CHAPTER 427: FEEL AT HOME WITH YOU

Roger took the medicine with a sip of water. As he handed the glass back to Varya, the phone on the table buzzed, its screen lighting up with an incoming call.

Varya glanced at it and said, "It’s Demitri," before picking up the phone and passing it to him.

Roger accepted it and pressed it to his ear. "Hello?"

Demitri’s voice came through immediately, laced with concern. "Roger, what happened? Lucius told me you were stabbed. Are you alright? I’m sorry I couldn’t come... I’ve been away."

"It wasn’t anything too serious," Roger replied calmly. "I’m home now, recovering."

There was a pause before Demitri spoke again, his tone softer. "That’s a relief. And Varya? She must’ve been out of her mind with worry."

Roger glanced at her, a faint smile tugging at his lips. "She was... a little," he admitted.

"I’m currently not in Rome," Demitri explained. " I had to leave on short notice for my grandmother’s place. But once I’m back, I’ll come see you."

"It’s alright. Is your grandmother doing okay?" Roger asked with concern.

"She is now," Demitri replied. "She caught a bad cold and a fever. With her age, recovery’s slow, so I thought it best to stay by her side for a few days."

Roger nodded. "That does sound worrisome."

He leaned back against the headboard and added thoughtfully, "Why don’t you ask her to move to Rome? It’d be easier to take care of her here."

"I’ve tried," Demitri said with a soft chuckle. "But you know how stubborn she is. Grandma says the city is too loud, too fast. She prefers the quiet pace of the village, says the soil here remembers her footsteps."

Roger smiled faintly. "It’s understandable. Ask Grandma to take care of herself," he asserted.

"You too, Roger," Demitri said before the call ended.

Roger lowered the phone onto the mattress.

Just then, Varya walked back into the room, a tray balanced in her hands. Neatly arranged on the tray were bowls filled with sliced apples, peeled oranges, ripe strawberries, and glistening grapes.

She set the tray down gently on the side table and offered him a small smile. "You need to finish these," Varya said.

"These are too many," Roger complained.

"Fruits are good for health," Varya stated. "So, how’s Demitri?"

"He’s fine. His grandmother was sick, so he is in his hometown," Roger replied, lifting an apple slice.

"Sylvia had come to visit you yesterday. What did she say? Did she apologize for what happened with you?" Varya’s sudden shift in demeanor bewildered Roger. "The attack on you happened because of her. She involved you in her relationship matters."

"I’m sorry for not discussing it with you," Roger said. "Sylvia apologized to me for whatever she did to me in the past. And she didn’t drag me in her relationship matter. That time I happened to cross paths with her, so I confronted Josh. And I even made sure he would go to prison. I think he returned quite sooner than I anticipated," he explained.

"It’s good Sylvia apologized," Varya said. "I’ve no one except you. You are my only family," she added before hugging him.

~~~

Layla removed the earbud as the meeting wrapped up, her fingers moving to close the laptop with a quiet snap. She stretched her arms above her head, a yawn escaping her lips. A strange heaviness tugged at her limbs, the kind that didn’t make sense, after all, it wasn’t even noon yet.

Shaking her head, she stood up and shuffled toward the bed. "I’ll take a quick nap," she told herself, sinking into the mattress and pulling the blanket loosely over her.

But what was meant to be a short rest stretched far beyond her intention. She ended up sleeping for more than three hours.

"Oh my God! How long did I sleep?" Layla gasped, sitting up abruptly with her tousled hair.

From the balcony, Lucius heard the sudden noise and rushed into the room. "Layla, what’s wrong?" he asked, concern etched across his face.

"I overslept," she exclaimed, glancing at the clock. "Why didn’t you wake me up?"

Lucius offered a gentle smile. "You looked exhausted. I didn’t want to disturb your rest." He settled on the bed.

"It’s past lunch," Layla said, tying her loose hair into a quick bun. "When did you get back?"

"I came home quite early," Lucius replied. "But you were fast asleep."

He paused for a beat before adding, "Oh, and your father called. He wants you to visit home."

"You should’ve told them I couldn’t," Layla said, frowning. "My dad’s surgery is coming up."

Lucius stepped closer. "You can explain it to them yourself. Once the surgery goes well, and it will, you should go home for a few days."

Layla’s eyes narrowed slightly. "Why are you trying to send me away?" she asked with a playful pout.

Before he could answer, she slipped her arms around him and rested her head on his shoulder. "I feel at home with you," she whispered. "Even though I’ve made peace with my parents, I still don’t feel that same comfort there."

Lucius smiled, a warmth softening his features. His hand gently moved to her back, slowly caressing it tenderly.

"Your parents miss you," Lucius said gently, his hand still resting on her back.

"You’ll miss me more," Layla murmured. "Is that what you want?"

"No," Lucius replied softly, meeting her gaze.

"Then I’m not going anywhere," she said, stepping in even closer until there was no space left between them. "Besides, Father needs me here. I can visit them some other time."

Lucius didn’t press her further. He simply nodded. "Alright. Do what feels right to you."

He leaned down and placed a delicate kiss on her forehead. "Do you want to go out in the evening?"

"Sure. But will it be alright to go out in the evening when Father is sick?" Layla queried.

"We will take Dad too. Actually, a friend of mine, a business partner invited me to the musical of his son. He wants all of us to come. So, I was considering to go there with you two," he asserted.

"That’s a wonderful idea. But what about Sister Fiona and Roderick?" Layla asked.

"I asked Fiona earlier. However, she politely refused. So, I didn’t press her," Lucius explained.

"Hmm. We all should go, not just three of us. I’ll ask her and Roderick," Layla stated.