The butler pushed open the tall doors, and the sound of them walking in as the floor creaked echoed through the hallway.
The moment we entered, my eyes wandered around the room, which looked like a private lounge.
The room was different from the intimidating grandeur of the main hall. It was warmer, yet no less commanding.
Dark wooden shelves lined with leather-bound books stretched across the walls.
An electric fire crackled quietly in the fireplace, casting orange light that made shadows dance across the maroon carpet. Everything smelled faintly of polished wood and old cigars.
Matteo moved first, though he didn’t rush.
His steps were smooth and deliberate, as if he knew we had no choice but to follow. He didn’t look back to check either. The man radiated authority in a way that did not need confirmation.
Edward set Emma down gently, and I stepped forward to scoop her into my arms.
She clutched her bunny tightly, her small head leaning against my shoulder, her eyes still wide but quiet.
I sotly patted her back, as I settled at the back of the room with the intention of hiding in the shadows.
And watching everything unfold. My chest felt tight, but I knew this was not my storm to face, but Edward’s. And maybe...Sofia too.
Matteo didn’t sit down right away. He stood by the fire for a moment, letting his hand trail across the mantel, like he was touching something he already knew well.
Finally, he turned and lowered himself into a large armchair.
Even after he lowered himself into the chair, his body didn’t relax the way most people’s would. His back stayed perfectly straight.
He gestured loosely to the chairs opposite him. It was not a request or a mere suggestion, but a silent order.
Edward guided Sophia to sit, and he took the seat beside her. His body seemed too straight... too tense.
The firelight highlighted the sharpness of his features, making the resemblance between the two men faint but undeniable.
The silence stretched until Matteo broke it.
His smooth voice cut through the air like a blade, "You were the one who chose to leave."
The words felt heavy, dropping the temperature of the room as his jaw clenched, but he remained silent.
Matteo then again said, "And now, look how the tables have turned."
Sophia, whose grip already tightened on Edward’s arm, snapped her head toward him.
Her voice trembled, but her words carried an edge. "What... what is he talking about?" It sounded more like a warning than a question to me.
The question hung in the air like smoke.
Matteo raised an eyebrow, clearly amused. His gaze flicked from Sophia to Edward, and the corner of his mouth lifted in the faintest smirk.
"Don’t tell me you never told her? You kept her in the dark?" His tone came out almost teasing.
Edward’s expression shifted instantly. His calm mask wavered, his eyes narrowing in warning. He did not .
The confrontation, the unveiling. His silence was louder than words.
Matteo chuckled, low and humorless, leaning back in his chair as though savoring the discomfort. ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ NoveI-Fire.ɴet
"Ah. Of course. You never did like sharing truths, did you, cousin?" His eyes glinted in the firelight as he turned his gaze on Sophia.
"You see, my dear, Edward is not just some ordinary man wandering the world as he pleases." His tone was velvety, each word rolling off his tongue, dripping with sweet venom.
Sophia’s lips parted, her breath caught in her throat.
Matteo continued, his words sharp and deliberate, " He is the rightful heir of our family. The true master of this estate."
The fire cracked loudly just then, as if echoing the weight of his revelation.
My hands tightened around Emma. The little girl pressed her face against me, sensing the shift in the air even if she did not understand the meaning of the words.
Edward was the heir to their family. This statement kept repeating in my mind.
Edward’s expression turned grim, his jaw clenched so tightly that a muscle ticked in his cheek. He did not deny Matteo’s words, and that silence was its own kind of confirmation.
Sophia sat frozen, staring at Edward as if she had never seen him before.
Her hand trembled where it rested in her lap. "You... you’re the heir? The owner of all this?" Her voice was barely more than a whisper.
Edward exhaled slowly, his eyes shutting briefly before he opened them again. "Sophia..."
But before Edward could even speak out the explanation, Matteo interrupted with a sharp laugh.
His voice filled the lounge as he continued, "He did not tell you because he wanted to hide. Hide the fact that he was not an ordinary person. That he was not bound to the blood that made him."
His tone carried a mocking sort of sympathy, but his eyes were cold as they stayed locked on Edward. "But you can’t run from who you are, cousin. You can’t run from the bitter truth of yours."
Sophia blinked rapidly, her face pale, her mind clearly reeling from everything she had just learned.
"Why?" It was the only word that came out as a mere whisper.
Edward finally looked at Sophia, his voice steady but heavy, "I wanted to protect you from..." He paused, as if searching for words to describe the truth, and then completed, "This."
She looked between them, and for the first time, I couldn’t tell if she wanted to stay by Edward’s side or run as far as she could.
And me? I sat in the back, Emma’s small weight in my arms grounding me, while my own thoughts tangled into knots.
The man I thought I knew was someone else entirely.
He was someone whose identity was stitched into secrets bigger than anything I had imagined.
And now those secrets were no longer hidden. They were alive, breathing in this room, filling the air so thick it was hard to draw a breath.