Father and son embraced briefly.
Not awkwardly.
Just... cautiously.
"I'm glad you came."
"I was in the area."
Richard chuckled.
"You've been 'in the area' three times this year."
"I've been busy."
"You always are."
Richard motioned toward the leather chair opposite his desk.
"Sit."
Ethan obeyed.
For a few minutes they spoke about business, investments, and work.
Safe topics.
Topics that didn't hurt.
Finally, Richard leaned back.
"So..."
"When are you going to tell me what's different?"
Ethan frowned.
"What do you mean?"
"You've smiled three times since you walked in."
"I counted."
"I smile."
Richard laughed.
"No."
"You used to."
"But somewhere along the way..."
"You forgot how."
Ethan looked away.
His father wasn't wrong.
Then Richard noticed something.
"You smiled again."
Ethan sighed.
"You're impossible."
Richard folded his arms.
"Who is she?"
Ethan nearly choked on the water he had just taken.
"What?"
"There's a woman."
"There isn't."
"There is."
"There isn't."
Richard grinned.
"I've known you for thirty-two years."
"You don't smile because of successful meetings."
"You don't smile because of new contracts."
"So..."
"Who is she?"
Ethan rubbed the back of his neck.
"We're just... friends."
"Oh?"
"Her name?"
"...Ophelia."
Richard repeated it slowly.
"Beautiful name."
Ethan looked down.
"I met her through Vivian."
"And?"
"We've met thrice."
"Thrice?"
Richard raised an eyebrow.
"And you've been smiling for two days."
Ethan laughed.
"I don't know what it is."
"I just..."
"She makes conversations easy."
"I don't have to pretend around her."
His father watched him carefully.
Then he smiled.
"I haven't heard you talk about anyone like this since..."
His sentence stopped.
Neither of them needed to say her name.
Ethan's mother.
The silence that followed was heavy.
Richard cleared his throat.
"I think your mother would've liked her."
Ethan's eyes softened.
"I hope so."
As Ethan left the study nearly an hour later, he paused again in front of his mother's portrait.
This time...
He smiled.
Just a little.
Downstairs, Celeste watched from the shadows of the hallway.
She had seen that smile.
And she didn't like it.
Not one bit.
She turned toward the maid.
"Find out who Ophelia is."
The maid hesitated.
"Ma'am?"
"You heard me."
"I want to know everything."
Upstairs, Ethan had no idea that simply saying Ophelia's name had already placed her on someone else's radar.