*****Upon hearing his father’s question, Nico, whose entire being was screaming, “Please let me sleep,” managed a sluggish nod.Then, with his body feeling like it was made of concrete, he moved toward his father, each step heavier than the last.His steps were heavy, his movements sluggish and drained, as though the air around him had turned dense… until at last, he slumped into the chair opposite the old man with a muffled groan.Earlier that day, after the old man had dismissed the meeting, everyone else in the mansion had gone straight to bed… his wife, his children, and even the maids had vanished into the quiet of their rooms.But Nico? He hadn’t been so fortunate.Barely two hours into what might have been his first real sleep in more than a day, one of his father’s servants came pounding on his door with the urgency of a burning house, announcing that the patriarch wanted him to get ready and come immediately.Since then, he hadn’t had a single moment to breathe, let a

***** At this moment, Nico sat frozen like a statue, his mouth slightly open, and his brain buffering. Then, slowly, his eyes widened in disbelief, realization dawning on him like the sunrise after a long storm. In the following second, his lips trembled, and before he could stop himself, he blurted, “That’s… that’s so… so fucking smart!” The words slipped out of his mouth before he knew it. But in the next second… a second that felt horrifying, Nico panicked, slapping both hands over his mouth as he realized the language he had used before his father. His face even became pale as he awaited the inevitable scolding. But instead, his father did the unthinkable. He laughed. A deep, rich, and genuine laugh… rare and startling enough to make Nico blink in disbelief. “Hahaha!” The old man actually threw his head back, amusement echoing across the study like thunder rolling over calm waters.