She looked at Ace as if she were staring at a lion she needed to stay far away from. Her body tensed with caution, her heart uncertain, her thoughts spiraling into a thousand tangled threads. She didn't even know how to react to the situation. How could she face him now? How could she even look at him after what he said?
Would she fall for Ace's tricks? Or worse—had she already?
Her breath quickened, a soft panic swirling in her chest like smoke in a glass jar. He stood there, far too calm for someone who had just shattered her sense of reality. She hated how composed he was. How alluring. It made her feel unsteady, like the floor under her was made of sand and every word he spoke threatened to bury her deeper.
She didn't want to fall for him. She couldn't afford to.
*******"
Max stood like a statue. He remained frozen in the same spot where he had made the call, his hand still holding the phone to his ear. The words that were whispered to him—"She loves you." "She wants to hug you one more time." echoed in his mind again and again, looping endlessly like a broken song.
He was stunned. Confused. Disoriented. It felt unnatural. Foreign. It felt like a memory that didn't belong to him.
He knew Ace was probably lying, he always was, but still… was there even a one percent chance that she could love him? That she might actually want to hug him again? He wished it were true. He needed it to be true.
He had never experienced anything like this before. Nothing had ever pierced through his carefully constructed walls, not like this. Not even close.
He stood there unmoving for nearly an hour before his lashes finally blinked. Slowly, his hand dropped to his side, the phone dangling like a forgotten weight. He walked to the bed and sat down heavily, as if gravity had suddenly become too much.
Never had he imagined he could crave love.
He knew his brother cared for him—Ace was, after all, still his brother. But love? That was different. That was dangerous. He doubted it. He doubted everyone. He doubted himself. And yet... he longed to love someone. He longed to be loved too.
But one thing he knew for sure—
"I'm a monster," he muttered under his breath.
He laid down on the bed and stared blankly up at the ceiling, his chest rising and falling in slow, haunted breaths. Hours passed like that, lost in silence. The kind of silence that screamed. The kind that clawed at your mind and whispered truths you didn't want to hear.
Then, a knock at the door pulled him back to reality.
"Come in," he said flatly.
It was Serah.
"Young master, the lounge is ready," she informed, her voice soft, head bowed respectfully.
"I won't be eating," he replied without looking at her.
She hesitated for a moment, but then bowed and left quietly, the door clicking shut behind her.
He sat up, grabbed his black leather jacket, and without another word, left the room. He didn't know where he was going—but he knew he couldn't stay.
*******
Ella and Ace had already settled into the house. Ella stayed curled up in her room, tapping away at a game on her phone, trying to distract herself from the strange storm brewing inside her. Ace, as usual, was outside—probably stirring up some kind of mischief or casually pretending he didn't notice the chaos he'd left behind. Isabella had stepped out to handle something Ella knew nothing about. When Bella returned, she came straight to Ella's room.
"Ella, I'm back," she called, stepping inside with a breezy smile.
"Bella? Didn't you say a lot of people were coming to the picnic?" Ella asked, brows furrowed in confusion.
"Oh, that," Bella laughed, waving a hand. "It was just to make Max angry. Nothing much."
Ella blinked. She thought she had misheard. "Huh?"
"Oh come on, Ella. Who else is coming? Of course it's just the three of us." Bella giggled, throwing herself onto the nearest armchair like a cat curling into a sunbeam.
"So you mean you were joking?" Ella was utterly surprised. Why would Bella want to provoke Maximus for no real reason? And would he even get angry? Could he?
She shook the thought away. "So... what now?"
"What else? We have fun, of course," Bella replied, flopping lazily onto Ella's bed.
"Or do you want to go back?" Bella asked with a teasing grin.
Ella shook her head quickly. "No!"
"Good. Then let's have fun—with them," Bella smirked.
"Like what?" Ella asked cautiously.
"You know how to swim?"
"Yes, I do."
Ella's eyes wandered from Bella's face to her golden hair.
"Aren't people curious about your hair?" she asked suddenly.
"No," Bella said, sitting up. "Or are you?"
Ella nodded. "Do you color it?"
"No. This is my natural hair," she replied, lifting a few strands with her fingers.
To Ella, it felt so strange yet beautiful to have hair that color. It shimmered like sunlight, like something not entirely earthly.
"Come on, Ella. Let's go outside. I want to introduce you to some of the villagers," Bella offered.
Ella's eyes lit up. It had been so long since she'd interacted with people. Real people—not guards, not servants, not walls.
Bella began showing her around. The place felt unreal, like something out of a dream. The landscape was beautiful, almost otherworldly, but the people... they were just as captivating. Everyone stared at her.
She felt strange under their gaze. For the first time in her life, she doubted her own beauty. These people were dazzling. Everything here was like a coordinated fantasy.
The houses were neatly constructed like a high-end rural village. Children played and sang like something out of a musical. Further on, she saw a river with people gathered around, fishing peacefully.
It was surreal.
And to think this place existed in the same country as her? Suspicious.
They spent the whole day exploring. It felt endless_like the village had no borders. The deeper they went, the more developed the area became. Eventually, they had to borrow a car to move around.
Bella took her to a district filled with enormous villas. Ella's jaw dropped.
"Can we go into one of those?" she asked.
"Of course. See that one?" Bella pointed. "That's mine."
"Really, Bella?" Ella asked, still in disbelief.
Bella nodded with a smirk.
Ella had to be sure she wasn't dreaming—her imagination was notorious. "Come on, let's go."
Together, they walked into the villa. It was massive and serene, with candle holders lining the wide, quiet hallways. Each step echoed like a heartbeat in the silence.
Without waiting for Bella, Ella wandered into one of the rooms. It was painted in grayscale, with elegant details. One side of the room had a view overlooking a crystal-blue swimming pool, sparkling like the sea. She approached the glass to get a better look.
Then—she saw it.
A shadow in the corner. Smoke from a cigarette curled through the air, delicate and spiraling like a phantom.
She took a cautious step forward and finally saw the figure clearly.
A beautiful, lean silhouette.
"Dani girl…"
"…"
She froze.
Stunned.