Kaius's POV
For the first time in months, I slept through the night.
The realization came slowly.
No cold sweat. No nightmares. No sudden awakening at three in the morning with my pulse hammering against my ribs.
Just sleep.
Deep, uninterrupted sleep. A soft knock sounded on the door.
"Young Master?"
Arthur's familiar voice came from the other side.
"It's seven o'clock."
I opened my eyes and stared at the ceiling for a moment before sitting up.
"Come in."
The door opened quietly, and Arthur stepped inside carrying a tray with coffee. "Your mother instructed the staff not to let you leave without eating."
A sigh escaped me.
Of course she did.
"Thank you, Arthur." The old butler smiled warmly.
"It is good to have you home, Young Master."
For a brief moment, I didn't know how to respond.
Home.
The word settled strangely in my chest. After all these years, it was still one of the few places where I could lower my guard.
I simply nodded.
"Good morning, Arthur."
His smile widened slightly before he excused himself. After he left, I rose from bed and crossed the room.
The floor-to-ceiling windows overlooked the eastern gardens of the estate. Morning sunlight spilled across the neatly trimmed hedges and marble pathways.
Everything was quiet.
Peaceful.
For once, my mind wasn't occupied with quarterly reports, negotiations, acquisitions, or investors demanding impossible results.
Just silence.
My phone vibrated against the nightstand and the moment shattered.
Aaron.
I answered immediately.
His voice came from the other side, "Good morning, sir."
"It was a good morning until you called."
There was a pause.
"Should I hang up and call back later?"
I smirked despite myself.
"No."
"That's what I thought."
Aaron's voice returned to its usual professional tone.
"The Singapore contracts are waiting for your signature. The board meeting has been moved to ten. Mr. Harrington has called three times already."
"Let me guess. He wants something."
"He always wants something."
"Then tell him to continue wanting it."
A choking sound came from the other end.
Aaron was either laughing or trying not to.
Probably both. How unprofessional, I thought. The man was becoming far too comfortable.
"I'll pass along the message."
"Anything else?" I asked.
"There are seventeen emails marked urgent."
I pinched the bridge of my nose.
"How many are actually urgent?"
"Two."
"Delete the rest."
"Already done."
Of course he had.
Sometimes I wondered if Aaron secretly ran the company while I signed documents.
"Prepare the Maybach."
"Yes, sir."
The call ended.
I stared at the phone for a second before slipping it into my pocket.
Reality had returned.
Unfortunately.
**
By the time I finished dressing, the smell of breakfast drifted through the hallway.
The dining room was already occupied.
Mother sat elegantly at the table while Kym scrolled through her phone.
Father stood near the window reading something on his tablet.
The moment Mother spotted me, her face lit up.
"Good morning."
"Morning."
"Sit."
That wasn't a request and I obeyed.
Father lowered his tablet, "You look less miserable."
"Good morning to you too." I replied.
Kym snorted into her juice.
Mother looked scandalized.
"Magnus."
"What?" Father asked innocently.
"You can't greet your son like that."
"He knows I love him."
"I would still prefer actual words."
I watched the exchange quietly.
A small smile tugged at the corner of my lips.
Nothing had changed in this house not even after all these years.
Breakfast passed easily. The conversation drifted between family gossip, business updates, and Kym's latest complaints about her husband.
For a brief moment, I found myself wishing the morning wouldn't end.
But eventually it did.
Outside, the black Maybach waited at the entrance.
Arthur stood nearby and Aaron was already waiting beside the vehicle.
The man treated punctuality like a religion.
Father hugged me before I could escape.
Mother settled for flying kisses, the longing in her eyes were not so hard to miss while Kym waved dramatically.
"Try not to scare people today."
"No promises." I replied to which she rolled her eyes.
I shook my head before stepping toward the car.
As the estate gates slowly opened, I glanced back one last time. The mansion stood proudly against the morning sunlight.
Warm. Familiar. Safe.
Then the gates closed behind me. And Kaius Blackwood, the son, disappeared.
Once again, only the CEO, Kaius Blackwood, remained.
Across the city, life had been moving forward for Elizabeth.
*~**)}
Elizabeth's POV
My training started almost immediately. Alex had found a well-known tutor for me since I had little to no knowledge on perfumery.
I was beyond ecstatic when it was brought up during dinner then and there I made up my mind to start doing research on my own.
Mrs. Ivelle Leonov ( a weird name combo if i might add—forgive me) was my tutor— a disciplinarian at heart. She taught me about the scents of various flowers and how their extracts could be used in perfumes, aromatherapy, medicine, and in some cases, even poison.
Lessons went well and to support my training, Alex had an entire building constructed beside the house and converted into a laboratory. The first time I stepped inside, I could barely believe it was mine.
All necessary equipment were placed inside, and a little garden with varieties of beautiful flowers; a greenhouse actually, with each species more beautiful than the other since some were winter plants as they couldn't stand sunny weather.
A month had passed since I visited auntie. Though we kept in touch, I missed her deeply. I had informed her that she could come visit, but I knew she wouldn't.
**
This week would be the first time I'd be creating a proper scent for Mrs. Ivelle to assess. I didn't mind as long as I was prepared.
I remembered the first time I tried to create something following the procedures I had been taught. Initially, panic surged through me, my palms became sweaty, everything became blurry. Mav had decided to tag along to watch the process.
'What if it doesn't come out right?'
I closed my eyes. Took a deep breath and allowed my mind to settle,
" Relax Liz, just calm down,"
'Your mind is strong but you're drowning in it.' I told myself
Ahh, I smiled,
Now. Think.
" Where should we start from?" I asked no one in particular.
Mav was barely aware of my internal monologue—more like pep talk, or he was but decided to leave me to myself.
Everything was going well with Mav's physical support and all until…
BANG!!
A loud explosion echoed through the lab leaving both of us covered in soot and debris.
Blink, Blink
" Pfft, Bwahahahahah" both of us bent over, hands over bellies, shoulders shaking with laughter struggling to breathe.
I could almost taste my burnt hair. I added the wrong chemical and caused an explosion, It wasn't my intention for that to happen.
" Sorry" I murmured.
The next thing we knew was mom shouting " What are you guys doing over there?!!"
Earning another round of eye-tingling laughter and Mav whizzing beside me. To this day, Mav refused to let me forget it.
*~**)
Weeks turned into months and mistakes became fewer.
My confidence grew with every successful blend and I created different scents for mom, Alex, Mav and Jayda .
After every practice session, I'd drive to my favorite pastry shop and reward myself with a slice of vanilla-chocolate cake. It was soft, rich, and easily my greatest weakness.
Yum.
Oh, and I'd made a new friend at the pastry shop—Cassian Leonov and for every time we met, I enjoyed his company.
He works at the counter.
( A.N: Cassian was the guy she met in chapter 24)
I still hadn't seen my "boyfriend," nor had he made any attempt to contact me.
Penelope had texted several times, most of which I'd ignored. The strange thing was... every time I saw her name appear on my screen, an uneasy feeling settled in my chest. Like there was something important I was supposed to remember.
Something I had forgotten.