FAMILIAR SPACE
(Tension and reunion)
Shadow_vee
That same evening, back at the Kuiver mansion, Damien found his mother in the sitting room going through a few documents. He paused at the entrance for a moment before walking in, his tone casual but his eyes searching.
"Mom, where's Dad?"
Marina looked up and stared at son she had always taken pride in affectionately. "He stepped out to see a business partner he should be back before dinner."
Damien nodded, but the answer didn't ease him instead he sat down on the seat opposite her, running a hand through his hair in frustration. "He still won't tell anyone anything, will he? Not even you."
Marina's eyes darkened, a quiet tiredness settling in her gaze. "You think I've been silent all this while?" she asked gently. "I've spoken to him, Damien more times than you know i've tried to convince him to slow down, to at least let you meet the girl first… but your father can be very hard at times."
Damien let out a dry breath, leaning back. "So even you don't know who she is."
She shook her head slowly. "No he hasn't disclosed any details to me,not her name or her background,nothing."
For a second, disappointment flashed openly across his face before he masked it again. He had come hoping she would have something, anything, that would give him a lead, but it was clear even she was also shut out of Andre's plans.
"I thought I could get something from you," he muttered, more to himself than to her.
Marina watched him carefully. "You're angry."
"I'm not angry," he replied quickly, then paused. "I'm… frustrated."
She sighed and said:"Those two are not so different."
"Mom, everything I've worked for is going down the drain… everything. All I've struggled for, dad has taken it all away from me. Do you know I don't even have access to my own bank accounts? Not even my house,how do you expect me not to be frustrated?
Marina sighed softly, moving closer to him. "Damien… I know this feels cruel, and I won't pretend it isn't. Your father can be relentless when he believes he's right." She reached out squeezed his hand. "But listen to me, this storm won't last forever. I've been speaking to him, again and again. He doesn't tell me everything, but he listens… eventually."
Then her face darkened "And as for that girl, whoever she is… she is at the center of this mess, but she should pray she never gives me a reason to believe she's truly tearing my son's life apart." The sharpness in her tone passed as quickly as it came, replaced by warmth. "Still, we don't fight recklessly. Not now."
She cupped his face gently. "For the moment, you will lay low just think of it as an enforced holiday. Rest, breathe, and let mum handle this. I will keep talking to your father until he bends, because he will bend. You're his son, Damien… and no matter how stubborn he is, that will never change."
Silence settled between them for a moment before Damien stood up. "I'll be outside for a bit."
Marina didn't stop him. "Don't stay out too long remember to come down for dinner," she said softly. "You've returned home,let the house feel like home again."
He didn't reply, but her words followed him as he walked out.
The garden was quiet, just the way he liked it. The evening breeze carried the faint scent of trimmed grass and flowers,and for the first time since he came back, Damien allowed himself to slow down. He sat down on one of the garden chairs, his gaze drifting across the familiar paths and hedges. Everything looked the same… yet the relationships inside the house had shifted more than he wanted to admit.
He exhaled slowly, lost in thought, when he noticed a figure slowly approaching.
Darla.
She hadn't noticed him at first,she was absentmindedly throwing petals from the flower she held away, her expression distant. When she finally looked up and saw him, she stilled.
For a moment, neither of them spoke the she walked closer and sat down beside him.
Damien gave a small nod. "Didn't know you still come here."
Darla shrugged lightly. "Old habits."
He leaned back in his chair, eyes scanning the garden. "We used to spend hours here."
A faint smile tugged at her lips. "You mean when we tried to dig a tunnel behind the rose bushes because Zepher told us that dad buried a timecapsle there?"
Damien huffed out a quiet laugh. "Dad made us fill it back up before dinner."
"We blamed the gardener," she added, shaking her head at the memory.
The silence that followed this time was warmer, not awkward. Nostalgia softened the distance that had built between them over the years.
After a while, Darla's voice grew quieter. "What happened to us, Damien?"
He didn't answer immediately.His gaze thoughtful, as if choosing his words carefully."I guess… I was busy trying to figure myself out," he said at last. "And somewhere along the line, I didn't realize how much distance I was creating until it was already there."
Darla watched him closely, emotion flickering across her face. "You just disappeared into work, into expectations, into everything that wasn't us."
He finally turned to look at her, his expression softer than usual. "I didn't mean to lose you in the process."
That was all it took.
Darla's composure broke and she came closer before wrapping her arms around him tightly, as if afraid he would vanish again if she hesitated. Damien stiffened for only a second before relaxing slightly, allowing the hug, one hand resting lightly on her back.
"I missed you," she murmured.
He swallowed, voice low. "I know."
They stayed like that for a brief moment before footsteps approached from behind them.
"Awwww… you guys finally made up."
Both siblings pulled apart with Damien scoffing and Darla rolling her eyes.
Zepher stood there with an amused grin, hands tucked casually into his pockets as he took in the scene.
"Don't you have somewhere else to be?" Damien asked dryly.
Zepher smirked. "And miss this emotional reunion? Never,this is historic i should frame this moment."
Darla shook her head, but the faint smile on her face betrayed her.
"It's almost dinner time we should go in"Darla suggested they both agreed and the trip walked inside,a rare scene.