Chapter 530 Look into My Eyes and Speak
Nathaniel paused before answering his children. "That would depend on whether your mother wants to come."
Dorothy's lower lip jutted out in a pout. "Daddy, can Jacob and I live with you and Mommy forever? I want to wake up every morning and see both of you there. I want our family to always be together."
Something tender stirred in Nathaniel's chest—he wanted nothing more than that very dream, the one that haunted his sleep every night.
"Daddy will do everything he can to make that happen," he promised softly.
He would move heaven and earth to bring her home.
Nathaniel spent the remainder of the evening with his children, their conversation flowing easily after days apart. The twins had grown increasingly attached to him, clinging to his presence. They shared a simple family dinner at the Heilbronn Villa before saying their goodbyes.
Zack drove them back to the Bloom Villa, and during dinner they'd received word that Aurelia was already on her way home. By the time they arrived, she was waiting for them.
"Mommy!" Dorothy spotted her mother tending to the potted plants in the living room and ran toward her with outstretched arms.
Aurelia set down her watering can, her voice warm with affection. "My little shadow."
When Jacob joined them, she gathered both children into her embrace. "How was your time at your daddy's house?"
Jacob shrugged with characteristic reserve. "It was fine. Grandma and Grandpa wanted Dorothy and me to stay, but I'd rather come home to you. I didn't want to stay there."
Dorothy nodded emphatically. "I want to sleep with Mommy. Nobody else."
Aurelia looked up to meet Nathaniel's weary gaze. He appeared worse than she'd ever seen him—stubble shadowed his jaw, dark circles rimmed his eyes, and recent weight loss had sharpened his already angular features to an almost gaunt severity.
She had so much she wanted to tell him after their time apart.
"How's your leg?" she asked gently.
Nathaniel leaned heavily on Zack for support, his voice hoarse as if he'd been deprived of water for hours. "It's manageable. I've been keeping it medicated."
Aurelia rose and moved to help him. "Zack, you can go. I'll take care of him."
Zack glanced between Aurelia and his boss, reluctant to release his hold. "You might not be able to manage his weight alone..."
At nearly six feet three inches and solid muscle, Nathaniel was indeed a considerable burden for Aurelia to bear alone.
Acknowledging her limitations, Aurelia positioned herself on Nathaniel's other side. "Then we'll do it together."
The children immediately flanked their father, forming a protective escort as they helped him up the stairs.
At the second floor landing, Nathaniel glanced toward his study. "Aurelia, help me to the study, please."
Once they'd settled him there and he'd opened his laptop with obvious business intentions, Aurelia tactfully gathered the children and withdrew, closing the study door behind them.
Zack sighed heavily. "Mr. Heilbronn, you should be resting. Nothing is more important than your health right now. If your grandfather were still alive, his heart would break to see how hard you're pushing yourself."
Nathaniel had been reviewing emails regarding a company acquisition he'd been planning before his trip to Elvenia. His team had prepared the merger proposal and was awaiting his final decision—a decision that had been delayed far too long. Since sleep eluded him anyway, he might as well tackle the backlog of work. He couldn't allow the board members to think that Reed's death had left the Heilbronn Group rudderless.
"It's nothing I can't handle," he replied curtly.
He buried himself in work while Zack fell silent, not daring to argue further.
Upstairs, Aurelia read bedtime stories with the children and played with the toys they kept at the house until Dorothy began yawning with exhaustion.
After helping Dorothy with her bath, Aurelia noticed Jacob glancing toward the study downstairs. Concerned about his father's injury, he asked for a towel and retreated to his own room to wash up independently.
Once both children were settled and asleep, Aurelia crept quietly from their rooms.
The sound of a car engine starting outside indicated Zack's departure.
Nathaniel had been sequestered in his study all evening without emerging once. Aurelia warmed a glass of milk in the kitchen and knocked softly on the study door.
"Aurelia, come in," came his voice from within.
She handed him the milk, unable to shake the feeling that something was profoundly wrong. When Nathaniel looked at her, his expression held a complexity she couldn't decipher—emotions she'd never seen before.
Her feminine intuition screamed that his recent trip had been far more complicated than anyone had let on.
Everyone was hiding something from her.
Under her watchful gaze, Nathaniel drained the entire glass, the empty cup hitting the desk with a sharp clink. The study fell into an oppressive silence—he dreaded the questions he knew were coming.
And his worst fears materialized.
Nathaniel's eyelid twitched violently. "Aurelia, it's getting late. We should both get some rest. I'll sleep in the guest room tonight—the medication smell is quite strong, and I don't want to disturb your sleep. You should..."
His words trailed off as he found himself unable to continue. Aurelia's penetrating stare seemed to see straight through him, making deception impossible.
She knew him too well, could detect every subtle change in his demeanor.
After a prolonged silence, Aurelia finally spoke. "What exactly are you all hiding from me?"
Nathaniel forced a casual tone. "Aurelia, there's nothing. I've just been in poor spirits lately, and with my grandfather's recent passing, I'm experiencing some insomnia. I don't want to keep you awake."
He was grasping for explanations, any excuse that might satisfy her.
Aurelia's chest tightened as she remembered the four years of their separation, when Nathaniel had suffered from severe depression and chronic insomnia. She probed carefully, "Should we contact Mark? Are you having another episode?"
Nathaniel managed a smile. "Really, I'm fine. Grandfather's death has hit me harder than I expected, that's all."
Nathaniel rarely revealed his inner thoughts to anyone—she was the only person who could make him open his heart completely.
Aurelia drew a shaky breath. "Your grandfather's passing was so sudden. I never got to say goodbye."
Nathaniel kept his eyes downcast as he urged her again, "Aurelia, you should sleep. Tomorrow you and the children will return to Coral Bay. I've had Zack book your flights. I'll join you once my leg heals."
Aurelia inhaled sharply, bewildered by his refusal to accompany them. A leg injury could heal anywhere—back in Coral Bay, she could monitor his recovery properly.
"Why won't you come with us?"
Nathaniel's gaze shifted evasively. "It's nothing serious. I have some unfinished business here that requires my attention. I need to..."
His words were cut short as her lips pressed against his. Aurelia braced one hand against the desk, reversing their usual dynamic—where he had always been the one in control, now their roles seemed inverted.
"Nathaniel, what else are you hiding from me?"
His eyes reflected a storm of conflicted emotions. "Aurelia, nothing."
Aurelia's eyes narrowed to slits. She wouldn't believe a single word of what he was telling her now. Every instinct screamed that everyone around her was lying, concealing something crucial.
"You're not injured anywhere else, are you?"
Nathaniel raised an eyebrow with forced nonchalance. "You can see for yourself—I'm perfectly fine except for my knee, and that's nothing serious."
Aurelia leaned closer, her voice dropping to an interrogating whisper. "Nathaniel, look me in the eyes when you speak!"
Log in with Google Account
Chapters
Favorite
Settings
