Mr Vale’s lips pursed tightly, then a light flashed across his eyes.

"It means," he muttered, his voice turning cold, "that you have spent his entire life excusing his complications. His moods. His independence." He shrugged casually. "And now he’s a grown man who can’t fulfill obligations."

He stopped, taking in a cool breath as if to ease his frustration. "You enabled all this since he was a child. All of his abnormalities. You accommodated them, and this is the result."

A small laugh escaped Mrs. Vale’s lips. "You’re saying it as if I’m the only one in this." She shook her head slightly. "He is your son too."

"Your son," Mr. Vale corrected, his voice sharp.

"He’s your son too," Mrs. Vale insisted, nodding. "In every way that matters, he is your son. He has carried your name. He has built things that expanded everything you inherited. He has taken the Vale name further than any of the previous heads before you. He has stood in every room you asked him to stand in and done everything you asked him to do. And now you’re still standing here saying ’your son’..."

A faint sneer touched her lips. "Is it because it gives you leverage. Because it reminds him, reminds both of us... that you have something to hold over him whenever he dares to want something for himself. He deserves more than that."

"Don’t say he deserves more than that," Mr. Vale snapped. "After all that he’s done... what we both know."

"Stop saying that every time. The past is the past," Mrs. Vale cut in, her voice tight.

"We both know the truth, don’t we?" Mr. Vale continued as if he hadn’t heard her. "I only gave him my name to keep up appearances. He’s a placeholder and if he can’t even marry a woman, then he’s a useless one at that."

The air seemed to leave the room instantly. Mrs. Vale recoiled as if he had physically struck her. She stared at him, her mouth slightly open.

Mr. Vale did not bat an eyelid. He simply straightened his cuffs, flashing her one last look of cold indifference.

"And about what you said earlier," he added. "He hasn’t built anything. He’s just paying back what he took from this family."

He said nothing more after that. He simply turned and walked out of the living room, slamming the heavy oak door hard behind him.

Mrs. Vale was left alone in the room, her hands shaking uncontrollably at her sides, her breath coming in heavy gasps.

Not long after, the housekeeper, who had been watching everything from a small distance, walked over to her and patted her arm gently.

Mrs. Vale turned her head, the rims of her eyes already bloodshot.

"Nora," she muttered, the corner of her lip lifting slightly in self mockery. "You heard all that he said, right?"

Nora pursed her lips, then gave a small nod. "I did." 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

A small sound escaped Mrs. Vale’s throat, something close to a sob.

"He keeps acting as if I haven’t spent every night since that day mourning my little girl. As if I didn’t lose a piece of my soul that day." Her voice trembled. "He speaks of Lia’s death like it’s a weapon he can use against me, forgetting that she was my daughter before she was ever his legacy. I loved her first, Nora. And I’ve paid for that love with every tear I’ve cried in the dark."

She paused, a smile that didn’t quite look like a smile forming on her lips.

"He keeps treating Adrian like a servant paying off an eternal debt. But how much blood is enough for him? Adrian has given his sweat, his youth, and his entire life to that man, and it’s still not enough to buy his place as a ’son.’"

Mrs. Vale let out a short bitter sound. "He did a terrible thing. I know that very well. And for years, I wanted to hate him. I tried to see a monster when I looked at him but all I saw was a boy trying to carry the weight of a sin that was too heavy for him."

Her voice dropped.

"I love the boy who took my daughter away from me. Does that make me a traitor? Or does it just make me a mother who couldn’t bear to lose two children at once?"

Nora’s lips parted, then pressed together again. It seemed she didn’t know what to say.

Mrs. Vale straightened up and sniffed, then she moved toward the side door leading to the garden.

"Please help me bring tea," she murmured, her voice returning to its usual calmness.

–

After almost ten hours of recording with Carris, Elara finally stepped out of the studio. Her hands tightened on her gear bag and as she made to adjust it on her shoulder, a hand suddenly reached out and took it off her.

"You must be very tired," Carris murmured casually, already walking forward.

Elara sighed. She knew she was tired, but his car was only a few steps ahead, so there was really no need for him to help her carry it. He had always been acting like this all the time and she had even started getting used to it.

"Thank you," she muttered anyway as they walked side by side to the car.

Elara got into the front seat and leaned back, taking in a deep breath.

"Put on your seatbelt," Carris said again.

Elara nodded. She wasn’t really used to doing that in cars. It was a habit she needed to change.

As she reached for it and moved to click it into place, Adrian’s figure suddenly crossed her mind. The way he had leaned over her once, blocking her view as he secured it for her.

Her lips pursed.

"Is everything alright?" Carris asked from her side.

Elara blinked snapping back to herself. She let out a small inward snort and slid the strap into place with a soft click. "Nothing," she murmured, glancing at Carris, who was still staring at her with a strange expression.

He nodded after a moment and started the car. Not long after, he stopped in front of a private restaurant.

"It’s been a long day. Let’s go eat something," he said, already getting down before Elara could even refuse.

She had no other choice but to follow him.

After a quiet dinner where he had basically forced her to eat more than three bites, he drove her back to her place.

As they approached the building, Carris suddenly squinted through the windshield. "Wow, I think you’ve got a new neighbor who’s preparing for the apocalypse." He said.

Elara’s brows drew together in confusion and then she followed his gaze.

A car was parked right in front of the building. A man stood beside it struggling with an absurd number of bags and boxes.