Chapter 94 Chapter 94
Chapter 94
Drake Monroe pulled up to the Castellan villa just after lunch, no call ahead, no heads-up. Same as always.
The guards at the gate nodded once and waved him through. No questions. No clipboard. They knew his car, knew his face, knew better than to make him wait.
Inside the house, Richard Castellan sat in his study with the double doors half-open to the hallway. Papers were lined up across the wide oak desk investment reports, quarterly summaries, the usual. His reading glasses sat low on his nose while he scanned a page. When Drake stepped in without knocking, Richard looked up and broke into an easy smile.
“Drake,” he said, genuine warmth in it. “You should’ve let someone know you were coming.”
Drake gave a short laugh and dropped into the leather chair across from him. “You know how I am. In the neighborhood, figured I’d drop by.”
Richard set the report aside and leaned back, hands folded over his stomach. “How’s everything on your end?”
“Busy,” Drake said. “Non-stop. Especially watching how well Castellan’s portfolio is doing these days.”
Richard’s smile grew a fraction. “Ethan’s taken over most of that side. Kid’s sharp when he wants to be.”
Drake nodded, slow and thoughtful. “He is.”
A beat passed. Not tense, but pointed. The kind of quiet that says more is coming.
Richard picked up on it right away. “You didn’t drive out here to compliment my son’s stock picks.”
Drake let out a breath and rested his elbows on the chair arms. “I didn’t want to bring it up at all. Honestly.”
Richard’s posture shifted—just a little straighter. “What’s going on?”
Drake looked almost reluctant. “It’s Amelia.”
Richard’s face changed instantly. Softened. “What about her?”
“She was hurt yesterday,” Drake said, choosing each word like he was handling something fragile. “Badly hurt.”
Richard’s brows drew together. “By who?”
“Ethan.”
The name sat there between them like a dropped stone.
Richard took his glasses off completely, set them on the desk. “What happened?”
Drake leaned in a touch. “She went to the enterprise. Nothing crazy. Just wanted to see him, talk maybe. But he had security walk her out. In front of people. She came home upset. Shaken. Humiliated.”
Richard’s jaw worked for a second. “That doesn’t sound like him.”
“I wish I could agree,” Drake said quietly. “But she’s not one to make things up. You know Amelia.”
Richard exhaled through his nose. “I’ll talk to him.”
Drake lifted a hand, gentle. “I know you will. I just wanted you to hear it straight from me before the office gossip turns it into something worse.”
Richard nodded once. “I’m sorry she went through that.”
Drake’s voice dropped softer. “She’s loved him a long time, Richard. You know that better than anyone.”
Richard looked down at his hands for a second. “Yeah. I do.”
Drake eased back in the chair. “We’ve talked about this before. About what comes next. For Ethan. For Amelia.”
Richard gave a tired sigh. “We have.”
“And I still think it’s the smart move,” Drake went on. “For both sides.”
Richard tapped his fingers once against the desk. “Ethan’s always been stubborn.”
Drake smiled a little. “Determined.”
“That too,” Richard said. “He moved out of here a while back. Into that penthouse downtown. Says he needs space.”
Drake lifted an eyebrow. “I heard.”
“He thinks going it alone is the same as being free,” Richard said. “But he’ll figure it out eventually.”
Drake nodded. “I hope so."
Drake leaned back slightly, his fingers resting together as if he’d been waiting for the right moment to say it.
“Ethan is seeing someone,” he said.
Richard looked up at him at once. “That’s not possible.”
Drake didn’t rush to respond. He watched Richard’s reaction, the quick denial, the certainty. Then he spoke again, steady.
“Amelia wouldn’t come to me with nothing.”
Richard shook his head. “You know my son. He’s not the type to move on quietly. If Ethan were involved with someone, I’d know.”
Drake tilted his head. “That’s what worries me.”
Richard’s brows creased. “Worries you how?”
Drake’s voice lowered. “Ethan has changed. His routines. His boundaries. The way he handles things now. Amelia noticed first, but I’ve seen it too.”
Richard stood from his seat, pacing once before stopping near the window. “Ethan has been through a lot. Changes don’t always mean another woman.”
“I agree,” Drake said. “But this isn’t just change. It’s distance.”
Richard turned back. “Distance from Amelia doesn’t mean another woman.”
Drake met his gaze. “Then explain why he humiliated her at his own company.”
Richard hesitated.
Drake continued, “Explain why he’s living away from the villa. Why he’s unreachable half the time. Why he’s suddenly guarding his space like something valuable is there.”
“That’s Ethan being Ethan,” Richard said, though his voice wasn’t as firm as before.
Drake took a step closer. “Or Ethan protecting someone.”
Richard was quiet.
“He wouldn’t risk everything for someone insignificant,” Drake added. “Not your son.”
Richard exhaled slowly. “Amelia is sensitive. She might be reading into things.”
“She’s jealous,” Drake agreed easily. “But jealousy doesn’t come from nowhere.”
Richard rubbed his temple. “You’re asking me to believe Ethan is seeing someone behind our backs.”
“I’m asking you to consider it,” Drake said. “Before it becomes a problem neither of us can control.”
Richard looked away again, his jaw tight. “If there is someone—”
“I don’t want chaos,” Drake interrupted. “I want clarity.”
Richard nodded once. “I’ll look into it.”
Drake’s expression softened. “That’s all I’m asking.”
Richard turned back to him. “If Ethan is involved with someone, I’ll handle it.”
“I trust you will,” Drake replied.
As Drake gathered his coat, Richard remained standing, thoughtful, unsettled. The certainty he’d walked into the room with was no longer as solid.
And Drake knew it.
\---
The room went quiet again. Not long. Just enough time for the words to settle.
Richard broke it. “I’ll bring him here. Sit him down. He listens when it’s me doing the talking.”
Drake smiled faintly. “You’re his father. He respects you.”
Richard stood up and walked over to the window that overlooked the back gardens. Late-afternoon sun cut across the lawn in long stripes. “This match makes sense. On every level.”
Drake stayed seated, watching him. “I agree.”
“Families like ours don’t stay strong by accident,” Richard continued. “History. Connections. Stability. It all fits.”
“And trust,” Drake added, smooth as anything.
Richard turned back toward him. “Exactly.”
Drake rose too. “I’m not trying to force anything. I just want what’s right for them.”
“So do I,” Richard said.
Drake started toward the door, then paused with his hand on the frame. “Thanks for listening.”
Richard waved it off. “You’re family.”
Drake gave him one last small smile.
When he stepped out into the hallway, the expression shifted only a little. Calm and Satisfied. Everything exactly where he wanted it.
Richard stayed by the window a minute longer. Hands in his pockets. Eyes on the garden without really seeing it.
He didn’t question Drake’s story.
He didn’t wonder why Amelia hadn’t called him herself.
He didn’t think to ask what Ethan’s side of it might be.
All he knew was the plan he’d carried for years the one that tied the two families tighter, secured the future, kept everything in order.
Ethan would come around.
He always came around.
And when he did, the pieces would lock into place the way they were always meant to.
Richard turned away from the window, sat back down at his desk, and picked up the next report.
He had a call to make later.
Nothing urgent.
Just a father asking his son to come home for dinner.
Nothing more than that.