The Rose He Killed novel Chapter 306

Chapter 267: The Visit

Bella POV

I was sitting on the living room floor, folding a small stack of Victor’s clean onesies. Beside me on the floor, Tom was lining up his plastic dinosaurs in a neat, straight row. He held up a gray one with spikes on its back, waving it close to my face.

“The stegosaurus is the best one, Mom,” Tom said, his eyes bright. “People think the T-Rex is the coolest, but they are wrong. The stegosaurus has a giant weapon on its tail. It can swing like a giant club.”

“A club?” I asked, smiling down at him. “Is that so?”

“Yes,” Tom said, nodding with absolute gravity. “It’s very dangerous. It could easily win a fight.”

Before I could answer, a loud, firm knock echoed through the front door.

Tom froze, his dinosaur suspended in mid-air. He looked up at me, his expression turning polite and quiet. “Is that Uncle Olivier, Mom?”

“I think it is,” I said, offering him a reassuring smile.

I carefully stood up from the floor. Tom scrambled to his feet right after me, dusting off his dinosaur pajamas and standing up straight, waiting to greet his uncle properly. We walked down the short hallway together, and I pulled the heavy door open.

There stood Olivier. He was wearing an immaculate charcoal suit. In his right hand, he held a dark glass bottle of wine.

I leaned against the doorframe, looking him up and down. “You didn’t have to wear a suit, Olivier.”

“I know,” he said quickly.

Tom stepped forward beside me, offering a polite, well-mannered nod. “Hello, Uncle Olivier. Welcome to our house.”

Olivier looked down at Tom, his stiff posture softening just a fraction at the greeting. “Hello, Tom. It is good to see you.”

I stepped back, opening the door wider. “Come in.”

୮

He crossed the threshold, stepping into our hallway with that long, confident stride. He stopped, his eyes scanning the walls.

“Enzo told me not to overthink this visit,” Olivier said, turning his head to look at me.

“Enzo is usually right about these things,” I replied.

“I know,” Olivier muttered, his lips twitching slightly. “I find that part extremely irritating.” He held out the bottle of wine. “I didn’t know what you preferred. I brought something our father said you liked. He might have been guessing.”

I took the cool glass bottle from his hand. “He guessed correctly. Come into the kitchen. I’ll make a pot of

13

Chapter 267-Me wint

coffee.”

We walked down the hall and entered the bright kitchen, with Tom leading the way.

Claim

Caleb was already there, standing near the counter with Victor asleep in his chest carrier. He was scrolling through something on his phone, but he looked up the moment we entered.

Tom stopped near the kitchen island, his plastic stegosaurus still clutched tightly in his small hand. He looked between Olivier, Caleb, and me, then took a step back toward the hallway.

“Where to, Tom?” I asked, looking down at him.

“I’m going to my room, Mom,” Tom said, shifting his dinosaur to his other hand. “I want to finish my drawing before dinner.”

“Okay, sweetie,” I said, offering him a warm smile. “I’ll call you when the food is ready.”

“Okay!” he chimed, already turning on his heel and heading toward the stairs.

Caleb and Olivier watched him go, the light patter of his footsteps echoing up the staircase before the kitchen settled back into quiet.

The two men sized each other up as Caleb pocketed his phone and offered his hand.

“Olivier,” Caleb said.

“Caleb,” Olivier replied, shaking his hand.

Olivier looked at the sleeping baby on Caleb’s chest, then met Caleb’s eyes. “I want to apologize for the face-off at the hospital, Enzo and I were out of line.”

Caleb nodded. “I understand. You were trying to protect your sister.”

“Coffee?” Caleb asked.

“Please,” Olivier said. “Black is fine.”

I stepped forward, reaching my hands out toward Caleb’s chest. “Let me take Victor,” I whispered, keeping my voice low so I wouldn’t wake our son.

Caleb smiled down at me, his shoulders relaxing as I carefully slid my hands under Victor’s tiny body. I carefully unclipped the chest carrier, gently lifting Victor out as his small eyelids fluttered. Caleb reached over to help me steady him, his hands warm against mine.

“I’ll take him upstairs to his crib,” I whispered.

Caleb nodded, stepping back to give me room. I carried our sleeping baby up the stairs, laid him down in the quiet nursery, and quickly slipped back down to the kitchen.

When I returned, I stood in the doorway and watched them. With his hands finally free, Caleb turned to the stove and lifted the glass carafe. The rich scent of dark roast filled the kitchen as he poured two steaming mugs. He handed one to Olivier, then pointed toward the table.

“Let’s sit,” Caleb said.

Chapter 20 the Vout

We sat at the kitchen table. Caleb stood by the stove, sliding a pan of roasted chicken and vegetables out

of the oven.

The warm, savory aroma filled the air. He began slicing the chicken on a wooden cutting board with easy, practiced movements, plating the food before bringing the dishes over to the table.

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