Mr. Crawley strides into the closet room, his tie loosened and his face a mask of exhaustion. The lines of stress etched into his features deepen as he hangs his shirt.With a sharp and hurry movement, he changes into a comfortable outfit. When Mrs. Crawley enters behind him, he stiffens, his expression shifting to one of annoyance, a hollow exhales released. He glances at her over his shoulder, his tone as cold as the look in his eyes. "I heard your son messed with the Klein family. What’s with that?" The words hit like a slap, and Mrs. Crawley swallows hard. She steps closer, clasping her hands nervously. “It was a minor fight. Kids nowadays are a bit—” “How long are you going to let him run wild?” Mr. Crawley interrupts, his voice cutting like a blade. He turns fully to face her, his posture rigid. “Mr. Klein called me himself. Your son didn’t just mess with them. He broke their son’s nose and fractured two ribs.” The air in the room turns heavy. Mrs. Crawley struggles for
Damien wakes up to the sensation of Carol’s warm breath against his chest. Her body is draped over him, her hair fanned out messily across his shoulder. A smile tugs at his lips as he wraps his arms around her, holding her tightly. Her presence feels like a balm to his soul. Content, he closes his eyes, savoring the moment, and drifts back to sleep. But his peace doesn’t last long. He stirs when he feels her fingers on his face, gently cupping it. Before he can fully comprehend, her teeth playfully nip at his bottom lip. Damien’s eyes flutter open, a chuckle escaping him as he sees Carol perched on his chest. She’s grinning mischievously, leaning down to nibble his lips again. She’s wild this morning, and Damien isn’t the least bit surprised. His hands slide to her waist, steadying her as he kisses her back, soft and slow. **Good morning, my queen,** he signs after breaking the kiss, gently brushing the tip of her nose with his finger. Carol giggles, stealing another quick kis
"How was everything while I was gone?" Damien asks as they head home. Carol looks exhausted, and as soon as she gets into the car, she falls asleep. "Everything was alright! Your father handled most of the tasks and even tried to bribe me to replace me with someone else," James chuckles while driving. He’s picking them up from the airport. "What is that supposed to mean?" Damien asks, raising an eyebrow. "What I mean is, your father wants to bring his friend's daughter into your house to replace me in my position and replace Carol as your wife. I think you understand what I’m saying!" Damien chuckles, kissing Carol's hand. "He never changes—always chasing after my loyal subordinates. Now my wife!" James scoffs, but his expression turns serious as he glances at the rearview mirror. "Carol met Ian." Damien, who has been adjusting Carol’s head on his shoulder, freezes momentarily before looking at James. "Repeat what you just said," he demands, his voice icy. "Ian met Car
Carol has been busy with William, instructing him on what to do for the surprise and relaying what Sarah told her and the girls' group about her future proposal. Carol's reflection falls on his specs as Damien, sitting on the couch with one leg crossed over the other, watches his wife having a video chat with William. He can hear William, so his expression remains nonchalant. However, seeing Carol in his shirt, her long, smooth legs kicking the air, brings an evil smirk to his face. He extends his arm, gently rubbing her thigh while pretending to check his files. Carol flinches at first but soon looks at him with a death glare while using sign language to William. She tells him they’ll head to the next city in the evening, just a two-hour drive, so they are taking their time. Damien whistles, acting clueless. But Carol is the petty one here. She grabs the cold orange soda can she has for herself while signing with one hand. She shakes the can for a few seconds, letting Damie
Sometimes walking away from what can turn into toxic is a wise decision. Whether you doubt it or not. Carol who has been depending on her own intelligence and hard work to live her life fullest, certainly knows that after every single incidents, her trust for Damien is hanging on a thin thread. One more discovery of his secret, the thread will collapse. Carol can stay with him, like she stayed with Troy. For Troy's all red flags, she puts her pink glasses on to blind herself. She accepted him as life partner. She accepted him as her new normal. But Damien is certainly staying in a different place in her heart. She loved him, she wanted him not because she could easily accept him. Because she wanted him as her Man from the depth of her heart. So, before she will entirely lose her love and trust in him, she will remove herself from the position. It may look like overreacting, dramatic or a lame movement. But she wants to protect the love she has for him. Carol sits next to Da
It's almost midnight. The coldness of the city somehow bites his skin. Damien hasn't heard anything from his bodyguard, who is supposed to call him every fifteen minutes. But there is none. He messages Carol, but she doesn’t reply either.Right now, all he can hear is his heart racing against his chest and the sound of his unsteady, rapid breathing. He doesn't even wait for James to drive. He doesn’t care if the world knows he is fine. After all, the only thing he cares about in this world is Carol.He almost gets into an accident twice but somehow manages to balance himself. It feels as if he is racing against his heart and soul.The one-and-a-half-hour road ends in forty-five minutes. Damien exhales and inhales to steady his breathing before getting out of the car. The lights are on. He can smell something familiar wafting through the house.He hurriedly walks in. The door is already unlocked.As soon as he steps into the dining room, he sees Carol’s back. She is wearing the same pa
" Yes" Or " No!" Either way, he will lose her entirely just by one response. The Carol right in front of him isn't wearing a pink colored glass or a rose-colored either. She is testing him, she knows everything yet she wants to hear everything from him. Damien feels the cold sweat gathering around his brows and nose. His palm is sweating as well. He doesn't know what will happen if he says yes. What if she tries to run away? Will he be able to catch her before she tries it. He can't afford to lose her. Not even in the wildest dreams. He must be with her. His world, his solace, his happiness. She must be his forever. ** I don't like wasting time. Please respond!** She says, her expression bitter and disdainful. Muscles feather in his jaws, as he looks up at her. A chilled sensation crawls under his skin when his eyes meet her blank gaze. ** Yes.. You were!** He finally speaks, leaving her burst into tears immediately. She covers her face, trying to stop making a sound but
**Divorce me!** Carol's expression holds no emotion as she signs. Damien, without thinking twice, signs back, **No way! I don't want to!** His reaction is so strong it stuns Carol into silence. **I should've known that,** she thinks but signs, **Go home. This house goes on sale tomorrow.** Turning to leave, she adds no further explanation. Damien grabs her hand and pulls her closer. **Let me explain. Let's not leave without clarifying everything! I am really—** **Have you ever loved me?** she interrupts, her eyes filled with pain. **You know what? I can’t even look at you right now. The person I love so much has lost his significant other because of me. Do you think I’ll ever be okay with that?** **Carol! Please—** **Even if—** she cuts him off, **you ever loved me for a single moment, I can’t trust it. There might be mistakes. I’ll talk to a detective tomorrow. I’ll investigate further. You don’t have to go through it all.** He shakes his head desperately. **Let’s jus
It’s late evening, and the house is quiet except for the soft hum of the air conditioner. Everyone left except Carol. She just put Aria in her bed after a long day. Carol is curled up on the couch, absentmindedly scrolling through her phone, catching up on the day’s events. The soft glow from the screen lights up her face, and she can’t help but smile as she reads a message from her best friend, Eunice. After what felt like a long stretch of tension and uncertainty, Eunice and James have decided to try again—James is back, and it seems like they’re working things out. Carol’s heart swells with happiness for her friend. Just as she leans back, stretching her legs on the couch, the front door opens, and Damien walks in. His shoulders are hunched, his tie slightly loosened, and he looks exhausted. The stress from his day is evident, and he doesn’t even bother to take off his shoes before walking towards the living room. Carol raises an eyebrow, putting her phone down and watching
Aria sits quietly on the couch, her little body curled up into a ball, her plush carrot tightly held against her chest. Her small face is scrunched up, a mixture of confusion and sadness overtaking her usual lively demeanor. She can’t stop thinking about what happened with Julian earlier, and it's hurting her innocence heart more than she’s willing to admit. She is confused why Julian wants to play with someone else when she is playing with him. Damien, noticing his daughter’s silence, looks over at her from the kitchen, where he’s sipping his coffee. His heart clenches at the sight of her pouting face. Aria usually bounces around the house with boundless energy, but today, she’s a shell of her usual self. He places the mug down on the counter and walks over to her. “Hey, kiddo,” he says softly, sitting beside her on the couch. He gently pulls her onto his lap, his big hands rubbing circles on her back as he tries to comfort her. “What’s wrong, princess? Why the long face?” Aria d
The apartment is filled with the sound of the faint rustling of clothes and the occasional thud of a box being moved around. It’s quiet in a way that feels almost suffocating, the air thick with the unspoken tension that has been building for weeks. Since James hasn't been in his company, I couldn't ignore the situation. He wants to stay a few days to travel around the city. However, he has been getting lots of calls from his assistant. I can't let him slack off all day like a lazy ass. I sit cross-legged on the bed, staring at the half-packed suitcase in front of me, my fingers mindlessly folding the clothes I’ve laid out. My thoughts are a jumbled mess, as usual, filled with a thousand things—mostly about what’s coming next, about leaving and starting over, about the future that feels uncertain. But there’s one constant. One person. James. I can feel him watching me from across the room, where he’s leaned lazily against the dresser, arms crossed, his gaze locked onto me
Although I couldn't secure a position in the American branch of my company, for our best interests, James has asked me to work for him in his company. Although it's a new company, Damien has been helping him with lots of projects. We will leave soon. I have resigned my position. The bar is alive with music, the low hum of conversations, and the occasional burst of laughter as glasses clink together in celebration. The air is thick with the scent of alcohol, fried food, and something bittersweet that lingers beneath it all—farewells. My farewell. I should be celebrating. This is my night, after all. A send-off from colleagues who’ve become friends, from a place that’s been my home for years. A place I fought to leave, worked tirelessly to outgrow. But as I sit at the bar, nursing my fourth—or maybe fifth?—drink, there’s a hollow feeling settling deep inside me, like something slipping through my fingers no matter how tightly I try to hold on. Maybe because I acknowledged th
The apartment is unbearably quiet. I sit curled up on the couch, knees drawn to my chest, staring blankly at the dark ceiling. The only sound is the faint hum of the refrigerator, but even that feels distant—like the world outside this room no longer exists. James’s message from last night is still on my phone, the words burning into my mind. "Staying at a hotel tonight. Don’t wait up."He didn’t call. Didn’t ask to talk. Didn’t even ask why. I clutch the blanket around me, my fingers tightening in the fabric. The weight in my chest is suffocating, pressing down like a stone. Sleep never came, only hours of staring at the walls, thinking about the moment he found that ticket—how his expression darkened, how he left without another word. He knows. And I hurt him. The sky outside turns from black to gray, signaling morning, but it doesn’t bring relief. The ache in my chest only deepens. I can’t sit in this silence any longer. My hands tremble as I pick up my phone and d
Eunice, The morning sunlight drapes across the living room, casting a golden warmth over the space. Everything feels too still, too peaceful, as if the world itself is oblivious to the storm brewing inside me. James moves around the kitchen with ease, sleeves rolled up, flipping pancakes like it’s second nature. I watch him, mesmerized by the way he hums under his breath, his presence so familiar yet so foreign at the same time. It should be comforting—this domesticity, this quiet moment between us. But instead, my chest tightens, because I know that soon, everything will change. Since we have returned home, I have been fighting with myself for a decision that I thought was simple a month ago. However, his appearance, me falling in love with him again made that simple decision one of the hardest decisions ever. I haven’t told him yet. “You’re staring,” James teases, his voice smooth, pulling me out of my thoughts. He glances over his shoulder, flashing that boyish grin that u
With a long-suffering sigh, he nods. “Fine. I promise.” Aria beams, hugging him tightly. “Yay! My Julie forever!” Irene smirks, crossing her arms. “We’ll see about that.” Julian groans, rubbing his temples as Aria and Irene continue their tug-of-war over him. He has had enough. “Can you both just stop?!” He snaps finally, his patience finally breaking and wearing off. Especially to Aria who is clinging onto him like a slime. Silence falls. Aria blinks, her grip on his shirt loosening. “J-Julie…?” Her voice is small, uncertain. Julian exhales sharply, running a hand through his hair. “Irene, you always mess with me and now her, and Aria, you act like a spoiled kid whenever I talk to anyone else!” His voice is firm, frustrated. “I can be friends with other people! You don’t own me, Aria!” His sharp cold eyes shudders Aria who looks confused with Julian's cold and indifferent gaze. The room suddenly feels too quiet. Aria’s fingers tremble as she stares at him,
Julian narrows his eyes before walking towards the door, " What's their name!?" He asks. " Julie! You got friends. What about me?" She follows him hugging her plush. " I don't know her name but she is here to play with you!" Julian walks downstairs while Aria skips the staircases one after one. " Why do you have friends? I don't have friends. I want to be friends with your friend!" She keeps whining while running towards Julian. " Hi! Julian!" A girl wearing a beautiful dress shyly waves her hand. " I am here to play." " Irene! Why are you here?" Julian asks, frowning a bit. " To play -!" Julian barely takes two steps forward before Aria latches onto his arm, her plush carrot squeezed against her chest like a battle shield. Her big, round eyes lock onto the girl standing before them, her lips pursed in a deep frown. Irene blinks, then smiles, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “Is this your little sister, Julian?” Aria gasps dramatically, releasing Julian just to s
Two days ago, Julian told her that he hated her for touching his homework. Now she is yet to get over from that shock. Julian barely stirs under the warmth of his blanket, his face half-buried in his pillow. The room is quiet except for the faint rustling of fabric as he tries to sink deeper into sleep. But Aria stands frozen at his bedside, her tiny fists clenched, her eyes shimmering with unshed tears. "He said he hates me…" Her lips tremble, but not from sadness—from determination. She knows Julian better than anyone. He can say all he wants, but the moment she starts crying, he’ll melt like an ice cream cone in the sun. Taking a deep breath, she clenches her plush carrot and prepares for battle. She sniffs. Loudly. A little whimper escapes her lips, followed by another dramatic sniff. Then, with precise control, her lower lip wobbles as she blinks rapidly, allowing fat, glistening tears to pool in her big eyes. Julian shifts slightly under the blanket. She s