Sweet Love 2x: Miss Ruthless CEO for our Superstar Uncle-Chapter 157: Because I Don’t Trust Myself

The sitting room remained quiet after the front door closed. For several seconds the faint sound of a car engine carried through the windows as Wendy and Daryll’s vehicles moved slowly down the long driveway. The headlights briefly crossed the garden before disappearing beyond the iron gate at the end of the property.

Then the house returned to its usual evening calm.

The campaign folder still rested on the low table between the sofas. Franz reached forward and gathered the photographs Wendy had left behind, aligning the edges neatly before sliding them back into the portfolio.

Across from him Arianne remained seated, one arm resting lightly against the back of the sofa as she watched him. Neither of them spoke.

Footsteps sounded briefly in the entrance hall. Gio appeared a moment later, pushing his phone into the pocket of his coat as he crossed the room.

"They’re gone," he said.

Arianne nodded once.

Gio glanced toward the portfolio on the table. His expression tightened slightly. "I still don’t like the idea."

"That’s not surprising," Arianne replied. "It’s not supposed to be reassuring."

Gio leaned against the back of the sofa, folding his arms.

"The last time people started digging into your life, my half-brothers tried to use it against you."

The memory settled quietly into the room. Arianne’s expression did not change.

"They won’t find anything."

"They didn’t find anything then either." Gio exhaled through his nose. "But they still tried."

Franz remained silent while the two of them spoke.

Gio eventually pushed himself upright again.

"I’ll start preparing contingency plans," he said.

"That would be efficient," Arianne answered.

Gio glanced briefly at Franz before turning toward the hallway. His phone was already in his hand by the time he disappeared from the room.

The sitting room grew quiet again.

The stillness lasted only a few seconds. Then light footsteps sounded on the staircase.

Lily appeared first. She paused at the bottom step, scanning the room with bright curiosity before walking quickly toward them. Leo followed a moment later, holding his tablet in both hands.

"You’re finished talking?" Lily asked.

"Yes," Arianne replied.

Lily nodded thoughtfully as if this information confirmed something important.

Leo had already started typing. He turned the tablet toward Franz. Meeting done.

Franz glanced down at the message. "Yes."

Lily leaned closer to read it.

"That means you’re free now." Her tone suggested this was an important development.

Leo typed again. He lifted the tablet toward Arianne. Piano.

Lily’s face brightened immediately. "Oh right." She looked directly at Arianne. "You played really nicely."

Arianne regarded her calmly. "Thank you."

Lily clasped her hands together. "Can we have a piano here?"

The request arrived with the same direct confidence she used for most things. Franz looked briefly toward Arianne.

Leo typed again. He turned the tablet toward Franz this time. For Lily.

Lily nodded enthusiastically. "Yes. I want to learn."

For a moment the room grew quiet. Arianne considered the request without answering immediately. The memory of the piano inside the estate lingered briefly in her thoughts.

Finally she spoke. "I’ll give it some thought."

Lily accepted the answer immediately. "Okay."

Leo gave a small nod, as if the response had been properly recorded.

Then he studied Franz and Arianne carefully. His eyes moved slowly between them. After a few seconds he began typing again.

The tablet turned toward Lily. She leaned forward to read it.

"Meeting finished," she read aloud.

Leo tapped the screen again. Another message appeared. Date time.

Lily’s eyes widened. She looked at Franz and Arianne with sudden excitement. "He says now you can have date time."

Franz exhaled softly through his nose. The sound was dangerously close to a laugh. 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

Arianne raised one eyebrow. "Does he."

Leo nodded seriously.

Lily grabbed his sleeve.

"Come on." She lowered her voice slightly, though not enough to be convincing. "We should leave them alone."

Leo nodded again.

The two of them turned and walked back toward the hallway. Their attempt at subtlety was not particularly successful.

Franz watched them disappear around the corner.

"Subtle," he said.

Arianne’s expression remained calm. "They’re improving."

The room grew quiet again. Evening had settled fully outside the windows now. The garden lights cast soft reflections across the glass, and the distant lights of Montclair flickered faintly across the dark horizon.

Franz remained standing near the table. Arianne had moved toward the window.

The silence between them lasted longer this time.

Finally Franz spoke. "You’ve been quiet."

Arianne turned slightly. "I’m thinking."

"That sounds dangerous."

"It usually is."

Her gaze settled on him for a moment. Then she stepped away from the window. The movement was slow and deliberate. By the time she stopped again, the distance between them had shortened to only a step.

Franz noticed immediately.

"You’ve been behaving very carefully lately," she said.

Franz studied her expression. "That sounds like criticism."

"It’s an observation." Her voice remained calm. "You haven’t tried kissing me again."

The statement hung quietly in the room.

Franz did not answer immediately.

Arianne continued. "The last time was your birthday."

The memory arrived instantly. The hallway. The bedroom door. The moment he had almost lost his restraint entirely.

Franz exhaled slowly. "Yes."

Arianne tilted her head slightly. "I assumed you would try again."

Franz almost smiled. "That assumption was optimistic."

"Why?"

Franz watched her for a moment before answering. "Because I don’t trust myself."

Arianne waited.

Franz finished the thought quietly. "If I start again, I’m not certain I would stop."

The silence that followed felt heavier.

Arianne considered his answer. "That sounds inconvenient."

Franz nodded once. "Yes."

For several seconds neither of them moved.

Then Arianne stepped forward. The movement was sudden enough that Franz barely had time to react. Her hand lifted to the front of his shirt, fingers catching the fabric lightly.

And before he could say anything, she leaned forward and kissed him.

The kiss was brief. Calm. Certain. Nothing like the heated urgency of the night in his bedroom. Just the quiet press of her lips against his.

For a second Franz remained completely still.

Then she stepped back.

The entire moment had lasted only a few seconds.

Arianne studied his expression. "You looked like you needed reassurance."

Franz blinked once. "You initiated that."

"Yes."

"You never initiate."

"I noticed."

Franz ran a hand slowly through his hair. "That was unfair."

Arianne tilted her head slightly. "Why?"

Franz looked at her again. Because now that she had done it once, the restraint he had been maintaining suddenly felt much less reliable.

He exhaled quietly. "Because now I’m reconsidering my earlier decision."

Arianne raised an eyebrow. "About kissing me?"

Franz nodded. "Yes."

From somewhere down the hallway came a faint whisper. Lily’s voice.

"Did something happen?"

A soft tapping sound followed. Leo’s tablet.

Franz glanced toward the doorway. Arianne followed his gaze.

The twins were almost certainly standing just out of sight around the corner.

Franz looked back at her. "You have an audience."

Arianne nodded once. "Yes."

Neither of them moved immediately.

The quiet tension between them remained exactly where she had left it.