At first, everyone on Rowan’s team felt uneasy. They were afraid Lyra might accidentally offend their most important investor, and the thought of putting the project in danger made them tense.
But no one dared say a word because she was the madam. They could only hope Rowan could fix things if she made a mistake.
Yet unexpectedly, the eting went better than anyone had hoped. The man, notorious for being difficult, seed unusually agreeable that day.
Ti and again, he turned to Lyra, patiently explaining the issues and checking if she was following along. Each question made her regret pretending to be a new staff mber, but her honest responses sohow softened the atmosphere.
By the end, she felt a light dizziness from the ntal marathon, yet the man looked energized and clearly enjoyed himself.
He laughed at the sight of Lyra rubbing her temples.
"It’s all right. It’s difficult at first, but you’ll get the hang of it with ti," he said and Lyra nodded helplessly.
"So, that’s all for today. We’ll continue the eting tomorrow," the man said, signaling the end of the session.
He then turned to her with a smile. "I’ll see you again then. There’s a lot I can teach you."
He sounded like he was speaking to his ntee, and Lyra stiffened imdiately. She glanced at Rowan, silently hoping for help, but his response only made her tense further.
"She will attend tomorrow’s eting as well. It’s good that she can learn from experience, like you, sir."
Then he nudged her gently from behind, silently urging her to respond.
With quiet resignation, Lyra replied, "Yes, I’m glad I can learn more."
As soon as they got into the car, the air shifted. Rowan turned toward his wife, who was gazing out the window, deliberately refusing to look at him.
He could tell she was sulking.
"So, should we discuss how much salary you want?" he asked seriously, though he could not quite hide the amused smile tugging at his lips.
Lyra didn’t turn to look at him. "I want all your wealth," she muttered.
He chuckled. "Oh, I’ve already put everything in your na. Besides that, what else do you want?"
She hadn’t ant her words seriously, but his unexpected response caught her completely off guard. She turned to look at him, and abruptly her hands found his, gripping them gently.
Rowan thought she was about to thank him, but the look on her face told him otherwise. She looked worried.
"No... I was joking. Don’t put your wealth under my na."
"Really?" he asked, raising his brows and she nodded.
"But, I’ve already done it. I’m not joking either," he said, giving her a gentle smile to put her at ease.
Lyra shook her head. "No... I don’t want it. I’m not as powerful as you. It will only cause trouble."
"Why would it cause trouble? It will help you in the future." He looked puzzled.
She took a deep breath before replying. "You don’t understand, Rowan. If you knew the story, you’d know how it can destroy soone’s life."
He studied her seriousness for a mont before pulling her gently into his arms and asked, "So, whose life was destroyed because of it?"
"My grandfather’s. Soone deliberately brought him down. In the end, everything he once held slipped away. He suffered so much back then."
Lyra swallowed, rembering the past. In her mind, the wealth they still possessed was a small fraction of what her grandfather once had. Her grandmother had sacrificed herself to protect it during that ti.
She had suffered in her own way, as her grandmother had placed countless restrictions on her life, yet she had never complained. Lyra understood the family’s circumstances and endured everything in silence.
Rowan, on the other hand, fell silent. Her story mirrored what Agnes had once told him, though the details were slightly different.
Of course, Agnes had never shared the full truth with her. That was why she was unaware of it.
He wondered whether he should tell her about her grandfather’s ex-wife and the old grudges that had fueled it all.
Maybe another ti. When the mont was right, he would explain everything.
"Don’t worry about that. You have everyone around you. And most of all, I’ll always make sure no one ever makes you suffer."
Lyra nodded, comforted by the quiet certainty in his voice.
"Yeah, but I still feel sorry for him. He deserved a more peaceful end, not to die of sorrow. Grandpa was a kind man. One of the things he did back then was sponsor orphanages, and that’s how my parents t."
Rowan narrowed his eyes, catching onto the hint in her story. "You an Alex from the orphanage?"
"Yes... Grandpa ended up bringing him ho because Mother refused to let go of that good looking boy. At the ti, my uncle was busy with his studies, so she was often left alone. Grandpa thought it would be good for her to have a friend."
She let out a small chuckle as she recalled how her parents had first crossed paths. Back then, her mother had been a little troublemaker.
"Father was older than her. When Grandpa sent him off to university, Mother rebelled quite a lot. By the ti Father finished his studies and started his career, Mother had just graduated from high school."
She rubbed the back of her neck before continuing.
"She got married at the age of eighteen because she was insistent. She didn’t want to be separated from my father anymore, and she was afraid soone at his workplace might take an interest in him. It was almost like she wanted to claim him for herself."
She then let out an awkward laugh, reminded once again that her mother had been nothing like her, yet in many ways mirrored her grandmother’s strong deanor.
"That’s the story my mother told when I was still little." She smiled.
Rowan patted her hand and said, "That ans she knew your father was a good man from the very beginning. She knew what she was choosing."
Lyra lifted her head and looked at Rowan, about to say sothing, but a knock at the window made her stop. They had arrived at the restaurant for lunch.
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