*****Grace’s fingers fidgeted unconsciously, betraying her inner turmoil, her composure cracking in the smallest, most telling ways.Then there was Xavier.On any normal day, he would have pounced on the opportunity without the slightest hint of restraint.He would’ve worn that insufferably grin of his, his eyes gleaming with mischief as he tossed out something utterly shameless… just bold enough to make her fluster, just outrageous enough to leave her scrambling.He would have thoroughly enjoyed every second of her embarrassment, like it was a show put on just for him.But now…“Wife,” he called out, his voice deeper than usual, but unmistakably gentle.Grace paused.For the briefest moment, it felt as though time itself had slowed, her thoughts hanging suspended in that delicate, breathless space between hesitation and surrender.Then, quietly, she lifted her gaze and met his eyes again.And that was all it took.In the very next second, she was completely drawn in.Xa

*****Xavier paused briefly, choosing his next words carefully… not to soften the truth, but to deliver it without disrespect.“No matter how much we avoid talking about it,” he continued, “they will still have to face it eventually.”His gaze didn’t waver.“I would rather we face it now… completely than let it come back later, when everyone has already let their guard down.”“This…”David froze.For a moment, he could only stare at his son, his lips parting slightly as though trying to respond, yet finding no immediate words.“This…” he repeated, but the rest of the sentence refused to form, because the truth was…He hadn’t thought of it that way… not onceNeither he nor Laura had.They had been so focused on preserving peace and protecting the fragile happiness they had managed to rebuild that they hadn’t stopped to consider what lay beneath it.But hearing it laid out so plainly now… it hit harder than expected.A faint breath escaped David as realization settled fully

*****Still in the living room, as the news recap continued to roll… flashing images, sharp commentary, and damning previews of the Oriens’ press conference, a suffocating silence descended upon the entire space.It wasn’t ordinary silence.It was the kind that pressed down on the chest, heavy and oppressive, as though even the air itself had thickened.Grace remained frozen in place, just like Susan, Williams, and even Laura.None of them moved, blinked, or reacted.They simply stared at the massive television, their eyes locked onto the screen as if something invisible had pinned them in place.It was almost unnatural… like time itself had paused, leaving them suspended in a single, unbearable moment.If anyone had walked in at that moment, they might have thought they were looking at lifeless mannequins rather than living, breathing people.It felt as though their souls had quietly slipped out, abandoning their bodies to stand there like hollow shells.And like that, time

*****“You knew how much I valued that company.”Grace’s voice cut through the silence, raspy, slow, and cold.It wasn’t emotional or loud, yet it carried a weight that instantly pressed down on Xavier’s chest like a collapsing mountain.His lips parted slightly, but no sound came out.“You knew the story behind it,” Grace continued, each word measured and deliberate, like a blade being sharpened. “You knew how much it meant to me… how much I built with my own hands.”Her gaze didn’t waver, soften, or forgive.“You could have woken me to deal with things myself before it got the worst.”That was it.She didn’t raise her voice or lash out, but somehow, that only made it worse.After all, even though she didn’t show the slightest visible reaction, he could still sense what lay beneath her calm, icy composure.It was disappointment… the kind that doesn’t explode, but lingers.Xavier directly felt it hit him square in the chest.Without even realizing it, his heart began to p

*****“This…”Nearly every eye bugged, almost falling out of their sockets.By now, every single person in the living room had turned completely rigid, appearing as though time itself had suddenly paused and forgotten to resume.Their bodies were stiff, unmoving, and their gazes glued tightly to the television as the reporter continued to highlight the events of the day without the slightest intention of slowing down for their sanity.[- Furthermore, the Blackwood family expressed profound admiration for CEO Grace Sky’s talent and leadership, proposing a corporate merger in which Blackwood Conglomerate would integrate with Sky Group under her direction, placing her in the leading position.]This time, the news didn’t just land… it crashed, nearly all brain seeming to implode.‘Corporate… merge?’ The words rang through every mind like a bell, unfamiliar and almost incomprehensible, as if spoken in a language none of them had ever heard before today. ‘Integrate Blackwood with… Sk