And finally she turned fully, walking back through the cemetery with quiet, measured steps. She disappeared through the crowd to meet her parents before leaving the cemetery.
It wasn’t until much later, after making sure her parents had returned home safely, that Amara finally stepped out alone onto the road outside.
Meanwhile, Elias had remained behind. As the last of the guests left, he stood with composed restraint, exchanging brief, respectful nods as each person departed.
Only when the cemetery finally emptied—silence settling over the graves like a heavy blanket—did he move.
Elias stepped out of the cemetery with Felix walking just behind him. The faint rustle of their black coats was the only sound against the stillness of the trees.
They passed out of the shadowed path between the graves, the light from the open entrance gradually spilling over them.
The air outside was colder.
And that was when Felix suddenly slowed. His eyes caught something ahead and his expression shifted immediately. His attention locked in.
Amara stood close to Jasper beside a black car, the distance between them small enough to feel personal rather than professional. She held a few papers in her hands, her fingers lightly gripping the edges as the pages shifted slightly in the wind.
Jasper stood beside her, leaning slightly in, one hand raised as he pointed at a specific line on the document.
Amara’s hair shifted with the movement as she leaned in just slightly, studying the papers with focused attention. Jasper spoke quietly, and she responded with a small nod, turning the page with careful precision.
There was no distance between them that suggested formality.
Only ease.
Familiarity.
Elias stopped walking when Felix suddenly came to a halt. His eyes followed Felix’s line of sight—and only then did he see them.
The change in him was immediate. His steps froze completely. The calm composure on his face darkened. His jaw clenched as his gaze locked onto Jasper’s hand near Amara.
A pause stretched between him and the scene ahead.
Then, in a low voice, Elias spoke.
“Who is that manchild?”
Felix visibly stiffened at the tone.
His eyes flicked toward Elias quickly, surprise flashing across his face at the sharpness of the question.
He stepped slightly closer, lowering his voice as if careful not to disturb the moment further.
“Mr. Creed… that’s Mr. Jasper Frost.”
A pause.
“One of the bosses of Frost Industries.”
Elias didn’t look away from Amara and Jasper for even a single moment. His eyes remained fixed on the two of them.
“The real estate business?”
Felix nodded once.
“Yes.”
Then he added carefully, sensing the shift in Elias’s mood.
