hovered below twenty degrees Celsius, but Norway was likely below fifteen. Gia was thankful she had dressed Al and Frey warmly enough.Jasper greeted them on the runway with Max. Their group was quite large, so he had prepared two cars. Besides Matteo, Gia brought Sophie along, as she was the only one who could help her manage the twins. Marlow had stayed behind in Italy and would only join them if necessary.“Geirangerfjord.”Gia pronounced their destination fluently as the car started moving, recalling how patiently Raven had taught her to say the name correctly.A wave of nostalgia hit Gia. Although she had left this country over a year ago, her memories of Norway remained vivid.She remembered how chaotic her emotions were when she first came here. Yet this country was also where she and Raven had gotten married, and it held a sp
Gia’s hands trembled as she listened to the dial tone. The long-distance call only played monotonously, indicating that Caius wasn’t answering.“Is he ignoring you?” Matteo asked.Gia wanted to say yes, but she trusted Caius more than that. So she called again.“Maybe he’s busy,” Gia said, trying to comfort herself while giving Matteo an excuse.The second call nearly crushed Gia’s hope. It, too, was nothing but an endless ringing tone without an answer. But just as the call was about to end, she finally heard a response.“Gia.”“Caz…”“I can’t help you.”Before Gia could even State," her request, Caius cut her off. He had already heard about Raven and guessed why Gia was calling.“I’m not asking for much. I just want to meet your father.”Caius let out a dry, bitter laugh at Gia’s request. “He won’t even meet me, Gia. How could I possibly get you an audience with him? He’s furious because I sided with Raven and didn’t take Willow’s side. I could’ve initially reported your marriage to
Gia honestly forgot about it. The warmth and happiness that had enveloped her these past few months made her unwilling to recall such unpleasant memories.Her mind effortlessly sorted out the fact that Raven was a fugitive and buried it deep in the back of her head. She refused to let that thought disrupt her happiness. But now, that very fact struck her, shattering the beautiful picture of her life at an unexpected moment. It destroyed the perfect world she had tried so hard to maintain.Gia crouched, crossing her arms over her chest, squeezing her arms and shoulders to keep herself conscious.She couldn’t allow herself to faint. Gia kept hurting her own body to stay awake. The pain from her tight grip was enough to hold on to the fragments of her sanity, preventing it from being consumed by panic and fear for the future.“Gia, what’s wrong?” Aria asked when she saw Gia’s phone fall to the floor. She got up and approached her, clueless about what was happening.“What’s wrong? Don’t d