Tingg!
A sudden notification sound rang just as the initial meeting for her collaboration with Caroline's company concluded. Realizing that it was Arthur who had messaged her, Athena quickly glanced around to make sure no one was watching her at that moment.
[I'm sorry, but I have to go abroad for a while due to an urgent matter. I didn't have the chance to inform you in person because everything happened so quickly.]
Letting out a quiet sigh, Athena leaned back in her chair. Once again, a tightness gripped her chest. She felt that sense of loss creeping in again, so she quickly shifted her focus to her employees, who were preparing to leave the meeting room, and to Caroline, who seemed busy with her phone—to push away that feeling.
[I'm sorry once again, dear. I never wanted to leave you, but I have no choice.]
Staring blankly at her phone screen, Athena straightened her p
Time passed by without her realizing it. One day after another went by. The series of divorce trials between Athena and Leon had begun running smoothly without obstacles. Slowly, the negative gossip about her life started to fade away. The project to build a free music school with the Mayor was nearing its final stages, and her company’s collaboration with Caroline’s business was also progressing well.Everything was starting to fall into place for Athena, yet there was still an emptiness in her heart. To her, all these achievements still felt incomplete because the person who had been her source of strength—the one who kept her going—was not by her side.Arthur. Yes, his departure had left a void in Athena’s heart. Even though Arthur had told her beforehand that he would be too busy to return to his sister anytime soon, she couldn’t help but feel restless. That feeling only deepened with time, pulling her
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
"Leon, where are you?"Athena's voice trembled as she pressed the redial button on her phone. Her fifth call in the past hour had been met only with the cold sound of a waiting tone. Worry gnawed at her, making her bite her lower lip, especially after her mother had called from the hospital, weakly repeating her husband's name."Mrs. Athena? Excuse me, but shall we leave now? Perhaps Mr. Leon is still stuck on the city’s connecting road?" Edward, her assistant, suddenly approached, nearly causing the wine glass in her tightly gripped hand to slip."I can't calm down until I see my husband, Ed. He promised to be with me, and my mother's call earlier... What if he's in some kind of trouble right now?" Athena sighed heavily, the finest goose feathers adorning her wide-brimmed hat shifting slightly with her breath."But, ma'am—""The businessman hosting this event is one of Leon's new associates, Ed. It would be better for me to arrive with him to avoid questions from the reporters that w
"How? Did you make sure everything was safe before the police and the hospital staff started the evacuation?"A faint voice gradually pulled Athena out of her long unconsciousness. She winced in pain, realizing that parts of her body couldn’t move freely. Athena tried to identify the voice she had just heard, but she heard nothing further until the sound of a creaking door made her instinctively close her eyes again."Is she still unconscious?" Athena tried to calm her pounding heart as she recognized Leon's voice. Her breathing became shallow as she gripped the thin blanket that partially covered her body."The doctor said Mrs. Athena will wake up soon, Sir. She didn’t suffer severe injuries thanks to the immediate help she received, but….""But she has some minor wounds and a broken right arm? Tsk, how disappointing! Why couldn’t it be more serious?"Startled again, Athena found it increasingly difficult to swallow. Her husband's cold tone echoed clearly in her ears. Her eyes began
"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
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’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?"
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 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
Time passed by without her realizing it. One day after another went by. The series of divorce trials between Athena and Leon had begun running smoothly without obstacles. Slowly, the negative gossip about her life started to fade away. The project to build a free music school with the Mayor was nearing its final stages, and her company’s collaboration with Caroline’s business was also progressing well.Everything was starting to fall into place for Athena, yet there was still an emptiness in her heart. To her, all these achievements still felt incomplete because the person who had been her source of strength—the one who kept her going—was not by her side.Arthur. Yes, his departure had left a void in Athena’s heart. Even though Arthur had told her beforehand that he would be too busy to return to his sister anytime soon, she couldn’t help but feel restless. That feeling only deepened with time, pulling her
Tingg!A sudden notification sound rang just as the initial meeting for her collaboration with Caroline's company concluded. Realizing that it was Arthur who had messaged her, Athena quickly glanced around to make sure no one was watching her at that moment.[I'm sorry, but I have to go abroad for a while due to an urgent matter. I didn't have the chance to inform you in person because everything happened so quickly.]Letting out a quiet sigh, Athena leaned back in her chair. Once again, a tightness gripped her chest. She felt that sense of loss creeping in again, so she quickly shifted her focus to her employees, who were preparing to leave the meeting room, and to Caroline, who seemed busy with her phone—to push away that feeling.[I'm sorry once again, dear. I never wanted to leave you, but I have no choice.]Staring blankly at her phone screen, Athena straightened her p
"E–enemy?"Athena stammered as both of her ears caught Caroline’s last word. Her eyes widened in tension, especially when the woman nodded in response, meeting her gaze without hesitation."Caroline... I think we've gone too far with this conversation. We should—""Don't be so tense, Athena. I haven't explained what I meant yet," Caroline said calmly once again, though her ever-changing gaze made her intentions difficult to read."Ah, I just...""What I mean is, we could become enemies if you were to take the man who has been a savior in my life. I absolutely despise it when something that should belong to me is taken or even disturbed by someone else. But surely, you wouldn’t do that to me, right?" Caroline chuckled again as if trying to lighten the mood, leaving Athena oblivious to the true meaning behind her words.Athena forced a s
Once he left, Athena sat still for a moment, staring at the empty space beside her. A strange feeling crept into her chest, was it disappointment? Worry? Or something else entirely?Shaking it off, she decided she couldn’t dwell on it. She needed to get back to her own life.Arriving at her office, she immediately instructed the security team to be cautious about accepting packages with no clear sender information. The last thing she needed was an unexpected threat slipping through the cracks like yesterday."Athena!""Caroline?"Athena waved her hand toward a woman who had just stepped out of a luxury car. Without hesitation, she gave her a warm hug as the woman in dark sunglasses approached, then slightly furrowed her brows when the woman handed her a rather large handbag with the label of a well-known brand."What is this?" she asked, still unsure.