As soon as the word left his mouth, both of them stiffened. Clarissa. That flower was her favorite too.
Lyra quickly tried to mask her reaction, her smile faltering just a touch. But before she could say anything, a gentle voice drifted from behind her.
“William, who are you talking to?”
A woman walked out from the house—elegant in a simple cotton dress. Her features were refined, a trace of youth still lingering beneath the fine lines that had begun to settle with age.
Her eyes lit up in surprise when she saw Lyra. “Isn’t that Lyra? My goodness. Co inside, dear, have a seat.”
Lyra hesitated, eyes darting toward William, but he gave a small nod.
Hannah greeted Lyra at the door, her expression lighting up as she gently pulled her into the house.
........
Upstairs, William had just finished changing when he heard the soft click of the door behind him. He turned—and saw Lyra entering, a tray in her hands.
“I brought you so snacks and coffee,” she said, her tone casual, but her eyes wandered instinctively to the cluttered table beside him.
William moved slightly to make room. Lyra set the tray down and, as she did, her gaze landed on a file left half-open on the table—specifically, on the photo tucked inside. She froze.
William noticed. “Sothing wrong?”
Lyra blinked, shaken out of her thoughts. “What? Oh… no. It’s nothing.” She forced a smile and quickly poured him a cup of coffee. “Here, have so.”
He took the cup from her hand and sipped slowly.
anwhile, Lyra walked over to the glass cabinet nearby. Inside were shelves of small inventions, half-finished models, wires, gadgets.
She smiled, brushing a hand over the cabinet’s edge. “You’ve beco a real scientist now. William, you’re… amazing.”
He offered a faint smile. “Thanks. What about you? Everything okay with the Harringtons?”
Lyra hesitated, her hand pausing mid-air. “I’m doing fine,” she said. “Big families have their own rules. I’m not as clever or capable as Clarissa, so I tend to ss things up.”
“If you say so,” he said simply.
Just then, Hannah called from downstairs, her voice echoing up the stairwell. “William, give a hand!”
William stood. “I’ll be right back.”
“Go ahead,” Lyra said with a soft smile. “I want to take a closer look at these.” She nodded toward the cabinet, adding quickly, “Don’t worry—I won’t touch anything.”
He hesitated, then nodded and turned to leave.
As his footsteps faded downstairs, Lyra’s expression changed. She walked back to the desk, gently pushing aside the blueprints and sketches William had left behind. She found the file buried underneath—and opened it again.
There it was. That sa photo.
Her heart raced.
She glanced toward the door. After a brief pause, she reached out and softly pushed it closed.
The click echoed in the room.
Then she pulled her phone from her pocket, her fingers slightly trembling as she dialed.
.....
Click.
The door opened again.
Startled, Lyra spun around, and the phone slipped from her hand, crashing to the floor.
The screen flickered, then went black.
“Wil… William…” Her voice broke slightly.
He crossed the room and picked up the phone, offering it back to her. “Looks like it’s broken. Did I scare you?”
“No—no, I just dropped it.” She clutched it tightly, hiding it in her pocket.
“The al’s ready. Don’t you stay?”
She shook her head quickly. “No… I should go.”
William studied her for a mont but didn’t argue. He simply nodded.
Downstairs, Hannah stepped out of the kitchen carrying two bowls. When she saw William alone at the table, she frowned. “Where’s Lyra?”
“She left.”
“Left? Why didn’t ask her to stay for dinner?”
“She said she didn’t want to trouble us.” William placed a bowl in front of his mother. “Let’s eat, Mom.”
Hannah gave him a long look, a sigh caught in her throat. “You…”
“William, Lyra’s been married for years now. When are you going to find soone for yourself?”
He paused. “I’m not in a hurry.”
“Not in a hurry? You’re twenty-six. It’s ti.”
“I’m doing fine.”
“Then tell what kind of girl you like. I’ll help you look.”
William finally looked up, eting her eyes. “I don’t think love works like that. When it’s the right person, it’ll happen.”
Hannah sighed again, this ti deeper. “You’re just like your father…”
William finished the last of his rice, stood up, and grabbed his plate.
“I’m full. I’m heading upstairs.”
“William—! William!”
.....
Back upstairs, William returned to his desk, his thoughts distant until sothing caught his eye. The drawings—soone had flipped them.
His brows knit. Was it Lyra?
He pulled out the folder hidden underneath. The seal was still intact, the docunts untouched. A soft breath of relief left him.
But just then, his phone vibrated on the table.
Clarissa. He hesitated for half a second, then answered.
Her voice, smooth and cultured, ca through like silk against skin. “William, I hope I’m not bothering you. I just wanted to follow up about last ti… You said you’d decide the ti.”
“Anyti works,” William replied, voice low. “But I’m back in my hotown at the mont.”
“Hotown?” Clarissa’s tone shifted slightly. “That’s funny. I’m nearby too." She was here for Clentine. “Are you ho now?”
“I am…”
“Then…” she said, her voice light, teasing just a bit, “can I co over now?”
William imdiately straightened in his seat. “Of course—actually, no, I’ll co to you.”
“No need,” Clarissa cut in, her tone playful but firm. “I’m already close. Just wait there for .”
She hung up before he could say anything else.
Downstairs, Hannah was cleaning up the table. When the doorbell rang, she dried her hands quickly and went to open it.
The young woman standing outside was strikingly elegant. Hannah blinked. She looked familiar.
“Hello,” Clarissa smiled warmly. “I’m a friend of William’s. I ca to see him.”
“A friend?” Hannah’s eyes lit up. Without hesitation, she pulled Clarissa inside. “Co in, co in!”
She ushered her to the couch and handed her a plate of snacks, eyeing her with increasing curiosity. “I rember you now… You were that girl in the photo with William from high school, weren’t you? Have you two stayed in touch?”
Before Clarissa could answer, a voice called out from down the hall.
“Mom!”
William was already approaching, eyes locked on Clarissa. She hadn’t changed—still effortlessly dazzling.
Clarissa offered him a gentle smile. “Sorry to drop in like this.”
“It’s… fine,” William said, lowering his gaze slightly.
Hannah, thrilled, stood and motioned toward the couch. “William, sit here with her. I’ll go cut so fruit. You two catch up.” Before he could object, she gently nudged him beside Clarissa and disappeared into the kitchen.
The mont Hannah was gone, William instinctively leaned away, subtly increasing the distance between them.
“Sorry about that,” he said. “My mom—she probably got the wrong idea. I’ll talk to her later.”
Clarissa chuckled softly. “No worries. My mom’s the sa.”
William exhaled, easing just a little. “Wait here—I’ll go grab the docunts.”
He got up and disappeared upstairs.
When he turned back around, docunts in hand, he heard the door creak open behind him.
Clarissa stumbled slightly inside, laughing awkwardly. “Auntie insisted I co up. Said no one would bother us up here.”
The door shut firmly behind her.
For a second, they just looked at each other.
“Sit anywhere,” William said finally, his voice lower now, trying to steady himself.
Clarissa glanced around, her eyes drawn to a cabinet along the wall. She stepped closer, inside were rows of strange, beautiful little machines—half-ford inventions, gears, wires, chanical curiosities.
“You like it?” William’s voice made her turn.
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