Chapter 345: Chapter 345

Jasmine was standing near the balcony doors with Mendy, one hand on the glass while snow slammed softly against it from outside. The balcony was completely white, the railing buried, the city beyond blurred by the storm.

“So this is the balcony,” Jasmine said, sounding way too cheerful for the weather. “Normally it’s amazing. Coffee, wine, city view. Right now it’s just winter hell.”

Mendy leaned closer to the glass, eyes wide. “It’s… really pretty. And kind of scary.”

“Yeah,” Jasmine laughed. “But once this storm’s over, we’re planning upgrades. We already talked about it with the hotel.”

“Upgrades?” Mendy asked.

“With one button,” Jasmine said, tapping the wall beside the door, “the whole balcony seals shut. Glass panels slide in, cuts off the outside completely. Wind, snow, everything. Like an indoor room.”

Mendy blinked. “That’s insane.”

“Rich people toys,” Jasmine grinned.

I let them talk and headed into the kitchen. I opened the fridge, grabbed a beer, and popped it open. The hiss felt good. A second later, Kim walked in and reached for a beer too.

I took it out of her hand and put it back in the fridge.

She froze, then sighed and smacked her forehead lightly. “Oh. Right. Pregnant. Wow.”

“Yeah,” I said. “That’s kind of a thing now.”

She leaned back against the counter, arms crossing. “Habit.”

“I can make you lemonade if you want,” I said. “Fresh.”

She tilted her head. “You know what? I’ll take it.”

I turned to the sink, ran water over my cigarette to kill it, tossed it in the bin, and washed my hands. I grabbed a couple lemons from the fridge and the citrus press from the drawer. I cut the first lemon in half and pressed it slowly. Juice dripped into the glass, sharp smell filling the kitchen.

“You getting used to it?” I asked while pressing the second half.

“A little,” Kim said. “Still weird. You?”

“A little,” I said. I added more juice, then reached for the sugar. “Every day feels different.”

She watched me, amused. “Delilah, me… and now Minne wants to get pregnant too.”

I looked up. “Hmm?”

“Yeah,” Kim nodded. “Yesterday I caught her staring at herself in the mirror, smiling like an idiot while rubbing her stomach. It was illegal how cute it was.”

I stirred the sugar in. “I’ve seen that too. And it does something to me. Makes me feel like I’m on top of the world. Butterflies and shit.”

She laughed. “Butterflies and shit. Wow.”

“Hey,” I said. “That’s real, alright? Very real.”

“Thank God I’m not dating you for romance,” she said. “Romance would punch you and walk away disappointed.”

“I am romantic,” I said, adding cold water and stirring again.

“Sure you are.”

I slid the glass to her. “Try it.”

She took a sip, nodded, then took another. “Okay. That’s good.”

“See?” I said. “Didn’t screw up lemonade. And I’m romantic.”

“Two irrelevant subjects, cowboy.”

She smiled into the glass.

From the living room, I heard laughter and the TV murmuring in the background. The storm kept howling outside, but inside the penthouse felt warm. Full. Loud in the best way.

Kim and I walked over to the couch where Minne was sitting by herself.

She looked up when she noticed us and smiled, a small one, barely there, but it was still a smile. Without the maid outfit, she looked different. Softer. More like her age. It felt strange not seeing her in uniform, but at the same time… she was really cute like this. Comfortable clothes, hair a little messy, shoulders slightly slumped.

“How are you, honey?” I asked, lowering my voice a bit as I stopped in front of her.

“I’m good, Master,” she said quietly.

I knew that tone. She was saying she was fine because she didn’t want to worry anyone, not because she actually was.

Around us, the penthouse was alive in its usual way. Jasmine and Mendy were still by the balcony doors, talking and pointing at the snow piling up outside. Kim moved to sit on the arm of the couch with her lemonade. Delilah and Nala were together on the other couch, phones in hand, leaning close. Kayla was by the kitchen counter, scrolling through something on her phone, while Tessa poured herself a glass of water and muttered about some stupid headline she’d just read.

Mendy stood out a little. She wasn’t really part of anything yet, just hovering near Jasmine, listening more than talking. She looked like she wanted to fit in but didn’t know how yet.

I put my hand on Minne’s shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze. She leaned into it just slightly, like she needed the reassurance. Her fingers came up and rested over my hand, rubbing my knuckles with her thumb. It was absent-minded, instinctive. That small gesture alone told me more than her words did.

She really had come a long way. The first time I met her, her face had been completely blank, like she’d already given up on expecting kindness from people. Now she still struggled, but she let herself feel things.

“Want me to squeeze you a lemonade too?” I asked. “I just made one for Kim. Apparently I’m a professional now.”

“I really did love it,” Kim said, lifting her glass slightly. “Still loving it, actually. Want some, Minne?”

“I’m… I’m okay,” Minne said after a second. “Thank you.”

“All right,” Kim said easily. “But don’t come crying later when you regret it.”

Minne smiled a little more at that, and the tension in her shoulders eased just a bit.

I gave her shoulders a light shake and stepped back. “I’m here if you need me, okay?”

She nodded and met my eyes. I could see the redness there now that I was closer. She’d cried not long ago. That made my chest tighten in a way I didn’t like.

I rubbed the back of my neck and headed toward the kitchen, where Kayla and Tessa were still hanging out. Kayla was holding her phone up while Tessa leaned in close, both of them laughing.

“Evan,” Tessa said, pointing at the screen. “Come here. You need to see this.”

“Huh?” I pulled my phone out of habit, then leaned closer to see what they were watching.

It was one of those dumb videos. A cat drinking water, exaggerated slurping sounds, clearly edited to be weirdly relaxing. I watched for a second, unimpressed. Then the screen suddenly cut to some screaming woman with distorted audio. I didn’t even flinch. I just stared at them and shook my head while dialing Cora’s number.

Nah. I was so used to Dierella just appearing out of nowhere that I… I was kind of immune to jumpscares now, I guess. Weird flex, huh…

“You had to see that,” Tessa said proudly. “First time I watched it, I nearly pissed myself.”

“I didn’t,” I said, putting the phone to my ear. “Not scary.”

“Liar,” Tessa said, smacking my shoulder.

“All right, drama queen.”

“Hello?” Cora’s voice came through.

“Oh, hey,” I said, stepping a little away from the others and leaning against the counter. “How are you, Cora?”

“I’m good. You?”

“Same old,” I said. “I just wanted to check on Esme. After… everything. See how she’s doing.”

“She’s okay,” Cora said. “Got a pretty bad cold, but she’s better than yesterday.”

“That’s good,” I said. “I was worried.”

“She’s sleeping on and off. Do you want to talk to her?”

“Yeah,” I said. “If that’s okay.”

I heard footsteps—Cora, probably, heading toward Esme’s bedroom. I waited, staring at the floor, tracing imaginary lines as I searched for the words I was supposed to say.

I hadn’t known Esme’s father was… that kind of person. I knew he was a jerk, sure, but I hadn’t expected that level of degeneracy.

A faint shuffling sound reached me, followed by a yawn. Esme must have already been in bed, with Cora in her room now. She had to be asleep—of course she was. That girl could sleep through anything. I would never understand how she managed it.

Then I heard a yawn.

“Evan?” Esme’s voice came through, groggy. “Morning.”

“Hey,” I said softly. “Morning. How are you feeling?”

“Okay. Tired.”

“Yeah, I can hear that,” I said. “I just wanted to make sure you were okay. You were… not in a great place when I left.”

“I am,” she said. “I’m sorry for how I acted.”

“No,” I said immediately. “That wasn’t on you. I’m the one who should apologize. I shouldn’t have let things get that far.”

There was a pause.

“I wanted it,” she admitted quietly. “But I panicked.”

“That’s valid,” I said. “Anyone would.”

She hummed in agreement. “I need to sleep.”

“Right,” I said. “Hope you get better.”

“Bye, Evan.”

“Bye.”

I ended the call and stopped pacing. I was glad she was okay. She hadn’t sounded sad—just sleepy. Extremely sleepy.

Relieved, I smacked the phone against my palm a few times before slipping it into my pocket and heading back into the living room. I took in the scene: Kayla and Tessa were still in the kitchen, with Minne hovering between them.

A few seconds later, as Minne watched a video on Tessa’s phone, she let out a small scream. It had to be that stupid scary clip they’d made me watch earlier. Poor Minne.

Still… maybe it would help take her mind off her mother.

“That was scary!” she said, wide-eyed.

“I told you!” Tessa laughed.

“Sorry!” Kayla said quickly. “She made me send it.”

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