I sincerely apologize for arranging this meeting on such short notice. I hope Mr. Delaire won't blame me and will understand my situation as well."
The man in a single-breasted suit spoke with an apologetic expression—but his tone was anything but apologetic.
He sat in a leather chair at a round table, his posture subtly arrogant. Seated opposite him was Valerian, dressed in a plain gray suit.
"You don't have to apologize, Mr. Liu. Work comes first. You took time out of your busy schedule to come all the way here from China—I've done nothing in comparison."
"Then—I thank Mr. Delaire for being magnanimous."
"Shall we continue the meeting?"
Valerian gestured toward the file placed on the table in front of him.
~
Two hours later, the meeting finally ended. It was almost 1 p.m.
After bidding farewell to Mr. Liu, Valerian returned to his office—yes, his office.
This was another branch of their company. It wasn't that he had an office in every branch, but since this was one of the main ones and he came here frequently for work... it was only natural for him to have a personal office here.
He was exhausted after dealing with everything. These days, it had been difficult for him to rest—not because he couldn't, but—
he didn't know why he kept feeling anxious.
He just wanted to see Eiran as soon as possible.
He sat down in his chair and lazily picked up his phone. Random notifications popped up as soon as he unlocked it, but he ignored them all and went straight to check if there was any message from Eiran.
An exhausted sigh escaped his lips.
Just as he was about to call him, a notification from an unknown number appeared.
He frowned.
This was his personal number—very few people had access to it.
It had been a while since he last changed it... had it already been leaked?
Maybe he should change it again soon.
He considered calling his secretary about it, but decided to check the message first—just in case it was something important.
He opened it.
A single picture was attached.
Two figures stood close to each other, the taller one leaning toward the shorter as if they were about to kiss-or maybe they already had. Their faces weren't clearly visible—
but it wasn't hard for Valerian to recognize them.
How could he not recognize the person he had been thinking about for years?
But in this position...
He clenched his fist tightly, his already pale knuckles turning even whiter.
Theron...
No matter who it was—
Ran could only be his.
_________________________________________________________________________________
Eiran had been unusually nervous these past few days. Surprisingly, there hadn't been any rumors or news about that day—but he still felt as if a bomb could go off at any moment.
So he kept asking Kael about it from time to time—just like now.
" I seriously haven't heard anything about that night, Eiran."
One could tell from Kael's voice that he was already tired of answering the same question again and again.
"But how? Honestly, it doesn't seem real..."
Eiran was currently sitting in front of his mirror, following his usual skincare routine—which consisted of only three steps: cleansing, toner, and moisturizing.
His skin was naturally smooth, so he didn't need much care—but he still liked to stay neat and clean.
"Yeah, I think so too... and well, there's something else I want to confirm. You know, there are rumors going around that Caelwyn is planning a marriage alliance?"
Eiran could practically hear the excitement in Kael's voice. He was clearly starving for gossip.
But this news—rumor or not—was truly unexpected.
"Eh... that? I haven't heard anything about it. But with whom?"
Kael was equally confused.
"How am I supposed to know? I just heard it from a friend."
Eiran's mother wasn't home. She had gone to the main house some time ago to discuss something and still hadn't returned.
But they spoke regularly on the phone, so he wasn't too worried.
It wasn't unusual—sometimes she stayed there for days or even weeks.
Could it be because of this?
But why didn't she tell me...?
"Fedrick isn't in the country, and Elera is still young. Does my uncle have some extra kids?"
Eiran laughed softly.
"Exactly. And Aunt Mila would've told you if something like that was happening. It's probably just rumors."
Kael heavy sigh could be heard from the other end .
"Yeah... don't overthink it."
Even as he said that, a hint of doubt lingered in his mind.
But he didn't want to show it in front of Kael.
He would wait and ask his mother later.
It was quite late now—she was probably sleeping. He didn't want to disturb her.
And on top of that, only two days were left until Valerian's birthday... and he still wasn't back.
Eiran had already prepared his gift.
As for the party—it would probably be held at a restaurant or at Valerian's private villa. Since he didn't like crowds, there would only be a few guests. It was the same every year.
Kael was busy as well, so Eiran couldn't even go out to relax.
In the meantime, he had been looking into colleges.
He had already made a decision—but he still needed a backup plan.
He shortlisted several top universities, especially those in his own city.
Well... mostly because he wanted to attend the same college as Valerian.
Valerian would most likely stay here for business while continuing his studies alongside it.
So he didn't really have many options...
He actually wanted to join Alaric Zenith University—a highly prestigious institution nationwide, especially known for innovation, arts, and business.
But...
it was fine.
As long as he could stay close to Valerian.
_________________________________________________________________________________
Bang.
Thud.
A loud crash echoed from outside-the sound of someone slamming the door open-followed by a heavy thud, as if something had fallen to the ground.
"Young Master, you can't go in like that!"
"Young Master, wait!"
"Master will be angry if you do this—"
Muffled footsteps and overlapping voices grew louder—
Until the office door burst open.
Valerian stepped in, sweat dripping from his forehead and jaw. It looked like he had run all the way here.
"Why did you come here?"
Rowan remained seated, completely unfazed—as if everything were under his control, as if nothing here was unexpected.
"That picture... was it real?"
Valerian asked coldly as he pulled a chair and sat down.
Rowan lifted his eyes slightly, his gaze settling on him.
"Do you think I need to play cheap tricks on my own son?"
Valerian chose not to answer and instead asked another question.
"Was he drunk? Did he really allow it?"
"He was completely sober. I've sent you a few more pictures—you can check them later. If it weren't for me suppressing the news, rumors would have already spread everywhere."
As Rowan finished speaking, he couldn't help but find it ridiculous.
He got that photo from those guys he sent after Eiran.
But seriously this boy...
kissing a man in public?
He hadn't actually wanted to help Eiran suppress the rumor—but he couldn't allow anyone to stain the Caelwyn family's reputation. They were about to form an alliance, and this time was crucial.
Valerian gave him a long look, not quite believing his words.
"I got my answer. I'll take my leave."
How could Rowan let him go so easily?
"What? Planning to confront him directly and ask?" A faint smirk appeared on Rowan's lips.
"Or are you planning to make Theron disappear from his life—just like you did with the others? But do you really think you can scare Theron away so easily? Naive."
Valerian wasn't too surprised. It wasn't difficult for his father to find out if he truly wanted to.
"Oh—you knew?"
"How could I not? Do you think they were scared of you?" Rowan let out a cold laugh.
"They weren't scared of you—but of your family background. You're nothing without your surname, Valerian."
Valerian nodded slowly. He couldn't refute those words—he knew they were true.
"What are you trying to say? Just say it directly."
"What I'm saying is—Theron is the official heir of the Arden family. Most of the business is already under his control. If he's serious about Eiran, then it won't matter whether Eiran kissed him willingly or not."
Rowan leaned back slightly.
"Even if Eiran doesn't like him, do you think the Caelwyn family will let such a business opportunity slip?"
Valerian clenched his jaw and continued listening in silence... he didn't know what to say.
There was a faint gleam in Rowan's eyes—it was rare to see his son speechless.
"Right now, you're not even the official heir—let alone someone in control of the business. You're nothing compared to him."
He took a deliberate pause.
"If you want to remove him from Eiran's life, you'll need someone more powerful than him. But who? Your grandfather?"
Rowan's gaze sharpened.
"Do you think he'll help you? Especially when it involves Eiran?"
"What do you want from me?" Valerian finally asked, his heavy voice betraying his emotions.
Rowan observed his reaction and finally revealed his real intention.
"Get engaged to Elera. Once your grandfather is sure you've moved on from Eiran, he'll transfer his shares to you."
_________________________________________________________________________________