But Kai’s smirk only widened as he turned to the room again and added lightly, "Or do you have a few more seeds scattered around the city?"
There was a sharp silence.
A woman gasped. A few awkward chuckles followed, trying to brush off the tension. Soone sipped their wine a little too quickly.
Mr. Blake’s jaw clenched. "Kai," he said through gritted teeth, "not here."
Kai raised his hands in mock surrender. "What? I was just confirming. I don’t like surprises—especially the human kind."
"You’re late," his father snapped.
"You’re lucky I ca," Kai replied, shrugging as he dropped into a velvet chair like he belonged on a throne. "Besides, the guests were dying to et ."
His fingers tapped against the armrest, rings clicking softly.
He glanced around at the judging eyes. Their hushed whispers didn’t bother him. They never had. He leaned back, crossing his legs, and smiled lazily at them all.
As Kai lounged in the velvet chair, lazily watching the fire crackle in the hearth, a high-pitched, overly sweet voice cut through the hum of quiet conversation.
"Oh, I heard you’re going to take over Blake Corporation," said one of the aunts, a side relative whose makeup was a little too thick and whose smile didn’t quite reach her eyes. She chuckled lightly, tilting her wine glass. "How’s your education going, dear?"
The room went just a little quieter.
Kai turned his head slowly to look at her, one brow raised, his lips curving into a smile that wasn’t a smile at all.
"Ah, Auntie Vivian," he said smoothly. "Still worried about other people’s degrees at your age?"
She stiffened slightly but laughed again, a little forced. "Well, I’m just curious. Business can be... complicated. It’s not all charm and fast cars."
Kai rested his elbow on the armrest and leaned his head into his hand, rings glinting under the chandelier’s light.
"You’re absolutely right," he said in a mock-thoughtful tone. "That’s why I let my assistant handle anything that requires patience. And my secretary does the math. And I mostly just show up to sign the big deals and steal the spotlight."
"Very efficient," soone muttered under their breath.
Kai heard it. Of course he did. He grinned wider. "You’d be surprised how much people pay when they think you’re dangerous and brilliant."
Mr. Blake shot him a warning glare. "Kai."
But Kai didn’t stop.
He turned back to Aunt Vivian, voice soft and wicked. "And if you’re so concerned, I do have a degree... in ruining expectations."
The silence that followed was awkward. Even the fire seed to crackle quieter.
Kai leaned back again with a satisfied sigh. "But don’t worry. When I take over Blake Corporation, I’ll let you keep your little foundation chair. I wouldn’t want to take away your tea parties."
Vivian blinked, offended into silence, her mouth opening but no words coming out.
Soone choked on their wine.
Mr. Blake muttered sothing under his breath and pinched the bridge of his nose.
Kai smiled, eyes flickering toward the window where snow was falling gently beyond the glass.
He was bored of this room already.
He wanted sothing far more interesting.
After enduring an evening full of tight smiles, clinking glasses, and fake laughter echoing off marble walls, Kai had had enough.
He excused himself with a lazy grin and a dramatic yawn, ignoring the way his father glared daggers into his back as he strolled out of the room like he’d just won an award. The mont he was out of view, the smirk vanished from his face.
He climbed the grand staircase, his boots muffled on the plush carpet, and made his way down the long corridor to his private wing.
The mont he closed the door behind him, the atmosphere shifted.
Quiet.
Still.
Only the ticking of the modern clock on the wall and the faint snowstorm outside.
He threw his rings onto the dresser with a soft clatter, rolled up his sleeves, and sank into the leather chair beside his desk. From the drawer, he pulled out a sleek black phone–his real phone, not the one his father could track or access.
With a few taps, he opened a secure contact. The number had no na, just a single letter: R.
He placed the phone to his ear, voice low and sharp.
"Track soone for ."
The line crackled softly. Then a familiar voice responded, dry and professional. "Na?"
"Lilith," he said simply. "Sebastian Carter’s... girlfriend. Or maybe ex. Depends how fast I move."
A pause. Then: "Full na?"
"I’m sure you’ll find it," Kai said, already reclining in his chair. "Blue eyes, black hair, gorgeous. Supposedly very smart. Bit of a heartbreaker. Has a connection to Sienna Blake’s case. Oh—and currently living sowhere in the city."
The voice on the other end didn’t respond with curiosity or questions. Just calm silence, then a short: "You want her background?"
"Not just background," Kai said, eyes narrowing. "I want to know everything. What she eats. Where she goes. Who she talks to. Weaknesses. Fears. What makes her tick. I want it all."
A beat of silence, then:
"I’ll update you in 24 hours."
The call disconnected.
Kai tossed the phone onto the bed and leaned back, folding his arms behind his head. A slow grin returned to his lips.
****
Lilith sat quietly in the car, one hand resting on the steering wheel. The heater humd softly, fogging up the windows just enough to blur the outside world.
Ray figure walking away still lingered in her mind, shoulders slightly slouched, that innocent warmth in his step dimd sohow. There was sothing lonely about the way he didn’t look back.
Her fingers tightened slightly around the wheel.
The passenger door opened suddenly.
Gray.
He stepped in without a word, wearing the clothes she had picked for him. His presence brought a different kind of quiet, the calm kind. He adjusted his seat and glanced over at her.
Lilith turned to look at him too. He looked stunning. That kind of sharp, mature handso that only Gray carried.
She didn’t speak. Neither did he for a few seconds.
But sohow, the tension in her chest eased a little.
"I was wondering when you’d show up," she finally said, voice soft.
He blinked, and the corners of his lips pulled ever so slightly upward.
"Of course. You looked like you needed soone who could sit in silence with you."
And he was right.
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