Sweet Love 2x: Miss Ruthless CEO for our Superstar Uncle-Chapter 77: Where He Stands

Three days after Arianne left, the house felt less chaotic, but it still wasn’t back to its normal routine.

Franz stood at the foot of the twins’ beds and realized that just having a routine wasn’t enough to get them to cooperate. Lily brushed her teeth without being told, and Leo finished his homework before dinner without any complaints. However, when it was time for bed, both of them resisted in new ways that they hadn’t during the previous months—subtle but persistent.

Leo sat on the edge of his bed, resting his elbows on his knees and looking at the floorboards below him. Since Arianne left, he had become quieter. He went through his day as he was told, but he often looked at the staircase, almost as if he was waiting for footsteps that wouldn’t come for four more nights.

"It’s past your usual time," Franz said, keeping his voice even.

Leo did not look up.

Next to him, Lily lay beneath her blanket but had not pulled it up to her chin as she normally would. She watched Franz instead of pretending to sleep, her head tilted slightly toward the doorway.

"He waited by the stairs again," she said quietly. "After dinner."

Franz did not respond at once. He had noticed. The sound of Leo shifting near the landing had become familiar these past three evenings, a presence more than a movement.

"She’ll be back Friday," Franz said.

Lily nodded, though her expression suggested the statement was being filed as reassurance rather than certainty.

Franz crossed the room and adjusted the blanket at the foot of Leo’s bed, a gesture that earned him a brief, irritated glance. Leo straightened immediately, pulled the blanket himself, and lay back with rigid precision.

Franz turned off the overhead light. Only the small lamp by the bookshelf remained on, providing a soft glow in the room.

"Lights out," he said. 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

Lily hesitated. "Did she call?"

"Yes," Franz replied. These questions had become routine between them.

"What did she say?"

"That everything is proceeding as scheduled."

Lily studied him. "That’s all?"

"That’s all."

She looked unhappy but did not ask more questions. She knew Arianne usually didn’t explain much.

When Franz stepped into the hallway and closed their door softly, the quiet of the house pressed in more noticeably than before, he had underestimated how much of the household’s gravity came from her presence alone.

His phone vibrated in his hand as he descended the stairs.

A single message.

Gil: Free tonight? Come out. Nate’s place. Bring a disguise.

Franz read it twice.

Gil did not text without purpose.

Franz typed a short response.

Franz: Time?

Gil: In an hour. I’ll pick you up. Don’t argue.

Franz exhaled quietly.

He did not like the idea of leaving the house while Arianne was gone, but the twins were asleep, and security was intact. He sent a quick message to the staff to stay alert, then went back upstairs to check again.

Leo lay on his side, eyes closed but not fully asleep. Lily’s breathing was steady, and her blanket was pulled up higher.

Franz stayed a moment longer before stepping away.

Gil arrived in a common sedan that blended in easily with other cars. When Franz got into the car, Gil simply handed him a cap and a pair of thin glasses.

"You’re overdressed for anonymity," Gil remarked, glancing at Franz’s tailored coat.

"I wasn’t informed of a dress code," Franz replied evenly.

"That’s why I texted ’disguise.’"

Franz adjusted the cap without complaint. "This necessary?"

"Yes."

Gil did not elaborate, which told Franz enough. If they were meeting at Nate’s establishment, discretion would be deliberate.

The drive through Montclair City was uneventful. Gil kept the radio low, fingers tapping against the steering wheel as streetlights flashed across the windshield in brief intervals.

"How are the kids?" Gil asked after a while.

"Functional," Franz answered.

Gil huffed quietly. "That bad?"

"Not outwardly."

Gil nodded. He did not need more information.

Nate’s bar is on a quiet street, away from the busy nightlife areas. It looks simple from the outside, with a dark front and minimal signs. A small brass plaque is near the entrance.

The bar serves a specific clientele: influential, discerning customers who pay for privacy.

Inside, the lighting is low and warm. Conversations stay quiet, even with a steady crowd. No phones are allowed on tables; Nate enforces this rule strictly.

Gil exchanged a brief nod with the bartender before guiding Franz toward a corridor at the back. A staff member opened the door without question.

The room inside was quiet and contained. A long table sat in the center, leather chairs spaced evenly around it. No decorations. No distractions. It wasn’t meant for comfort. It was meant for control.

Nate was already seated. Julian leaned back in his chair, a tablet resting near his hand. One chair remained empty.

Alex’s.

No one mentioned it.

Franz stepped inside without hesitation.

"About time," Nate said, though his tone carried no annoyance.

"I was given an hour," Franz replied.

Julian glanced up. "You look ridiculous in that cap."

"That was the point," Gil said, closing the door behind them.

Franz removed the cap and set it on the table.

"This is unnecessary," he muttered.

"It’s precaution," Nate corrected. "You’re visible now, whether you like it or not."

Franz took a seat. "So I’ve been told."

Julian studied him, measuring without making it obvious. Gil remained standing for a second before sitting across from him.

No drinks were touched.

Julian set his tablet aside. "We didn’t call you here for drinks."

"I assumed," Franz replied.

Gil leaned forward, forearms on the table.

"You’ve been holding the house," he said. "We appreciate that."

Franz did not respond to the implied weight of the statement.

"And she’s overseas," Nate added.

"Yes."

No one asked where.

Julian studied him carefully. "For what?"

Franz held his gaze evenly. "A meeting."

Nate’s mouth curved faintly. "You don’t know."

"I know enough."

Gil’s gaze sharpened. "And that’s acceptable to you?"

"Yes."

A quiet pause followed.

Nate tapped his glass lightly but did not drink.

"You understand what this table represents."

Franz did not look at the empty chair, but he knew it was there.

"Yes," he said.

Julian placed his hands on the table. His usual relaxed demeanor was now serious. "You understand that things have changed."

Nate leaned back slightly, his eyes focused. "Alex handled many issues. He took on stress so the rest of us didn’t have to."

Gil kept his gaze on Franz. "He also made decisions quickly, sometimes without consulting anyone."

"That was his way," Julian said. "It worked, but he wasn’t always patient."

Franz stayed quiet. He got what they were talking about.

Nate continued, "With him gone, it’s not like we have a gap. But things are different now."

"What’s different?" Franz asked calmly.

"A change in responsibility," Gil replied. "In who takes the lead when things happen."

The room quieted briefly.

Nate looked at him. "You didn’t go."

"She didn’t ask me to."

"That’s not what I meant."

Franz knew that.

"She doesn’t need someone chasing her."

Gil’s mouth curved faintly. "Alex would’ve been on the next flight."

"Yes." Nate agreed.

The statement was factual, not defensive.

Nate tapped his fingers lightly against the table. "That can be an advantage. Or it can be a problem."

"It depends on what you expect," Franz said.

Gil leaned forward slightly. "We don’t expect you to fill his chair."

Franz’s eyes flickered, almost imperceptibly.

"No one fills it," Julian said plainly.

A quiet acknowledgment passed among them.

"What we’re asking," Gil continued, "is whether you understand what it means to stand beside her now."

Franz did not look away.

"I do."

"Explain," Nate said.

Franz did not rush his answer.

"It means I secure what remains here," Franz said. "I’m not here to compete with her."

Julian’s gaze sharpened slightly.

"And if something requires intervention?" he asked.

"She will inform me."

"And if she doesn’t?" Nate pressed.

"Then it is because she has determined it does not require me."

Gil watched him carefully. "You’re comfortable with that."

"Yes."

Silence settled over the table, heavier this time but not hostile.

Julian leaned back again. "You realize she won’t ask easily."

"I know."

"And you’re willing to wait for that?" Nate asked.

"Yes."

Gil watched him for a moment."We just need to know you won’t make things worse."

Franz nodded.

"She doesn’t need someone trying to control her," Julian said. "She’s had enough of that."

"I know," Franz replied.

Nate spoke calmly. "If anything threatens her while she’s gone, we will act."

"I expect that from you," Franz said.

"And what about you?" Gil asked.

"I will do what needs to be done," Franz answered.

Julian tilted his head slightly. "Without asking?"

Franz held his gaze. "If it protects her position and the children, yes. If it concerns her decisions, no."

That distinction did not go unnoticed.

Nate exchanged a brief look with Gil.

"She’s carrying more than she says," Gil remarked quietly.

"I know," Franz answered.

"And you’re willing to stand in that uncertainty."

"Yes."

The room quieted again, but this time the tension had thinned.

Julian reached for his glass and finally took a sip. "He’s not trying to replace him."

"No," Nate agreed. "He’s choosing a different posture."

Gil leaned back in his chair. "Good."

The word was simple, but it marked a shift.

Franz did not react outwardly.

Nate glanced once more at the empty chair at the head of the table before returning his attention to Franz.

"We’re not offering membership," he said plainly. "And we’re not withholding it either."

"I didn’t ask," Franz replied.

"We know," Julian said.

Gil’s voice lowered slightly. "What we are doing is making sure that if pressure builds again, we’re not working against each other."

"You won’t be," Franz said.

That seemed to settle it.

The room shifted almost imperceptibly after that. Shoulders eased. Someone exhaled. The edge of evaluation softened into ordinary conversation.

Business updates followed. Minor adjustments. Names mentioned without emphasis. Nothing that required raised voices.

Then Nate pushed his glass aside. "Good. Then have a drink. You look like you need one."

Franz almost declined out of habit, then reconsidered. He reached for the glass set before him.

He took a slow drink.

No one objected.

The meeting moved on.