Chapter 5

The city felt quieter than usual that night, its towers dimming to amber glows against the dark sky. The Sterling penthouse — which had been alive with clinking crystal and polite laughter just an hour ago — now held only the expensive silence of a space too large for one person to fill.

The moment the front door closed behind the Ashford family, the house fell back into its natural rhythm: calm, vast, and a shade too empty for anyone living alone on the top floor.

Adrian emerged from the hallway, pulling off his dark jacket with a long exhale. The fitted black t-shirt beneath clung to his athletic frame, a sharp contrast against the white-on-white interior. He'd just come up from the lower level — the hiding spot he'd used during dinner.

Adele, seated gracefully on a navy velvet sofa, turned the instant she heard her son's footsteps.

"You finally came out," she said softly, patting the cushion beside her. "Come sit."

Richard, who'd been reviewing a partnership agreement, set down his reading glasses.

"Thought you weren't going to show your face tonight."

Adrian gave a thin smile and sat across from them. "They've left, right?"

"Just now," Adele replied. "So tell us. You saw Harrison's daughters for yourself. What do you think of Bianca? Your intended."

Adrian didn't answer immediately. He picked up the remaining black coffee from the table, took a sip, and then spoke.

"Bianca's... beautiful," he said honestly. "Stylish. Polished. And — well — exactly what you'd expect from a twenty-year-old girl."

"Any attraction?" Adele asked, her tone sharp but hopeful.

Adrian shook his head slowly. "I can't decide anything yet, Mom. I only saw the surface. Haven't seen what's underneath. I don't know who she really is."

Richard nodded, understanding the point more deeply than his wife. "I get it. Beauty is a bonus, not the foundation."

Adrian leaned forward. Something hard entered his eyes. "And I don't mean to put anyone down, but think about it logically — who wouldn't want to marry into the Sterling family? Everyone's going to put their best foot forward the first time they meet us. Everyone's going to show their shiniest side."

Adele laughed quietly — an elegant sound, but loaded with meaning. "That's my son. But I agree. Don't rush it. See if she's really the right fit. And if none of them are, that's fine too. The business partnership between our families continues regardless."

"Agreed." Adrian nodded.

For a few seconds, no one spoke. Something hung in the air — not awkwardness, but more like... something left unsaid.

Then Richard leaned back and studied his son more closely. "During dinner tonight," he began, gesturing at the table as though the scene were still playing out in front of him, "rather than Bianca — the one they're pushing for the match — I actually felt more drawn to Kira. Harrison's older daughter."

Adele turned sharply. "Kira?"

"Yes," Richard said. "She's understated, sure. But there was something about her. I can't put my finger on it. Her smile, maybe. Or the way she spoke. There was a... stillness."

Adrian laughed — quietly, like someone had just said out loud what he'd been thinking in private.

"I agree," he admitted. "Kira was the one that made me curious. She's simple, but... there's something that makes you want to know more."

"Something like what?" Adele pressed.

Adrian leaned back and stared at the ceiling, as if the right words were hard to catch. "Her presence. Or maybe the way she looks at people. Her eyes are calm, but they feel like they're carrying a lot. The way she answered your questions at dinner, Mom — there was a quiet authority that wasn't manufactured. She's mature. Humble. But not someone you'd underestimate."

Richard smiled broadly. "That's exactly what I meant."

Adele looked between the two of them, her expression caught somewhere between surprise and admiration.

"But Kira isn't the one her parents are offering," she murmured, almost to herself. "Bianca is the one they're pushing..."

"Exactly," Adrian said. "Bianca is too... obvious about what she wants."

"Ambitious?" Adele guessed.

"Ambition is fine," Adrian said, half-joking. "But when ambition is so visible it overshadows every other part of a person's character, that's... less appealing."

Richard chuckled. "You just said everyone puts their best foot forward."

"Right." Adrian matched the laugh. "Which is why I'm not going to judge based on one evening."

Adele gave him the look only a mother who knew her son better than anyone could give. "So... what's your plan?"

Adrian straightened in his seat. His eyes sharpened.

"Tomorrow, I start working at their house as Ryan. The new driver."

Adele raised an eyebrow. "You're really going through with the disguise?"

"Absolutely," Adrian said, his voice leaving no room for debate. "If I want to know who's genuinely real, I have to go in myself. I have to see how those two sisters treat an ordinary person. Not the Sterling heir."

Richard tapped the table, satisfied. "That's what I love about you. A mind that can't be swayed."

Adrian smiled and stood. "Tomorrow's going to be interesting."

Adele wanted to ask more, but her son was already walking toward the balcony. She held back, watching from a distance — her boy, tall and strong, yet somehow alone under the weight of everything he carried.

On the balcony, the warm night air pressed against Adrian's face. From up here, the city looked like a scale model of life — busy, frantic, but small.

During dinner, he hadn't been present as himself. But he'd seen everything from behind the pillar. Every gesture. Every expression.

Bianca, trying too hard to look perfect. Kira, not trying at all — yet radiating something that made it impossible to look away.

"I want to know you, Kira..." he murmured, so quietly only the wind could hear.

Then he stepped back inside. Letting the night close the first page of a story that was only beginning.

The next morning, the Ashford house stirred to life. But not because of Kira — she'd left before sunrise, heading to Sunset Terrace Cafe to open up for the day. The smell of coffee was her morning ritual.

It was Bianca who made the noise.

Diana knocked on Bianca's bedroom door. "Bianca, the new driver is here. You need to get to class."

"One sec, Mom!" Bianca shouted, agonizing over which handbag matched today's outfit.

Harrison, reading the newspaper at the dining table, could only shake his head. "That daughter of yours could make the whole city relocate waiting for her to get ready, Diana."

Diana laughed as she came down the stairs. "That's girls for you."

The house hummed along as usual — busy, warm, slightly chaotic. And in the middle of it all, a man stood at the front entrance in a plain black t-shirt, cargo pants, and a simple watch. His hair was slightly mussed, his face clean but unremarkable — enough to make anyone assume he was just an ordinary guy.

He knocked on the door and dipped his head when Maggie opened it.

"Good morning, ma'am. I'm Ryan. The new driver."

"Come in, Ryan. Wait in the living room." Maggie welcomed him warmly.

And there Ryan — or Adrian — sat. Expression relaxed, but eyes alert, taking in every detail of the house, every family photo on the walls.

"Miss Bianca is still getting ready. Shouldn't be long," Maggie said.

Adrian smiled politely. "Of course, ma'am."

He'd barely stood up when Bianca swept down the staircase, flipping her long hair, face in full makeup, expensive perfume flooding the entire room.

She spotted the new man and immediately narrowed her eyes.

"You're the new driver?" Her tone was pure appraisal.

Adrian gave a respectful nod. "Yes, miss."

Bianca gave a curt nod. She didn't much care.

"Carry my bag. And be careful — it's limited edition."

Adrian suppressed a smile. This was going to be interesting. He took the bag — worth roughly three months of a driver's salary.

As they walked toward the car, Bianca complained under her breath about her class schedule, the unbearable heat, and how exhausting it was being an Interior Design student.

Adrian opened the car door and waited for Bianca to get in. And in that exact moment, just before she sat down, the sound of a motorcycle curving into the driveway split the air.

Adrian turned reflexively — and his world paused for half a second.

Kira climbed off the motorcycle, her hair tied up simply, wearing a light brown button-up and a black apron printed with Sunset Terrace. A thin sheen of sweat on her temples made her look... real.

Not glamorous. Not performative. Just... herself.

When Kira noticed the unfamiliar man, she stopped in her tracks.

"Oh — you're the new driver? Ryan, right?" she asked politely.

Adrian fought down a heartbeat that had inexplicably jumped.

"Yes, miss. I'm Ryan."

Kira nodded. "Welcome to the family. If you need anything or have questions, just ask Maggie."

Adrian wanted to smile wider than the role allowed. "Will do, miss."

Bianca stepped back out of the car and rolled her eyes. "Kira, you rode the motorcycle again? It's, like, so hot today. Why didn't you have the driver take you?"

Kira laughed lightly. "The cafe was packed. Motorcycle's faster."

"Ugh, fine. Just go already. I'm late for class because I had to wait for the new driver to show up," Bianca whined.

Kira just smiled and gave her stepsister a pat on the shoulder. "Don't be such a grouch."

Then she was gone. Leaving behind the scent of coffee and a simplicity that somehow lodged itself in Adrian's memory more firmly than any expensive perfume ever could.

Bianca climbed into the car with theatrical flair. "Let's go, Ryan! Step on it!"

Adrian slid into the driver's seat. Started the engine. And as the car pulled out through the Ashford estate gates, a thin smile crossed his face.

His first day undercover had barely begun, but something inside him had already shifted. He wasn't just curious anymore. He wanted to know more about Kira — about her family, about what would happen when an heir pretended to be a chauffeur... right in the middle of two sisters' vastly different lives.

***This work has been signed with NovelToon, and piracy such as reprinting without permission is strictly prohibited.***

***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***