"We are staying in New York?" Hailey asked, disbelief thick in her voice as she stared at Michael.
"I am staying in New York," Michael replied calmly without lifting his eyes from the documents spread neatly in front of him. "You are going back to California."
Finally... after countless attempts to see him, after being told again and again that he was busy... he had allowed her to come up to his suite at Primo Albergo dell'Angelo.
The suite was elegant, quiet, intimidating in its perfection. Much like him.
Hailey had been in New York for two weeks now. Michael had already been here for a month.
She was his fiancée.
And yet when he left California, he hadn't even told her where he was going. Not a message. Not a note. Nothing. She only found out the day after their minor argument... the night he had left her by the roadside without looking back.
She had spent that night at Flynn's grandparents' house.
The next morning, instead of going home, she went straight to the Heavensblade estate to apologize. She had done nothing wrong. She knew that. But she also knew that if she did not apologize first, Michael would end their engagement without hesitation.
He could easily choose another bride from the countless girls of the subfamilies who would gladly take her place.
Because to Michael, she was nothing special.
When she arrived at the estate, she was informed that he had already left "for business." No one told her where.
Michael refused to own a phone... he disliked them... so for two weeks she had not spoken him. No calls. No messages. Just silence.
Until that night.
Evadne's birthday.
Flynn, after spending two weeks in California, invited her to New York. It was his friend's birthday, he said. Hailey went. Flynn introduced her to his circle, and for the first time in a while, she felt included. She liked Evadne instantly. Evadne was warm, easy to talk to.
Then Michael appeared.
Shock was not enough to describe what she felt.
Because that night was also his birthday.
Every year, Michael celebrated with the heads of the subfamilies. Hailey had never once spent his birthday with him. He hated parties. He avoided gatherings.
And yet there he was... standing at another woman's grand celebration.
He even brought a gift.
Not just any gift.
A rare red diamond.
The very one Hailey had once mentioned wanting. Michael knew she wanted it.
He had always been generous with gifts... but he never gave them to her personally. They were always delivered by staff, presented in cold velvet boxes by employees.
But for Evadne, he presented it himself.
After the chaos that unfolded that night, after he learned Hailey was in New York, he still did not call for her. She even went to Primo Albergo dell'Angelo because she knew that was where he stayed. She was told he was busy.
And yet she saw him again at CZ Medical Hospital... wanting to visit Evadne.
Worse, she heard him offer to have Evadne examined by Dr. Raphael Godsheal.
The miracle doctor.
The physician only the head of the Heavensblade family knew how to contact. The doctor rumored to cure anything... even cancer.
There was a time Hailey had been hospitalized with dengue. She had genuinely thought she might die.
Michael did not visit her then.
He did not offer to call Dr. Godsheal.
He was busy.
And yet for Evadne, he was present.
For Evadne, he offered miracles.
For Evadne, he did everything he had never done for Hailey... the woman who grew up beside him, who had loved him quietly and faithfully for years.
"Are you staying here in New York because of Evadne?" Hailey finally asked.
Michael might be many things.
But he despised liars.
And he never lied.
Michael did not answer.
He only glanced at her briefly before returning his attention to the documents he was signing.
"Why are you so interested in her?" Hailey pressed, her voice trembling despite her effort to remain composed. "What does she have?"
"My interest in Evadne," Michael said evenly, without looking up this time, "has nothing to do with you."
"Nothing to do with me?!" Hailey's voice broke. "Michael, I am your fiancée!"
"And you won't be," he said calmly, finally lifting his eyes to meet hers, "if you continue what you are doing right now."
His gaze was cold. Controlled. Distant.
Then he returned to his papers.
There it was again.
That quiet threat.
That reminder that she was replaceable.
Hailey's vision blurred as tears welled in her eyes. She tried to wipe them away, but more followed.
Michael did not react.
Did not soften.
Did not comfort.
"If you are done throwing tantrums," he said, already moving on as if she were an inconvenience on his schedule, "you may leave. I have a lot of work to finish."
He did not look at her again.
Hailey stood there for a few moments longer.
Her palms clenched and unclenched at her sides. Tears continued to fall silently down her cheeks.
She waited.
Hoping.
Hoping Michael would look up. That he would finally notice how broken she felt. That something... anything... would soften his heart. That he would stand, walk toward her, wipe her tears away. That he would tell her he was sorry for making her feel this way. That he would assure her everything would be fine. That no one could ever replace her in his heart.
But it was nothing more than wishful thinking.
She stood there in silence, yet he no longer acknowledged her presence. As if she were a decorative plant placed in the corner of his suite... occupying space, but insignificant.
"Your heart is so cruel, Michael," Hailey said, roughly wiping her tears with the back of her hand before turning to leave.
Michael did not look up.
Not even once.
"Ms. Hailey," Francois called gently when she stepped out of the suite and stood waiting for the elevator.
The old butler approached her quietly, stopping at her side. There was pity in his aged eyes.
"The Young Master will be enrolling in NYE this year," Francois said in a low voice. "He will be part of Class 4–Special A. Flynn belongs to that class. You may ask Flynn about NYE... but do not tell him that the Young Master will enroll there."
Hailey blinked, confused.
"And," Francois continued, "the Young Master has purchased a villa. Flynn will be staying with him. The villa has eight rooms. It is only ten minutes away from NYE."
The elevator doors slid open.
Francois gave her a small, knowing smile before turning back toward the suite.
Hailey stepped inside the elevator, her brows furrowing in confusion... until realization slowly dawned on her.
The villa had eight rooms.
Ten minutes away from NYE.
Michael was enrolling in high school.
She stared at her reflection in the mirrored walls of the elevator.
She looked like a mess right now. Eyes red. Mascara faintly smudged. But even in this state, she was beautiful.
Fair skin. Long blonde hair. Grey eyes. Five foot nine.
And before Michael chose her as his fiancée, she had many admirers in California.
But like all the girls in her age bracket who belonged to the subfamilies of the Heavensblade clan, she was not allowed to date until Michael chose his bride.
Because one of them would become his wife.
They were trained to maintain their purity. Their impeccable upbringing. No stain. No scandal. No dirt.
If the boys were trained to handle business and leadership, the girls were trained to one day stand beside the Head of the clan.
They had abundance in everything... luxury, education, privilege.
But everything was limited.
Every party invitation had to be reported and approved. Every male acquaintance vetted. One wrong gathering, one questionable rumor, and a girl's name would be erased from the list of suitable brides for Michael.
Many of the girls undergoing bride training had rebelled. The restrictions were suffocating. Their lives felt like they were being choked out of them.
But not Hailey.
Not because her family ranked near the bottom of the Heavensblade hierarchy.
But because she truly loved Michael.
So even when the training was too strict, even when she felt suffocated by the limitations, she told herself it would be worth it.
Because once she was chosen as his fiancée, her family would gain priority. Recognition. Respect.
Her parents would be proud.
And she would finally be able to stand beside him.
Now that she was his fiancée…
She did not know if it had been worth it at all.
Yes, she would feel elated whenever she received gifts from him. Whenever they went out for dinner. But that happiness never lasted long.
Because he never handed the gifts to her personally.
They were delivered by staff.
And she was certain he never even chose them himself. Most of the time, she was asked what she wanted in advance.
Michael would not even spend a minute selecting something for her.
That was why she had become obsessed with the Ceres Jewelry Collection from the Falcon Empire. Every piece in that collection symbolized pure and unwavering love. If she wore them, she could at least convince herself that those represented Michael's feelings for her.
Since becoming his fiancée, she had always felt insecure because of his cold treatment.
But at least there had never been another woman to be jealous of.
He treated everyone the same.
Cold. Distant. Indifferent.
But now...
Seeing how he treated Evadne.
The small things he did... so unlike him.
The way he appeared personally. The way he offered help. The way he showed up.
Those small, out-of-character gestures shattered something inside her.
And it made her doubt herself.
It made her hate herself.
Because she was beginning to hate Evadne.
And the worst part?
Evadne had done absolutely nothing wrong to her.