Chapter 3 – Whispers and Shadows

The morning sunlight streamed into the study, turning the mahogany desk into a warm, golden surface. Han Yuze sat with a book open in front of him, though his mind was far from the words on the page.

The mansion was quiet, but it wasn’t a peaceful quiet. It was the kind that made you aware of your own breathing, the kind that hinted at eyes watching from unseen corners.

The soft creak of the door broke the silence.

Butler Chen stepped in, a thin folder in his hand. His expression was calm, but the faint tightening around his mouth betrayed his thoughts.

“You have something for me?” Yuze asked.

Chen nodded and placed the folder on the desk. “You were right to be suspicious of Lin Mei. She has been meeting with an outsider every week—always the same man, always in a café far from the city center.”

Yuze’s brow furrowed. “And?”

Chen slid a photograph from the folder. It showed Lin Mei sitting across from a man in a dark coat, her posture relaxed, almost intimate. The man’s face was partially obscured by a turned head, but enough was visible to show sharp features and a calculating smile.

“She has been receiving envelopes from him,” Chen continued. “We believe they contain payment. The timing aligns with… certain incidents in the household—staff dismissed, rumors spread, your most trusted servants driven away.”

Yuze traced the edge of the photo with his finger, his thoughts darkening. No wonder Xuyao was isolated. No wonder no one cared when he fell.

“Do you know who the man is?” he asked quietly.

“Not yet,” Chen admitted. “But my sources say he has been seen in the company of several business rivals of your family.”

Yuze set the photo down, his smile as thin as glass. “Keep digging. If she was willing to sell her loyalty once, she will do it again. And next time… it won’t be me she betrays. It will be my child.”

Later that afternoon, Yuze decided to go through the master bedroom. The original Xuyao’s memories of this place were sharp—flashes of shouting matches, slammed doors, nights spent drinking alone.

But there were gaps. Whole evenings that blurred into nothing.

He opened the wardrobe first. Rows of tailored suits stared back at him, organized by color. On the top shelf, behind a stack of neatly folded scarves, his fingers brushed against something hard.

He pulled it down—a small, polished wooden box with no keyhole, only a simple latch.

When he flipped it open, the faint scent of cedar and something warmer, almost like sandalwood, drifted out.

Inside, nestled in black velvet, was a silver cufflink. Its design was intricate—two entwined dragons forming a circle, their eyes set with tiny dark gemstones. It was clearly custom-made, and it gleamed as if it had been polished often.

Beneath it was a folded envelope.

Yuze’s pulse quickened as he carefully slid the letter out. The handwriting was elegant, each stroke deliberate.

Xuyao,

I don’t care what your family says. I will take responsibility.

When this is over, I’ll come for you and our child.

Wait for me.

— J.

Yuze’s grip tightened on the paper. J. No full name. No address. Just a promise.

When Butler Chen returned to check on him, Yuze showed him the letter.

Chen’s eyes darkened. “Jiang Yuehan,” he said after a pause. “Alpha. CEO of Yuehan Group. A dangerous man to cross, and even more dangerous to love.”

Yuze tilted his head. “So he’s the father?”

“I wouldn’t be certain,” Chen replied slowly. “There were… others in your life before the accident. Lu Shixian—the Beta who grew up with you. Qin Renshu—the Alpha businessman with rumored ties to the underworld. And Song Zeyan—the Omega actor you once shared more than just gossip columns with.” His gaze sharpened. “Any one of them could have been close enough to you… close enough to be the father.”

Yuze’s heart thudded. “And you’re saying… the original Xuyao didn’t keep records?”

Chen’s lips thinned. “Not ones anyone could find. He guarded his privacy fiercely. Perhaps too fiercely.”

That night, Yuze sat on the edge of the massive bed, the wooden box resting on his lap. His hand drifted over the curve of his stomach.

Somewhere out there, four men—each with their own secrets—might have a claim on the life inside him.

And one of them… might also be tied to the night that nearly killed him.

Either way, he would find out.

Because if any of them truly wanted to protect him and this child… they were already late.

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