"…Mom?"
She was there, Mom, all elegance and worry. "George said you might have ditched your bride and run straight back to work," she said, checking him over. "Knowing you, I had to come and see if you were actually enjoying the honeymoon."
Before he could even open his mouth, another face popped up.
George.
Fake smile plastered on.
"Surprise!" he chirped. "Wedding came out of nowhere, bro. Just had to come and see this… happiness for myself." He glanced around the room. "Well, this is a shock. You're actually here."
Lily stepped forward, polite as ever. "I wasn't expecting anyone."
George's eyes flicked to her, taking her in.
"Oh? Then let me introduce myself properly." He gave a little bow, the kind that meant nothing. "George. Alex's older brother."
And just like that, he was inside, no invitation needed.
Alex figured he expected a fight.
Or some kind of proof.
Proof this marriage was a sham.
But instead—
He stopped dead.
The living room… it wasn't dead anymore.
Cushions were on the sofa. Warm lights instead of those harsh white ones. Pictures on the walls. A plant by the window, catching the sun like something alive had finally settled in.
Mom gasped.
"Oh my! What a transformation!" She turned to Lily, all smiles. "Darling, you've made this place a home!"
George's smile twitched.
"That's…" he mumbled, eyes narrowing, "…impossible."
Then he looked at Alex.
"You never let anyone touch your stuff." His voice dropped. "Wasn't this supposed to be a fake marriage?"
Alex didn't move a muscle.
He turned to Lily, real slow-like.
His voice went all soft, almost too soft, like he was trying too hard. "Stay with Mother, yeah? She's been missing you."
Lily paused, a tiny flicker of something in her eyes, then nodded.
"Alright."
She guided his mother towards the sitting area.
The second they were out of sight, down the hall—
George's face just crumpled.
The smile he'd been wearing? Gone. Vanished.
He pulled out a little recorder, hitting play with a mean satisfaction.
"Nice setup," he muttered under his breath.
"But I'm not buying it."
A familiar voice crackled from the speaker.
Ethan.
"Yeah, something's definitely not right with them.
I was with Lily for three years. A week before the wedding, she was still begging me to marry her."
The room went quiet, like a held breath.
George gave a low chuckle.
"If Mother heard this… and her heart couldn't take it?" He tilted his head. "Well, that'd be on you, brother."
Alex sat down, slow.
His finger started tapping the table.
Once.
Twice.
Steady. Controlled.
"What do you want?" he asked.
"Thirty percent of the company shares," George shot back, shoving a contract across the table.
"Transfer them to me. Don't worry—I came prepared."
The tapping stopped.
Alex took off his ring, real slow and careful.
George scoffed. "Will you stop with that damn finger and just sign—"
Click.
The ring twisted open.
Inside, a small eagle crest seal shone a little.
George's voice hitched. "…What the hell is that?"
Alex said one word.
"Fine."
He pressed the seal into the wax on the contract. It was done. Finally.
Crimson bloomed, slow and ugly.
George's face lit up, all sharp angles and greedy triumph. "Yes! Finally! Twenty percent—it's mine!"
He was practically panting.
"Your reign ends today, Alex! I'm the one in charge now! I'll be calling the shots!"
Alex leaned back, trying to look as if he hadn't been planning this for years.
"In charge?" he repeated, quiet.
"You?"
George snatched the contract, eyes darting over it.
Then he saw the seal.
His face… drained. Like someone had pulled the plug.
"The… absolute controlling heir's seal…?" His hands shook.
"No. No, this can't be real. It has to be fake!"
Alex's gaze turned cold, and he let it.
"The moment you started racking up gambling debts at sixteen," he said evenly, "you should have known you wouldn't be getting anything."
Sunlight hit the seal, turning the crimson into something that looked… alive. Like a goddamn fire.
George stumbled back.
"Twenty percent means nothing now… This isn't how it was supposed to go! I should be the heir! You're just a bastard! An illegitimate, worthless—"
Alex's voice cut him off, sharp and hard.
"Say whatever you want about me."
He paused.
"But if you ever involve my family again…"
His eyes narrowed.
"I'll make sure you disappear completely."
The threat hung in the air, quiet, absolute.
George's lips were trembling.
"You… you think this is over?! This isn't over!"
He bolted, the door slamming behind him with a crash.
Silence.
But this time…
The house didn't feel so cold.
The door clicked shut, and finally, Lily was alone. She sank onto the sofa, the silence of the apartment suddenly heavy.
Ugh.
Just as she was about to grab the remote, her phone blasted a ringtone.
"Seriously?"
she muttered, reaching for it. A slight frown creased her forehead as she glanced at the screen. "Hello?"