Athena froze at Arthur’s question. Where are you going? The words hung heavily in the air, suffocating her. She had planned to leave, to return to her own house, but now, seeing Arthur standing before her after all this time, she hesitated. How could she say it now? She didn’t want to dampen the joy of his return.
"Dear?"
"You just got back. Come inside first!" Athena forced a small smile and reached for his hand. Arthur studied her for a moment, as if sensing something was off, but eventually, he nodded.
She led him inside, her fingers still wrapped around his. But as soon as they stepped in, she noticed the house was quiet. Reyna was nowhere to be seen—she had already retreated into her room.
"She’s avoiding us." Arthur let out a heavy sigh. Athena squeezed his hand reassuringly.
"She just needs time. She’s adjusting. You said her psych
Arthur flinched, his eyes darkening with a mix of pain and frustration. But before he could respond, Athena reached across the table, placing her hand over his."I’m not going anywhere," she said firmly.Reyna’s expression wavered for a split second before she scoffed, standing abruptly. "We’ll see!"Just as Arthur was about to intervene, Reyna suddenly gasped, knocking her glass over. Water spilled onto her dress, and she groaned dramatically."Oh no!" she muttered, shooting a glance at her brother. "Looks like I need help?""Let me help you, Reyna. Be careful, I—""Let her clean it up herself!" Arthur cut in firmly, stopping Athena in her tracks by grabbing one of her hands."But Reyna needs help, she—""She caused this mess herself, dear. So it'd be best if you just come back to our ro
Athena’s breath hitched. The way Arthur was looking at her—intense, unwavering—sent a nervous tremor through her. She knew exactly what he meant."I… I don’t know what you’re talking about," she murmured, glancing away.Arthur let out a quiet chuckle, though there was little amusement in it. He reached out and took her wrist, his touch warm but firm. "Come here."She hesitated for a moment, her body refusing to move despite the silent plea in Arthur’s eyes. But then, as if drawn by an invisible force, she finally stepped closer and sat beside him. The bed dipped under her weight, and almost immediately, Arthur's arm curled around her shoulders, pulling her in.Her entire body stiffened at the contact. The heat of his body, the scent of his cologne—everything felt overwhelming. And yet, she didn’t pull away. She couldn’t."Tell me." Arthur tilted his head slightly, studying her face, his fingers absentmindedly tracing small circles against her arm. "What did Reyna say to you earlier?"
Unlike Athena, who was drowning in uncertainty, Crystal was now beaming with joy as she realized she was being taken to an extremely expensive restaurant.This time, she wouldn’t have to go through the trouble of covering part of her face to avoid being recognized by the crowd like before. From what she could see, the restaurant seemed to be privately reserved for her, and this was confirmed when she saw a couple arrive, only to be politely turned away by the staff.Who had arranged all of this? She still had no idea. For now, she was simply enjoying everything—her freedom, her life, which felt exponentially more perfect without having to work so hard."Have you been waiting long?"Crystal was slightly startled when she noticed a woman wearing a wide-brimmed hat approaching her. She had just sat down, so she certainly hadn’t been waiting long, but the mysterious woman seemed to assu
"Athena, Athena… Why especially her?"Crystal chuckled again before refilling the wine glass in front of her. Quietly, she observed the expression on her biological mother’s face. There was a flash of emotion in the woman’s eyes. Her face looked tense as if she were trying to suppress a surge of anger in her chest."You’ll understand once you accept me as your biological mother," she replied quickly, making Crystal shake her head briefly."So you’re still going to act mysterious while I know absolutely nothing about you?""I’ll give you anything you want, as a way to show how sorry I am for abandoning you all this time," Caroline tried to persuade her relentlessly. "You’ve felt it over the past month, haven’t you? I can give you anything you desire, including getting Leon out of prison!""And now you know about my relationship with
Athena hesitated for a moment as her phone continued to ring, Arthur's name glowing on the screen. After reading his message she couldn't bring herself to ignore him any longer. With a deep breath, she finally accepted the call.["Finally, you answered my call, dear. Where are you right now? I’ve been so worried about you. Why have you been ignoring my messages?"]"I... I’m on my way to the office," she replied hesitantly, gripping her phone tightly. "Sorry, I haven’t had the chance to reply to your messages. Lately, I’ve been…"Screech!Before Athena could finish her sentence, the car she was in suddenly came to a screeching halt. Her body lurched forward, and her head hit the seat in front of her with a painful thud."Ahh…," she winced, clutching her forehead.["Dear? What just happened?"] Arthur’s worried voice c
Trying to take a deep breath, Athena finally couldn’t resist the urge to stand again. Slowly, she pulled away from Arthur’s embrace before stepping back and sitting down in her chair, leaning back as she tried to process everything—everything that suddenly felt so tense and overwhelming.After just seeing a woman who looked like Crystal, Arthur now told her that Leon had been released—bailed out by someone.Who had done all of this? Was the person who freed them the same individual? Her entire body shivered with fear. Her eyes trembled. She was terrified that something big was lurking in the shadows—especially because she was sure that Leon and Crystal wouldn’t let her off easily after she had sent them to prison."I’m sorry for finding all this out so late," Arthur said with deep regret, now kneeling in front of her and holding both of her hands. "But I’m sure none of this
Both Athena and Reyna sat frozen in disbelief at Arthur’s sudden declaration.Athena’s lips parted slightly, her breath catching in her throat. Marriage? Next month? He had never said anything so certain, so definite. Her heart raced, not just because of the surprise, but because the weight of those words hit harder than she expected.Reyna, on the other hand, looked utterly stunned—her eyes wide, her posture stiff. "What did you just say?" she asked, her voice tight with disbelief. "You’re marrying her… next month?""Yes!" Arthur said didn’t flinch. "I’ve made up my mind!"Reyna shot up from her seat, her fists clenched at her sides. "You can’t be serious, Arthur! You’re going to marry her in the middle of all this... while I’ve made it clear I don’t agree?! Have you even thought this through?!""I have," he repl
Arthur stood still for a moment before finally stopping Athena from stepping back by wrapping his arms around her slender waist. He stared at her even more intently as she tried to move away, then leaned in and gently returned her kiss.As if understanding his intention, Athena finally allowed herself to relax in his embrace again. Truthfully, she wasn’t ready to be apart from him yet. She kissed him back lovingly before one of her hands moved to gently stroke his strong jawline."I’m going to meet Reyna first. It’s her first time at this office, so she might be feeling a little lost right now."Nodding, Arthur gave her red lips another kiss, short but sweet. "Please don’t take her words and rejections too personally. Like you said before, she might still be adjusting."Gazing once more at the face of the woman who had become his strength, Athena smiled softly. This time, her
"Mr. James! Did you just meet with Mrs. Athena inside? Has she returned? What’s your response to the rumors claiming that Mrs. Athena intentionally dropped her charges against Mr. Leon to reunite with her ex-husband?""Yes, Mr. James! As the person closest to her these past few months, surely you have something to say. Is the news true? Please, Mr. James, we've been struggling to reach her!""Yes, is your visit today connected to all this? Are you planning to cut ties and cancel your company's collaborations with hers out of disappointment? Rumor has it you only pursued the partnership to get close to her. Do you now feel betrayed, Mr. James? Played for a fool?"The flood of questions rained down without pause, each word sharpened by the blinding flash of camera lights. Stepping out of the Athena family’s corporate building, Arthur James hadn't anticipated the swarm of reporters that awaited him, hungry for a headline.Who had tipped them off? And how had the rumors spiraled so viciou
"Sorry..."Not far from the city's chaos, in a modest apartment tucked inside a quiet complex, Athena sat curled in a chair by the window.She had rented the place under a false name, using forged documents—anything to disappear. She knew Arthur would look for her, and that was exactly why she had to vanish. It was the only way to protect both him and Reyna from more pain."I'm sorry, prince. I'm so sorry," she whispered again, though the words barely reached her ears anymore.Tears welled as she hugged her knees to her chest, forehead pressed to the cool glass. The world outside carried on—cars passing, voices rising—but none of it touched her.The ache wasn’t just emotional anymore. It lived in her body now—tight in her chest, heavy in her limbs. Across the street, a couple walked hand in hand. The man leaned in to adjust the woman’s scarf, s
The rain didn’t fall that night, but the sky remained gray as if it understood that someone was lost in the deafening silence.In the room that once echoed with laughter, Arthur sat alone. The chandelier's dim light reflected dully in his lifeless brown eyes. His fingers gripped his phone tightly, as though he were holding on to the last pieces of hope, now almost completely shattered.Athena’s name was still displayed on the screen. And just like so many times before, there was no answer. He took a deep breath, trying to push down the tightness in his chest while replaying every memory he had of her."Ah, that tickles! Let me go!"That voice still sounded so soft in his ears—the way she giggled as he kept kissing her neck. The echo of her laughter was something he could never forget. Her gaze and her smile always warmed his heart, as if he could still feel them now."Where are you now?" he murmured, barely audible. "Why did you have to leave without a word? Didn’t you say you loved s
"Baby...."When Arthur opened his eyes the next morning, the first thing he reached for was her—soft skin, steady breath, that familiar warmth he’d grown addicted to. But his hand touched only the cool, empty sheet beside him. Frowning, he sat up, blinking through the haze of sleep."Baby?" he called out softly, expecting her to answer from the bathroom.Silence.He waited a few seconds, listening. Still nothing. Throwing back the covers, Arthur climbed out of bed and padded to the bathroom door knocking lightly."Baby? You in there?"No answer.A chill crawled up his spine as he slowly pushed the door open. Empty. Pristine. The room smelled faintly of her perfume, but there was no trace of her presence. No running water. No voice calling back.He turned around, eyes scanning the bedroom again. Her clothes
Athena closed her eyes for a moment as she said her wish. She begged deeply from the bottom of her heart. She hoped that her prayers would be answered soon so that her days could continue to run normally like today."You're incredible!"Arthur's voice suddenly broke the momentary silence that almost brought tears to her eyes. She quickly smiled, before finally looking closely at the handsome face beside her with her fingers still finishing the melody."Don’t say that, prince.""I mean it. Watching you like this... I feel like I’m seeing magic!"Athena laughed for a moment, her cheeks turning a soft shade of pink. She let her fingers linger on a final note. Her voice softened. "I wouldn’t be here like this if it weren’t for you. I don’t think I’d have found the strength, the will... the music again. You never gave up on me, even when I gav
Tears began to fall again as Athena nodded. She clutched both of his strong arms that were still wrapped tightly around her body, taking a deep breath before fully turning to face the man before her."I’ve fallen so deeply in love with you too, prince," she said, her voice shaky as she tried to hold back the ache in her chest. "So deeply that I can’t stop thinking about you every single second of my life!"With their foreheads pressed gently together, Athena and Arthur finally shared a kiss. It was soft and calming, surrounded by the beauty of the setting sun. Their silhouettes lingered at the edge of the ship, bathed in the golden glow of warm, fading light."I… I need to use the restroom!"As the kiss turned hotter, Athena gently pulled away with her voice breathless. Arthur frowned slightly before finally letting out a small laugh."Again?"&nbs
Athena flinched at the sharp tone on the other end of the line. Her throat tightened, but she still tried to respond with a measured voice."I know, and I'm sorry. I didn't mean to delay anything. I just... I got caught up in—"["Spare me the drama!"] The voice cut her off again—cold, commanding, unforgiving. ["You think an apology will fix everything? I don't need your sorry. I need results. You promised to prove yourself, and so far? You're falling behind!"]"I just needed a little more time," Athena whispered, swallowing the knot in her throat. "Please… I—"["You don’t have more time! You only have a few hours left. I made it clear. Get it done and don’t forget to take the pills I gave you. You can’t afford mistakes now, not when things are this close. You know what’ll happen if you mess this up!"]There was a beat of silence as
"Damn it! She really is a control freak!"Crystal could no longer hold back her frustration after the woman beside her had truly left. She shot an annoyed glance at her biological mother, who hadn’t defended her earlier, then narrowed her eyes even more sharply when she turned to Leon—who was sitting silently as if lost in deep thought."Why does it feel like she’s known you for a long time? Were you two close before? Or… was she your ex or something?"Leon returned her gaze, expressionless, before slowly pushing his chair back. "I think this meeting is over, isn’t it? I’d like to head home now. If you all want to stay, that’s up to you.""You... you’re seriously ignoring my question?" Crystal gasped in disbelief, her eyes narrowing even more as her breathing grew heavier. "You’re going to see her, aren’t you? Don’t forget, Leon. My r
Athena breathed, as tears slipped from the corners of her eyes, caught between joy and release.They moved together, slowly at first, learning each other’s rhythms like a love song only they could hear. The world faded around them, replaced only by the shared warmth of skin and the silent thunder of feeling too great to be spoken aloud.In that moment, there was no past pain, no burden of secrets or fears. There were only the two of them—raw, real, and whole.Their whispers became promises. Their sighs became prayers."You are everything!" When they reached the height of their union—when time itself seemed to stand still—Arthur cupped her face and looked deep into her eyes.Tears slid down Athena’s cheeks as she kissed him again and again, whispering against his lips, "I love you, prince! I love you, Arthur! I love you, Mr. James! And I love al