Chapter 239: The First Family Photo of Four

    1046 Words

    Chapter 239: The First Family Photo of Four

    (Matthew’s POV)

    The reporters and my team were stopped by Tristan at the end of the corridor, but there were always disobedient reporters taking pictures of the other end of the corridor. Trapped in my embrace, Olivia desperately tried to hide from the shing cameras, burying her face in my chest.

    “What are you doing here?” she asked, her voice muffled against my shirt.

    “What about you?” I countered softly, my hand gently stroking her messy hair.

    She exined she was apanying Leo to visit his father and then had to go to the security center to work on her system. I simply held her, my presence a silent, unyielding im.

    I leaned in as if to kiss her, and she panicked. “You can’t! Matthew, you can’t. Pay attention to your image.

    Maya twisted toward me, wide-eyed and mock-offended. “Excuse you! I am a gem of a mate.” She puffed out her chest. “I’m dignified. Mature.”

    I arched a brow. “Mature? You nearly rolled under the table when the owner told Celeste to apologize or get cklisted.”

    Herughter renewed, a full-bodied eruption that had her clutching her stomach.

    I couldn’t resist anymore; a chuckle slipped from me, light and unguarded. And if smug satisfaction raced through me at the thought of Celeste’s humiliation… Oh well.

    As theughter subsided, a calmer silence settled between us, punctuated only by the hum of the engine and the bustle of the city blurring past the windows.

    My thoughts flickered back to the restaurant—the heavy tension, Kieran’s sharp inhale, and his deep frown when Celeste pped that poor server, the exact second the owner’s voice cut through themotion like a de.

    For once, it wasn’t me standing at the center of mockery. It was them—Kieran and Celeste—leaving in disgrace, heads bowed, Celeste clutching at her juice-stained dress as though it were a wound.

    Kieran hadn’t said a word to her, hadn’t even looked her way when he guided her out the door. That image lingered, vivid and utterly satisfying.

    Maya broke the silence with a curious nce. “Can I just say how impressed I am?”

    My brows knit slightly. “At what?”

    “You, babe,” she answered. “You really didn’t flinch once. Not when she crashed our dinner, or threw those thinly-veiled jabs, or tried to worm her way between you and Ethan. You just stayed calm andpletely unfazed.”

    I exhaled slowly, watching the neon blur of a sign disappear into the rearview mirror. “I don’t give them the privilege anymore. Celeste, Kieran. For too long, I thought avoidance was the best line of action.” I snorted. “But that proved virtually impossible. And I was tired of feeling like shit every time I shed with them.”

    I shrugged, drumming my fingers lightly in myp. “So I decided I was done letting them dictate how I feel.”

    Maya nodded in understanding. “So what then? You just…ignore her? Pretend none of it matters?”

    I shook my head. “Not pretend. I acknowledge it, but I don’t give it weight. Celeste can perform her theatrics until her throat goes hoarse, Kieran can glower as if the sun rises and sets with his approval. But I don’t need to care about what either of them does. In the grand scheme of what now matters to me, they’re hriously inconsequential.”

    For a moment, she was quiet, absorbing my words. Then she let out a low whistle. “That’s pretty fucking impressive, Sera, seriously. I envy thatposure. Me? I’m one more Celeste stunt from ripping her hair out, strand by fucking strand.”

    The rough edge in her tone made me smile. “That’s why you’re my bnce, Maya. If she pushes too far, maybe I’ll just point her your way.”

    “dly,” she muttered, a wicked gleam in her eyes.

    By the time we reached my house, the night had cooled, the faint scent of rain clinging to the air.

    Maya parked in my driveway, stretching as she stepped out. I followed, adjusting the strap of my bag across my shoulder—only to halt at the sight waiting by my door.

    Lucian.

    He leaned casually against the frame, arms crossed, dark hair catching the faint glint of the porch light.

    Even in the shadows, his presence was unmistakable—an anchor, a steadying pull. My chest tightened in quiet surprise; he’d mentioned being busy these past days, unreachable even through calls.

    To see him here, now, felt like an unexpected reprieve.

    “Well, well,” Maya sing-songed, elbowing me before I could speak. “And here I thought you were going to bed alone tonight. Guess I was wrong.”

    I shot her a look, but she only grinned wider, backing away. “I’d best get going then.”

    “You can—”

    “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do,” she called over her shoulder, then paused. “Then again, there are a lot of things I would do.” She winked suggestively. “Do those.”

    “Maya,” I groaned.

    Herughter trailed after her as she slid back into the car.

    Heat rose to my cheeks, and I rolled my eyes, though inwardly, I couldn’t deny the faint thrill her teasing stirred.

    Lucian’s gaze lingered on me as Maya’s car disappeared into the night.

    “Hey.” I smiled, stepping closer.

    He reached out, gently taking my hand. “You look…lighter tonight.”

    His voice was low, even, carrying that subtle rasp that always seemed to reach beneath my skin.

    “I suppose I am,” I admitted. “It’s been an eventful evening.”

    His brow arched, amusement flickering. “Really?”

    My smile widened, my amusement rising. “Do you want toe in? I’ll tell you all about it.”

    “Actually, I can’t stay long,” he said regretfully. “I have a meeting in half an hour.”

    Disappointment dragged my lips downward. “Oh.”

    His thumb brushed over my knuckles soothingly. “I really just came to give you this. I couldn’t wait.”

    He reached into the inside pocket of his jacket, withdrawing a small, velvet box. My breath caught as he extended it toward me.

    “What is this?” I asked, half cautious, half curious.

    “A piece of my history,” he said simply. “I sent for it from my hometown, and fortunately, it came just before the LST g.”

    With careful hands, I opened the box, and my held breath whooshed out of me.

    Nestled inside was a ne—delicate yet striking, the chain fine as a spider’s silk, supporting a luminous emerald pendant that gleamed faintly even under the dim light.