As Blair stepped out of the conference room, she immediately spotted the man who had approached her outside the marriage bureau earlier.
Standing in his immaculate suit, he bowed respectfully at a perfect ninety-degree angle. "Mrs. Deruno. My name is Thomas. I will be escorting you to the residence."
So this is Thomas, Blair thought, recognizing the gentle demeanor that felt so out of place in this cold, imposing building.
She placed her hands together modestly over her simple skirt and returned a gentle, polite nod. "I will be in your care, Mr. Thomas."
"The pleasure is entirely mine, ma’am," Thomas replied, gesturing toward the private elevator. "Please, follow me."
The black luxury vehicle glided smoothly away from the bustling city center, navigating up a quiet, winding mountain road surrounded by dense, towering pine trees.
High above the skyline stood the Deruno Estate—a massive, modern architectural masterpiece of dark stone, floor-to-ceiling glass, and warm timber, completely isolated from the outside world.
When the car pulled up to the main driveway, Blair got out, clutching her light duffel bag to her chest. She admired the building before her for a second and then closed her eyes, a fleeting memory of grand gates and cold marble flashing behind her eyelids.
The Cross mansion doesn’t even come close to this place.
She opened her eyes, burying the phantom sting of that disowned past deep inside, and took a quiet breath.
During the drive, Thomas had gently asked if she wanted to stop by her own home to collect her belongings. Blair had simply shaken her head, offering a quiet, soft answer: "I have nothing. This is all I will need."
Thomas had looked at her skeptically in the rearview mirror for a second, but he didn’t pry.
She had been entirely sincere. Blair only owned three pairs of clothes, and the simple outfit currently on her body was practically her absolute best.
The rest were thin, faded rags from her years of struggling to support Jason. She couldn’t imagine bringing those rags into a palace like this—it would be an embarrassing stain on the family.
Though she wasn’t expecting luxury, she remembered a clause in the contract stating they would provide basic amenities. She reasoned that clothes would likely be included so she wouldn’t embarrass the Derunos in public.
Stepping through the double doors into the grand foyer, she was met with towering vaulted ceilings and polished marble floors. Yet, despite the staggering wealth on display, the estate was eerily quiet. There were no bustling servants or cozy personal touches, only disk-shaped cleaning drones gliding silently along the baseboards.
"Master Philippe, Master Lukas, and Master Sebastian should be in their respective private wings by now," Thomas explained as he guided her up a floating staircase to a massive, luxurious suite in the east wing. "Dinner is usually delivered by automated service at seven, as the masters do not share meals or keep joint schedules."
Blair paused at the threshold of her room. "They... don’t eat together?"
"No, ma’am," Thomas said softly, a flicker of sorrow crossing his eyes. "Master Lukas suffers from extreme sensory overload and requires absolute quiet. Master Philippe remains in his study due to his physical discomfort, and Master Sebastian adheres to a rigid corporate schedule. They maintain completely separate lives."
Blair looked down at her hands, feeling a quiet ache for them. Three half-brothers living in the same palace, yet trapped in their own isolated worlds.
Thomas bowed politely and stepped back, gesturing for her to enter. "This will be your private suite, ma’am. Please let me know if you require anything at all."
"Thank you, Mr. Thomas," Blair whispered.
When she pushed open the double doors and stepped inside, her breath caught in her throat.
The suite was vast, bathed in soft ambient light.
It had a plush king-sized bed, a private lounge, a wrap-around glass balcony, and in the bathroom was a large marble bathtub.
This place was huge—even bigger than the cramped, leaky shed of an apartment she had called home with Jason for two whole years.
Standing in the center of the luxurious carpet, Blair looked down at her simple, worn-out shoes. A quiet, melancholy realization settled in her heart.
It was no wonder he felt so miserable.
If the wealthy beastwoman Jason ran off with could offer him a room as grand as this, high-grade suppressants, top-tier facilities, and treat him like royalty... why would he ever reject all of that just to stay and suffer in poverty with a frail, useless human like her?
She couldn’t even blame him for wanting a better life; it was just the cruel reality of the world.
She set her small duffel bag down on a chair, and then a soft chime vibrated gently in her vision.
[New Location Registered: The Deruno Residence]
[Current Mission Target: Establish a Grounding Point]
System Advice: A home is built in the kitchen, not the boardroom.
Blair blinked at the glowing blue text, pushing the lingering thoughts of Jason out of her mind.
Gold and silver, I have none, she thought, looking down at her pale, calloused hands. And thankfully, these men don’t need any of that from me.
They had all the wealth, power, and prestige in the world. But what they lacked was simple, human warmth—the kind of quiet care that couldn’t be bought with corporate dividends.
I can cook. I have two good hands, a kitchen, and enough stubbornness to feed three men who insist they don’t need feeding.
Because... I want to live.
With that quiet resolve settling over her heart, she grabbed her small notebook, slipped out of her suite, and followed the faint scent of stainless steel down to the estate’s main kitchen.