Chapter 70: Sun And Moon

Granny smiles, brushing a smudge of frosting from Anio’s hair.

“Anio, did you bother these nice young men?”

Anio pouts, a perfect picture of dramatic innocence.

“No…, Gamma!”

She laughs.

“Now thank them properly so we can go.”

He nods and trots over to us. Looks up at Angel first.

“Thank you for cake, Uncle Angel.”

Angel’s whole face softens. He leans down and presses a gentle kiss to Anio’s sticky cheek.

“It’s okay. You’re such a cute kid.”

Then Anio turns his big, shining eyes to me.

“Thank you, Uncle Zy…ren.”

My gaze isn’t on him. It’s trapped on Deniz, standing beside the granny like a statue carved from ice. Angel’s voice, soft beside me, barely registers.

“Zyren…?”

I flinch. Tear my eyes away. Look down at the little boy and force a smile onto my face. It feels brittle, like sugar glass. I pat his head.

“Take care, little king.”

Granny steps forward, her expression warm and apologetic. “I’m so sorry for being late, young man. I nearly took a tumble on the street, but this decent gentleman helped me.” She gestures to Deniz, her gratitude glowing.

Deniz finally moves. One formal step forward. A shallow, perfect bow.

“Good evening, sir.”

Granny blinks, her gaze darting between us.

“Oh! Do you know each other?”

Angel looks at Deniz, gentle confusion in his golden eyes.

I open my mouth. Yes. He’s—

Deniz speaks first. His voice is smooth. Polished. Empty. “Granny, this is my employer. My boss.”

Understanding dawns on her face. “Ah! What a lovely coincidence.” She takes the medicine bag from his hands and gathers Anio’s small fist in her own. She looks between me and Angel, her smile beaming with a warmth that suddenly feels dangerous.

“Thank you again, both of you, for watching my grandson. You two make such a beautiful couple.”

My eyes widen.

Couple…..?

I can feel Deniz’s gaze shift. It lands on me, then on Angel standing beside me. The weight of it is a physical coldness spreading through my chest.

Granny continues, weaving her sweet, oblivious fiction. “Like the sun and moon walking together. It was such a pleasure.” Her eyes grow misty.

“I pray God blesses you with your own sweet little one soon.”

“Granny, it’s not—” The words are tight in my throat. I have to stop this.

Deniz speaks again. His tone is flat. Final. “Granny, I should be going now.”

She turns her kind smile to him. “Of course, take care, decent man. God bless you.”

A curt nod. He turns on his heel. He’s walking away.

“Deniz, wait—!”

The name tears out of me, raw and too loud. He doesn’t pause. Doesn’t look back. His retreating back is a familiar ghost—a perfect, brutal echo of that night on the dark sidewalk.

Granny and Anio move toward the door. Anio waves cheerfully. Angel, ever gentle, waves back, a soft, bright smile on his face.

But I don’t see it. My whole world is the empty space where Deniz vanished, the bakery door swinging shut behind him, and the echo of the granny’s sweet, devastating prayer hanging in the sugar-scented air, choking me.

The car rolls to a stop in the mansion’s grand, moonlit drive. I step out, the night air cool against my skin.

Angel follows, a soft, contented smile still gracing his lips from the bakery—a smile that feels like it belongs to a different, simpler world. Untouched by the cold tension I carry.

The servants bow and murmur greetings as we walk inside. My expression isn’t cold. It isn’t angry. It’s just… weird. Hollow. Numb.

A static fog where my feelings should be. I keep walking, my steps automatic on the familiar marble.

Angel walks quietly beside me. “Zyren,” he says, his voice a gentle probe in the heavy silence.

“Are you okay?”

I don’t look at him. “Yes.” The lie is flat.

“You must be tired. You should rest.”

He nods, accepting the dismissal. He turns to walk away, toward the wing that houses the servants’ quarters.

I stop. Turn. Look at his retreating back.

“Angel.”

He stops at the suddenness in my voice. Turns, his golden eyes wide with confusion.

“Where are you going?”

“To my room,” he says, as if it’s obvious.

My voice comes out, not soft, not warm, but edged with a cold, restless finality I didn’t intend. “You’re not staying in the servants’ apartments anymore. Choose a room for yourself. In the mansion.”

He stares at me. The silence stretches, filled only with the distant tick of a grand clock.

I blink. The harshness of my own tone echoes in my ears. Neon, you fool. What the hell are you doing? I rub my temple, a wave of self-disgust washing over me.

“I’m sorry,” I murmur, the words softer, frayed at the edges. “I didn’t mean to—”

Before I can finish, his hand finds mine. A cool, steady touch. I flinch, looking at him in surprise.

He holds my gaze, his eyes soft but unwavering. “Zyren,” he says, his voice a quiet anchor.

“I know you’re not okay. If you don’t want to tell me, it’s okay. But please… don’t stress yourself like this.”

He gives my hand a gentle, reassuring squeeze.

“Let’s go with me,” he says.

Before I can react, question, or protest, he’s leading me, our hands linked. He doesn’t head toward the grand staircase or the guest wings. He turns down a quieter, less-lit hallway.

“Angel, where are we going?” I ask, my voice barely a whisper.

He glances back, a sweet, secretive smile touching his lips. “A secret place.”

I blink. A secret place? In this mansion…?

He nods, his smile deepening. “Yes.”

And I, too tired to fight, too empty to lead, simply let him. I follow him in silence, my hand in his, allowing myself to be pulled along. Maybe, just for tonight, I can stop trying to handle everything. Stop being the CEO, the heir, the schemer, the heartbroken fool.

Maybe I can just be lazy. And let this gentle angel lead me wherever his secret place may be.

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