"Where is Zane?" Athena whispered, nudging Sandro softly. Her voice barely carried, but the question hung heavily in the air.
They were sitting in the smaller living room—the gang—joined by Antonio, who had stubbornly refused to acknowledge the subtle signals Aiden was giving him to excuse them.
Antonio crossed his legs, feigning ease, but his eyes betrayed his irritation. The forr was rendered even more curious, especially with the bandage he could see nestled around Ewan’s thigh.
His rival sat in his combat shorts and a black t-shirt, looking utterly at ho in the mansion. Too at ho. Antonio wasn’t pleased about that.
He had a lot of questions—too many—including the one he had just overheard Athena ask Sandro. Where was his boss’ infamous son? The one who had refused friendship out of pride and arrogance. The one who was, in his opinion, highly incompetent with work. The one who shouldn’t be occupying such a high seat in a legacy, unworthy, except that he bore Whitman as a last na.
"That’s true," Antonio said now, his tone casual. He wasn’t pleased with Athena frowning at him then, however—or was it confusion flickering past her eyes when she t his gaze?
"Where is he? He is always around you."
Sandro furrowed his brows, exchanging a quick glance with Ewan, not sure what to do with this sudden interest. "He is fine," he finally answered simply, checking his wristwatch.
Old Mr. Thorne sat watching quietly. He was no stranger to the budding tension in the room; and as much as Antonio was his granddaughter’s fiancé, his presence here wasn’t needed.
The old man tried to et Athena’s gaze, but she was rather besotted with her thoughts, eyes fixed on the wall ahead. She must be worrying for Zane, he guessed, sighing deeply.
It had taken a while—a lot of effort—to send everyone off to their beds after dinner. There had been too much catching up to do. Yet, this fellow here was proving stubborn. Should he just walk him out?
Old Mr. Thorne reclined deeper into his sofa. That would be disrespectful to his granddaughter. Only she had the authority to do that, and since she wasn’t in a hurry, he resigned himself to the fate that the recap might not be happening tonight.
His wife squeezed his hand, her silent gesture communicating that she felt the sa way.
"Babe, aren’t you going yet?" Athena spoke then, her voice soft yet loud enough to pierce the quiet atmosphere.
The Thorne couple had to hold back a sigh of relief.
Antonio’s head snapped toward her, his face aggrieved. "Why?"
Athena frowned, her brows knitting. "You have work tomorrow. Did you forget?"
"And what about them?" he clapped back, gesturing sharply toward Ewan and Sandro. His hand cut through the air. "Or do they live here?"
Athena wasn’t in the mood for this, but she knew she had to be clear with her boyfriend. "Let’s et outside... we are making the atmosphere uncomfortable."
As she spoke, she stood to her feet, and started toward the exit without waiting to see if he would follow.
Antonio hesitated for a mont, but then, noting the couple of blank eyes staring at him, he scoffed under his breath and rose stiffly. None of them would be on his side, after all.
Outside, under the dim light of the corridor, he barely contained his exasperation. "What is going on, Athena? Why are you always keeping outside matters like this? Am I not family enough? Why is he in there, and I am out here? Why is he at ho with your family? You both are divorced!"
Athena’s ears rang with the weight of her boyfriend’s decibels, but she clamped down the irritation and annoyance bubbling within her. Instead, she sought to understand his point of view.
"Are you done?" she asked evenly when his rant tapered off. "Do you have sothing else to add? So grievances..."
Her calm deanor and tone disard Antonio. His tensed shoulders deflated sowhat, sagging as resignation tugged at him.
"What you do, Athena, isn’t fair," he muttered, his voice softer but still bitter. "It’s like you both are still together."
Athena sighed loudly this ti, tired of hearing the statent which had beco like a mantra. She lifted her hands briefly before letting them fall. "I have told you, Antonio, that there’s nothing between Ewan and I. Don’t you trust ?"
A beat of silence stretched between them.
"I do." His voice was hushed now. He stepped forward, wrapping his arms around her waist, resting his forehead against hers. His breath was warm, shaky. "I... I just don’t like seeing him around."
"You have to get used to it." Athena’s voice softened, though her hands remained still at her sides. "He will be here on most nights, to take care of the children, as working in the lab will take most of my ti."
She inhaled deeply when he backed away sharply, the warmth replaced with cold air.
"What are you talking about? What about Gianna? What about..." His voice rose, his eyes narrowing.
"Busy. Even my grandparents are... the company hasn’t yet been handed to . You too are busy—you return very late at night, courtesy of your job. And that’s okay. But Ewan..."
"...is the CEO of the Giacotti Enterprise," Antonio snapped, cutting her off. "Busier than all of us. He should be the last person to consider for the task."
"He always makes ti for them."
Antonio looked like he had been slapped. His face contorted, disbelief shining within his eyes. "So, I’m not available? Where was he those years ago? Where was he, huh?"
Athena licked her lower lip, forcing calm into her voice. "Antonio, let this go. It has been settled. The kids are okay with him too. He is their father."
"No! I am!" Antonio’s voice exploded as he covered the distance between them again, his hands fisting tightly at his sides.
Athena only frowned, standing her ground in front of the heat that threatened to consu her. "You are taking this too far, Antonio. It’s not that deep. He is like a babysitter."
"But he gets closer to you..."
Athena shook her head firmly. "My days will be spent at the lab."
Antonio cursed loudly, dragging both hands through his hair, pacing back and forth before turning away.
Athena felt mildly sorry for him, although she didn’t think he should be taking the matter this hard.
"And what about the eting that’s about to be held there? What about the guests in the quarters around... your secretary, I think I rember her... and there is Margaret, who should be miles away from here..." He paused, peering down at her with narrowed eyes. "What are you not telling , babe? Why am I not involved?"
"Because it will burden you, my love..." Athena muttered, lifting her hand and gently palming his left cheek. "You are still settling down... you don’t need that."
Antonio hissed harshly, pulling back, his eyes flashing with annoyance. "I think I can handle anything you throw at ."
But Athena had had enough. She couldn’t deal with a petulant adult—not with her ignorance of Zane’s condition beating at her chest like a war drum.
"Go ho, Antonio." Her words were firm this ti, final, carrying no room for argunt.
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