The rain poured softly over the sprawling gardens of the Velmore estate, the kind of gentle drizzle that brought both melancholy and nostalgia. The manor, timeless and grand, stood silent except for the rhythmic tapping of droplets against its glass windows.
In the drawing room, Victoria Velmore sat upright on a velvet armchair, her posture as regal as the crown matriarch of the Velmores had always been. Her silver hair was styled impeccably, her presence carrying that quiet authority that once ruled the southern empire.
She was sipping her afternoon tea when her phone rang. The name flashing on the screen made her pause.
Aster Vellaria.
It had been months since they last spoke.
"Victoria Velmore speaking," she answered calmly.
"Victoria," came the familiar voice — older, raspier, but still laced with elegance. "It's Aster. We need to talk… in person. It's about our grandsons."
Victoria's hand froze over the teacup. "Lucian and Caelum?"
"Yes," Aster replied. "Before this turns into something neither of us can undo."
The call ended there — simple, weighty, and final.
Victoria set her cup down gently. Her eyes flicked toward the garden where Lucca, her great-grandson, was playing under the watchful eye of his nanny. A pang of anxiety twisted her chest.
The time had come.
---
The Meeting
The next day, two of the most powerful matriarchs in the country sat across from one another in the private salon of the Velmore estate — two women who had built empires, buried their children, and now carried the burden of watching history threaten to repeat itself.
Aster Vellaria arrived dressed in her usual grace — a pale gray dress, pearls resting on her collarbone, and an expression of quiet sorrow that never seemed to fade. Victoria welcomed her personally, her poise unbroken even by age.
As they exchanged polite words, a small figure peeked from behind Victoria's chair.
"Lucca," Victoria said softly, smiling, "come here, darling."
The boy ran toward her — all energy and charm, his soft brown curls bouncing as he moved.
When Aster saw him up close, her eyes widened. "Oh heavens…" she breathed, pressing a hand to her chest.
The child's resemblance to Lucian was uncanny. The same eyes, the same solemn yet curious expression.
"This… this is Lucian's son?" Aster whispered, still in awe.
Victoria's eyes softened. "Yes. Our great-grandson Lucca."
"Lucca…" Aster repeated tenderly, reaching out as the boy curiously offered her his small hand. "My little handsome one."
Victoria chuckled. "He's a bright child. Too clever sometimes for his own good."
The two matriarchs watched as Lucca sat politely, nibbling on the pastries set before him. His manners were impeccable for a child so young — a reflection of his upbringing under Victoria's strict eye.
They talked lightly at first — about the weather, their health, the state of their families — until the nanny entered to fetch the boy.
"Come, young master," she said gently. "You still have your afternoon lessons."
Lucca turned to both women and bowed his head slightly, polite and well-mannered. "Goodbye, Grandmama. Goodbye, Granny Aster."
"Goodbye, dear," Aster smiled warmly, her heart swelling as she watched him leave.
When the door closed behind the boy, the air in the room shifted. The politeness faded, replaced by the heavy gravity of what was truly at stake.
---
The Brewing Rivalry
"So," Aster began, folding her hands in her lap, "it's true then. There's tension between Lucian and Caelum."
Victoria sighed, her gaze drifting to the rain-streaked windows. "They're both proud men. The kind that don't back down once their hearts are involved."
"They're Vellarias and Velmores," Aster murmured. "Stubbornness is in their blood."
The corner of Victoria's lips twitched faintly, though the humor didn't reach her eyes. "Caelum's feelings for Caliste have become quite public. I'm sure you've seen the news."
Aster nodded. "He came to me. Asked for my blessing to pursue her. To marry her, even."
Victoria's eyes sharpened slightly. "And what did you tell him?"
"I told him love is never simple. Especially not for our bloodline," Aster replied, her tone weary. "But I didn't forbid him. I thought time might change his heart."
Victoria leaned forward. "And what if time changes nothing? What if it's Lucian who hasn't moved on?"
Aster studied her carefully. "You sound as though you already know where his heart lies."
Victoria hesitated — a rare thing for her. Then, after a long silence, she said quietly, "I need you to speak to Caelum. Tell him to let Caliste go."
Aster's brows furrowed. "You're asking me to break my grandson's heart?"
"I'm asking you to prevent another tragedy," Victoria said firmly. "You and I both remember what happened between Lincoln, Ledger, Aurora, and Catleya. We can't let history repeat itself again."
Aster's expression hardened. "You mean—two brothers in love with the same woman?"
Victoria nodded once. "And the consequences that follow such love."
Aster looked down at her hands. "And what of Caliste's feelings? She's been through enough already."
Victoria's voice softened. "She belongs with Lucian, even if they both deny it."
That statement drew silence between them. Aster studied Victoria with growing suspicion. There was something in the elder woman's tone — something hidden, guarded.
"You're speaking as though you know something, Victoria," Aster said carefully. "Something you're not telling me."
Victoria's teacup stilled mid-air. For a moment, she said nothing. Then she set it down, her face pale, her eyes sharp as glass.
"Because I do," she whispered.
---
The Secret Revealed
Victoria exhaled slowly, gathering her thoughts as though she were about to cross a line she had kept for years.
"This stays between us, Aster. No one — not even Caelum — must ever know."
Aster's chest tightened. "What secret could possibly—"
"It's about Lucian's son," Victoria interrupted, her voice low but steady.
"Lucca?"
"Yes."
Aster blinked, confused. "What about him?"
Victoria's gaze softened, filled with both pride and sorrow. "The boy's mother… is Caliste Winslow."
For a moment, time froze. The ticking clock, the patter of rain — everything blurred around them.
Aster's breath caught in her throat. "What… what did you just say?"
"I've known it for a long time," Victoria said quietly. "Lucian never told me the truth outright. But I raised that boy. I've seen his face every day since he was born. His smile — it's Caliste through and through."
Aster was speechless, her mind racing through every rumor, every whisper of Lucian's mysterious heir. "Lucian never admitted it?"
Victoria shook her head. "Not once. But I saw the signs. When Caliste disappeared years ago, he kept her access to the penthouse active. Her fingerprints, her codes — untouched. I asked him once why, and he said, 'I forgot.' But men like Lucian don't forget. He still hopes she'll come back."
Aster leaned back slowly, trying to absorb the revelation. "So the child she bore in secrecy… was Lucian's all along."
"Yes," Victoria confirmed softly. "And she gave him up for reasons Lucian refuses to share. But I know Caliste — she's not heartless. There must have been a reason she walked away."
Aster's fingers trembled slightly as she pressed them to her lips. "Good heavens…"
"Now you understand why I'm asking you to talk to Caelum," Victoria continued gently. "He's falling for a woman whose heart still belongs — and will always belong — to another. If he continues this path, he'll only end up alone"
Aster's throat tightened.
"You want me to stop Caelum," she murmured.
Victoria nodded. "It's for his own good. And for Lucian's, too. That boy needs peace, Aster. He's lived with too much guilt and anger for too long. Caliste is the only one who ever softened him."
Aster stood and walked toward the window, her reflection merging with Victoria's behind her. Two women bound by loss, forced once again to guide the next generation through the same storm they once endured.
After a long silence, Aster said quietly, "If what you say is true, Victoria… then we've failed them all. The sins of our children have indeed become the burden of our grandchildren."
Victoria closed her eyes. "Then perhaps this time, we can rewrite the ending."
---
As Aster left the Velmore estate that afternoon, the rain had stopped, leaving the air cool and damp.
She looked back once, seeing the faint outline of Lucca playing near the fountain — the child of two people who were too broken to stand together, yet still bound by love.
And in that moment, Aster Vellaria understood what Victoria truly meant.
History was repeating itself.
And only the truth — the truth buried between two families — could stop it.