Chapter 149: The Life She Chose to Leave

Chapter 149: Chapter 149: The Life She Chose to Leave

~Third- POV~

We informed her that you weren’t home, but she refused to leave. She said she knew you would be returning today and insisted on waiting in the main living room until you arrived, no matter how late it got."

Reynold’s brow twitched.

Eva.

He turned toward the arched entrance to the grand living room, displeasure tightening his expression.

"So you just let her wait until this hour?" he asked. "Why didn’t security escort her out?"

"She said it was an urgent personal matter, Mr. Corvin," Martha explained. "She wouldn’t take no for an answer. I’m very sorry, sir."

Frederick let out an irritated breath and adjusted the cuffs of his coat.

"Go to your quarters, Martha. I’ll deal with this."

"Yes, sir."

Once Martha had hurried away, Frederick turned to Reynold, his expression softening slightly. "Go upstairs and freshen up, baby. You’re exhausted. I’ll get rid of her."

Reynold looked into Frederick’s eyes before glancing down at the engagement ring on his finger. He gently placed a hand over Frederick’s arm.

"No, Daddy. I’ll wait for you. We entered this home together, and we’re going upstairs together."

Frederick looked at him for a moment, a faint, proud smile touching his lips. He covered Reynold’s hand with his own. "Alright, baby. We’ll go together."

They walked side by side into the living room.

Eva was seated on one of the plush velvet sofas, a glass of untouched water resting on the glass table before her. She wore a very short designer dress from her earlier photoshoot, but the moment she heard their approaching footsteps, she quickly reached for her long coat and slipped it over her shoulders, pulling it closed to cover her outfit.

She immediately rose to her feet, smoothing down her coat as her eyes settled on Frederick. Then her gaze shifted to Reynold, who stood beside him with their fingers loosely intertwined.

"Eva, what are you doing here?" Frederick asked, his expression hardening.

Eva hesitated before speaking. "Frederick, I know you’re not happy to see me here, but I wouldn’t have come or waited this late if it weren’t important. I have a flight at eight-thirty tomorrow morning for a major modeling contract overseas. If I leave without speaking to you tonight, I won’t be back for several weeks. I need to discuss the public fallout from your interview and talk about Lily."

She took a small step forward, looking directly at Frederick. "I only need ten minutes of your time to clear the air between us."

Before Frederick could respond, Reynold stepped slightly forward, positioning himself between Eva and Frederick.

Eva’s eyes shifted to him, a hint of surprise crossing her face at the interruption.

"I understand that you have something important to discuss with him, Miss Eva, and that you’re leaving tomorrow. But waiting here until almost midnight wasn’t necessary. You could have waited until you returned from your trip to speak with him. We’ve just arrived from a long journey, and all we want tonight is to go upstairs, freshen up, and get some rest. I don’t think it’s unreasonable to expect you to respect that."

Eva raised an eyebrow, a flicker of her usual pride showing through. "Reynold, this is a private matter between Frederick and me. It concerns our past and some official affairs. It doesn’t involve you."

"It involves me when you show up at our home and wait until almost midnight," Reynold replied calmly. He lifted his chin slightly, his fingers intertwined with Frederick’s. "I’m his fiancé, and I live here too. Whatever you need to discuss with Frederick can wait until you’re back from your trip."

Eva glanced at the engagement ring on Reynold’s finger before looking at Frederick, seemingly expecting him to intervene or tell Reynold to stay out of the conversation.

Frederick gently released Reynold’s hand and placed his arm around his waist, drawing him closer. He made no move to silence him or contradict his words. Instead, he stood firmly beside his fiancé, silently showing his support.

Eva’s composure faltered slightly. "Frederick, my flight leaves in a few hours—"

"You heard my fiancé," Frederick interrupted, his voice cold and decisive. "If it’s something that can be handled through documents, have your manager send them to my office. If you need to speak to me in person, you can come tomorrow, but not early. Otherwise, wait until you return from your trip, and we can discuss it then. Those are your options, Eva."

Reynold folded his arms across his chest. "We’ve had a long trip, and Frederick needs to rest. I think it’s best you leave now, Ms. Hartley."

Eva looked between them, apparently realizing that Frederick wasn’t going to dismiss Reynold’s words or entertain another argument.

With a restrained breath, she pulled her coat tighter around herself and nodded.

"Fine. I have the documents with me, but I wanted us to discuss them in person because they concern us, especially my daughter. Since that won’t be possible tonight, I’ll have my manager forward them to your office. If you have time, I’d appreciate it if you could call me so we can discuss everything over the phone."

She turned and walked out of the living room, the clicking of her heels echoing through the marble hallway until the front door closed behind her.

A few moments later, the sound of her car engine faded outside, and silence settled over the mansion.

Frederick was surprised that Eva had actually left without putting up a fight. For a moment, he wondered what she had wanted to tell him, especially since she had insisted on waiting for hours just to speak with him. But he quickly pushed the thought aside. He could deal with whatever she had to say later.

Frederick turned to Reynold, a faint smile spreading across his face. He gently took Reynold’s hand and looked down at him.

"I’m sorry if I overstepped," Reynold said, his expression softening. "I know she’s your ex, and I didn’t mean to interfere in something between the two of you."

Frederick let out a quiet chuckle and shook his head. "No, baby. You did nothing wrong. You handled that very well. I honestly wasn’t expecting you to stand up to her like that. Look at you, sweetheart. You’ve grown so confident."

Reynold smiled, wrapping his arms around Frederick’s neck. "I told you, Daddy. I’m growing up. I’m becoming the man who can stand beside you without feeling intimidated by anyone."

Frederick’s expression softened. He cupped Reynold’s cheek, brushing his thumb gently across it.

"You don’t have to prove anything to me, baby. I chose you because I want you. Not because of what you can do or how well you can stand up to someone. You’re already the man I want beside me, and nothing is going to change that."

Reynold’s smile widened as he leaned into Frederick’s touch. "Really?"

"Always," Frederick replied, pressing a tender kiss to his forehead.

He took Reynold’s hand, and together they left the living room and headed upstairs to their bedroom.

Inside, the tension of the encounter finally dissolved. They took a quick shower to wash away the long flight, then dressed in matching silk pajamas and slid beneath the cool sheets. The moment their bodies met, Reynold let out a contented sigh, resting his head on Frederick’s chest and curling an arm around his waist.

His breathing slowed almost at once, his eyelids fluttering shut as sleep pulled him under.

Frederick stroked his hair for a few moments, savoring the warmth of him. When he was sure Reynold was asleep, he carefully reached for his phone on the nightstand, keeping the screen dim to avoid disturbing him.

Frederick began going through the business messages and emails he hadn’t checked during the flight. Most were routine updates, but one message caught his attention. It was from a senior executive at the modeling agency Eva was contracted with.

He opened the message and began to read.

Hello, Mr. Corvin. I’m reaching out to inform you that Eva contacted us regarding her decision to terminate her contract with the agency. She made it clear that she intends to leave the modeling industry entirely and relocate overseas. We’ve also received similar reports from some of the other brands and agencies she works with, suggesting that she’s making the same arrangements with them. Given that you were the one who originally brought her to our agency, I thought it best to inform you personally. Were you aware of her decision?

Frederick paused, his eyes fixed on the message.

His thumb hovered over the screen as the pieces slowly fell into place. Eva’s unexpected visit that evening suddenly made more sense. She hadn’t come to his estate to cause a scene or play games. She had come to tell him that she was leaving the modeling industry and relocating overseas, walking away from the life she had built for herself.

But why was she leaving everything behind? Was it really that difficult for her to face what had happened? he wondered.