The garden was still alive with soft laughter when Lucian turned away. Behind him, the voices of Elena and Adrian drifted across the afternoon air. Their conversation was light, warm, filled with the easy familiarity of siblings who had grown up relying on each other.
Lucian did not interrupt them. He had already seen enough. Without a word, he walked back toward the mansion.
The heavy doors opened as he approached, guards stepping aside immediately. The quiet elegance of the estate welcomed him back—marble floors gleaming beneath the chandelier light, polished railings lining the grand staircase, and the faint sound of footsteps echoing through distant halls.
Lucian climbed the stairs slowly, every movement calm and unhurried. He continued down the long corridor that led to his office. When he reached the long corridor leading to his office, the house seemed to grow quieter.
When he pushed open the door, the familiar scent greeted him immediately. The scent of leather and smoke. And the unmistakable atmosphere of old money.
The office was large and dimly lit, the tall windows partially covered by dark curtains that filtered the afternoon light into soft shadows. A massive mahogany desk dominated the center of the room, the polished wood reflected the dim light from a green-shaded desk lamp. Behind it stood shelves filled with documents, files, and ledgers detailing the operations of the Moretti empire.
Lucian closed the door behind him. Silence settled.
He walked toward his desk, removing a silver lighter and a cigarette from his pocket. With a small flick of the lighter, the flame appeared, and the tip of the cigarette glowed faintly as he inhaled. Smoke curled slowly into the air.
Lucian exhaled before lowering himself into the leather chair behind the desk.
For a few moments he simply sat there, his gaze distant. Then he opened the top drawer of the desk. Inside, among neatly organized documents and sealed envelopes, and beneath them, lay a single photograph. Lucian reached in and picked it up carefully. His expression softened almost immediately when he looked.
The photograph was old. The edges were worn, the colors slightly faded with time but the beauty in it was still alive.
Lucian's thumb brushed across its surface. Something unreadable flickered in his eyes. But the longing ams possessiveness in those eyes were evident. And something deeper that he never allowed anyone else to see.
He leaned back in his chair, exhaling smoke slowly as his gaze lifted toward the ceiling. The image of Adrian appeared in his mind. The resemblance had struck him the moment he saw him. A faint smile touched his lips. "He looks so much like him," he murmured quietly. The office swallowed the words.
Lucian lowered the photograph again, placing it back into the drawer with careful precision. His expression returned to its usual calm indifference. But the memory lingered.
Outside in the garden, Elena and Adrian had moved to one of the stone benches beneath the shade of a tall oak tree. Elena hadn't stopped smiling since seeing him. She couldn't stop smiling since the moment she realized Adrian was truly standing in front of her.
"So," Elena said, leaning forward.
"Tell me everything."
Adrian raised an eyebrow.
"Everything?"
"Yes. Classes. Friends. Dorm life. Everything."
He chuckled shaking his head with amusement.
"You're acting like I disappeared for ten years."
"It felt like ten years." Elena replied dramatically.
Adrian shook his head before answering her.
"Classes are fine. Hard, but manageable."
"Law school isn't supposed to be easy," Elena replied proudly.
Adrian stretched his legs slightly.
"Still worth it."
"So you're serious about becoming a lawyer?"
"Very serious."
He looked ahead thoughtfully.
"I want to be the biggest lawyer this country has ever seen."
Elena's eyes brightened immediately.
"That's my brother."
Adrian smirked faintly.
"You always say that."
"Because it's true."
Elena studied him for a moment before tilting her head mischievously.
"So…"
Adrian narrowed his eyes.
"That 'so' sounds dangerous."
She smiled innocently.
"Do you have a girlfriend?"
Adrian stared at her. The expression on his face clearly said Are you kidding me?
Elena held the innocent smile for two seconds. Then she burst out laughing.
"Oh my God, your face!"
Adrian groaned.
"I knew that question was coming."
"Well?" she insisted, still laughing.
"No."
"No?" Elena repeated dramatically. "You're telling me there isn't a single girl in your entire university interested in you?"
"Plenty probably are."
Elena blinked.
"Wow. That was confident."
"I just don't have time for it."
She leaned back against the bench.
"That's such a boring answer."
Adrian shrugged.
"I'm focused."
Elena laughed again, shaking her head.
"You're impossible."
By the time evening arrived, the household had gathered in the large dining room for dinner.. The dining room was large and elegant, illuminated by a crystal chandelier hanging above the long polished table.
At the head of the table sat Lucian. To his right sat Sofia, and beside her Matteo, one of Lucian's most trusted men, leaned lazily back in his chair with the relaxed confidence and caculative eyes of someone completely at ease in the powerful household. Across from them sat Dante, the towering man known for his silence and watchful presence. Marco occupied another seat, watching the room with amusement.
Elena sat beside Adrian. Dinner had barely begun before she started placing food on his plate.
"Eat."she said firmly.
Adrian sighed, already knowing what was coming.
"Elena—"
"You're too thin."
"I am not too thin."
Another spoonful landed on his plate.
"Elena."
"Yes?" She answered without looking at him.
"That's enough."
She ignored his protest completely.
Adrian looked down at the growing pile of food.
"You realize I can't eat all of this."
"You can try."
Marco chuckled watching the interaction with open amusement, after all Elena was either glaring at Lucian, being sarcastic or rolling her eye him "You know," he said casually, "if I didn't know better, I'd think you were his mother."
Elena blinked.
Then she laughed.
Adrian groaned loudly.
"Please don't encourage her."
Marco grinned.
"Too late."
Elena shrugged lightly clearly unbothered. "I've been feeding him since he was twelve."
Adrian muttered something under his breath then he sighed again before eating.
Everyone at the table could see how much she doted on him. She watched every bite like a proud parent making sure their child finished dinner.
Adrian endured it with the patience of someone who had experienced this his entire life.
Across the table, Matteo watched the interaction with interest. "So this is the famous brother," he said casually.
Adrian glanced up.
"Famous?"
"Elena talks about you a lot," Matteo replied.
Elena rolled her eyes.
"Don't exaggerate."
Sofia smiled faintly.
"It's true."
Adrian looked slightly embarrassed burying his face in his food.
Meanwhile, Lucian remained silent. Throughout the entire dinner… Elena never once looked at him. Not even once.
She spoke with Adrian, laughed with Marco and answered Sofia and Matteo politely. But Lucian might as well not have existed.
Lucian noticed. Of course he noticed. His dark gaze remained calm, but the shadow behind it said otherwise. The tension in the room slowly thickened. Marco noticed first then Sofia, even Matteo eventually sensed it. Everyone at the table felt it. Everyone except Elena who decided to ignore the man not far from her.
She continued talking happily with her brother, completely unconcerned with the man sitting at the head of the table.
And the more she ignored him… The darker Lucian's expression became.