Chapter 60: After the Storm

Aveline’s POV

The storm finally passed sometime during the middle of the night.

By morning, sunlight poured through the beach house windows like nothing had happened. The ocean looked calm again, soft waves rolling against the shore while seagulls circled above the water.

But inside the house, everything felt different.

I walked downstairs slowly, still tired from everything that happened yesterday. My hair was damp from my shower, and one of Kieran’s hoodies hung loosely over my body. The smell of coffee and pancakes filled the kitchen while Milo argued loudly with Landon over burnt toast.

“You literally can’t cook,” Landon said while laughing.

“I can cook fine,” Milo snapped back defensively. “The stove is broken.”

“The stove is not broken. You just forgot the pan.”

Chelsea burst out laughing from the kitchen island while Landon nearly choked from laughing too hard, the house actually felt normal.

Because across the room, Cassian was smiling not enough for most people to notice.

Apparently, Milo noticed He pointed his fork directly at Cassian. “Alright, what the hell is wrong with you?”

Cassian barely looked up from his coffee. “Nothing.”

“No,” Landon said suspiciously. “Something is definitely wrong. You’ve looked weird all morning.”

“I always look weird,” Cassian muttered.

“Not like this,” Milo replied dramatically. “You look happy.

Cassian grabbed a napkin and threw it directly at Milo’s face.

The kitchen exploded with noise again. I looked down quickly, hiding my smile behind my coffee cup.

Across the island, Daphne sat quietly beside Chelsea pretending to scroll through her phone, but every few seconds her eyes lifted toward Cassian before quickly dropping again.

And every single time Cassian caught her looking, the corner of his mouth twitched slightly.

The back door slid open suddenly.

Kieran walked inside wearing black sweatpants and a tan top, his hair still messy. The second his eyes landed on me, something in his expression softened immediately. Warmth spread through my chest before I could stop it.

After everything that happened between us, things finally felt easier again.

“Morning,” Kieran said quietly.

“Morning,” I answered.

He walked past me toward the coffee machine, his fingers brushing lightly against my lower back for barely a second.

But enough to make my heart jump anyway.

Unfortunately, Chelsea noticed.

I saw it happen.

Her eyes flicked toward me briefly before narrowing slightly at Kieran.

Not enough to panic, but enough to make me nervous.

Kieran grabbed a mug while Milo kept talking.

“We should still take the boat out later,” he said. “The weather cleared up.”

“The last time we trusted your plans, we almost died in a thunderstorm,” Chelsea reminded him.

“That was character development.”

“That was stupidity,” Landon corrected.

The group laughed again while I tried to relax into the noise around me.

But then Chelsea leaned against the counter beside me. “You okay, Asher?” she asked casually.

I forced my voice lower automatically. “Yeah. Why?”

“You just seem quiet today.”

“I’m tired.”

She nodded slowly before glancing toward Kieran again.

But I could see right through her thinking. The way Kieran watched me and calmed down around me.

The way his entire mood shifted whenever I walked into a room. She definitely knew something felt off.

Before she could say anything else, the front door opened loudly.

Silas walked inside with Barrett behind him carrying bags The atmosphere shifted instantly.

Silas looked irritated already, while Barrett tossed snacks onto the kitchen counter.

“You two finally here?” Milo asked.

“Road near the cabins was flooded,” Barrett answered. “We got stuck overnight.”

Silas barely responded. His eyes landed on me immediately and stayed there.

A strange feeling crawled down my spine. Something about the way he watched me felt wrong.

“You look scared carter ” Silas said suddenly.

Every muscle in my body tightened. “What?”

He shrugged slightly. “I don’t know. Your face says it all”

Before I could answer, Kieran spoke instantly.

“Are you here to intimidate people".

The tension in the room shifted slightly after that. Landon slowly looked between Kieran and me while Milo frowned around a mouthful of food.

“I’m gonna shower,” I muttered quickly before walking out of the kitchen.

I could feel eyes following me all the way upstairs

The second I got inside the bedroom, I shut the door behind me and leaned heavily against it.

My chest felt tight.

Everything was becoming dangerous again. Silas and Barrett are here. Chelsea has started noticing things And Kieran was making it worse without even realising it.

I walked toward my bag, pulling my top over my head before reaching for my binder. The second I touched it, panic hit me instantly.

“Oh no.”

I picked it up quickly, my stomach dropping hard.

The fabric looked stretched now.

My heartbeat sped up immediately. If it stopped compressing properly

A knock suddenly hit the bedroom door.

“Asher?” Kieran.

I froze instantly. “One second,” I called out quickly.

I shoved the binder toward my bag, but another knock came immediately after.

“Asher" open the door.”

Panic exploded inside my chest. “I’m fine!”

My voice cracked badly. Silence followed outside.

Then the door handle moved. “Kieran wait..”

The door opened halfway.

I turned too quickly. And his eyes landed directly on the binder still clutched in my hands.

For one horrifying second, neither of us moved.

Then Kieran shut the door quickly behind him. “ASh” he whispered sharply.

“I know.”

I looked down at the stretched fabric in horror. “I know it’s bad.”

Kieran stepped closer immediately, lowering his voice. “The storm ruined it.”

“I didn’t realise it got damaged yesterday.”

He took the binder carefully from my hands, inspecting the material.

His jaw tightened instantly. “It’s too loose now.”

Fear slammed into my chest. “What am I supposed to do?” I whispered desperately. “I can’t go downstairs like this.”

Kieran looked stressed now too. Thinking, trying to fix it. Always trying to protect me.

“We’ll figure something out,” he said quietly.

I laughed bitterly. “That’s not exactly comforting.”

His expression softened immediately after that. “Aveline.”

He stepped closer slowly. “You’re not dealing with this alone anymore.”

The sincerity in his voice nearly shattered me. Gosh. I loved him so much.

A loud voice suddenly echoed from downstairs.

“CAPTAIN!” It was Milo.

Kieran cursed quietly under his breath. “We need to go back down before they start asking questions.”

I nodded nervously.

But neither of us moved immediately. Because the danger was sitting right there between us.

Kieran reached up gently, brushing damp hair away from my face.

“Just stay close to me today,” he murmured softly.

My chest tightened. “Kieran.."

“I mean it,” he interrupted quietly. “Something feels wrong.”

I knew exactly what he meant. Silas and Barrett are no good

The way people were beginning to notice things they were never supposed to notice. And standing there in that small bedroom with panic sitting heavily in my chest

Since becoming Asher Carter I am truly terrified of being exposed.