Chapter 121

Chapter 121

The open office floor.

Yvaine beamed, holding Holden's hand, basking in the attention.

Everyone chattered at once—praising Holden while burning with curiosity about who he was.

After all, Yvaine had arrived that morning with Ignatius. The entire office considered them a couple. A child appearing out of nowhere?

Curiosity hit a fever pitch.

When Yvaine just smiled and said nothing, the questions shifted to Holden.

"Hey, sweetie—tell us, what's your relationship with her?"

Holden had zero patience for gossip. He was about to snap back with something cutting—until he spotted Octavia stepping out of her office. His expression shifted instantly. He raised his voice on purpose.

"Ladies, let me make this clear. This is my favorite person in the whole world." He clutched Yvaine's hand, his face glowing with happiness.

"Aww! His favorite! I'm so jealous!"

The crowd erupted again.

Into the commotion strode Finnian. "What's going on here? Is everyone done with their work? And you—" He turned to Yvaine. "Company protocol is strict. This is a classified project. Data security is paramount. No unauthorized visitors. You know that."

His gaze dropped to Holden. Something complicated flickered behind his eyes.

Children grew up watching their parents' shadows.

From a man's perspective, Finnian understood perfectly why Holden idolized Yvaine and dismissed Octavia. The boy was simply mirroring Ignatius.

A father and son together long enough—preferences become contagious. Thinking of the quiet heartbreak in Octavia's eyes, his voice hardened another degree.

"Let me be clear. I know you got into this project through special channels. But now that you're here, you follow the rules. Otherwise, I have every right to remove you."

His authoritative gaze swept the room.

"This is work hours. Anyone else who pulls a stunt like this—don't blame me when you're off the team."

This was a classified government collaboration. Every person here was top-tier in their field. Being selected was a badge of honor.

Getting kicked off halfway through? Career suicide.

Heads ducked. Everyone scurried back to their stations.

Yvaine held Finnian's stare for a long moment but said nothing. She took Holden's hand and retreated to her office.

---

The break room.

Octavia poured herself a coffee, face blank. Her phone buzzed.

A message from Yvaine.

Bold as ever—an invitation to come to her office.

The real agenda was never the stated one.

Octavia let out a cold laugh, then walked past Finnian's worried gaze and into Yvaine's office.

The door clicked shut.

Yvaine immediately softened. "Sorry about that—kids say the darndest things. Don't take it to heart. But as a mother, you really should make time for him. He misses you."

She looked at Holden's stubborn little face and stroked his head gently. "I know you didn't really come here to see me today. You came for your mom, didn't you?"

Caught. Holden's cheeks flushed pink, but he pressed his lips together and said nothing.

"Come on, be good. Your mom's right here now. Why don't you two go for a walk? Maybe grab something to eat?"

Yvaine played peacemaker, guiding Holden toward Octavia's arms.

But Holden recoiled as if he'd touched a live wire, leaping back to Yvaine's side. "What are you doing? I told you—Yvaine's my favorite. Yvaine, can you take the day off and hang out with me? I miss you."

Yvaine put on a helpless expression, glancing between Octavia and Holden.

Watching them volley the child back and forth like a shuttlecock, Octavia almost found it funny. "I'm working. It's busy. I don't have time for this. You two go ahead."

Seeing Holden's bewildered face, she walked over and transferred some money to his account. "I know you don't need it, but it's from me. Buy yourself whatever you want."

She said what needed saying, didn't spare them another glance, and walked out.

Gone.

Clean. Decisive. Not a shred of hesitation.

Yvaine's brow furrowed tight.

Somewhere along the way, Octavia had slipped completely beyond their control.

The old Octavia was fiercely capable at work but soft when it came to family—especially Holden, especially Xanthe.

When had she become bulletproof? Whether they weaponized the child or the Lavien family, nothing landed anymore.

Before, seeing Holden cling to Yvaine like this would have shattered Octavia. But just now—from start to finish—not a single crease in her brow. Not a ripple in her eyes. She'd watched the whole performance like someone observing clowns at a circus.

The realization twisted Yvaine's face into something ugly. Rage contorted her features.

Holden looked up and froze. "Yvaine? What's wrong?"

"Nothing, nothing. Come on—let's go have some fun. I'll show you my new company."

Yvaine was distracted, barely present. She took the afternoon off and whisked Holden straight to her new office.

---

Back at the project headquarters, the gossip mill was already running at full speed.

"Oh my God—did you see that kid? He looks exactly like Mr. Grimaldi. Like a carbon copy."

"I'll tell you something I heard—apparently Mr. Grimaldi's been secretly married for years. Has a kid and everything. I thought it was just a rumor, but after today? Seems pretty real."

"So that makes Yvaine the stepmom? I mean, marrying into a family like that was never going to be simple."

"But is that kid okay in the head? In a family like that, with all the power struggles—why would he cling to his stepmom? Why would he prefer her?"

After Yvaine left, the break room turned into gossip central.

Ignatius and Holden's faces were virtually identical—one the full-size version, the other the miniature.

A blind person could see the resemblance.

The reason everyone had kept pressing earlier was simple curiosity—would Yvaine actually admit the truth?

Octavia passed the break room after finishing her work. She heard every word.

Her heart was perfectly still.

---

End of day.

Octavia pulled out of the underground garage. She'd barely made it down the block when a luxury car came tearing toward her and cut her off.

A scream tore from her throat as she slammed the brakes.

Her heart hammered against her ribs. She looked up—and when she saw who stepped out of the car, her face went stone cold.

"What the hell are you doing? You could've caused a serious accident!"

"Why are you ignoring the child?"

Ignatius unfolded his long frame from the car, his tone accusatory.

Those deep-set eyes radiated disapproval. Look closer—there was genuine anger simmering beneath.

Octavia laughed. Bitterly. "So what—the second Holden misses me, I'm supposed to drop everything and be on call? This is how it's been between us for years. Don't act like you don't know that."

In other words—the fact that she and Holden barely spent any time together? That was Ignatius's doing.