Family time
967 Words
"Move," Tavien ordered calmly after watching Lilia’s reaction for a moment longer. His voice carried the same authority and finality it always did when he was satisfied.
Aiden, seated in the front, pulled the car smoothly away from the curb.
Now, Tavien had somewhere else to be.
His parents had returned from yet another vacation, one of many. Ever since his father had stepped down and passed the empire into Tavien’s hands, his parents had dedicated their lives to each other, spending their time traveling the world, living without the burden of power.
But no matter where they went, they always came back.
Always came back to see him as Tavien is their only son.
Tavien leaned back in his seat, rolling his wrist once to ease the tension. He knew what the evening would hold.
Another dinner. Another attempt from his mother to convince him to marry.
Every visit, she tried.
She arranged polite dinner meetings with women she considered suitable. women from elite families, women with bloodlines and connections that would only strengthen the Rayn legacy.
Women Tavien had no interest in.
To him, they all blurred together: polished smiles, careful laughter, eyes that always flicked to his wristwatch, his shoes, the brand of his suit.
They didn’t see him.
They saw the man who held power, the man with money and influence.
Not Tavien Zeo Rayn, the man underneath.
He scoffed softly to himself. Love, loyalty, desire. All they were illusions, traded like currency among the wealthy. And he had no use for illusions.
He had built his life on things he could control.
And no woman, no matter how carefully selected, had ever managed to hold his attention.
Until now.
Tavien’s thoughts flickered back to the image of Lilia Snow, her small, trembling hands clutching the phone, her tearful laughter, the raw, unguarded hope in her eyes.
She was different.
Real.
…………………………………………………………
The Rayn estate rose from the hills outside Montelure like something out of a forgotten time - grand, sprawling, and utterly untouchable. Built of stone and glass, it commanded the landscape the way Tavien commanded a room, effortlessly.
The iron gates swung open at his approach, and the long drive between beautiful and big gardens and ancient oaks, their branches whispering in the evening breeze.
Aiden pulled up in front of the main entrance. Tavien stepped out without waiting for the door to be opened, his shoes striking the marble steps with a quiet authority.
The front doors opened before he reached them.
His mother was already there, waiting.
"Zeo," she called warmly, using his middle name as a nickname only she was allowed.
Tavien’s mouth tightened slightly at the sound, but he let her draw him into a brief embrace, careful not to show resistance.
Only his parents called him that now.
No one else dared.
In the world he ruled, he was Tavien Zeo Rayn. A sharp, untouchable, a name spoken with fear or respect.
But here, in this house, he was still just Zeo.
Her perfume, a soft blend of jasmine and something older, clung to her.
It reminded him of when the world had been simpler before the weight of legacy had settled on his shoulders.
"You look tired," she said, pulling back to study him with a mother’s keen eye. "Too much work, as usual."
"I manage," Tavien said simply.
Behind her, his father appeared, a glass of whiskey in hand, wearing the easy, relaxed smile of a man who had abandoned the battlefield and never looked back.
"Still running the empire into the ground, son?" his father teased.
Tavien gave a rare, brief smile. "It’s thriving. As always."
They moved into the sitting room high ceilings, velvet chairs, and windows that overlooked the entire valley. The housekeeper brought in wine and a tray of appetizers.
His mother wasted no time.
"So," she said, smoothing her skirts as she sat. "We have a lovely dinner planned tonight. Just us," she added quickly, seeing the look that flickered across Tavien’s face. "No matchmaking.”
"For once," Tavien muttered under his breath, lifting the glass of wine to his lips.
His father chuckled, settling into a chair. "Your mother’s given up,…temporarily."
His mother shot him a look.
"I have not given up," she said primly, before turning back to Tavien. "I’m simply being patient. You’re not getting any younger, Zeo."
Tavien leaned back in his seat, a ghost of a smirk at the corner of his mouth.
"I’m twenty-eight. Not ancient."
"Twenty-eight and no sign of even considering a future with someone," she countered, undeterred.
"You work yourself to the bone, Zeo. You build and build—but to what end, if you have no one to share it with?"
Tavien said nothing. He wasn’t interested in an argument tonight.
His mother softened her voice, reaching across the table to touch his hand briefly.
"You deserve someone, Zeo," she said. "Not just for us, it’s for yourself."
Tavien stared at her hand for a long moment before withdrawing gently.
"I have everything I need," he said quietly, final.
But even as he leaned back into the leather chair, swirling the wine in his glass, his mind wasn’t on the estate or the conversation.
It was on a young woman sitting in the sun, tears sparkling on her cheeks, clutching a phone like it was her lifeline.
A woman who looked so genuine. So unguarded.
Too genuine, perhaps.
Tavien’s mouth tightened slightly.
He had seen it too many times. women with soft smiles and bright eyes, hiding sharper ambitions underneath.
Will Lilia Snow be any different?
Was her innocence and bravery is real or just another mask?
He didn’t know yet.
But he would find out.
And once he did, she would belong to him.
One way or another.
- Writer
