Her Return

Nita was busy admiring the roadway which led to her home when she sensed the same gaze from before being directed at her.

However, this time, she chose to ignore him as seeing his flustered face which turned red in a matter of moments was only amusing the first time around.

Thus she would rather observe how much her home had changed in the past nine years than be bothered with him.

Her eyes remained fixed on the large gates that were the same as before but the inside seemed to have been renovated after she had left.

The estate which belonged to the Valkens was vast and contained everything that one could require in it.

A large mansion with more rooms than they could occupy, every amenities that one could desire, and an overly expansive backyard where her mother grew all kinds of flowers.

The path which the car was taking led them to the mansion Nita had grown up in and on either side of the path, there were tall trees whose outspread branches cast a shadow over their path.

Surveillance cameras were everywhere as the Valkens were influential people and like every important family, they too had their fair share of enemies.

The car reached the mansion in no time and the chauffeur hurried to hold the door open for the Young Miss of the Valken family who had finally made her return.

Stepping outside, Nita looked up to admire the different shades of paint on the exterior of the mansion than the one she had last seen.

'Mother sure knows what she is doing.' She praised as there was only one person who could have done this.

Among the Valkens, only Mother Valken was adept in everything related to fashion, decor, and design.

She was the matriarch of their family and thanks to her brilliant sense of style, had taken the responsibility of making sure that the image of their family was a pleasant one at all times.

Remembering the days she spent with her mother, shopping and redecorating her room brought a slight smile to her face as that was one of the best memories she had in this place.

However, in the next second, her smile faltered at the news she had received just last night which had made her catch the first flight back home.

Milo Gavin had alighted from the car along with the chauffeur and had stood at a respectable distance from the Young Miss.

Seeing her smile had made him blush but he frowned at the sudden shift in her expressions.

Though half her face was hidden behind those thick and huge sunglasses, he could still make out the lower half of her face which allowed him to discern her conflicted emotions right at this moment.

Nita took a deep breath and raised her foot, walking up the stairs which led to the main doors of the mansion.

The doors were wide open and as she walked in, she could hear voices coming from inside.

She did not bother about what those voices were saying but was more interested in taking a look at her childhood home.

Right before the entrance of this mansion was a grand staircase that added to its rustic and antique feel.

The staircase branched into two paths at a higher level which led to two different sides of the mansion.

Similarly, the ground floor where she stood was also divided into two halves.

To her right was her father's den and office which was the source of the voices she was hearing even now.

On her left was the place usually meant to entertain guests, the parlor which led to the dining hall and other parts of the mansion.

"How long do you plan on standing there?" A gruff voice reached her ears, making her turn in its direction.

There was no one in sight but Nita knew that if she just stepped through the door on her right, she would find the one who had just spoken.

Milo had followed her up the stairs and into the mansion but found her standing rooted in place right at the entrance.

He had assumed that she was reminiscing about the past so he waited patiently but the voice he too had heard made him want to rush her along.

Thankfully, he did not have to do so as Nita walked through the door and entered the room on her right soon enough.

The den which also served at the Valken family patriarch's home office was where the two had arrived.

Nita's eyes gave the room a quick scan and found quite a few familiar faces around.

However, she did not give them a second glance but headed towards the one who had called out to her earlier.

'How will this reunion be?' Assistant Milo Gavin stood next to the door and waited to see how they would react.

The young lady stood before a man, tall and stern-looking.

The pale blue shirt with a dark suit he was wearing made his eyes look brighter than they were.

With his deep crimson eyes, he looked straight at the shorter woman standing before him.

Though his hair was still dark, Nita could see the obvious signs of aging on his face, especially the wrinkles around his eyes which had been absent the last time they had met.

Silence enshrouded the room as this pair gazed into each other's eyes.

Milo was on pins and needles to see what they did next and his heart rate had risen subconsciously as a result of his nervous state of mind.

The Young Miss he had escorted from the airport finally took off her sunglasses, giving him an opportunity to admire the beautiful eyes she possessed.

His Boss had rare hazel eyes with the most pigmented golden swirls and flecks around his irises.

However, this younger sister did not share the same eyes as her brother.

Instead, her eyes which were a harmonious mixture of red and pink resembled the ones belonging to the man standing before her.

Nita's red eyes with pink flecks now came into direct contact with those deep crimson eyes of the older man.

As she watched, the wrinkles around his eyes crinkled further as his eyes curved along with his lips, forming an unexpected smile.

"How have you been, child?" The same gruff voice from before was heard but this time, there was a gentleness concealed in it.

Nita could not stop her smile from surfacing as she nodded in reply.

"Good, Father." She added two simple words which revealed both her relationship with him and also how her life had been so far.