Chapter 15 — The Visitor
The morning in Elaris City began with a quiet mist that brushed against the windows of the small art studio. Cathy stood near the large window, her hands wrapped around a cup of tea, watching the city awaken. The world outside looked peaceful, almost too peaceful. Birds fluttered near the glass, and the faint hum of traffic moved like a soft heartbeat far below.
Adrian arrived earlier than usual, his shirt sleeves rolled to his elbows, carrying a paper bag that smelled faintly of fresh croissants. He smiled when she looked up, his eyes gentle.
“I thought you might be hungry,” he said softly, placing the bag on her desk beside her sketchbook.
She nodded with gratitude, the corners of her lips lifting in a smile that always made him forget the noise of the world. He watched her as she poured him a cup too, her movements delicate but sure, like each gesture carried meaning.
For a moment, everything was simple again — just the two of them, the soft rain tapping the window, the smell of tea and paint filling the quiet air.
Later that morning, while Adrian was reviewing blueprints on his laptop, Luna stopped by. She had her usual bright energy, a quick smile, and a teasing comment on her lips.
“Look at you two,” she said, hands on her hips. “It’s starting to look like a scene from one of those dreamy dramas.”
Cathy laughed soundlessly, tapping lightly on Luna’s wrist before signing something with graceful fingers. Luna nodded, translating for Adrian.
“She says you look less tired lately.”
Adrian glanced up from his screen, a quiet chuckle leaving him. “That’s because I have better company now.”
Luna smiled approvingly before turning serious. “By the way, there was someone outside asking for you. A man in a dark suit. Said his name was Mr. Cale.”
Adrian froze.
It was so subtle that neither Cathy nor Luna noticed at first. But a shadow passed through his eyes, the kind that comes when an old door creaks open in memory. He took a breath and set his laptop aside.
“Did he say what he wanted?” he asked, his voice calm but lower.
“No,” Luna said. “But he looked… important. Said he’d wait at the café across the street.”
Cathy tilted her head slightly, watching Adrian with quiet curiosity. She had never seen that look before — the quiet confidence she loved now flickered with something else. Unease, perhaps.
Adrian smiled faintly to reassure her. “It’s nothing. Just someone from work. I’ll be right back.”
But as he left the studio, Cathy’s gaze lingered on the door long after it closed.
Outside, the mist had turned into a thin drizzle. Adrian crossed the street to the café, his heart beating faster with every step. Through the fogged glass, he saw Mr. Cale rise from a corner table. He was tall, sharp-featured, and carried himself with the cold precision of the corporate world Adrian had walked away from.
“Mr. Vale,” Cale greeted, voice formal. “Your father sent me.”
Adrian’s jaw tightened. “I told him I’m done with Vale Industries.”
Cale’s lips curved in a humorless smile. “He expected you’d say that. Still, he insists you come back to the city. There’s a matter concerning the inheritance. And your engagement.”
Adrian’s chest grew cold. “Engagement?”
Cale nodded. “The board wants to announce your engagement to Miss Harlow next month. It’s all arranged.”
A silence stretched between them. Outside, the drizzle turned into a steady rain. Adrian’s fingers curled around the coffee cup, though he never drank from it.
“Tell him I’m not coming back,” he said finally, his tone low but firm.
Cale stood, adjusting his tie. “You can’t hide forever, Adrian. Sooner or later, she’ll know who you are.”
When Adrian returned to the studio, his steps were slower. Cathy was still by the window, sketching quietly, her pencil moving like a whisper over paper. When she looked up, she noticed it — the heaviness in his eyes, the silence that had shifted.
She reached for her notebook and wrote something down before showing it to him.
Is everything okay?
He hesitated. Then smiled softly, almost convincing. “Yes. Everything’s fine.”
But she knew it wasn’t.
She had learned to read more than words. She could feel it — the quiet unease beneath his voice, the way his hands fidgeted, the small distance in his gaze. And though she didn’t ask again, her heart felt the change.
That night, as the city lights shimmered outside, Cathy sat by her window long after everyone had gone home. She opened her sketchbook and began to draw.
She drew Adrian standing under the rain, looking toward a city skyline, his hand reaching out for something — or someone — he couldn’t quite touch. And beside him, she drew herself, standing silently beneath an umbrella, waiting.
In her quiet heart, she already knew.
The visitor had not come for Adrian alone.
He had come for the world they had built together — the fragile peace that could shatter with a single truth.
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