Hearts Entwined by Legacy

Fire and Frost

Chapter Six

The next morning, the estate came alive like clockwork. The staff moved about with quiet efficiency, polished silver clinked over breakfast china, and the scent of fresh lilies floated down the grand hallway. But beneath the polished surface, the air buzzed with whispers.

Ethan sat at the end of the long dining table, sipping his black coffee, eyes sharp and expression unreadable.

Anna entered a few minutes later, her hair pulled into a neat ponytail, her clothes modest but presentable. Vivian had insisted she begin dressing the part—not as staff, but as a Montgomery bride-to-be.

The change was subtle but unmistakable.

Anna felt the weight of a dozen unseen eyes as she took her seat, leaving a two-chair gap between herself and Ethan. Neither spoke.

Vivian, seated at the head of the table, watched them with veiled curiosity, but said nothing.

It was only after a prolonged silence that she said, "The engagement party is in five days. The guest lists are growing longer by the day."

Ethan's jaw tightened. "I thought we agreed to keep this quiet."

"We agreed not to announce it to the press," Vivian corrected. "But within our circles, people talk. Would you rather let them hear it from strangers than from us?"

Anna glanced at Ethan, unsure what to say. She hated how she felt beside him; it was like an unwanted guest in a kingdom she didn't even ask to be in.

Vivian turned to her. "Anna, you'll need to start attending board events, Dinners, and Charity galas."

Anna's breath caught. "Ma'am…I mean, Vivian….I have classes, and work…"

"You'll be excused from cleaning," Vivian said. "Effective immediately."

Anna blinked. "But…."

"Your only job now is," Ethan cut in coldly. "Being a Montgomery."

Anna's eyes snapped to him, heat flaring in her cheeks. "I didn't ask for this title."

"No," Ethan said, rising from his chair, "but you accepted it."

He left without another word.

Vivian sighed and gestured for the staff to begin clearing the table. "Don't let him intimidate you, Anna. He's scared."

"Of what?" Anna asked bitterly.

"Of you," Vivian said, smiling faintly. "Because you weren't part of the plan."

That afternoon, Anna sat in the estate's library, alone among floor-to-ceiling bookshelves and leather-bound volumes. Her textbooks lay forgotten beside her. She stared at the same paragraph three times without processing a single word.

The door creaked open. She looked up, expecting Sam.

It was Grace.

Anna stiffened. "How did you get in here?"

Grace shut the door behind her. "Oh, Anna. This estate has so many open doors, it's almost poetic."

Anna stood. "You need to leave."

Grace's eyes gleamed. "Why would I? I haven't even congratulated you."

Anna's fists clenched. "On what? Becoming a pawn?"

"No," Grace said softly. "On becoming a liability."

Anna moved closer, refusing to flinch. "You know, you don't scare me, right?"

"You should be scared of what you don't see," Grace said, brushing imaginary lint from her designer coat. "Ethan doesn't love you, and he never will. You're just a placeholder. He'll resent you every time he looks at what his mother forced him into."

"And yet," Anna replied evenly, "I'm the one staying, and you're the one sneaking around."

Grace's smile faltered. "You have no idea what you're walking into. This family doesn't just devour outsiders. It devours its own."

Then she slipped out, leaving behind the faint trace of her perfume and something heavier like poison in the air.

Upstairs, Ethan stood in his father's private balcony office, phone in hand.

"Keep your eyes on Grace," he said to the receiver. "I don't trust her. She's stirring things I can't see yet."

"Already done," came Sam's voice. "Also… I traced a call from Lucas to one of the company's offshore accounts. Suspicious timing."

Ethan's eyes narrowed. "How much?"

"High six figures, disguised as consulting fee."

"Find out where it's going."

"You got it."

Ethan ended the call and rubbed the back of his neck. Trust was a rare currency in his world. And he was running out of it fast.

That evening, Anna stepped into the formal sitting room, where a photoshoot was set up for their engagement portraits. A camera crew buzzed around as stylists adjusted lighting and decor.

Vivian oversaw everything with precision.

Ethan entered a moment later, impeccably dressed in a tailored navy suit. His eyes skimmed over Anna, who stood awkwardly in a cream dress that felt too expensive for her skin.

"You look..." he began, then stopped.

"What?" she asked.

He hesitated. "Different."

"It's the dress," she muttered.

"No," he said. "It's you."

Before she could respond, the photographer called out. "Let's begin!"

They posed stiffly at first, Ethan's hand barely grazing hers, her shoulders tense. But as the camera clicked, something changed.

In one frame, their eyes met not in anger, but something rawer. Unspoken, a c***k in the wall.

The moment passed quickly. But not before the lens caught it.

"Perfect!" the photographer said.

As they moved to the next pose, Ethan leaned in and whispered, "If you're going to survive this, you need to stop flinching every time I speak."

"And if you want me to stay," Anna murmured back, "you'll stop speaking like I'm a problem you need to solve."

He stared at her for a heartbeat too long. Then turned away.

Behind the scenes, Vivian watched. She said nothing, but her smile didn't fade.

Later that night, Ethan found himself in the wine cellar, pacing between racks of vintage bottles. He wasn't alone.

Lucas leaned against the wall, swirling a glass of cabernet, his expression smug.

"You're going through with it?" Lucas asked. "Marrying the maid?"

Ethan didn't respond.

Lucas grinned. "You know what Father would've said? 'At least make her sign a prenup before she sweeps away your fortune.'"

Ethan turned, slow and deliberate. "Careful, Lucas. You're starting to sound like someone who forgot his place."

Lucas chuckled, but his eyes were ice. "And you're sounding like someone who doesn't see the trap he's gradually walking into."

Ethan didn't answer. But he noted the way Lucas held the glass with his left hand. The same hand that had recently transferred company funds.

He filed the thought away like a blade in a drawer.

Outside, the wind howled.

Inside, the game had only just begun.