His Untamed Rose novel Chapter 97

Cedric pressed his fingers to his brow, a headache already brewing from the commotion. “Mom, when did I ever say something like that?”

His mother shot back, her voice sharp with worry, “Do you have any idea how anxious I’ve been these past few days, not being able to reach you?”

Cedric’s father, Alistair Royce, stood nearby, his expression grave and voice stern. “You’ve completely lost your senses over that woman!”

Soren, hands casually in his pockets, tried to ease the tension. “Uncle, Aunt, please don’t be angry. Cedric just didn’t want you to worry, that’s why he kept his illness from you. He’s fine now, isn’t he?”

“Soren, you have no idea. That scheming woman he keeps around has got Cedric wrapped around her finger. She works at his company and has a hold on some of the Royce family’s most important clients. Cedric’s powerless against her!”

But Soren only grinned, unfazed. “Honestly, is there any woman in this world who could have Cedric at her mercy, except for that one?”

The moment the words left his mouth, the room fell into an uneasy, frozen silence.

Harriet just sat there, quietly sobbing, unable to speak.

Still angry, she fussed over Cedric’s clothes at his bedside, folding them neatly and pouring him a glass of water.

Alistair, meanwhile, dug a cigarette from his pocket. “From now on, you’re staying here and focusing on your recovery. Royce family security will be stationed inside and out. I won’t allow that woman to set foot in here again.”

Without waiting for a response from Cedric, he strode out of the room, his heavy footsteps echoing behind him.

...

It was nearly dusk before Lumina finally finished tidying up her apartment and could take a break.

Sweat clung to her skin, so she headed for the shower. As she undressed, she caught her reflection and noticed something odd—a faint curve in her usually flat stomach. It wasn’t obvious; someone else might have mistaken it for a bit of extra weight.

The woman in the mirror was still striking, her fair, slender figure as flawless as porcelain. But now, there was a softness in her eyes and a gentleness in her smile, nothing like the sharp ambition and fierce edge she used to wear.

Lumina had just come out of the shower when the doorbell rang.

She peered through the peephole, and the moment she saw who was there, her expression darkened. She turned away without a second thought, pretending she hadn’t heard a thing.

“Lumina.” Yadiel hurried after her, anxious. “There was a reason for everything I did back then.”

She kept her eyes on the elevator display, silent until the doors slid open at the ground floor. Then she marched out without a word.

Yadiel trailed behind her, desperate to explain, but she ignored him as if he didn’t exist. He followed her all the way to the breakfast stand, even bought the exact same breakfast she did, and sat across from her, looking at her with pleading eyes. “Please, just give me five minutes. Let me explain, that’s all I ask.”

Lumina gently blew on her bowl of soup, finally breaking her silence. “Yadiel, how long have we known each other?”

She looked up at him. The man who had always seemed so composed and refined now looked utterly disheveled—stubble on his jaw, hair unkempt, deep circles beneath his eyes. He looked lost in a fog.

Yadiel’s expression hardened as he thought for a moment. “Twenty years.”

“Yeah, twenty years.” Lumina let out a soft, ironic laugh. “What a shame. Twenty years, and it all ended because of a single decision you made.”

There was no regret in her eyes, only cold sarcasm.