A woman in her late forties sat on the sofa, her eyes fixed on the news broadcast from the Imperial City. Her face remained expressionless, but her sharp gaze lingered on one particular image—a young woman named Natalie Ford.
On the TV screen, Natalie stood before a crowd of reporters, speaking boldly, unflinching as she admitted to assaulting her own sister. A video of the incident played in the corner of the screen, capturing every detail for viewers.
A middle-aged man, Eric, entered the room and found her watching the broadcast.
"Good evening, Ms. Shaw," he greeted politely.
She gave him a brief nod of acknowledgment, her gaze never leaving the screen. "Who is she married to?"
Eric hesitated, caught off guard by the unexpected question. He shifted uncomfortably, unsure how to respond. "Hmm, that I’m not certain of."
Before she could press him further, a tall, handsome young man entered the room with an air of casual authority.
"Good evening," the younger man said, his deep voice calm yet firm.
Eric exhaled in relief. "Good evening, Mr. Shaw."
The younger man strode over to the sofa, picked up the remote, and switched off the TV. "Why are we watching news about random strangers from other countries?" he asked, glancing at the older woman. "The doctor advised you to rest. You shouldn’t be sitting like this for too long."
The woman’s expression remained calm, but her gaze turned cold the moment the screen went black.
"You are a Shaw just in name," she said icily, "Don’t try to dectate me on what I should do."
The young man, unfazed by her sharp tone, stood his ground with the quiet confidence of someone accustomed to her harshness.
"I spoke with the doctor," he said evenly. "We need to travel to the Imperial City for your surgery. We can’t delay it any longer. The best specialist is there, and—"
"Have all the doctors in the world died?" she interrupted curtly. "I’m not leaving this country."
"If you don’t, you might leave this world," he replied, his tone cool but pointed.
"That would be preferable," she answered without a flicker of emotion. "Stop worrying about me. Focus on the business instead."
The young man held her gaze. "If you won’t go willingly, I won’t hesitate to take you myself. That much right I have over you, even if I’m a Shaw only in name."
Her glare sharpened. "You...!"
Without flinching, the young man turned to Eric. "Take her back to her room when she’s ready," he instructed, then walked away, heading upstairs.
"Aiden!" she called after him, her voice sharp with authority. "You don’t have the right to make decisions for me!"
Aiden glanced back briefly. "We’ll see," he said, his tone unwavering as he disappeared up the stairs.
Her expression darkened with fury, her gaze burning with the intensity of a silent threat. She turned to Eric, her voice laced with frustration. "Did I raise him for this? So stubborn."
Eric, suppressing a sigh, thought to himself, You’re no less stubborn. But aloud, he simply said, "I’ll help you back to your room."
"I want to go out. This air of stubborness suffocates me," she said. Eric nodded and helped her sit in her wheelchair.
They exited the house and moved toward the garden, where the sprawling estate stretched out before them. The manicured paths glowed under the soft light of numerous lamps, illuminating the lush greenery. The evening breeze carried a soothing calm that could soften even the most restless heart.
As they made their way along the garden path, Eric broke the silence. "He’s not stubborn. He’s just worried about you."
"I know," she replied after a short silence. "But you know why I can’t go back to that city."
"Aiden will handle everything. He’ll make sure no one notices you," Eric assured her gently.
"I can’t take that risk," she said firmly. "Anywhere but there. I will never set foot in those two cities—Imperial and Bayford."
"You should trust Aiden’s abilities. If he had decided to take you there, then he would take care of everything," Eric tried to reason out, "You know that you need this surgery."
"My decision is final and you tell him not to be reckless and go against my wishes," she retorted coldly, "Or it won’t take me time to disown him."
Eric kept quiet as he knew, opposing her decision will only make her go stubborn. "Find out who she has married with," She instructed, "I want to know who the man is."
Eric almost wiped the nonexistent sweat on his forehead as he hummed. The young man standing by the glass wall of his room, was staring at the woman in the wheelchair.
’I can’t let you die. She is the only way to save you and for that we have to go to the Imperial city.’
---
After helping her back to her room and making sure she rested, Eric went to the young man, who stood silently by the glass wall, gazing out into the night. His tall figure appeared solemn, the darkness outside seemed to mirror the loneliness that clung to him.
"She’s started asking questions," Eric said quietly. "She wants to know who Natalie married."
"You don’t have to find it out," the young man replied.
Eric exhaled slowly. "How do you plan on taking her to the Imperial City? You know as well as I do—she’ll never agree to go."
"Don’t worry about it," the young man replied, his voice calm and measured, as if the outcome were already decided.
Eric nodded reluctantly. "And what about her? How long do you plan to keep her in the dark about who and how she ended up married?"
The young man’s gaze remained fixed on the dark sky. "They’re looking for me. It won’t be long before I meet the one who’s after me. When that happens, she’ll meet me too—soon enough. Until then, you’ll have to be patient."
Eric frowned, frustration flickering across his features. "I can’t make sense of what you’re planning."
"You don’t need to," the young man said firmly, his tone leaving no room for argument.
Eric’s frustration deepened. "I should’ve kept you out of this. I should never have told you anything."
"But you did." The young man turned slightly, his expression unreadable. "There’s no point regretting it now. I saved her from worse, Eric—you should be grateful for that."
Eric could say no more and left, feeling bitter about whatever was going on.
The young man remained at the window, his eyes still locked on the vast, dark starry sky. A quiet promise formed in his mind, resolute and unyielding.
’Don’t worry. This Little Star will always be there for you... my Sunshine.’