Sweet Love 2x: Miss Ruthless CEO for our Superstar Uncle-Chapter 145: Phase Two

The late afternoon inside the Rochefort residence carried the quiet rhythm that often settled over the house after lunch. The large windows of the main living room let long streams of sunlight stretch across the pale carpet, warming the floor in broad rectangles of gold that reached almost to the base of the far wall. Outside, the gardens remained still except for the faint movement of leaves stirred occasionally by the wind.

Inside, the living room had transformed into a temporary construction site. Sheets of paper lay scattered across the carpet, filled with drawings that looked more like colorful storms than recognizable shapes. A small plastic container of markers had been overturned near the coffee table, leaving bright caps rolling across the floor whenever someone moved.

Leo sat cross-legged near the center of the carpet with quiet concentration. He had taken apart a small blue car and arranged the pieces in a precise line in front of him. The wheels rested to his left. The chassis lay centered before him. The small plastic axle waited near his knee. Every few seconds he would pick up one part, study it closely, then place it back exactly where it had been. The noise from the television didn’t reach him there.

Lily sat nearby with a purple marker clutched in one hand. Her drawing had begun as a house but had expanded into something far more ambitious. Additional windows appeared. Then a second floor. Then a garden. Eventually she had added people as well.

Two figures stood near the front door. One was labeled Aunt Aria. The other was labeled Uncle Franz. They stood in front because that’s where they belonged. The door was open. Lily had drawn a sun above the roof, its rays extending to the edges of the paper.

Behind them, the television played quietly. A cooking show had been on for several minutes while the host described ingredients for a complicated dessert. Neither twin looked up. Leo had started putting the car back together when the program suddenly cut to a commercial break.

Soft music replaced the host’s voice. A new scene appeared.

Lily’s marker paused. Her head turned toward the television. Her eyes widened.

"Uncle Franz!"

Leo looked up. The toy car rolled quietly across the carpet as he turned toward the screen.

On the television, Noah Hart stood beneath soft studio lighting. The scene moved slowly as the advertisement showed an elegant glass bottle of perfume resting between him and a woman standing just in front of him. Franz stood close behind her, close enough that the space between them seemed intentional. The woman’s face appeared only partially visible in profile—the line of her jaw, the fall of her hair, nothing more.

Lily scrambled to her feet. "Leo, look!"

Leo had already grabbed the remote. The advertisement lasted only a few seconds before the television moved on. Lily frowned. "That was too fast."

Leo pressed several buttons and rewound the program. The advertisement appeared again. This time the twins watched carefully. Franz stood beneath the warm studio lights. The perfume bottle glowed between him and the woman. The camera moved slightly, showing more of her shoulder, the way her hair curved near her neck, the way Franz’s hand rested near her elbow without touching. Then it ended again.

Lily crossed her arms. "Who’s that lady?"

Leo stared at the screen. Then he reached for his tablet beside the couch. His fingers moved quickly across the keyboard. Lily leaned closer to see. But before he finished typing, she grabbed the remote.

"Wait. Let’s watch again."

The scene played a third time. Lily watched the woman more carefully than Franz. The lighting made it difficult to see her face clearly. Only the outline of her profile appeared, soft edges that refused to resolve. Lily tilted her head.

"Maybe she’s a model."

Leo didn’t respond. He paused the advertisement. Then he zoomed in using the television controls. The screen enlarged, the image softening as it expanded. Leo leaned forward until he was kneeling directly in front of the television.

Lily looked down at the tablet. He had finished typing. She read the message aloud.

"Hair looks like Aunt Aria."

Lily blinked. She leaned closer to the screen. The woman’s hair did look similar. The length. The color. The way it curved near the shoulders.

Still, she hesitated. "Maybe..." 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

Leo zoomed in again. Now the screen showed the woman’s hand resting near the perfume bottle. A thin band of diamonds circled her finger.

Leo typed again. Lily read the next message. "Same ring."

Lily froze. She stared at the screen. Then she grabbed Leo’s tablet and compared the image again, holding the device up beside the television. The diamonds caught the same light. The band sat at the same angle on the same finger.

Lily gasped. Her hands flew to her mouth.

"Leo!" She pointed at the television. "That’s Aunt Aria!"

Leo nodded firmly. Now that she knew what to look for, the details became obvious. The posture. The way the woman stood—weight slightly back, shoulders relaxed. The curve of her shoulders. The line of her neck. All of it belonged to the woman who sat with them at breakfast every morning.

Lily bounced with excitement. "Uncle Franz asked Aunt Aria to be in his commercial!"

Leo began typing again. Lily leaned closer.

"Progress confirmed." She nodded seriously. "Yes."

Lily clasped her hands together.

"That means they’re getting closer."

Leo typed again. "More time together."

Lily considered this. "Yes."

She reached for a marker and pulled a clean sheet of paper toward her. The paper was large, as if she already knew this plan would need space. "We need a plan."

Leo turned the tablet toward her. He typed another message. "Phase Two."

Lily smiled proudly. "Phase two." She began drawing a large circle in the middle of the paper with a number 2 inside of it. "In phase two we help them spend more time together."

Leo typed again.

"Dinner." Lily nodded. "Yes. Dinner is romantic."

Leo continued typing.

"Activities." Lily added another circle beside the first, then connected them with a line. "Activities are also romantic."

They leaned closer together, their heads almost touching above the paper. Dinner. Walking. Movies. Leo typed rapidly while Lily narrated the plan out loud, adding circles and arrows and the occasional star. The drawing grew across the page.

Footsteps sounded from the hallway. A moment later Franz entered. He had just gotten home and had not yet taken off his jacket. The collar was slightly turned up from the wind outside.

The twins turned. "Uncle Franz!"

Lily ran across the room and grabbed his hand. "You have a commercial!"

Franz glanced toward the television. "I know."

Leo hurried over holding the tablet. The advertisement remained paused on the screen.

Lily pointed proudly. "That’s Aunt Aria."

Franz studied the screen calmly. "Yes."

Leo typed quickly. Lily read aloud. "Good progress."

Franz raised an eyebrow. "Progress?"

Lily nodded. "Your relationship."

Leo typed again. Lily read the next line. "Uncle Franz asked Aunt Aria to help."

Lily smiled brightly. "That means you’re getting closer."

Franz finally understood. He looked at the screen, then back at the twins. They believed the commercial meant the relationship between him and Arianne had advanced. In their minds, this was proof that something was moving forward.

He glanced at the tablet again. Leo typed one final message. Lily read it proudly.

"Phase Two Plan." She looked up at Franz with complete confidence. "We’re helping."

Leo held the tablet up. The words remained glowing on the screen.

Phase Two.

Franz looked at the word, then at the two children watching him with absolute certainty. For a moment he said nothing. Then he glanced back at the frozen image on the television—the woman with Arianne’s hair, Arianne’s ring, Arianne’s shoulders—standing close to him beneath warm studio lights.

He didn’t correct them.