"Alright. Thursday it is." Seraphina set the date.

[A small slip-up could cost us dearly, Sera.] Lucien warned her.

Seraphina merely hummed in response. Her father wanted revenge, but he was scared of getting caught, then losing what remained of his life and living the rest of his life in prison.

So he had persuaded her to slowly work on it, giving her a network of connections she could use at her disposal.

If she was caught, he wanted her to play the daughter-in-law card to stick with the Lancasters. She had become a mere pawn to her father.

She only agreed to do it because she wanted the couple to lose their minds, fight like cats and dogs, and Aveline… Aveline should cry blood, haunted by Damien Ashford.

She lowered her hand to end the call, but the screen lit up with a picture of Aveline's car. She lifted her hand again. "Dad… I want a luxury car," she asked. For the first time, she was asking for something like that.

There was a pause on the line before he spoke. [I don't have funds.] And he ended the call.

Seraphina clenched her teeth and threw her phone on the mattress.

No funds?

Lucien had the money, but he focused so much on hiding it for his future that he was afraid of attracting the attention of the tax department.

Seraphina tried to breathe slowly to calm herself. When that failed to cool her nerves, she grabbed a glass of water to drink, but the door unlocking shifted her focus.

She turned toward the door as it opened, and Nicholas walked in. Nicholas had several inexpensive cars and unlimited spending limits on his card. So she asked directly, "I want four million dollars." That was the average price of Aveline's new car.

Nicholas paused halfway while tugging at his tie. That was a huge amount for him. "I'm running low."

Seraphina slowly took a breath through her mouth as she countered, "You have no preset limit on your card." Her voice came out sharp.

Nicholas was triggered by her tone. He slammed his blazer on the couch as he turned to her, trying to educate her. "That means my spending limit is based on factors including my current spending patterns, payment history, credit record, and financial resources."

He never got a chance to make extravagant expenses since he always received everything before he asked. And his financial resources were just some shares and his salary. Thus, he never got the chance to increase the spending limit on his card.

Seraphina closed her eyes. She understood what Nicholas explained, and she also grasped what he didn't say. Though he was an heir and though he worked at Lancaster Global Holdings as a managing director, he was neither financially strong nor powerful. He had blindly followed his father into the company.

She nodded to end the conversation, or else she might hurl an insult at her inefficient husband.

Nicholas walked out of the room in irritation without asking why she wanted so much money. Every month she received enough allowance for her expenses, so he walked away to the study room without bothering.

When Seraphina opened her eyes, they burned red with buried frustration. She had asked for one thing, and neither her father nor her husband could get it for her. One was a former president of the country, the other was heir to the Lancaster family.

She smashed the glass against the wall and tried to breathe.

She didn't realize that while trying to separate Alaric and Aveline, she didn't just begin to crave Aveline's lifestyle, she had started to hate her father and husband.

...

Outskirts of Velmora

The sun had dipped below the horizon, setting the winter sky in shades of orange, when the Bugatti slowly rolled toward a manor.

Aveline's lips parted as she looked at the huge, well-maintained estate. Her lips curled into a surprised O when her eyes landed on horses grazing in a strip of pasture, then her jaw dropped at the sight of a man-made lake not far away.

Finally, her eyes landed on the farmhouse, larger than most villas yet much smaller than a mansion, standing alone and proud.

Her eyes brushed over the large shed that looked like a garage, where she spotted vehicles used for farming. Her gaze moved, barely focusing on the road. "That…" Her voice slipped as she looked at another structure.

"Greenhouse attached to Warehouse," Alaric responded. He continued when her eyes found another structure. "Car garage."

Aveline nodded and slammed the brakes at the sight of ducks on the footpath. "Are you serious?!"

Alaric didn't respond, watching her smile as she observed how ducklings followed their mother.

Footsteps distracted her. She saw an old man coming out of the warehouse. He squinted his eyes before his face lit up. "Lily…" His voice was loud, calling out to someone.

Aveline asked without looking away, "This place is yours?!" She watched an old lady exit the warehouse, holding a basket in her hands.

"Their place," Alaric responded as he opened the door and got out.

Aveline didn't get to ask who they were. She got out of the car and heard the old lady looking at Alaric with displeasure.

She nearly snapped at Alaric, "Why didn't you tell me you were coming… with a guest? I haven't cooked anything." She rushed toward the house.

The old man, meanwhile, looked Alaric up and down twice and smiled. "Look around. I'll help Lily cook."

Alaric nodded and turned to Aveline when she poked him. "Who are they?"

Alaric led her toward the house. "She was my nanny and he was my driver until I finished school."

Aveline nodded, but then realized Alaric had bought an estate for his nanny and driver, and they were living a life they had probably dreamed of.

Aveline frowned, her brows knitting with confusion. "Wait, you had a nanny when you were a teenager?"

Alaric didn't answer right away. He pushed the door open and led her inside. The air carried the warmth of burning wood and sage. A hearth was lit in the old-fashioned way, flames crackling against the silence.

John, the former driver, served tea and snacks before rushing back inside.

They sat down, and only then did Alaric speak. "It was Lily. She fed me, sang me to sleep, taught me how to walk, read, write, and even how to ride a bicycle." His voice was even, but the words felt heavy with unspoken pain.

Aveline remained quiet when he paused. She could sense he was sharing something deeply personal about his childhood, his family, and his complicated relationship with his mother. The vulnerability in his voice made her chest tighten, but she waited patiently for him to continue.

"My... mother never had time for me. She was always focused on Giselle and Nicholas. My father…" He paused, a shadow crossing his features. "There wasn't a single day he went to sleep without spending some time with me, playing with me. But he was buried in work most of the time."

Aveline listened, the firelight dancing across her face. She had many questions, but she tried to piece together the answers herself.

Why hadn't Isabella spent time with Alaric?

When she could care for her husband's children so well, why not her own?

Was it to gain acceptance from her stepchildren?

Was it to avoid her stepchildren hating her son?

The discomfort in his voice was subtle but unmistakable, and Aveline felt her heart ache for the lonely child he must have been.

Alaric continued, his tone growing more distant as if protecting himself from the memories. "School drop-offs, pick-ups, she did it all for them. For me, it was the housekeeper and the driver." A faint curve touched his lips, but it wasn't a smile, it was something sadder, more resigned.

"They weren't ordinary help. My grandmother, Beatrice sent them. They were well-trained to raise and protect a prince, not a son. They always drew the line very clearly, calling me 'Young Master.'"

Aveline's chest tightened further. She could see how deeply this had affected him, craving a mother's attention and love but never receiving it. The distance between Isabella and Alaric suddenly made perfect sense, and it broke her heart.

She sensed there was more to the story, but she could see how difficult it was for him to be this vulnerable when he had worked so hard to become self-sufficient and strong.

His voice became steadier, more controlled, the businessman's mask sliding back into place. "I grew up with them near me… but never close." His gaze fell on the flames. "When I left for my studies abroad, Lily and John were dismissed. A few years ago, I saw John again. He was working as a security guard at a hotel. That's when I brought them back."

The unspoken truth hung in the air. He hadn't wanted them working for him again. They were walking reminders of a painful time he had struggled to overcome. So instead, he had given them this estate to live the life they deserved.

The fire crackled between them, filling the comfortable silence. Aveline's hand twitched as if she wanted to reach for him, but she understood that he didn't need her pity. He had survived those lonely years and built himself into the strong, powerful man beside her.

She neither wanted to offer hollow consolations for something that couldn't be changed nor reopen wounds that had taken years to heal. Instead, she moved closer to him, letting her presence offer the comfort her words couldn't.

"Do they have children?" she asked gently, steering the conversation toward lighter ground.

Alaric glanced at her, taking her cold hands in his and rubbing warmth back into her palms. "No," he said simply.

He had expected her to ask hundreds of questions about Isabella, or perhaps get angry about how his mother could have ignored him. But she hadn't. She didn't scratch at old wounds or demand explanations that would only cause more discomfort.

Instead, he watched as she connected with Lily and John, treating them with the warmth and respect she showed everyone.

The gesture meant more to him than any words.

'Buzz…' His phone buzzed with an incoming call.

He stepped outside and answered Ezra's call. [Sir, the Ashfords' bank accounts are showing strange transfers over the past two days. Damien's accounts are active too. This might be a distraction.]

Damien was too clever to use his own accounts directly. Alaric agreed with Ezra, someone might be trying to distract them from the real threat.

Or did Damien really have access outside?

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