Too Late To Love Me I Already Left With His Twins (Lydia and Dave) novel Chapter 230

Texts

Lydia POV

Anna.

Anna:

Babesssssssss

I smiled immediately.

Only Anna could make panic look adorable.

I opened the chat.

Me: 1

Who’s dying?

Three dots appeared almost instantly.

Anna:

MEEEEEE.

Anna:

Save me.

Anna:

I need your giant business brain.

I laughed.

Me: 1

My giant business brain charges consulting fees.

Anna:

I’ll pay.

Me: 1

How much?

Anna:

Friendship.

Me: 1

Rejected.

She sent six crying emojis.

Then another message.

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1/10

Anna:

Okay serious now. 1

We’re reviewing next quarter’s influencer strategy.

The numbers aren’t making sense.

Marketing wants three celebrity ambassadors.

Finance says absolutely not.

Meanwhile we’ve got like… forty micro-influencers emailing us wanting partnerships.

I genuinely don’t know which direction gives better returns.

Help before I lose my mind.

I smiled.

Classic Anna.

Brilliant at running operations.

Less confident whenever marketing became more psychological than mathematical.

I typed.

Me: 1

Question.

Why are the celebrities your first choice?

Her reply came immediately.

Anna:

Reach.

Visibility.

Brand awareness.

Me: 1

Wrong.

Pause.

Then…

Anna:

…ouch.

I smiled wider.

Me: 1

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2/10

You’re buying attention.

Not trust.

There’s a difference.

She replied with a thinking emoji.

I continued.

Me: 1

People admire celebrities.

People believe people who look like themselves.

Micro-influencers usually have communities.

Not audiences.

Communities convert.

Audiences clap.

She went quiet for almost a minute.

Then…

Anna:

Wait…

Wait…

WAIT.

I think I get it.

I continued typing.

Me:

If twenty mothers with twenty thousand followers each genuinely recommend your products…

You’ll outperform one celebrity with two million passive followers.

Find creators whose audiences already trust them.

Not creators with pretty numbers.

Another pause.

Then…

Anna:

BABE.

You’re actually insane.

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I laughed.

I’ve been called worse.

Anna:

Should we still use celebrities?

Me: 1

Yes.

Awareness starts with celebrities.

Conversion finishes with communities.

Use both.

Different jobs.

Different goals.

Don’t compare them.

Three typing bubbles appeared.

Disappeared.

Appeared again.

Finally-

Anna:

I’m literally stealing this for tomorrow’s presentation.

Me:

Invoice coming soon.

Anna:

Love you.

Me: 1

Unfortunately.

She reacted with seven laughing emojis.

By the time I locked my phone, the familiar gates of my home were already opening.

Funny.

Anna somehow had the magical ability to make even exhausting days feel lighter.

The front door hadn’t fully opened before I heard footsteps.

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“Mom!”

en another voice.

“Moooom!”

My heart softened instantly.

“There are my favorite people.”

Ava hugged me first.

Eli came barreling in a second later with enough force to nearly knock us all over.

I laughed.

“Easy, tiger.”

Then…

Something caught my eye.

Several beautifully wrapped boxes sat neatly on the coffee table.

Large ones.

Small ones.

Gift bags.

Luxury shopping boxes.

Ribbon.

Tissue paper.

Enough wrapping to stock an entire department store.

I frowned.

“What on earth…”

I looked between the twins.

“What’s all this?”

Eli’s face lit up.

“Dad sent them!”

“He did?”

Ava nodded enthusiastically.

“The nanny said they arrived this afternoon!”

“Oh!”

“He even wrote little notes!”

༩༩༩

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5/10

Before I could ask another question…

ey were already tearing into the wrapping paper.

I stood there…

Watching.

The first box revealed a professional children’s astronomy kit.

Not the toy versions sold in supermarkets.

A genuine telescope designed for young enthusiasts.

Ava gasped so loudly I thought she’d forgotten how to breathe.

“Oh my goodness…”

The next package contained a chemistry experiment set.

Then robotics components.

Then a personalized constellation projector.

Books.

Science encyclopedias.

A high-quality microscope.

Building kits.

Coding games.

Every single gift somehow connected perfectly to one of the children’s interests.

Then…

A velvet jewelry box.

Ava carefully lifted the lid.

Inside rested a delicate silver necklace.

A tiny constellation pendant glittered beneath the lights.

On the back…

Her initials.

A.H.

Custom made.

“Oh…”

Ava whispered.

“It’s beautiful.”

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Meanwhile Eli had discovered an expensive remote-controlled engineering vehicle designed to teach mechanical

systems.

“Mom!”

“Look!”

“It can climb rocks!”

“I know.”

“It has suspension!”

“I know.”

“It has four-wheel drive!”

“I… know?”

He had already stopped listening.

The twins were completely absorbed.

Comparing gifts.

Reading notes.

Planning experiments.

Laughing.

Talking over each other.

Showing the nanny.

Showing each other again.

For nearly ten minutes…

No one looked at me.

Not once.

Something ugly settled quietly inside my chest.

Why hadn’t Dave told me?

One message.

One sentence.

“Hey, I sent the kids something.”

That was all.

Instead…

The gifts simply appeared.

Like magic.

น

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Like he didn’t need to communicate with me at all.

olded my arms tightly.

My mind knew exactly what he was doing.

He wasn’t trying to buy them.

He genuinely knew them.

Every gift proved that.

Which somehow made it worse.

Because he’d remembered.

The telescope.

The science books.

The necklace shaped like stars because Ava had spent the last month obsessing over astronomy.

He remembered.

And the twins were glowing because of it.

A ridiculous thought slipped into my head before I could stop it.

What if…

What if one day they stop needing me this much?

I hated myself for thinking it. 1

Absolutely hated it.

They adored me.

I knew that.

But fear…

Fear rarely listened to logic.

I quietly slipped upstairs before anyone noticed the sting behind my eyes.

Dinner was unusually lively.

The twins spent the entire meal talking about everything they’d received.

The telescope.

The microscope.

The experiments.

The notes Dad had written.

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The places they wanted to visit.

Me things they wanted to build.

I barely spoke.

Just listened.

Then…

Ava walked into the dining room wearing the necklace.

The tiny silver constellation rested perfectly against her neck.

She touched it absentmindedly while talking.

“Mom, look.”

“Dad said the stars always reminded him of me.”

Something inside me snapped.

Just slightly.

Enough to hurt.

Enough to scare me.

I looked at the necklace.

Then at her.

Then back again.

My voice came out much sharper than I’d intended.

“Ava.”

She stopped smiling.

“Take it off.”

The room fell completely silent.

Eli slowly lowered his fork.

Ava blinked.

“…Why?”

“It’s expensive.”

“I don’t want you damaging it.”

Her fingers instinctively touched the pendant.

“But I’m being careful.”

“I said take it off.”

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Her smile disappeared completely.

Very slowly…

She unclasped it.

Placed it carefully beside her plate.

“…Okay, Mom.”

No one spoke for the rest of dinner.

And before the meal was even over…

Regret had already begun settling heavily in my chest.

Because deep down…

I knew.

The necklace had never really been the problem.

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Too tired to try

Lydia POV

The silence that settled over the dining table after my outburst was almost tangible.

Just moments ago, the room had been overflowing with laughter, interrupted conversations and two overly excited six-year-olds talking over each other about telescopes, chemistry kits and constellations. Now, the only sounds were the occasional scrape of cutlery against ceramic plates and the faint hum of the air conditioner somewhere behind me.

I hated silence like this.

Not because it was loud.

Because it usually meant someone had been hurt.

I glanced across the table at Ava.

She had quietly placed the silver constellation necklace beside her plate exactly where I’d asked her to, her little fingers resting next to it as though she was afraid it might disappear if she looked away for too long. She wasn’t crying. She wasn’t pouting either. She simply continued eating her dinner in the same calm, polite way she always did.

Somehow…

That made me feel even worse.

Children weren’t supposed to become quiet because of their parents.

I cleared my throat, forcing a smile that didn’t quite reach my eyes.

“So…” I looked between both twins. “Who’s ready for bed?”

The question immediately dissolved whatever awkwardness remained.

Eli groaned dramatically, throwing his head backward against the dining chair.

“Already?”

I folded my arms. “Yes, already.”

“But I’m not sleepy.”

“You say that every night.”

“Because it’s true every night.”

4

“And yet somehow you’re asleep exactly three minutes after your head touches the pillow.”

He narrowed his eyes suspiciously.

“I think my pillow is working with you.”

I laughed despite myself.

“It absolutely is.”

That finally earned me the grin I’d been hoping for.

1/8

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The heaviness in my chest eased, if only slightly.

tood from my chair, collecting the empty plates before the nanny gently intercepted me with an amused smile.

“I’ll take those, ma’am.”`

“You sure?” 1

She nodded.

“I’ve got it.”

“Thank you.”

I reached for both little hands instead.

“Come on.”

The twins followed me upstairs without complaint, Eli rambling about whether astronauts brushed their teeth in space while Ava quietly twirled the necklace between her fingers.

Halfway down the hallway, I stopped.

“Ava?”

She looked up immediately.

“Yes, Mom?”

I crouched until we were eye level.

For a moment, I simply looked at her.

God.

She looked so much like me around the eyes.

“I’m sorry.”

Her eyebrows lifted.

“For what?”

“For earlier.”

| I exhaled softly.

“I shouldn’t have sounded so harsh.”

She blinked.

“I wasn’t angry.”

“I know.”

“I just…” I searched for the right words. “That necklace is beautiful, sweetheart. It’s something your dad chose for you, and it’s a lovely memory. I wasn’t upset because you wore it.”

I reached over, gently brushing a loose curl away from her forehead.

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“I just got worried.”

Worried?’

“What if it got caught on something while you were playing? What if it broke? What if you lost it?”

I smiled softly.

“Some things are special because of what they mean, not because of how much they cost.”

Her eyes drifted toward the necklace still dangling from her tiny fingers.

“So…”

“I thought maybe we should keep it somewhere safe until there are occasions where you really want to wear it.”

She nodded almost immediately.

“Oh.”

“I understand.”

“You do?”

“Of course.”

She smiled, that sweet, forgiving smile only children seemed capable of giving so effortlessly.

“I know you weren’t trying to be mean.”

“You weren’t?”

I felt my chest tighten.

“No.”

“You just didn’t want me to lose something Dad gave me.

I swallowed.

“Exactly.”

She wrapped both little arms around my neck before I could stop her.

“It’s okay, Mom.”

“I know you love us.”

The hug lasted barely a few seconds.

It somehow healed something inside me.

Behind us, Eli folded his arms dramatically.

“Ahem.”

We both turned toward him.

“I would also like an apology.”

3/8

I blinked.

For what?”

“I didn’t get hugged.”

Ava giggled.

I rolled my eyes affectionately before opening my other arm.

“Come here, you menace.”

He launched himself into the hug with enough force to nearly knock all three of us onto the carpet. 1

“There.”

He sighed happily.

“Balance has been restored.”

I laughed so hard my stomach hurt.

Maybe…

Children really did forgive faster than adults.

Nearly an hour later, the house had fallen into its usual nighttime rhythm.

The twins were asleep.

The nanny had retired to her quarters.

Even the kitchen lights had gone dark.

Only my bedroom remained illuminated.

I stood in front of the bathroom mirror, my reflection looking almost as exhausted as I felt.

Cleanser.

Moisturizer.

Eye cream.

I moved through each step almost mechanically.

Normally, skincare was my favorite part of the day.

Twenty uninterrupted minutes where nobody needed anything from me.

Tonight…

Even that felt like another task on a never-ending checklist.

I reached for my serum.

Paused.

Then sighed.

ry

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4/8

Too tredto try

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“I can’t even be bothered.”

laced it back on the counter.

Good enough.

Wrapping my silk robe tighter around myself, I climbed into bed and reached for my phone.

One notification.

None from work.

Thank goodness.

Instead…

My thumb hovered over Dave’s chat.

For several seconds, I debated whether to text him at all.

Maybe I was overreacting.

Maybe I wasn’t.

Either way…

Communication was better than resentment.

I began typing.

Lydia:

Hey. Next time you’re planning to send gifts to the kids, could you let me know beforehand?

I paused.i

Deleted half the sentence.

Started again.

Lydia:

I’m not trying to police what you buy for them. They’re your children too.

Another pause.

But I’d appreciate knowing before several expensive packages suddenly show up at my house. It helps me prepare them… and honestly, it helps me too. 1

I read it twice.

It sounded calm.

Much calmer than what I’d wanted to send three hours earlier.

Good.

1 pressed send.

One gray tick.

5/8

Offline.

Figures.

I tossed the phone beside me.

Being a CEO was funny.

People imagined we clocked out at five o’clock.

Reality?

The emails never stopped.

The phone never stopped.

Problems simply changed time zones.

The only reason I’d survived the past few months without burning out completely was because Anna had practically dragged me on vacation.

Without that trip…

I’d probably have forgotten what sleeping felt like.

Just as I was about to put my phone on silent, the screen lit up.

Two gray ticks.

Then…

Typing.

I frowned.

He was online?

A message arrived.

Dave:

I’m sorry. That one’s on me.

Another bubble appeared almost immediately.

Dave:

I’d actually ordered everything a while ago, before we eyen finalized the call schedule. The delivery date completely slipped my mind.

A third message.

Dave:

I wasn’t trying to go behind your back.

I stared at the screen for a moment.

The irritation I’d been nursing all evening lost a little of its fire.

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6/8

Not all of it.

Just enough.

I typed back.

Lydia:

་༨༽

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Okay.

A few seconds later….

His typing bubble appeared again.

Dave:

How was work today?

I actually frowned.

Seriously?

I replied with nothing more than two question marks.

Lydia:

??

Almost instantly, his typing bubble disappeared.

Reappeared.

Disappeared again.

I watched it dance across the screen like whoever was on the other side couldn’t decide what they wanted to say.

Finally…

One last message came through.

Dave:

Never mind.

A pause.

Then another.

Get some rest.

The typing bubble appeared one final time.

Stayed there.

Vanished.

Whatever he’d been about to say…

He chose not to.

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I locked my phone before curiosity could tempt me into waiting.

I switched off the bedside lamp and pulled the duvet over myself, one thought refused to leave me.

I still couldn’t figure Dave out.

Some days he behaved like a man simply trying to be a better father.

Other days…

He looked like someone trying very hard to become something else again.

I wasn’t ready to find out which one it was.

And tonight…

I was far too tired to try.

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Siblingship

Teo’s POV

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Few days later,

The following morning began with a message from the one person capable of disrupting my carefully structured day before I’d even finished my first cup of coffee.

Anna.

I didn’t need to open the message to know it would contain either chaos, unnecessary enthusiasm, or both.

It was both.

Anna: Dinner tonight. Seven. Don’t make excuses.

I smiled despite myself.

Me: Is everything okay?

The three dots appeared almost immediately.

Disappeared.

Appeared again.

Then another message arrived.

Anna: Absolutely not.

I sighed.

Me: What’s wrong?

Anna: I’m bored.

I stared at the screen for a full five seconds.

Me: That’s not an emergency.

Anna: It is for you.

Another message followed before I could respond.

Anna: Come and spend quality sibling time with your favorite sister who’s clearly going through a psychological crisis.

I snorted.

Me: You’re my only sister.

Anna: Exactly.

Anna: Which makes me your favorite:

A third message. 1

Anna: Also, my husband is traveling for work and everyone abandoned me.

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Anna: I deserve emotional support.

Me: You’re dramatic.

She sent a voice note.

I made the mistake of playing it.

“Theodore!” she exclaimed dramatically. “Du you know how lonely it is eating dinner by yourself? Lactually looked at my dining table yesterday and sighed. Sighed! Me! The woman who usually can’t stop talking long enough to breathe! I even tried talking to my plants. One of them is dying, by the way. I think it’s because it has to listen to me all day.” 1

I laughed.

She continued without pausing.

เ

“So congratulations. You’ve been promoted to Temporary Husband Replacement. Before you get excited, it’s only for dinner. Seven o’clock. I’ll send the location.”

The voice note ended.

Barely two seconds later…

A location pin arrived.

Followed by one final message.

Anna: And don’t you dare cancel.

I shook my head, slipping the phone back into my pocket.

Some things never changed.

Anna had been talking since she learned how to form complete sentences.

Actually…

No.

She’d probably started before that.

Growing up, our mother had always been the loud one in the family. She loved conversations. Loved storytelling. Loved recounting every insignificant detail of her day until everyone else in the room knew the names of strangers she’d met at the grocery store.

Then Anna became a teenager.

And somehow…

She made our mother seem quiet.

To this day, I remained convinced my sister didn’t actually breathe between sentences.

She simply… reloaded.

It amazed me that she’d found someone willing to marry her.

Not because she wasn’t wonderful-she was.

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• 20 Agnus

She was kind, fiercely loyal, endlessly generous, and somehow capable of making every room she entered feel

righter.

But she talked.

Dear God…

She talked.

When we were younger, she’d have a new best friend every few months because, eventually, every child needed a break from keeping up with Anna endless stream of thoughts.

She didn’t speak in conversations.

She delivered podcasts.

Daily.

With bonus episodes.

By seven that evening, I pulled into the valet entrance of one of Anna’s favorite restaurants.

The hostess smiled knowingly the moment I gave my sister’s name.

“Oh,” she said with a sympathetic smile. “She’s already here.”

Of course she was.

Anna believed arriving exactly on time was disrespectful.

One should either arrive fifteen minutes early…

Or not at all.

7

I found her exactly where I expected-already seated near the window, waving enthusiastically the moment she spotted me.

“Theodore!”

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3/3

Stubborn man

‘Theo’s POV

Half the restaurant probably knew my name now.

I walked over, shaking my head.

“You know,” I said as I pulled out my chair, “most people simply wave.’

“That’s boring.”

“You’ve been here long?”

She glanced at the empty basket of tortilla chips on the table.

“…Maybe.”

“Anna.”

“They brought complimentary chips.”

“And?”

“I got hungry.”1

I looked toward the waiter.

“Did she already order?”

Anna answered before he could.

“I ordered appetizers.”

“You said we were having dinner.”

“We are.”

“I also ordered dinner.”

“…Anna.”

“And maybe dessert.”

I stared at her.

She smiled sweetly.

“What?”

I laughed under my breath.

“I forgot how exhausting you are.”

“You say exhausting.’

She reached across the table dramatically.

“I say delightful.”

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The waiter returned carrying sizzling fajitas, grilled vegetables, warm tortillas, fresh guacamole, roasted corn, and a platter of steak sliced perfectly over peppers and onions.

I looked from the food…

To my sister.

“You ordered for an army.”

“I ordered responsibly.”

“There’s enough food here for six people.”

“You’ll help.”

“I’m beginning to understand why your grocery bill is so high.”

She ignored me completely.

The moment the waiter walked away, Anna launched into exactly what I’d expected.

Talking.

Not small talk.

Not polite conversation.

An uninterrupted flood of stories that somehow managed to cover every aspect of her life within twenty minutes.

“You know that campaign we’ve been working on?” she began between bites. “The skincare one? Tell me why I’ve had almost fifty micro-influencers email me this week. Fifty! Every single one believes they’re the perfect fit for the brand. One girl actually attached a thirty-page media kit, Theodore. Thirty pages! I thought I was reviewing an acquisition proposal. She had charts. Charts! She included projected engagement rates, demographic breakdowns, mood boards, color palettes… I nearly emailed back asking whether she’d also like a seat on the board.”

I chuckled.

She barely noticed. 1

“And don’t even get me started on our warehouse delays. Logistics keeps blaming suppliers. Suppliers keep blaming customs. Customs is blaming weather. At this point I think everyone’s just blaming whoever isn’t in the room.”

She took another bite before seamlessly changing topics.

“Oh! My daughter came home yesterday convinced she’s becoming an archaeologist.”

“Really?”

“Mhm.”

“Why?”

“Because her teacher buried plastic dinosaur bones in the sandbox.”

I smiled. 1

“She spent three hours digging in my garden when we got home,” Anna continued dramatically. “Three hours!

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*208Şnut

Theodore, my hydrangeas didn’t survive the expedition.”

Naughed outright.

“And then this morning she announced she was retiring from archaeology.”

“So soon?”

“Apparently paleontology is too much work.”

“What changed?”

“She found a worm.”

I covered my mouth to hide another laugh.

Anna nodded solemnly.

“The worm won.”

Without waiting for a response, she continued.

“And my son-oh my goodness-my son has decided dinosaurs can breathe underwater now. Don’t ask me why. He watched one documentary and suddenly he’s rewriting evolutionary history.”

She leaned forward conspiratorially.

“The children argued about it for forty-five minutes.”

“You timed them?”

“I had to.”

She sighed dramatically.

“They inherited stubbornness from somebody.”

I raised an eyebrow.

“You.”

She gasped theatrically.

“Excuse you.”

“You’ve spent ten minutes arguing with me about who inherited stubbornness.”

She opened her mouth.

Closed it again.

“…That’s different.”

“It really isn’t.”

She pointed her fork at me.

“I don’t appreciate being analyzed.”

“I didn’t analyze you.”

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“You absolutely did.”

made an observation.”

“That’s worse.”

I laughed, and for a while we simply ate while she continued filling every comfortable silence before it even had the chance to exist.

She spoke about business trends, new product launches, difficult suppliers, her latest obsession with Mexican food, a disastrous yoga class she’d abandoned halfway through because she’d accidentally fallen asleep during meditation, and a neighbor who insisted his cat understood French. 1

It was impossible not to laugh.

Being around Anna was exhausting.

But it was also…

Comfortable.

Familiar.

Like coming home.

By the time the waiter cleared our dinner plates, I honestly believed she’d finally run out of things to say.

I should have known better.

Dessert arrived.

Tiramisu for me.

Churros with dark chocolate and dulce de leche for Anna.

She picked up her spoon, took one bite, then suddenly gasped.

“Oh!”

I looked up.

“What?”

“I completely forgot to tell you something.”

I should have recognized that tone.

It always meant another story.

“So…” she began, stirring the chocolate absentmindedly. “My daughter came home talking nonstop about Ava yesterday.”

Something inside me straightened instinctively. 1

“Oh?”

“Mhm.”

She smiled.

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“Apparently Ava wore the prettiest little necklace to school.”

didn’t think much of it.

Children liked necklaces.

“So?”

Anna continued happily.

“It was from her dad.”

My spoon stopped halfway to my mouth.

“Dave sent her a whole stack of presents over,” she continued. “science kits, telescopes, jewelry… honestly, it sounded like Christmas arrived three months early.”

I slowly placed my spoon back onto the plate.

Something…

Shifted.

Quietly.

Almost imperceptibly.

Anna kept talking, completely unaware.

“My daughter said Ava couldn’t stop smiling. She apparently spent all morning showing everyone her little necklace too. It was actually really sweet.”

I nodded once. 1

“Hm.”

That was all.

One syllable.

Nothing more.

Anna frowned.

She knew me too well.

She tilted her head.

“Theodore.”

“Hm?”

“You’ve gone quiet.”

“I’ve been listening.”

“No.”

She narrowed her eyes.

5/10

L རྣ ( །༽

“You’re pretending to listen.”

Teached for my coffee.

“I’m listening.”

“You stopped eating.”

“I wasn’t hungry.”

“You were literally inhaling that tiramisu thirty seconds ago.”

“I finished.”

“You didn’t.”

She pointed at the untouched half still sitting on my plate.

I looked down.

She was right.

I hadn’t even realized I’d stopped.

Anna leaned back slowly.

A slow grin spread across her face.

“Oh…”

I sighed.

“What?”

“Interesting.”

“What is?”

“You.”

“I’m not interesting.”

“No…”

She folded her arms.

“But your face is.”

“My face?”

“Mhm.”

She nodded confidently.

“You’ve got the face.’

“What face?”

“The one you make whenever something bothers you.”

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6/10

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“Nothing bothers me.”

laughed.

“Theodore.”

“What?”

“I’ve known you since literally before I was born.”

“That doesn’t even make sense.”

“It does in my head.”

I rubbed my forehead.

“What exactly do you think is bothering me?”

She shrugged casually.

“I mentioned Dave.”

“So?”

“So…”

She watched me carefully.

“You stopped smiling.”

“I didn’t.”

“You did.”

“I don’t smile that much.”

“You were smiling.”

“I wasn’t.”

“You absolutely were.”

I shook my head.

“This is ridiculous.”

“It really isn’t.”

She leaned forward, studying me with the same curiosity she’d had as a child whenever she was convinced she’d solved a mystery.

“Theodore…”

“Hm?”

“…why do you suddenly look offended that another man bought gifts for his own children?”

I opened my mouth.

Closed it again. 1

7/10

Because…

Why did it bother me?

It’ shouldn’t.

There was absolutely nothing strange about a father sending presents to his children.

Nothing.

It was thoughtful.

Kind.

Exactly what he should have done.

So why…

Why had hearing his name left such an unpleasant feeling sitting somewhere beneath my ribs?

I didn’t have an answer.

Anna watched every flicker of emotion cross my face.

Then…

Very slowly…

Her eyes widened.

“No.”

I looked at her.

“What?”

“No way.”

“What?”

She pointed her spoon at me dramatically.

“Theodore Alexander…”

I already hated where this was going.

“…don’t tell me.”

“Tell you what?”

“You like Lydia.”

I nearly choked on my coffee.

“What?”

“You heard me.”

“I absolutely did.”

+20 agnius

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།

“And?”

do not.”

She burst into laughter.

“Oh my goodness.”

“I’m serious.”

“So am I!”

• 20 Bonus

“You’ve lost your mind.”

“Have I?”

She rested her chin on her hand.

“Because from where I’m sitting, my emotionally unavailable brother just got weirdly quiet over another man buying presents for kids belonging to a woman he insists he’s only working with.”

“I did not get weirdly quiet.’

“You absolutely did.”

“I was thinking.”

“About Dave.”

“I wasn’t.”

“You were.”

“I wasn’t.”

“You so were.”

I laughed despite myself.

“This conversation is over.”

“Oh, no,”

She grinned wickedly.

“It has only just begun.”

I reached for my wallet.

“I’m paying.”

“Running away already?”

“I’m preserving my sanity.”

She laughed so hard she nearly dropped her spoon.

As I stood to leave, she looked up at me with entirely too much satisfaction.

“You Googled her, didn’t you?”

9/10

ལ

20 Bonus

1 froze.

Only for the briefest second.

Barely noticeable.

Unless…

You were Anna.

She saw it immediately.

Her grin grew wider.

She didn’t say another word.

She didn’t have to.

I walked out of the restaurant wondering how my sister had somehow managed to interrogate me more effectively than every corporate lawyer I’d ever hired.

Behind me, Anna watched me disappear through the glass doors before quietly pulling out her phone. 1

A mischievous smile tugged at her lips.

“Oh, Lydia,” she murmured to herself, shaking her head with quiet amusement.

“You have absolutely no idea what’s happening to this stubborn man.”

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10/10

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• 20 Bonus

Celebratory dinner

Lydia’s POV

Two weeks later,

Now…

Everything was quiet.

Not the kind of quiet that came from people giving up.

The satisfying kind.

The kind earned after weeks of relentless work.

The kind that reminded me exactly why I loved what I did.

My office overlooked nearly half the city, the floor-to-ceiling windows flooding the room with the pale morning sunlight that reflected off neighboring skyscrapers. The projector hummed softly against one wall while dozens of charts stretched across the screen-stock performances, engagement reports, public sentiment analyses, quarterly forecasts, and media perception indexes.

This…

This was my version of watching a blockbuster movie.

People assumed public relations ended once the headlines changed.

It didn’t.

That was where the real work began.

A reputation wasn’t rebuilt the day the crisis disappeared.

It was rebuilt every day after that.

I sat comfortably at the head of the conference table with a notebook open in front of me, absentmindedly twirling

a pen between my fingers as my assistant stood beside the projector, remote in hand.

“Ready?” she asked.

“As I’ll ever be.”

She clicked to the first slide.

“Rutherford Energy.”

A familiar graph appeared.

Their stock had climbed steadily over the last month.

Media sentiment had improved by fourteen percent.

Consumer trust was recovering faster than expected.

I scribbled a note.

Increase community engagement. Maintain transparency. Don’t over-celebrate.

1/8

ལ་།

• 20 @gnus

• 20 Bonus

Standing there trying not to smile.

Hmm.

That was… unusual.

I wasn’t entirely sure when Theo had become an exception to rules I normally enforced without hesitation, and honestly, I wasn’t sure I liked that realization.

I narrowed my eyes at him anyway, refusing to let him know he’d gotten away with it so easily.

“Congratulations.”

He blinked.

“For what?”

“You’ve officially become my most troublesome client.”

He let out a surprised laugh.

“That’s a promotion?”

“Not at all.”

“Should I be worried?”

“Deeply.”

“Can I appeal the verdict?”

I pretended to think about it.

“You may submit a formal application.”

“And where do I submit it?”

“To my assistant.”

“Will she approve it?”

“Absolutely not.”

He laughed again, shaking his head.

“You’re impossible.”

“I’ve been told.”

I sighed dramatically before sitting on the chair he pulled out for me.

“Fine.”

9/10

“But this is the first and last time you’re tricking me into attending a dinner.”

$ grin widened.

“Noted.”

“I’m serious.”

“So am I.”

I sat down, still shaking my head in amused disbelief.

Somehow…

Something told me this evening wasn’t going to unfold the way I’d expected.

Not even close.

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Fun

Lydia POV

POV

The waiter returned carrying our main course with the sort of precision that only existed in restaurants where a single dinner probably cost more than an average person’s monthly salary.

A perfectly seared filet mignon rested on my plate beside creamy truffle mashed potatoes, roasted baby carrots glazed with honey, grilled asparagus, and a glossy red wine reduction artfully painted across the porcelain. It looked less like dinner and more like something that belonged in an art gallery.

I looked from the plate to Theo before raising an amused eyebrow.

“So…”

I picked up my fork.

“Mr. Theodore.”

He looked up from unfolding his napkin.

“Yes?”

I tilted my head.

“Did you invite me here because you genuinely wanted to celebrate, or am I about to receive a PowerPoint presentation disguised as dinner?”

A slow laugh escaped him.

“I don’t carry PowerPoint presentations to restaurants.”

“Good.”

I cut into my steak.

“Because if you did, I’d have left already.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

“I hope you do.”

He chuckled, shaking his head.

“I actually meant what I said.”

“And what exactly did you say?”

“That this dinner is simply to celebrate.”

I narrowed my eyes playfully.

“That’s it?”

“That’s it.”

“No emergency?”

“No.”

1/6

“No shareholders hiding behind the curtains?”

He glanced around dramatically.

“I checked before you arrived.”

“No secret board meeting?”

“No.”

“No surprise press conference?”

“No.”

I rested my elbow lightly on the table.

“You’re disappointing me.”

“Oh?”

“I’ve grown used to associating you with disasters.”

He laughed a genuine laugh this time, the kind that reached his eyes.

“I’ll try to create another corporate scandal for you soon.

“There we go.”

“I was beginning to worry.”

*I

“I appreciate your commitment.”

For a few seconds, we simply laughed together.

It felt… strangely easy.

He lifted his glass slightly.

“I really did just want to thank you.”

I sighed dramatically.

“You already paid me.”

“I know.”

“Very well.”

“I know.”

“I literally sent you an invoice.”

“I remember.”

“So technically…” I pointed my fork toward him. “…our transaction has already concluded.”

He nodded.

“Financially?”

1

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2/6

“Exactly.”

He leaned back slightly, studying me for a moment before speaking.

“Professionally…”

He paused.

“I don’t think it has.”

I frowned.

“What do you mean?”

“I’ve worked with consultants before.”

“So have I.”

“They come in.”

“They make presentations.”

“They promise miracles.”

“They leave.”

“And then everyone spends six months cleaning up after them.”

His gaze remained steady.

“You walked into a company where everyone had already chosen someone else to blame.”

“You had lawyers arguing with marketers.”

“Finance arguing with legal.”

“The board arguing with everybody.”

“And somehow…”

He smiled softly.

…you made us remember we were all trying to save the same company.”

I shrugged lightly.

“I simply did exactly what you hired me to do.”

“No.”

His answer came immediately.

“You did much more than that.”

I opened my mouth to disagree.

He beat me to it.

“You also reminded me what leadership is supposed to look like.”

20 Bonus

3/6

+20 Bonus

That…

Caught me off guard.

For once…

I genuinely didn’t know what to say.

So instead, I took a sip of water and smiled.

“Well…”

“I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that.”

He laughed.

“I figured you would.”

“Compliments make me uncomfortable.”

“I’ve noticed.”

“I prefer invoices.”

“I’ve definitely noticed.”

That earned another laugh from both of us.

The conversation drifted naturally after that.

No more boardrooms.

No quarterly reports.

No legal strategies.

Just…

Life.

“So,” he asked as he cut into his steak, “how exactly do you manage to keep two seven-year-olds alive while running an international firm?”

I looked up innocently.

“Who said they’re alive?”

He nearly choked on his drink.

“Lydia.”

“I’m kidding.”

“I certainly hope so.”

“They’re alive.”

“Barely.”

He laughed again.

4/6

“I’ve heard a lot about Eli.”

You understand.”

“I understand everything.”

“That boy has the energy of twelve caffeinated squirrels.”

“Twelve?”

“I was being generous.”

I smiled.

“He wakes up every morning already halfway through tomorrow.”

“And Ava?”

“Oh…”

I smiled even wider.

“My little professor.”

“The child who voluntarily reads astronomy books for fun?”

“The very one.”

“I still don’t know how someone so tiny can know so much.”

“It’s honestly terrifying.” 1

“I asked her one question the other day.”

“What happened?”

“I ended up receiving a ten-minute lecture.”

I burst into laughter.

“That sounds exactly like Ava.”

“And the scary part?”

“What?”

“I actually learned something.”

I laughed so hard I had to put my fork down.

“I should start charging tuition.”

“I’d pay.”

Our conversation wandered from books to travel, from terrible airline food to childhood memories.

He admitted he couldn’t cook anything beyond scrambled eggs.

I admitted I’d once accidentally scheduled two keynote speeches in different countries on the same day.

ོ།

20 Bonus

5/6

+20 Bonus

He laughed so hard he almost dropped his knife.

Tell me you didn’t.”

“I absolutely did.”

“What happened?”

“I gave one speech from an airport lounge.”

“No.”

“Yes.”

“You’re joking.”

“I wish.”

For the next several minutes, neither of us stopped laughing.

It was…

Nice.

Unexpectedly nice.

The kind of conversation where neither person realized how much time had passed because neither person was

trying.

My phone vibrated quietly against the table.

I glanced at the screen. 1

Grace.

The nanny.

U

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Monumental

Lydia POV

A tiny crease formed between my brows.

Theo noticed immediately.

“Everything alright?”

“I’m not sure.”

I excused myself politely before answering.

“Hi, Grace.”

“Good evening.”

Her voice sounded calm.

Immediately, my shoulders relaxed.

“Is everything okay?”

“Everything is perfectly fine.”

“Then why are you calling?”

“It’s Ava.”

My heart skipped anyway.

“What happened?”

“Nothing bad.”

“Is she hurt?”

“No.”

“Is Eli alright?”

“He’s perfectly fine.”

I frowned.

“Then?”

Grace laughed softly.

“She insists she has to see you tonight.”

“See me?”

“Yes.”

“I asked whether she could just tell me what it was.” 1

“And?”

་ ་ ༩།

+20 @gnum

1/5

“She said no.”

She said, ‘I have to tell Mommy myself.””

Ipinched the bridge of my nose.

Typical.

Completely typical.

If Ava insisted on seeing me…

Then whatever it was had become monumental in her little world.

“I’ll be home soon.”

“Alright, ma.”

The call ended.

I returned to the table.

Theo looked at me expectantly.

“Everything okay?”

“Yes.”

I smiled apologetically.

“My daughter apparently has something incredibly important she needs to tell me.”

“Important enough to summon her mother?”

“Apparently.”

He smiled knowingly.

“Then I’d say dinner is officially over.”

I blinked.

“No, absolutely not. You haven’t even had dessert.”

“I can have dessert another day.”

“You don’t have to-”

“Lydia.”

His voice was calm but firm.

“I’ve watched you answer calls from investors without blinking.”

“I’ve watched you negotiate million-dollar contracts.”

“But the second your daughter needed you…’

He smiled.

20 89

༡༩༠༽

2/5

…you stood up before your chair had even stopped moving.”

Naughed softly.

“I suppose I did.”

“I think that’s beautiful.”

Something about the sincerity in his voice made me pause.

There wasn’t an ounce of judgment.

Or obligation.

Just… understanding.

“I really am sorry.”

“Don’t be.”

He stood.

“I’ll walk you out.”

し

Outside, the evening air was cool enough to make me wrap my arms a little tighter around myself.

Our cars had already been brought around.

“I’ll follow behind you,” he said casually.

“You don’t have to.”

“I know.”

“It’s late.”

“I’d rather know you got home safely.”

I looked at him for a second before smiling.

“You’re stubborn.”

“I’ve been called worse.”

We climbed into our respective cars.

A few minutes into the drive, I noticed through the open partition that my driver had switched on the radio.

Taylor Swift floated softly through the speakers.

I smiled instinctively.

When we stopped at a red light, Theo’s SUV pulled up beside mine.

His window rolled down.

He pointed toward my radio with an amused grin.

“Taylor Swift?”

20 @gnus

།

3/5

I laughed and lowered my own window

Don’t judge me.”

“I’m not judging.”

“I’ve heard the allegations.”

“What allegations?”

“That she gets into relationships just to write another album.”

I gasped dramatically.

“Absolutely not.”

“So you’re defending her?”

“With my life.”

He laughed.

“Go on then.”

I folded my arms.

“Maybe she’s just a girl who keeps believing in love.”

“And maybe she keeps meeting the wrong people.”

He considered that for a second.

7/10

“…That’s actually fair.”

“I know it is.”

“People make it sound like getting your heart broken is a personality trait.”

“Exactly!”

“Maybe she’s just brave enough to keep trying.”

Theo nodded thoughtfully.

“You know…”

“I’ve never looked at it that way.”

“You should.”

“I think she’s optimistic.”

“I think she’s exhausted.”1

We both laughed.

The traffic light turned green.

Our cars pulled away.

L

20 B

4/5

• 20 Bonus

By the time we reached my estate, the conversation had somehow shifted from Taylor Swift to embarrassing childhood playlists and the songs we secretly still listened to when nobody was watching.

My driver stopped outside the house.

Before I could reach the front door, ‘Theo was already walking toward me.

“You really didn’t have to escort me.”

“I know.”

“But I wanted to.”

He stopped a respectful distance from the entrance.

No attempt to step inside.

No assumption that he was invited.

Just enough to make sure I’d made it home safely.

“Thank you,” I said sincerely.

“For dinner.”

“And for the company.”

“The pleasure was entirely mine.”

I smiled.

“Goodnight, Theo.”

“Goodnight, Lydia.”

I watched him walk back toward his SUV before unlocking the front door.

Only after I stepped inside did I call out,

“Ava?”

Almost instantly, tiny footsteps thundered across the upstairs hallway.

“Mommy! You’re home!”

I smiled to myself.

Whatever this “emergency” was…

I had a feeling it was about to become the highlight of my evening.

し

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Motherhood

Lydia POV

“I’ve been waiting!”

I walked over, smiling despite myself.

“I heard.”

I sat beside her and brushed a loose curl away from her forehead.

“So…”

I lowered my voice dramatically.

“…what happened?”

She looked around as though checking whether someone might overhear.

Then leaned closer.

“Mom…”

“Yes?”

“A girl talked to me today.”

I blinked.

“…Okay?”

“Not just talked.”

She shook her head vigorously.

“She came all the way to my desk.”

“Oh?”

“And then…”

She paused for dramatic effect.

“…she said I was cool.”

I stared at her.

She stared back.

That…

That was the emergency?

She nodded enthusiastically.

“She said she liked how I answered questions in class.”

I couldn’t help smiling.

ལ།

+20 8gnus

1/8

“That’s wonderful, sweetheart.”

know!”

“And then she asked if we could sit together during lunch tomorrow.”

My smile grew softer.

“That’s really sweet.”

“And…”

Ava’s voice became quieter.

“…she asked if we could be friends.”

For a moment I simply looked at her.

There was something so incredibly pure about the excitement on her face that it made my chest ache.

Adults complicated friendship.

Children celebrated it.

To Ava, someone choosing her was worthy of interrupting my entire evening.

Honestly…

Maybe it was.

“So…”

I asked gently.

“What did you say?”

She looked horrified.

“I said yes!”

I laughed.

“Oh good.”

“Mom!”

“What?”

“What if she’s actually really nice?”

“I hope she is.”

“What if we become best friends forever?”

“I hope that too.”

“What if – ”

She stopped herself.

• 20 agnus

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2/8

Muthi

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Then looked down at her hands.

ve never really had someone ask first before.”

That sentence settled quietly between us.

Not heavy.

Just honest.

Because Ava was… different.

Brilliant.

Curious.

Endlessly fascinated by things most children didn’t even notice.

She got along with everyone.

But true friendships sometimes took longer for children who lived in books more than playground conversations.

I gently wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

“You know something?”

She looked up.

“What?”

“The best friendships usually begin exactly like this.”

“They do?”

I nodded.

“One person gets brave enough to say hello.”

She smiled thoughtfully.