The car ride back from the university was painfully quiet. The registration process had been exhausting, but what really weighed on me was the thick, silent air between I and Andrew.

Every now and then, I couldn’t stop myself from glancing over at him, catching a glimpse of his sharp features as he kept his eyes on the road.

Andrew focused on the road, his jaw tight. Neither of us said a word. The tension from earlier still lingered. Every glance felt like a spark waiting to catch fire.

I was so confused about what happened. Andrew started and ended the encounter so abruptly that I was able to get myself. I tried to speak multiple times but the brooding look on his face told me that I won’t get a simple answer.

Anger was also brewing inside me. Why was he acting like he was a victim? What did he mean by what he did and how can he just close up and leave me with so many questions and confusions.

As we pulled up to the Moreria Mansion my heart hooked as a bunch of guards surrounded the car with motion detectors and bomb sniffing dogs. A routine to prevent sneak attacks. This was the second time I was going through such a procedure and I wanted everything to stop completely.

The black bulletproof dressed guard, the multiple security cameras, the drones that flew overhead inspecting the entirety of the estate. Everything including Andrew was too much.

I immediately got out of the car once we were cleared hoping to escape the suffocating tension, only to find my Mom in the garden, a serene vision of calm. She was bent over a flower bed, gently tending to the plants, her movements graceful and gentle.

Andrew, without even being asked, made his way over to her, his usual coldness replaced by a softer expression. He knelt beside her, offering to help with the gardening. I stood there for a moment, watching them interact, my stomach twisting in an unexplained manner . It was like they were a family—more like mother and son than anything else.

A sharp pang of jealousy shot through me like a scorpion’s sting. I don’t know why, but the way Andrew treats my mom so differently the way they fit together so seamlessly, left me feeling like I was an outsider.

I didn’t know why it bothered me so much. Why was it so effortless for them, while I still felt like I was struggling to fit in?

It was at Dinner was when the tension truly began to crack.

Rafael, as usual, had a calm demeanor, his presence steady but not overbearing. He turned to Mom, his voice so gentle but firm.

“Melissa there’s a Continental meeting happening tomorrow and I need your attendance please.”

Mom, as always, kept her composure and responded to her voice soft but firm. “I can’t, Rafael. I have a delicate operation happening tomorrow, and I’ve already committed to it. I really can’t give this one up.”

Rafael paused for a moment, considering her words, before nodding slowly. “I understand, but perhaps you could ask someone else to take over for you?”

Andrew, who had been quietly watching the exchange, suddenly stiffened. His eyes flicked to Rafael, and without missing a beat, he muttered out, “Of course you expect her to cancel.”

Rafael turned to him with a clenched jaw. “ What is that supposed to mean?”

Andrew sat up and stared at his father. “ One who takes lives doesn’t know what it means to save them. So of course you’d think your bloodlusted meeting is more important than her work.”

The words hung heavily in the air, and for a brief moment, the room fell into silence.

I turned my gaze darting between the two men simultaneously . I hadn’t expected Andrew to react like this, and it was clear that Rafael hadn’t meant any harm. There was some unspoken tension that I wasn’t aware of.

Mom, sensing the rising tension, gently placed a hand on Andrew’s arm. “It’s alright, Andy. We’ll figure this out later. There’s no need for any more discussion right now.”

But Andrew’s frustration didn’t reduce. He stood abruptly, his chair scraping harshly against the floor. “You just keep on tolerating him!” he snapped, storming out of the room.

My heart began to violently pound as I watched him leave . I didn’t know why, but I suddenly felt caught between the tension of the two men. They had their own issues, she knew that, but the way Andrew had reacted seemed extreme. What had triggered it?

My mom let out an tired sigh turned to me, her face calm as always. “Go check on him, please,” she said softly. “He may need some space, but it might help if you checked up on him.”

I reluctantly agreed and headed upstairs. I found Andrew’s door slightly open and knocked gently on it but no response came. I figured he was just sulking so I pushed the door open and entered.

And there he was.

Andrew stood by the bed, wrapped only in a towel. His hair was damp, water trickling down his chest. I froze in the doorway, my breath caught in my throat. My heart rate sped up as I tried to ignore the blush that was blooming on my cheeks. I tried to keep my eyes from his glistening bare skin as I stepped backwards

Before I could even process what had happened, my foot suddenly caught on the carpet, and I stumbled forward, slamming into Andrew and falling down on the bed with me above him.

“Are you always this clumsy?” Andrew’s voice was low, teasing, though there was something else in it—something dangerous, something I couldn’t quite place. It was the same tone he used in the morning.

I quickly stood up off him, scrambling to my feet. “I wasn’t paying attention,” I muttered to him, my heart still violently pounding in her chest.

Andrew smirked, sitting up. “You know, you’ve got a habit of falling into my bed. Are you obsessed with me.”

I shot him a glare as I tried to brush off the heat that had rushed to my face. “ Huh, the way you are obsessed with my mother?” I retorted, my voice starting sharp but faltering slightly.

The teasing tone in Andrew’s voice faded, and his expression darkened. “You think I’m in love with your mom, don’t you?”

I blinked and shook my head. “What? No! I never—”

“You have no idea how important she is to me. She’s always been your mother so you don’t know the value of our relationship. Don’t try to twist it into something disgusting.”

I opened my mouth to counter it but I had no words to defend myself.” I just don’t get your relationship.”

“You don’t need to. Just stop assuming things about us.”