Thursday – Late Night – Lucent Residence, Himari's Office
The city below sparkled like a thousand ambitions lit at once — but the room was dark.
Himari Kael sat alone at her desk, her glasses removed, hair let down. A rare moment of stillness in her usually sharp world of numbers, negotiations, and power plays.
A small photo frame sat near her hand. It wasn't of a board meeting or a luxury event.
It was a quiet family photo: her, her new husband, Ayaka… and Aeron. Taken the week of the wedding.
> Aeron hadn't smiled.
But he was there.
---
The Man Who Waited
She remembered how it began.
How she, the infamous president of Lucent Corporation, met a man who didn't care about her title, her dominance in a world ruled by women.
A gentle, steady man with soft eyes.
He'd waited years to love again.
And he asked her to meet his son.
She almost declined.
She'd never wanted a child.
Not in this world — not with her past.
> But when she saw Aeron, sitting alone on a bench outside a bakery, wind tugging at his black hair, eyes lifeless…
She knew he wasn't asking her to meet a son.
> He was asking her to save one.
---
A New Son
Aeron never called her "mother."
Not once.
And she never asked him to.
But slowly, something began to shift.
He listened when she spoke.
He never disrespected her.
He asked questions.
> Not about emotions — but about business. About leadership. About power.
He studied her company like he wanted to be it.
And when she showed him her private supercar vault — a place not even Ayaka had seen — his eyes flickered with the faintest trace of light.
The boy didn't smile.
> But he breathed.
---
Terrifying Brilliance
In one week, he learned to drive like a professional.
Two weeks later, his analysis of her quarterly report outperformed half her department.
She caught him reading M&A law in his room the other day.
> "You're terrifying," she'd told him, half-joking.
But what she didn't say out loud:
> "And I'm proud of you."
Because beneath all that quiet, cold genius, she saw something else—
> A child who had no one when he needed someone most.
---
A Daughter's Love
Ayaka's obsession didn't surprise her.
She'd watched her daughter fall slowly — first with hesitation, then with fury, then… with softness.
At first, Himari thought it was rebellion.
But Ayaka didn't look at Aeron like a sister trying to win attention.
> She looked at him like a girl trying to reach a dying star.
And Himari… let her.
Because she knew love could do something even she couldn't:
> It could heal.
---
Reflections
She looked at the photo again.
Her fingers traced the edge of Aeron's profile.
> "I'm not your real mother," she whispered. "But I chose you."
> "And I'll burn down this world before I let it break you again."
She set the frame down gently.
---
Side Story – That Same Night
From the hallway, Ayaka passed by the study.
The door was open just a sliver.
She paused.
Her mother sat alone in the dark — watching the stars — the photo still in her hand.
Ayaka didn't interrupt.
> She smiled.
And whispered:
> "Thank you… Mom."