"Good morning."
The deep, raw voice of Eryx was the first thing Lunara heard that morning. Her eyelids felt heavy as she blinked herself awake. Without thinking, she dragged herself closer and nuzzled her face into his chest.
Third day. It was already the third day after the funeral. Eryx hadn’t left her side since, staying ho without stepping out once.
"You need to wake up," he murmured, gently caressing her hair. "I have to go to the office today. There’s sothing urgent I need to handle." He glanced down at her, her face still buried in his chest. "You’ll need to co with , since Mom and Naomi aren’t around."
Lunara finally lifted her head, blinking slowly. "Where did they go?"
Eryx hesitated before answering, a faint smile tugging at his lips. "Naomi had a slight fever this morning. Mom thought it’d be better to take her to the hospital."
He didn’t say everything. Not how Naomi had barely touched her food. Not how she had locked herself in her room, curled up and crying softly into her pillow for hours.
Lunara didn’t ask further. She just sighed quietly and sat up, letting the sheet slip down from her shoulder. "Do I need to follow you to the office?"
Eryx sat up beside her, brushing a hand through his hair before turning to face her with a half-smile.
"Yes, you do," he said. "I need soone to sit there and look pretty while I pretend to focus on work."
Lunara gave him a sleepy, unimpressed look. "That’s your reason?"
He shrugged, still watching her. "That... and maybe I just don’t trust myself to leave you alone when I’m not around to spoil you."
Her lips twitched. A faint smile. It was small, but it was there.
His eyes’ gaze and tone softened. "Honestly... I just don’t feel right leaving without you."
Her eyes t his. She didn’t say anything, but her shoulders eased a little.
He leaned in, kissed her temple. "So co with , okay?"
=====
They arrived at the basent parking lot just a little past eight. Eryx parked the car neatly in his reserved spot and walked around to open the door for her. Lunara stepped out slowly, still adjusting to the outside world after days of solitude.
As they neared the escalator, Lunara suddenly paused.
"I think I left my phone," she murmured, checking her bag with a small frown.
Eryx glanced at his watch. "We’ll grab it later. You don’t need it for now."
"But, I will get bored when—"
Just then, a voice echoed across the concrete lot.
"Sir!" Callum jogged toward them, his tie slightly loosened and expression tense. "We’ve got a situation, sir. Your grandmother is still trying to pull sothing. Mr. Dae just called in from the board. You need to get up there. Now."
Eryx let out a sharp breath and looked at Lunara. "Will you be okay? Just head up to my floor. I’ll send soone—"
"It’s fine," Lunara cut in softly. "Go. I’ll head to your office in a minute."
He hesitated, then nodded. "Twenty-fifth floor. Just tell the receptionist my na. They’ll send you up."
She gave him a small nudge. "Go."
He took one last look at her before following Callum toward the elevator.
Lunara walked slowly across the lobby, arms wrapped tightly around herself. It felt strange to be surrounded by so many people again. Everyone seed in a rush, heels clicking, phones ringing, voices echoing.
She reached the reception counter, pausing for a mont before approaching.
"Good morning," the receptionist greeted with a polite smile. "How may I help you?"
"Hi," Lunara said, clearing her throat softly. "I’m supposed to go up to Mr. Eryx’s office?" She tilted her head slightly, her voice unsure. "But it looks like I need a pass card or sothing to press for level 25."
At the ntion of the na, the receptionist straightened a little. "Mr. Eryx? Do you an Mr. Grantham?"
Lunara gave a small nod. "Yes."
The receptionist’s polite smile didn’t fade, but her posture subtly shifted into sothing more formal. "I see. And may I ask your na, miss? Do you have an appointnt with Mr. Grantham?"
"Um... no, not officially," Lunara admitted. "He asked to co up. There was an urgent eting, so he went ahead first."
"I understand," the receptionist said, fingers pausing above her keyboard. "It’s just that Mr. Grantham and several board directors are currently in a private session. Normally, guests aren’t allowed access to that floor without prior clearance."
Lunara hesitated, clutching the strap of her bag. "I see..."
"Would you mind waiting a mont?" the woman added, still perfectly courteous. "I’ll make a quick call to confirm."
Lunara nodded. "Sure."
She turned from the counter and headed toward the waiting area. Just as she was about to sit, soone brushed past her shoulder.
"Sorry," Lunara said without looking.
"I should say the sa," a familiar voice replied.
Lunara looked up.
Seraphine.
Dressed sharp, just like last ti. Her eyes and lips instantly curved into a smile the mont she recognized Lunara. "Hey, it’s you."
"Ah..." Lunara nodded, a little caught off guard. "Hi."
"What are you doing here?" Seraphine asked, stepping closer. "You know what? I’ve actually been looking for you since the day of our photoshoot at the studio."
Lunara raised her eyebrows, confused. "You... were looking for ? Why?"
Seraphine chuckled lightly, covering her mouth for a second before leaning in and lowering her voice. "I heard sothing went down that day."
She pulled back and added with a playful roll of her eyes, "Of course, I missed the drama because I had to rush to a last-minute casting. Total waste of ti, by the way. They were hours behind schedule and ended up canceling."
Lunara blinked, caught off guard by Seraphine’s friendly tone. It felt like they were old friends catching up after a long ti apart.
"So, if you wouldn’t mind," Seraphine continued with a playful smile, "Would you spill the drama that happened that day? I heard you were there, and I never really got the full story. Everyone else seems to have vanished from the industry since then."
Lunara raised an eyebrow, unsure where this was going, but Seraphine’s curiosity was clear.
"I an," Seraphine leaned in just a bit, lowering her voice to a playful whisper, "I heard Eryx’s wife was there too... and it got so curious."
Lunara stiffened, her gaze flickering with awkwardness, but she quickly looked away, trying to hide the unease on her face.
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