The executive floor of Sovereign was quieter than usual that afternoon.
Most meetings had already ended, leaving only the soft sounds of keyboards, distant phones, and quiet conversations filling the space.
Lillian sat at her desk outside Sebastian's glass office, reviewing another contract file.
Or at least pretending to.
Because for the third time in ten minutes, she found herself staring at the same paragraph without actually reading it.
Chloe noticed immediately.
"You're distracted again."
Lillian sighed softly without looking up.
"I'm working."
"Mhm."
"I am."
Chloe leaned against the edge of the desk with crossed arms.
"You've reread that page three times."
Lillian finally looked up at her.
"…You count?"
"I notice things."
Lillian shook her head slightly before finally closing the file.
"Fine. Maybe I'm a little distracted."
"A little?"
Lillian ignored that.
Chloe's expression softened slightly.
"You're thinking about Sebastian again."
It wasn't really a question.
Lillian looked down briefly.
"…Maybe."
Chloe smiled faintly.
"How is he today?"
"Better."
Lillian's expression softened automatically at the thought of him.
"He still gets tired quickly though."
"Is he behaving?"
Lillian immediately gave her a flat look.
"What do you think?"
Chloe laughed quietly.
"So that's a no."
"He tried answering emails again this morning."
"And?"
"I took his laptop."
Chloe looked genuinely impressed.
"You stole Sebastian Wolfe's laptop?"
"I confiscated it."
"That's even worse."
Lillian smiled despite herself.
Then quieter—
"He's still having nightmares."
Chloe's expression softened again immediately.
"Every night?"
Lillian nodded slowly.
"Some are worse than others."
"And you?"
Lillian blinked slightly.
"What about me?"
"You haven't been sleeping properly either."
Lillian didn't answer that.
Because Chloe was right.
Even after Sebastian fell back asleep peacefully, Lillian usually stayed awake longer.
Watching him.
Making sure he stayed calm.
Making sure he stayed there.
Chloe sighed softly.
"You're both exhausting."
Lillian laughed quietly under her breath.
Meanwhile, across the city, the Wolfe mansion was silent.
Rain tapped softly against the windows.
Sebastian sat in the living room beneath one of the large windows overlooking the city.
A blanket rested loosely over his legs.
One of Lillian's books sat open in his hands, though he hadn't turned the page in several minutes.
The mansion felt different lately.
Quieter.
Warmer.
Less empty.
Mostly because of her.
Sebastian leaned back slightly against the couch and closed his eyes briefly.
He still tired easily.
Even sitting downstairs instead of resting upstairs had drained more energy than he expected.
The chest infection was better.
But not gone.
A faint cough escaped him.
Sebastian pressed a hand briefly against his chest until it eased.
Then—
the doorbell rang.
Sebastian opened his eyes slowly.
One of the staff immediately moved toward the front entrance.
A few moments later, faint voices echoed from the hallway.
Sebastian barely paid attention at first.
Until he heard a familiar name.
"Lillian."
His eyes lifted slightly.
At the front entrance, the butler stood politely before Caroline and Thomas Parker.
Caroline looked concerned already.
Thomas stood beside her, calm but observant.
"We came to visit Lillian and Sebastian," Caroline explained warmly.
The butler nodded respectfully.
"Miss Parker is currently at Sovereign, ma'am."
Caroline blinked slightly.
"Oh."
"But Mr. Wolfe is resting and unfortunately cannot receive visitors right now."
The second those words left the butler's mouth—
both Caroline and Thomas visibly tensed.
Caroline frowned immediately.
"…He still can't see anyone?"
Thomas exchanged a brief glance with his wife.
Because suddenly the situation sounded far more serious than they expected.
"How sick is he exactly?" Thomas asked carefully.
The butler hesitated slightly.
"Mr. Wolfe is currently recovering."
Caroline's concern deepened further.
Recovering.
Resting.
Cannot receive visitors.
Something about those words made her chest tighten slightly.
Then suddenly—
Sebastian's voice came quietly from the living room.
"Let them in."
The butler immediately stepped aside.
"Of course, sir."
Caroline and Thomas entered the mansion carefully.
The atmosphere inside was calm.
Elegant.
Quiet.
Their eyes quickly found Sebastian sitting in the living room.
And immediately Caroline's expression softened.
Because although Sebastian looked composed—
he also looked pale.
Tired.
Far more exhausted than the last time they saw him.
Sebastian slowly stood when they approached.
Thomas noticed immediately that the movement cost him effort.
"Mr. Parker. Mrs. Parker."
"You should sit back down," Caroline said immediately.
Sebastian paused slightly.
Then quietly obeyed.
Thomas noticed that too.
The fact that Sebastian didn't argue.
Didn't insist he was fine.
Caroline and Thomas sat across from him.
For a moment, silence settled softly between them.
Then Caroline spoke first.
"Lillian said something happened."
Sebastian's expression remained calm.
"Yes."
Caroline frowned slightly.
"She didn't tell us details."
"She was trying not to worry you."
That sounded exactly like Lillian.
Thomas studied Sebastian quietly.
"You look like you've been through hell."
Most people probably would've looked uncomfortable hearing that.
Sebastian simply answered calmly.
"…It wasn't an enjoyable week."
Caroline's expression softened further at the understatement.
Because whatever happened clearly affected him deeply.
And yet he still spoke about it like it was nothing.
A faint cough interrupted the silence.
Sebastian turned slightly away, coughing quietly into his hand.
Caroline immediately looked concerned again.
"Sebastian…"
"I'm alright."
"You don't sound alright."
Sebastian gave a faint tired smile at that.
Very small.
Almost nonexistent.
Still, Caroline noticed it immediately.
"You should be resting upstairs."
"I was downstairs for a change of scenery."
Thomas finally spoke again.
"Lillian said you've been refusing to rest properly."
Sebastian looked completely unsurprised.
"…That sounds like something she would say."
"She's worried about you."
Something softened visibly in Sebastian's expression at those words.
Tiny.
Subtle.
But there.
Thomas noticed immediately.
As did Caroline.
Sebastian looked down briefly before answering quietly.
"She worries too much."
Caroline almost smiled.
Because the affection in his voice was impossible to miss.
"She gets that from me," she said lightly.
Sebastian looked back at her.
And for the first time since they arrived, he looked slightly more relaxed.
Caroline leaned forward slightly.
"Are you taking care of yourself properly?"
Sebastian answered automatically.
"Lillian is."
The words came so naturally that he clearly didn't realise how intimate they sounded.
Caroline's expression softened instantly.
Thomas noticed it too.
Because that single sentence said more about Sebastian's feelings than a long speech ever could.
Not:
I'm taking care of myself.
But:
Lillian is.
Like somewhere along the way, he had simply started trusting her with him completely.
Caroline smiled softly.
"She's always been like that."
Sebastian looked at her quietly.
"When she cares about someone," Caroline continued gently, "she gives them everything."
Something unreadable flickered briefly across Sebastian's face.
Then quietly—
"I know."
The room fell silent again after that.
But this silence felt different.
Comfortable.
Warm.
Thomas leaned back slightly, studying Sebastian carefully.
And slowly, he began understanding something important.
Sebastian Wolfe did love their daughter.
Deeply.
Maybe more deeply than he even knew how to express.
Because every time Lillian's name was mentioned—
his entire demeanor changed.
Softer.
Calmer.
Safer somehow.
Hours later, when Lillian finally returned home from Sovereign, she stepped into the mansion expecting complete silence.
Instead—
she froze.
Her parents were sitting in the living room.
And Sebastian sat with them.
Lillian blinked in shock.
"…Mom?"
Caroline immediately smiled warmly.
"There she is."
Lillian stared between them in confusion.
"What are you doing here?"
"We came to check on Sebastian," Thomas answered calmly.
Lillian immediately turned toward Sebastian.
"You let them stay?"
Sebastian looked up at her quietly from the couch.
His expression softened immediately the second he saw her.
Like always.
"They were worried about you," he said simply.
Lillian's chest tightened softly at the answer.
Because he said it so naturally.
Like caring about the people she loved was obvious to him.