four
1645 Words
“We’re here, sir.”
Gerald’s voice broke the silence carefully as his eyes lifted toward the rearview mirror.
It had already been over ten minutes since they arrived, yet Matt still hadn’t moved.
The black car remained parked quietly in front of the enormous estate while the lights from the mansion glowed warmly against the dark evening sky. From the outside, the house looked beautiful, elegant and welcoming.
Matt knew better.
His head rested against the leather seat, his eyes closed and his expression unreadable. To anyone else, it might have looked like he was asleep.
But Gerald knew him too well.
After working for Matt for over five years, he had learned to recognize the difference between rest and silence.
Matt wasn’t sleeping.
He was preparing himself.
Slowly, Matt’s eyes opened.
his cold blue eyes settled on the massive mansion before him.
His jaw tightened almost imperceptibly.
He looked like a man being dragged toward an execution rather than a family dinner.
Gerald hesitated before speaking again. “Your grandmother specifically requested your presence tonight.”
Matt let out a quiet humorless laugh.
“i know she did.”
Without another word, he pushed the car door open before Gerald could rush around to do it for him.
The cool night air hit him immediately.
Matt slipped one hand into the pocket of his coat as he slowly walked toward the house, his expression grim. Every step toward the entrance felt heavier than the last.
Nothing about this place felt like home anymore.
Maybe it never truly had.
The large doors opened before he could ring the bell.
A maid greeted him nervously. “Good evening, Mr. Lockwood.”
Matt gave a slight nod and stepped inside.
The familiar scent of expensive perfume and polished wood filled the air instantly. The mansion looked exactly the same as always, grand chandeliers, marble floors, elegant decorations carefully arranged to project the image of a perfect wealthy family.
Everything looked flawless and every bit of it was fake.
“You’re late.”
Matt’s gaze lifted toward the staircase.
His younger stepbrother, Ethan, leaned casually against the railing with a smirk on his face. Unlike Matt, Ethan carried warmth easily. He smiled often, charmed effortlessly, and knew exactly how to play the role of the perfect son.
Tonight was no different.
Matt stared at him calmly. “And yet dinner somehow survived without me.”
Ethan chuckled lightly as he descended the stairs. “Still charming as ever.”
Before Matt could respond, another voice interrupted smoothly.
“Matthew.”
A woman appeared from the dining room with practiced elegance.
Catherine Lockwood.
His stepmother.
She wore a graceful smile that looked perfect enough for magazine covers, but Matt knew that smile better than anyone.
It was carefully crafted
“There you are,” she said warmly as she approached him. “We were beginning to think you wouldn’t come.”
Matt’s expression remained unreadable.
“You seem disappointed that I did.”
For a split second, something flickered in Catherine’s eyes.
Then the smile returned instantly.
“Don’t be ridiculous.” She reached out as though to touch his arm, but Matt subtly stepped back before she could.
The movement was small.
Almost invisible.
But Catherine noticed it.
So did Ethan.
The atmosphere shifted immediately.
“Your grandmother’s waiting in the dining room,” Catherine said smoothly, pretending not to notice the rejection.
Matt walked past her without another word.
The dining room was already full when he entered.
His grandmother sat at the far end of the long table, regal and intimidating despite her age. Beside her sat his uncle Daniel, his wife Clara, and their two daughters.
Conversations slowly died the moment Matt entered the room.
The silence was immediate.
“Matthew,” his grandmother greeted calmly.
“Grandmother.”
He moved forward to kiss her cheek politely before taking the empty seat furthest from everyone else.
Exactly where he preferred.
Dinner began shortly afterward.
The conversations around the table flowed easily enough, but Matt barely participated. Most of the discussion revolved around business, upcoming charity events, and Ethan’s recent accomplishments at the company.
Matt remained silent through most of it.
“You should really attend the charity gala next month,” Clara said suddenly. “People are always asking why they never see you anymore.”
Matt picked up his wine glass calmly. “Then tell them I’m busy.”
Daniel laughed awkwardly. “You work too much.”
Matt didn’t answer.
Because the truth was simple.
Work was easier than this.
Easier than sitting in rooms filled with people pretending to care about one another while silently waiting for weakness.
“You know,” Catherine began softly, dabbing delicately at the corner of her lips with a napkin, “sometimes I worry about you, Matthew.”
Matt already knew where this was going.
“You spend all your time alone,” she continued. “It isn’t healthy.”
Ethan smirked slightly into his drink.
Matt looked at Catherine calmly. “I wasn’t aware my personal life concerned you.”
“Of course it concerns me,” she replied immediately with practiced affection. “You’re family.”
The word almost made him laugh.
Family, right.
If Catherine truly cared about him, she wouldn’t have spent years slowly poisoning his father against him while pretending to play the role of the caring stepmother.
She wouldn’t have smiled sweetly while encouraging the distance between him and the rest of the family.
And she certainly wouldn’t have spent years positioning Ethan perfectly
Matt had seen through her long ago.
Unfortunately for her, he had become far more dangerous than she anticipated.
“I’m fine,” he said simply.
Catherine sighed softly, as though deeply saddened by him.
The performance was almost impressive.
His grandmother suddenly spoke. “How is the new secretary?”
Matt’s fingers paused slightly against his glass.
Around the table, several heads lifted with interest.
“She’s competent,” he answered shortly.
Catherine smiled knowingly. “A female secretary this time?”
Matt’s gaze shifted toward her slowly.
“Yes.”
“How surprising,” Ethan muttered with amusement.
Matt ignored him completely.
“Vera mentioned she’s new,” Catherine continued lightly. “What was her name again?”
“Juliet Grey,” Ethan answered before Matt could.
Matt’s eyes narrowed slightly.
Ethan noticed.
A slow smile appeared on his face.
“She caused quite a stir today,” Ethan added casually. “Apparently the employees were shocked someone so young got that position.”
Matt remained expressionless, though internally something sharpened.
Interesting.
“You should be careful,” Catherine said sweetly. “Young girls tend to become… distracted around powerful men.”
The implication was obvious.
Matt set his wine glass down quietly.
“And what exactly are you implying?”
“Nothing at all,” Catherine replied smoothly, though satisfaction flickered briefly in her eyes. “I’m merely saying people often want things from wealthy men.”
Matt held her gaze for several long seconds.
The tension around the table became suffocating.
Everyone knew Catherine wasn’t truly talking about Julie.
Matt leaned back slightly in his chair.
“Luckily,” he said coolly, “I trust no one.”
Silence fell instantly.
Even Ethan’s smirk faded slightly.
Because everyone at that table knew Matt meant every word.
Dinner continued after that, though the atmosphere never fully recovered.
Matt barely touched his food.
By the time dessert arrived, he was already mentally exhausted.
Eventually, his grandmother spoke again. “You’re leaving already?”
Matt stood from his seat smoothly. “I have work tomorrow.”
“You always have work,” Clara muttered quietly.
Matt ignored her.
Catherine rose as well, following him toward the entrance hall while everyone else remained behind.
“You could try harder, you know,” she said softly once they were alone.
Matt reached for his coat.
“Try harder at what?”
“At being part of this family.”
Matt finally looked at her fully.
For the first time that night, something genuinely cold appeared in his expression.
“You spent years making sure I never was.”
Catherine’s smile faltered slightly.
Matt grabbed his coat.
“You won, Catherine,” he continued calmly. “You got exactly what you wanted.”
“That isn’t true...”
“You wanted Ethan to become the center of this family.” His voice remained calm, almost emotionless. “Congratulations.”
Catherine stared at him silently.
For once, she didn’t know what to say.
Matt opened the front door.
“Matthew.”
He paused.
Something almost human flickered across Catherine’s face.
“You shouldn’t isolate yourself this way forever.”
Matt let out a quiet laugh.
It sounded empty.
“Funny,” he said softly. “Coming from you.”
Then he walked out into the cold night.
Gerald immediately opened the car door for him.
The drive back to the city was silent.
Matt rested his head back against the seat once more, his eyes fixed on the passing lights outside the window.
His chest felt strangely hollow.
But then again, it always did after visiting that house.
By the time the car stopped in front of his penthouse building, it was already late.
Matt stepped inside the enormous apartment quietly.
The place was luxurious and Beautiful but cmpletely silent.
No one greeted him.
No laughter filled the rooms and no warmth waited for him after a long day.
Just silence, endless silence.
Matt loosened his tie slowly as he walked toward the floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the glittering city below.
Thousands of lights.
Millions of people.
And somehow, he had never felt more alone.
At that exact moment, several streets away, Julie sat alone in her tiny apartment eating instant noodles in exhausted silence.
Two completely different worlds.
- Writer
