Breaking the Silence

Gideon stood in absolute silence, his long fingers tightly gripping the crisp slip of paper. His expression remained an unreadable mask of stoic calm, but his sharp, dark eyes bore into Valerie with intense, calculating scrutiny. He did not offer a single word in response to her bold declaration.

Valerie turned on her heel, fully prepared to depart from the suffocating atmosphere of the funeral parlor. Her momentum was abruptly halted by a sudden, firm weight anchoring her right leg. She glanced down. Little Oliver had wrapped his small, trembling arms around her calf, burying his face into the fabric of her dress. He refused to let her go.

Crouching down with infinite patience, Valerie met the boy at eye level. She reached into her pocket and retrieved a small milk candy wrapped in colorful plastic, a sweet Rowan had slipped her earlier that morning. She held the candy up, letting it catch the dim light of the parlor.

"Sweetie, I didn't bring any gifts today, but how about this as a little token for our first meeting?"

Oliver gazed up at her hand. His dark, starry eyes widened slightly, and a faint, unprecedented flush of pink crept across his normally pale cheeks. He stared at the candy, then shifted his bright gaze to Valerie's face.

"Peel it."

The delicate, childlike voice rang out like a bell in the silent hall.

The entire room instantly erupted into a cacophony of shocked whispers. Guests exchanged wild, disbelieving glances, their polite mourning facades shattering completely.

"Did you hear that? The Vance family's grandson just spoke!"

"Isn't it said that he hasn't uttered a single word since birth?"

"What kind of spell did she cast on him?"

Gideon’s intimidating eyes flashed with profound astonishment. His breath hitched for a fraction of a second. This single, quiet demand marked the very first time his son had spoken a word in five agonizing years. He stared at the woman kneeling on the floor, watching as she effortlessly achieved the impossible.

Valerie gently peeled the plastic wrapper away and fed the sweet to the boy. Oliver's cheek puffed out as he worked the candy around his mouth. His hazel eyes sparkled with innocent delight. Overwhelmed by his fragile, endearing nature, Valerie smiled brightly. A rush of pure maternal affection flooded her chest. She reached out and tenderly stroked his soft, fluffy hair. She sensed this precious boy carried heavy psychological burdens, and her heart ached for him.

"Sweetie, I have some other things to attend to. How about you go find your daddy for now?"

Stella stepped forward quietly from the sidelines. The little girl reached out, attempting to pull her brother back toward their father. Oliver adamantly refused the gesture. He tightened his grip on Valerie's hand, his knuckles turning white. He tilted his head up, his misty, large eyes brimming with intense longing.

"Let's go home, together."

Valerie was utterly stunned by the clear, desperate plea. The onlookers gasped again, the shockwave rippling through the wealthy crowd. Earning the favor of the Vance family heir was the ultimate prize in high society, and this scandalous outsider had won him over in minutes. The crowd could not help but notice a glaring, undeniable fact. Even Rosalind, the boy's supposed biological mother, had never received a fraction of such affection from the deeply autistic child.

Standing a few feet away, Rosalind glared at the display. Her face twisted into a mask of barely concealed malice. She dug her nails into her palms, her mind racing with venomous thoughts about how this wretched woman had manipulated her son. Miriam stood beside her, her expression mirroring the same vindictive rage.

Valerie ignored the hostile stares burning into her back. She tenderly pressed a soft kiss to Oliver's chubby cheek.

"All right, but I have something to take care of. Can you and your little sister wait in the car for me?"

Oliver hesitated for a brief moment. He crunched down on the sweet milk candy, then nodded obediently. He even flashed a tiny, fleeting smile at Valerie before turning away.

Gideon watched the exchange in silent disbelief. For the five years he had raised Oliver, he had never witnessed such a friendly, open, and accommodating demeanor from his son.

Stella stared at her brother in pure astonishment. She knew her twin was always cold and distant, a miniature version of their father. He never smiled, especially not at the wicked woman who claimed to be their mother. Yet this pretty lady possessed a strange magic that made Oliver act like a normal, happy child.

Noticing the little girl's wide, starry eyes, Valerie offered Stella a piece of milk candy as well.

"Sweetie, why don't you take your brother and go now?"

Stella’s spine stiffened. She haughtily averted her gaze, puffing out her chest to maintain her pride. She snatched the candy from Valerie's palm in one swift motion.

"You don't have to tell me that. I'll take Ollie away even without you mentioning it."

After the children finally departed with the assistants, Valerie stood up and brushed the dust from her dress. She paid no heed to Gideon's heavy, calculating stare. She turned to face the murmuring, hostile crowd, her voice ringing out clear and melodious over the whispers.

"Thank you all for attending my father's funeral. Today, I simply wish to bid my father farewell on his final journey, and I have no intention of causing any trouble. Regarding the matter of inheriting Thorne Corporation, whether or not I possess the rightful claim will be determined by the law."

She turned her back on the furious glares of Miriam and Beatrice, walking with steady grace to take her rightful seat in the chief mourner's spot.

The burial proceedings commenced shortly after. The attendees gathered around the sprawling cemetery grounds, forming a massive circle around the grand tombstone of Alistair Thorne. As the casket was lowered into the earth, the sky above darkened drastically. Thick, charcoal clouds rolled in, and a heavy, freezing drizzle began to fall.

The fair-weather attendees rapidly dispersed, eager to escape the biting chill and ruinous mud. Within minutes, the sprawling cemetery was entirely empty.

Valerie remained.

She collapsed helplessly into the muddy water before Alistair's tombstone. The freezing rain soaked through her clothes, chilling her to the bone. It felt as though all her defenses had been stripped away, leaving her vulnerable and entirely alone. She stared at her father's carved name, her chest heaving with a deep, throbbing agony. Her hot tears mingled with the cold rain streaming down her face. She reached out a trembling hand, her fingers tracing the cold stone of his memorial photo.

"Dad, I'm back. I'm sorry for being so unfilial and taking so long to come visit you."

Not far away, a luxurious Maybach sat parked by the desolate cemetery road. Behind the tinted window, Gideon sat in silence. His sharp gaze remained locked on the slender, violently shivering figure kneeling in the mud. A strange, unidentifiable ripple disturbed the usual icy calm of his dark eyes.

"Look into this woman."

Darius Kline, seated in the passenger seat, nodded immediately. He understood the assignment perfectly. Anyone who could break through Oliver's defenses required a thorough, microscopic investigation.

Before Gideon could instruct the driver to pull away, Darius’s phone buzzed frantically. The assistant answered, and all the color rapidly drained from his face.

"Boss, Oliver is missing!"

Back at the grave, the freezing downpour continued to thrash the earth. Valerie knelt in the mud, her shoulders shaking violently with every sob.

Suddenly, the relentless beating of the rain against her head and shoulders ceased.

Valerie raised her bewildered, tear-streaked gaze.

Little Oliver stood beside her in the mud. He was precariously balanced on his tiptoes, his small, fragile arms violently trembling as he struggled to hold a massive, heavy black umbrella over her head. The wind whipped at his small frame, and his own clothes were already drenched from the storm.

Oliver stared at her reddened eyes. He reached out with his free hand, his clumsy, tiny fingers gently wiping the hot tears from the corners of her eyes.

"Don't cry."

The boy's voice was laced with pure, unadulterated anxiety.

Profoundly touched by his overwhelming compassion, Valerie felt a fresh wave of emotion crash over her heart. She immediately tossed aside her grief, scooping the freezing child up into her warm embrace to shield him from the wind. She spun around to carry him to safety.

She found herself face to face with a towering wall of muscle and a pair of deep, cold, furious eyes.

Gideon stood just a few feet away, the rain bouncing off his broad shoulders.

Valerie sensibly attempted to hand the child over to the formidable man. Oliver adamantly refused the transfer. He let out a distressed whimper, burying his face deep into Valerie's shoulder. He locked his arms around her neck in a death grip, clinging to her as if his father were a terrifying stranger.

"Get in the car."

Gideon's deep tone left zero room for negotiation. It was an absolute command from a man who ruled empires.

Valerie met his icy, condescending gaze without flinching.

"Mr. Vance, I apologize, but I have pressing matters to attend to."

Gideon raised a piercing, mocking brow. His gaze swept over her muddy dress and defiant posture before settling on his son.

"Oh? Were you deceiving Oliver with your earlier words?"

At the harsh, calculated accusation, Oliver slowly pulled his face away from Valerie's shoulder. He stared at her with teary, utterly betrayed eyes. His bottom lip quivered, the heartbreak evident in his fragile expression. He looked at her as if she had just destroyed his entire world.

Valerie’s chest tightened painfully. Completely unable to break the boy's fragile trust, she swallowed her stubborn refusal. Without another word to the arrogant billionaire, she turned and silently climbed into the back of the waiting Maybach, keeping the shivering child securely wrapped in her arms.

Meanwhile, a nondescript minivan sat quietly parked by the roadside, its tinted windows offering a perfect view of the entire exchange.