Lila Vale rushed forward, her heels clicking like applause on the marble. Her smile was wide, genuine, the kind that made people trust her instantly.
Lila Vale (Ethan younger sister)
Adrian! I can’t believe it’s you. After all these years…
She hugged him before he could react, her arms light but warm. Adrian’s smirk softened for half a second. She still smelled faintly of vanilla and old books, just like she had as a child.
Adrian Blackwood (Mc)
(smiling faintly)
You’ve grown, Lila.
Lila Vale (Ethan younger sister)
(teasing)
And you’ve gotten cockier.
Behind her, Ethan’s glare could have cracked glass.
Ethan vale (Ml)
(curt)
Lila. That’s enough.
Lila Vale (Ethan younger sister)
(ignoring him)
Do you know how long I waited for this? Adrian, you just disappeared. No call, no message, nothing.
Her words were innocent. But they sliced deeper than she knew.
Adrian’s smile flickered, shadows creeping behind his eyes.
Adrian Blackwood (Mc)
(quietly)
…Not by choice.
For a second, their eyes locked
Adrian and Ethan—and something unspoken tightened the air.
Lila Vale (Ethan younger sister)
(looking between them)
Wait. You two still haven’t—
Ethan vale (Ml)
(cutting her off, voice cold)
Drop it, Lila.
But Adrian’s curiosity sparked. Lila knew. Maybe not everything, but something.
He leaned closer to her, ignoring Ethan’s warning glare.
Adrian Blackwood (Mc)
(soft, almost playful)
Tell me, Lila… what exactly did he say I did?
Ethan vale (Ml)
(Stiffened)
Lila Vale (Ethan younger sister)
(hesitant, glancing at her brother)
He told me you… that you wrote—
Ethan vale (Ml)
(sharply)
Lila. Enough.
Her lips pressed into a thin line. She lowered her gaze, but her silence spoke louder than words.
Adrian’s smirk returned, sharper this time, but his voice was silk laced with steel.
Adrian Blackwood (Mc)
Ah. So it was about the letter.
Ethan’s expression hardened instantly.
Ethan vale (Ml)
Don’t you dare bring that up.
Adrian Blackwood (Mc)
(leaning in, whispering just for him)
I didn’t write it, Vale. And you damn well know it.
For the first time since their reunion, Ethan’s confidence cracked—not in rage, but in doubt. His silence was louder than any denial.
And Adrian, for all his arrogance, felt the faintest thrill of victory.
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