The hum of the private jet was soft, steady—like a lullaby Elara couldn’t quite relax into.
She sat beside Lucas, hands folded in her lap, eyes flicking between the window and the untouched glass of juice on the tray. The clouds outside drifted slowly, but her thoughts moved faster.
She didn’t know how to act.
She was nervous.
Excited.
Terrified.
I’m going back.
Back to the Philippines.
Back to her grandparents.
Back to a life that suddenly felt distant.
She remembered earlier that morning—when Lucas and Riven arrived at the penthouse. Riven had handed her a small travel bag, already packed. Lucas had simply said:
“We’re flying back today. You’ll come with us.”
Then he’d asked:
“Do you have a plan?”
She’d stared at him, unsure how to answer.
“I… don’t know,” she’d admitted.
Now, mid-flight, Lucas finally spoke.
His voice was quiet, almost hesitant.
“You don’t have to decide everything now.”
Elara turned to him, surprised.
He didn’t look at her.
Just stared ahead, fingers loosely clasped.
“But if you want space to think… I can give you that.”
She nodded slowly.
Lucas continued.
“I stay at Draeven Nexus most days. It’s quiet. Secure. If you want, I can arrange something nearby. A place that’s safe. Yours.”
Elara blinked.
“You mean… like a house?”
Lucas smiled faintly.
“Or an apartment. Whatever feels right.”
He paused.
“And if you want to work—just to feel normal again—I can talk to HR. There’s a creative division. You don’t have to be involved in anything clan-related.”
Elara’s chest tightened.
He’s not forcing me. He’s giving me options.
She looked at him—really looked.
Not the actor.
Not the heir.
Just the man beside her.
Quiet.
Protective.
Trying.
Elara looked at him, heart thudding.
“Thank you,” she said softly. “For… all of this.”
Lucas nodded, still calm, still watching the clouds drift past the window.
She hesitated, then added—barely above a whisper:
“Please… take care of me.”
Lucas turned to her then, fully.
His expression didn’t change much.
But something in his eyes softened.
Like a quiet promise had just been made.
“I will,” he said.
No hesitation.
No conditions.
Just that.
And for the first time since the seal had marked her, Elara felt like maybe she wasn’t just surviving anymore.
Maybe she was being seen.
Riven Lau sat across the aisle, tablet resting on his lap, but his eyes weren’t on the screen.
They were on Lucas.
And the girl beside him.
Elara Mariselle—delicate, quiet, visibly nervous. She hadn’t spoken much since boarding, just offered a soft “thank you” and curled into her seat like she was bracing for something unseen.
Lucas hadn’t said much either. But his presence was different.
Gentler.
Less guarded.
Riven couldn’t help but smile. Just a little.
It had been a long time since someone—anyone—sat that close to Lucas without him pulling away.
Not since Kael.
The memory hit like a quiet wave.
Kael’s death had shattered something in Lucas.
No one saw him cry in public.
But those close to him—those who mattered—saw the devastation.
The silence.
The way his smile disappeared.
Even his eyes' smile stopped
Lucas became colder.
Less talkative.
Harder to please.
He stopped going out.
Stopped laughing.
Stopped letting people in.
And then, one day, he vanished.
No announcement.
No interview.
Just gone.
The actor Aurelien Vale—the face that lit up screens, the name that filled fan pages—disappeared without a trace.
No one knew he was the heir.
No one knew he was Draeven.
Riven had kept the secret.
Protected it.
Watched Lucas bury himself in silence.
So when he saw him in that car weeks ago—with a girl asleep —he’d felt something crack.
Elara had looked like a painting.
Soft features.
Peaceful breath.
As if the world outside couldn’t touch her.
And Lucas…
Lucas had carried her.
That alone was shocking.
He never let anyone close.
Never let anyone touch him.
Never let anyone offer help.
Riven had offered to carry her.
Lucas refused.
Now he understood why.
The seal had marked her.
Whether Lucas liked it or not, the girl belonged to him now.
She was his territory.
Untouchable.
Protected.
When Riven asked what Lucas planned to do, he didn’t get an answer.
But he didn’t need one.
Lucas had already decided.
And now, here they were—on the plane, heading back to the Philippines.
Together.
Riven glanced at his tablet again, pulling up the logistics.
He’d need to find a safe place for Ms. Elara.
Something quiet, secure, but not suffocating.
He’d already begun the transfer paperwork—from Caelure to Draeven Nexus, the tech company Lucas had built from the ground up.
Media platforms.
Influencer analytics.
Entertainment-based AI tools.
It was Lucas’s world now.
And soon, Elara would be part of it.
Riven made a note to assign two guards—discreet, trained, loyal.
Not to control her.
Just to keep her safe.
Because the situation was complicated.
The seal was real.
The Velmira name was dangerous.
And Lucas…
Lucas was changing.
Riven looked at him again—at the way his shoulder leaned slightly toward Elara, even unconsciously.
She’s not just a sealed partner, he thought.
She’s the first person to reach him since Kael.
And for the first time in years, Riven felt something he hadn’t felt in a long time.
Hope.