William Knight had come straight from the office.
As he stepped out of the car, his dark grey suit was pristine, without a single wrinkle, accentuating his tall and distinguished frame. Time seemed to have a soft spot for this man; it hadn't left a trace of weariness on his refined face, but had instead seasoned his obsidian eyes with a deeper, colder intensity.
Only when his gaze fell upon Diana, did a flicker of the warmth she remembered finally surface.
It was gentle, yet possessed an undeniable sense of control.
Standing in the biting wind at the airport exit, Diana felt a shiver of dread. Even though William had flown abroad to see her every single year without fail, standing here in the humid air of East City, she sensed a chilling unfamiliarity emanating from this well-known figure.
"Diana," William called out in a low voice, seeing her standing frozen like a statue.
That deep, resonant voice was like a fine needle, abruptly piercing the most sensitive part of her heart.
She lowered her eyelashes sharply to hide that momentary lapse of composure. Walking quickly toward the car, she climbed in and whispered, "Brother."
The evening rush hour traffic moved like cooling lava, sluggishly crawling through the city's veins. Inside the cabin, a faint scent of cold fir incense lingered, and it was so quiet they could hear each other breathe.
William sat with his long legs crossed in a relaxed posture, his fingers tapping rhythmically on his knee. "What time did your flight land?"
"A little after two."
"Why didn't you let me pick you up?"
Diana looked at the neon lights blurring outside the window, keeping her voice as polite and detached as possible. "I didn't want to interrupt your meetings. Besides, getting a taxi from the airport is fast. There was no need to trouble you."
William turned his head, his deep gaze landing on her slightly tense profile.
The Diana in his memory wasn't like this. She used to be the brightest sun in the Knight family, pampered in the palm of his hand. She was spirited and willful, always clinging to him for affection.
Now, she sat in the furthest corner from him, her back straightened into a defensive arc.
Ever since she had been semi-forcibly sent abroad years ago, she had stubbornly taken root in that foreign city, refusing to set foot back in East City even for the holidays. William remembered visiting her for her birthday last year; she had been burning with fever, yet in her delirium, she had pushed his hand away with a stubbornness that made his heart ache.
Three years had crumbled her girlish innocence, carving her instead into a silent, cold camellia.
"Diana," William suddenly spoke, a hint of self-deprecation in his tone. "You're drawing a line between us."
Diana's nails dug into her palms as she forced a smile. "Not at all. I just... wanted to give everyone a surprise."
However, for adults, surprises often come with the shock of a shattered equilibrium.
When they arrived at the Knight residence, Kai Knight and his wife were already waiting in the hall.
The moment Maya Wilde saw Diana, her eyes reddened instantly. She took Diana's hand and rubbed it repeatedly. "You've lost weight. Why have you lost so much? Foreign food is never as nourishing as home cooking."
Though Kai maintained his stern patriarchal air, his eyes held obvious joy. "You didn't even give us a heads-up about your return. The house isn't prepared at all. Have you had dinner yet?"
The dinner spread was incredibly lavish: steamed grouper, signature ribs, and a pot of black chicken soup that had been simmering all afternoon—all of Diana's favorite childhood flavors.
During the meal, the elders' concern flowed as usual—asking about work, about life—until the conversation inevitably drifted toward the sensitive turning point.
"How many days can you stay home this time?" Kai asked casually, setting down his soup spoon.
Diana knew the thin veil of warmth was finally about to be pierced.
She set down her chopsticks. Amidst the slight clatter of cutlery, she spoke clearly: "I resigned. I'm not going back."
The air in the dining room seemed to be sucked out in that second.
The smile on Maya's face froze as she looked toward William for help. "Resigned? That was a top-tier airline. Why would you just quit? William, did you know about this?"
William didn't say a word. He continued to peel a shrimp with slow, deliberate precision, as if he had expected this all along.
Resigning from her job abroad meant she intended to settle in East City permanently, returning to the place once flooded with rumors and scandals. The exquisite crystal ball of balance they had maintained was now cracked.
"You want to stay?" Maya's voice became hesitant and complex.
Diana asked back with a touch of self-mockery, "Am I allowed to come back?"
Maya was speechless. She knew Diana's reason for returning might be for her sick senior, Aurora Brooks, but more importantly, it was because of her innate attachment to this land. Even if no one here expected her back—even if everyone here wished she would vanish forever on the other side of the ocean.
Seeing the atmosphere turn cold, William pushed the plate of perfectly peeled shrimp in front of Diana.
The porcelain plate clinked against the table with a crisp clack.
"How is Aurora's illness?" he asked naturally, deftly bypassing the deadlocked topic.
Diana took the exit he provided. "The treatment plan is set. She's starting chemotherapy now."
"Let me know if you need anything. I'll arrange the best medical resources," William promised quietly.
After dinner, Maya insisted on leading Diana up to the second floor.
The room had been cleaned spotlessly, and even the floral sheets on the bed smelled of fresh laundry. Maya held Diana's hand, speaking earnestly, "It's good that you're back. It broke my heart hearing you were all alone with a fever over there. It's just..."
She hesitated, then simply patted Diana's cheek. "It's been a long day. Take a hot bath and get some sleep."
Late at night, Diana went downstairs to find some warm water, but her footsteps abruptly halted at the corner of the stairs.
The lights in the living room were dimmed. William was sitting in a single armchair, an unlit cigarette held between his fingers. Kai and Maya sat across from him, their expressions solemn.
"William, you need to take a stand," Maya's voice was low but heavy with pressure. "If she causes another scandal like last time now that she's back, where will the Knight family hide our faces? Have you forgotten those rumors? If it weren't for her clinging to you..."
"Those were rumors, not the truth," William's voice was ice-cold, cutting his mother off. "When you collaborated with the Bell family to force her away, the fact that I didn't settle scores with you then was already my limit."
Maya was choked into silence for a moment, then muttered under her breath, "I did it for your own good... and look at you now, the moment she returns, it's like she's stolen your soul again."
Kai sighed. "That's enough. What's past is past. Since she's back, this is her home. But William, Diana is no longer a child. Even biological siblings need to keep their distance, let alone the two of you."
In the shadows of the hallway, Diana pressed herself against the cold wall.
The supposed warmth of "home" was stripped away in that instant, leaving behind only the bloody reality of avoidance and estrangement. Without disturbing anyone, she quietly retreated to her room under the cover of night.