2025-07-23 18:25:48
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379. What Really Matters
Van sat at his desk, the late afternoon sunlight spilling across the mahogany surface in golden streaks. The city skyline glistened beyond his office windows, its usual bustle muffled behind the glass. Normally, this was his sanctuary — a place where work came first, where the noise of the past couldn’t touch him. But today, his thoughts kept circling back to the conversation with Bianca.Closure.She had used that word so casually, as if it could erase years of chaos. As if the word alone could smooth over the betrayal, the complications, and the games. Van wasn’t naive. He had seen the look in her eyes, the tiny hesitation before she said it. Her voice had been steady, but her eyes had searched his face for a reaction, a crack, something to tell her she still had a hold on him.He leaned back in his chair, rubbing the bridge of his nose.It wasn’t that he hated Bianca. He didn’t. In some ways, he almost pitied her. She’d built her whole identity on power, on winning — and when she’d
378. The Meeting
The late afternoon sunlight poured into the study, turning the cream colored curtains golden. Van was at his desk, reviewing quarterly reports, but his mind wasn’t entirely on the numbers. Outside, he could hear the muffled laughter of the twins chasing each other around the garden, Ivy’s voice occasionally cutting in with a gentle warning not to run too close to the flowerbeds. It was the kind of domestic background music he’d grown used to— and loved— over the past years.The company was thriving beyond even his most optimistic forecasts. Andrew’s departure had removed the last lingering tension in the business, and with Ivy merging her own company into his, they had become a powerhouse in the industry. Everything was stable. Safe. And he intended to keep it that way.Which was why Bianca’s return was such a disruption.She had sent another message earlier that morning, asking to meet “just for closure.” Van had ignored her the first two times, but she was persistent. When Ivy sugge
377. Ivy
The late afternoon sun cast a gentle glow through the tall windows of the mansion, bathing the living room in soft amber light. Ivy sat curled up on the couch, one hand resting on her growing belly, the other cradling a warm mug of herbal tea. The sounds of laughter drifted in from the backyard where the twins were playing tag with Leona under Brandt’s watchful eye. Peaceful. Familiar. Whole.And yet, Ivy's eyes lingered on the phone screen in her lap.Bianca was back.The message had come in hours ago, forwarded to Ivy by Van’s assistant. A brief note: She asked to see him. No details. Just said she was in town.Van hadn’t replied yet. Ivy knew he was avoiding the topic, burying himself in the quarterly reports and strategic meetings. Since the merger of her company into Van’s empire, they had become an even stronger team— professionally and personally. There was a deep, quiet rhythm between them now, built on everything they’d been through. And still, Ivy could see it in his eyes: t
376. Echoes Of Yesterday
The morning had started out just like the rest.Sunlight filtered in through the gauzy curtains of Van’s office as he leaned back in his chair, reviewing a quarterly report on one of their new international ventures. A fresh cup of coffee sat beside him, untouched, and soft music played from the speaker tucked near the window.It was the kind of morning that usually gave him a sense of peace— productivity without pressure, progress without urgency.But that day, a single name shattered the calm.“Sir,” his receptionist, Maya, said gently through the intercom, “A woman is asking to see you, she said her name is Bianca Hartley. She's waiting in the lobby.”Van froze.The name alone hit like a gust of cold air through an open door.Bianca.It had been a long time since he last saw her in person. The last encounter had ended quietly — but she was from a chapter in his life that he had shut down and never planned to open ever again. He was glad when she moved to another city, and Van had m
375. Quiet Joy
The sound of rain tapping gently on the windows filled the Everest mansion that Saturday morning, a soft lullaby that wrapped the house in comfort. It was the kind of morning that invited slowness— the kind where plans dissolved and people lingered a little longer under warm blankets.Van had woken up first, unusually early for a weekend, and instead of slipping out of bed like he usually did, he stayed. He turned toward Ivy, watching the gentle rise and fall of her breathing. Her curls were wild, fanned out over her pillow, her hand resting protectively on the soft curve of her belly.In the months since the baby shower, time had flowed with an easy rhythm. No big upheavals. No secrets lurking in corners. Just laughter over breakfast, lazy Sunday picnics in the backyard, and bedtime stories that always ended with the twins asking for “just one more.”Van placed a soft kiss on Ivy’s forehead before quietly slipping out of bed and heading down to the kitchen.The kitchen had a lived in
374. Ordinary Magic
It had been a long time since Van had truly slept in.But that morning, wrapped in a cocoon of soft sheets and the faint scent of lavender from Ivy’s pillow, he let himself drift in and out of sleep, his arm slung around her waist, her back pressed against his chest. The soft hum of the ceiling fan, the occasional cooing from the baby monitor —it was the background music to a life that had finally settled into harmony.When he finally opened his eyes, Ivy was already awake.She lay still in his arms, reading a book with one hand and gently stroking her belly with the other. The light from the window spilled across her profile like a painting. Her dark curls framed her face, and she looked content, like someone who had fought her battles and won.Van kissed her bare shoulder.“Good morning,” he murmured, his voice still husky from sleep.She smiled without looking up. “You slept like a rock.”“I haven’t slept like that in years.”“That’s because you used to sleep with a mind full of wa
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