333 Their Demand

Draven.

The storm had broken, leaving the sky washed of its pale hue and the earth damp with its aftertaste.

And I sat at the head of the table with a straight posture, watching the servants move about with their usual silence and practised

efficiency, setting down bread, eggs, and fruit.

The faint scent of tea mingled with the sharper aromas of butter and toasted bread.

Meredith sat at my side. She was quiet, her hands cupped around her teacup as though it were the only warmth she needed.

She hadn’t spoken much yet, but I felt her presence more than I heard it.

Next to her, Xamira smeared jam across her bread until it dripped onto her fingers. She didn’t notice as she was too caught up in the

simple joy of eating.

Her humming filled the silence. The sound tugged at me, a thread I didn’t allow anyone else to touch.

“Daddy,” she piped suddenly, her voice full of light, “can we do horse riding today?”

I gazed at her. She tilted forward, eyes shining, shoulders bouncing with expectation. So much energy packed into such a small frame.

My mouth softened despite myself. “Tomorrow,” I said, keeping my tone even.

Her face lit up instantly. “Okay!” Just like that, the matter was settled.

She tore another bite from her bread, jam smearing across her lips as though the world had already given her what she wanted.

Warmth pushed into my chest, and I let it stay for a moment longer than I should have. Then I extended for my napkin, allowing the

discipline of habit close around me again.

The shrill ring of Jeffery’s phone shattered the calm. My head turned sharply, eyes narrowing on him before he could even move.

He froze, then winced, fumbling for the device. “My apologies,” he uttered quickly, bowing his head as he excused himself and left the

hall.

The silence lingered in his absence. Iid my napkin down. When I gazed to my side, Meredith’s gaze was waiting for me.

“Are you going straight to your study after breakfast?” she asked, her voice light, but her eyes held something softer.

“Yes.”

“Then I wille with you. I want to do some reading.”

Her cheeks warmed as she uttered it. She tried to keep her tone casual, but I saw the truth written in her face.

Then I tilted slightly toward her, letting my words fall low and deliberate. “You could have just uttered you wanted mypany.”

Her lips curved, and she rolled her eyes, pretending to dismiss me. But the smile gave her away.

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333 Their Demand

Before the warmth between us could build further, another voice cut across the table.

“Oh, Meredith,” Mabel said, her tone dripping with false surprise, “there is a library here? I had no idea. Could Ie with you?”

The shift beside me was immediate. Meredith went still. Her shoulders straightened, the warmth gone, reced by a de’s edge I had

seen before.

“When are you going back home?” she inquired her sister, her voice calm butced with steel.

Gary rose at once in silence. His face betrayed nothing, though his steps were heavy as he left the hall after excusing himself.

Mabel’s smile faltered, but shepelled it back onto her lips. “You look like you want your own siblings gone.”

Meredith said nothing. She didn’t need to because her silence was sharper than any retort she could have given. And already, her answer was undeniable, unless Mabel wanted to continue pretending all the way.

I leaned back in my chair, arms rxed, though my attention was fixed. I didn’t interfere because my wife could handle it.

Mabel’s bravado cracked under her sister’s stare. Her false smile wavered, broke, and she pushed back her chair.

With a hurried scrape of wood against marble, she fled the hall, leaving behind only the echo of her retreat.

The doors shut, and silence returned.

I turned back to Meredith. Her violet eyes still burned, unwavering, her expression as hard as tempered steel.

I saw her clearly—all the strength she held back, the steel she carried in her silence. And I found I liked that she no longer cared to hide olliit. /li/ol

Only the faint scrape of silverware against tes filled the space now. I reached for my cup, letting the silence settle, when Xamira’s

small voice broke it.

“iMy /idy,” she said, turning her wide eyes to Meredith, “is she truly your sister?”

Meredith’s gaze softened in an instant. The steel she had shown moments before melted away, reced with something more fragile.

She sighed, a sound heavy with weariness.

“Yes,” she admitted.

Xamira frowned, her little mouth pulling tight. “She doesn’t act like one.”

The remark caught me. I tilted my head, studying her, curious despite myself. “And how do you know that?” I asked, careful with the

question.

Xamira didn’t hesitate. “Because she and her brother won’t be forcing mydy to have a child.”

Meredith’s eyes went wide. She turned sharply toward Xamira, her voice rushed. “Are you not done with your breakfast?”

Xamira blinked, chewing thest of her bread. “Almost. I want to finish my milkshake first.” She lifted the ss as if to prove her point.

Meredith exhaled, the sound strained. I narrowed my eyes, watching the way she tried to hide her unease. Something had been said in front of the girl, something I would unravelter.

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333 Their Demand

Dennis’s voice cut through the silence, sharp with disapproval. “Mabel and Gary are insane for speaking such things in front of a child.”

My gaze lingered on Meredith, then shifted to Xamira again.

A child’s honesty often revealed more than adults dared, and what she had just said would not be forgotten by me.

So, I stood to my feet and left the dining hall. And that was when I felt Meredith’s presence and her soft steps behind me.

When we entered my study, I shut the door firmly and led the way towards my sitting area.

Turning to her, I gestured at the two–sitter sofa. “Sit,” I said.

She lowered herself onto the cushion, and I joined her, settling close enough that her warmth pressed against my side.

For a moment, I let the silence hang. Then I looked at her, my voice low and hard.

“When did your siblings make such demands of you?” 1

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