Amber POV
By the time we arrived at the fairy house, the night had gone deep and quiet.
The gates opened in silence.
The gardens were lit softly.
The towers glowed against the dark like something out of a dream.
After the base, after the alarms, the screens, the gunfire, and the politics-
Home felt unreal.
The front door opened before we reached it.
Alice, Rose, and Iris were waiting inside.
Still awake.
Still dressed.
Still entirely too alert for the hour.
The moment they saw us, they rushed forward.
Questions collided instantly.
“Did you save them?”
“Was there a helicopter?”
“Did Alex do spy things?”
+15 Agnus
“Did anyone get arrested?”
Alex, for once, looked openly excited.
No aloof expression.
No careful calm.
Just bright-eyed pride.
“Yes,” he said, already stepping into the center of attention.
And then he told them everything.
Or at least his version of everything.
Which somehow involved him finding the clue, helping with computers, meeting important people, and nearly becoming responsible for national security before dinner.
Alice stared at him in awe.
Rose demanded details.
Iris listened with narrowed eyes, trying to determine which parts were exaggerated.
1/3
+15 Bonus
Mrs. Sun sat nearby, waiting for us.
Alex spoke, her expression shifted between two things at once.
Impressed.
And worried.
I understood both.
I glanced toward Jason.
He had barely spoken since we left the base.
He stood near the doorway, jacket still on, shoulders tense, face unreadable.
The room was full of warmth and noise.
He looked miles away from it.
Still carrying the weight of everything unsaid.
I clapped my hands softly.
“Alright,” I said. “Hero stories are over. It is late, and everyone is going to bed.”
Immediate protests.
Of course.
“But-”
“No fair!”
“I’m not sleepy!”
“You are all tired,” I said firmly. “Including the genius who just saved the day.”
That made Alex straighten proudly before pretending he was not pleased.
Mrs. Sun rose at once and began herding children with practiced authority.
Within minutes, there were yawns, dragging feet, whispered arguments, and promises to continue the story
tomorrow.
One by one, they disappeared upstairs.
The house quieted.
Only then did I walk to Jason.
I took his hand.
He looked at me, finally.
Still tense.
Still distant.
Still holding too much.
2/3
15 Bonus
“Come with me,” I said softly.
did.
VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABEL
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: A Woman Worth Billions Dated the Wrong Brother