Sweet Love 2x: Miss Ruthless CEO for our Superstar Uncle-Chapter 177: Try First
The car ride back to the Rochefort residence passed in silence, but not emptiness.
Montclair drifted outside in long stretches of dim winter light, the roads still damp where the snow had begun to melt unevenly. Streetlights reflected across the glass in brief intervals, moving across Arianne’s face and disappearing just as quickly.
Franz sat beside her, not looking at her directly.
He didn’t need to.
The space between them was different now.
Not reduced in distance—but in awareness.
Arianne rested one hand against the seat beside her, her posture unchanged, steady in the same way it always was after a long day. If anyone had seen her like this, nothing would have appeared out of place. Her expression remained calm, her gaze directed forward, her breathing even.
Only that gave anything away.
Not the kind that suggested discomfort.
The kind that followed something already decided.
Franz moved, adjusting the sleeve of his coat before resting his hand again against his knee. The movement was unnecessary. He knew that. But the rhythm of the motion grounded him in something familiar.
The event the night before had been easier.
That thought returned again, softer this time.
He glanced toward her.
Arianne didn’t turn.
But she noticed.
"You arranged everything."
Her voice broke the silence without disrupting it.
"Yes."
She took a moment before continuing, her eyes still forward.
"You didn’t leave much room for adjustment."
"I wasn’t planning to."
A pause followed, stretched just enough to carry meaning.
"You usually do."
Franz looked at her then.
"Not tonight."
Arianne turned her head, just enough to meet his gaze.
She held it for a second.
Then looked away again.
"You’re making that a habit."
"I intend to."
That ended it.
No follow-up.
No explanation.
The car continued through the estate gates a few minutes later, the gravel beneath the tires moving softly as they pulled to a stop.
The house had already settled into its night rhythm.
Lights remained on, but dimmed. The main hall held a soft, ambient glow that softened the edges of the space rather than fully illuminating it. The staff had withdrawn to their quarters, leaving the main areas undisturbed.
Arianne stepped inside first.
The warmth of the interior replaced the cold almost immediately, carrying with it the scent of polished wood and the lingering trace of the evening’s earlier activity.
She removed her coat without breaking stride, placing it over the back of a chair before continuing further in.
Franz followed.
The door closed behind them with a soft, controlled sound.
Neither of them spoke.
The silence between them was no longer something to manage.
It simply existed.
From the sitting room, a light remained.
Lily had fallen asleep on the couch, curled into the cushions with a blanket half draped across her legs. One hand rested near her face, fingers loosely curled, her breathing slow and even.
Leo sat nearby.
His tablet rested in his lap, though the screen had dimmed from inactivity. He wasn’t typing. He wasn’t moving.
He was watching.
His gaze moved between Arianne and Franz, observant in the way only he could be.
Arianne walked toward the couch, her steps light enough not to disturb Lily. She adjusted the blanket, pulling it more securely over the child’s shoulder before smoothing it along the edge.
The motion was habitual.
Practiced.
Her hand remained there a second longer than necessary before she withdrew it.
Leo didn’t say anything.
He picked up his tablet slowly, typing something before turning the screen toward Franz.
Late.
Franz glanced at it.
"Yes."
Leo studied him for a moment, then nodded and lowered the tablet again.
That was enough.
Franz stepped closer and rested his hand against Leo’s head, fingers pressing before withdrawing.Leo leaned into it for a moment before settling back.
No questions followed.
The room grew quiet again.
Morning came gradually.
The light outside had softened overnight, filtering through thin cloud cover that left the sky pale but bright enough to reflect across the remaining patches of snow. The estate grounds showed more of the stone paths now, the white surface receding in uneven sections that exposed the darker earth beneath.
Inside, the house moved more freely.
Lily’s voice carried first, cutting through the calm in a way that no longer felt strained or tired.
"Aunt Aria, look—Leo finished it."
Arianne sat at the dining table, a stack of documents spread before her. Her posture was straight, one hand resting against the page as she reviewed a line before marking it with a precise, controlled motion.
She didn’t look up immediately.
"What did he finish?"
"The puzzle."
Arianne closed the folder halfway and lifted her gaze.
Leo stood beside the low table in the sitting area, the puzzle laid out in full completion. His posture was relaxed, but there was something in the way he stood—just enough to suggest he was waiting.
"Well done," Arianne said.
Leo nodded.
Lily moved closer, her attention already moving to the next thing.
"Aunt Aria—"
The phone rang.
Arianne answered without hesitation.
"Yes."
Gio’s voice came through, steady and efficient.
"The board confirmed tomorrow’s meeting. The revised documents are ready."
"I’ll review them before noon."
"Legal is waiting on your approval for the Montclair expansion."
"I’ll handle it."
A pause.
"Anything else?"
Arianne glanced toward the window, then back to the table.
"Yes."
Gio waited.
"Arrange for a piano to be delivered."
Silence.
Brief.
Controlled.
"Understood," Gio replied.
"This week."
"I’ll make the arrangements."
The call ended.
Arianne set the phone down.
Picked up her pen.
Continued working.
Across the room, everything stopped.
Lily turned slowly.
"A piano?"
Arianne didn’t respond immediately.
She finished the line she had been reviewing, closed the folder, and set the pen down before standing.
"Yes."
Lily took a step forward.
"For us?"
"For you to use."
The distinction was small.
But intentional.
For you to use. Not for you to master. Not for you to perform. Just for you. Arianne watched Lily’s face change—excitement giving way to something steadier. She remembered what it felt like to have an instrument become obligation. She would not let that happen here.
Lily’s hands came together, not clapping, not jumping—just holding in the energy that built quickly behind her expression.
"Can we play it?"
Arianne walked toward them, stopping just in front of Lily before lowering to meet her eye level.
"You can learn," she said.
Lily nodded immediately.
"But there are conditions."
Leo’s attention sharpened.
"You don’t have to play every day," Arianne continued. "You don’t have to be good at it."
Lily blinked.
Processing.
"And you can stop if you don’t like it."
A pause.
Then:
"You only play if you want to."
The room went quiet again.
Lily’s expression settled—less excitement now, more certainty.
"I want to try."
Leo picked up his tablet and typed quickly.
Try first.
Lily read it aloud.
"Try first."
Arianne nodded.
"Then we’ll start with that."
Franz had been standing near the doorway longer than necessary. 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦
He had heard everything.
He said nothing.
He leaned against the doorframe and listened to his wife explain to a four-year-old that music didn’t have to be a cage. He thought about whoever Arianne had played for before. About the fact that she was breaking that pattern now, for Lily, without being asked.
By evening, the house had grown quiet again.
The twins had gone to their room earlier, their energy finally settling after a full day of movement. The lights in the main areas dimmed gradually, leaving the sitting room and adjacent hallway in a soft, steady glow.
Arianne stood near the window.
Her phone rested in her hand, though she wasn’t using it. Outside, Montclair stretched beneath the night sky, the city more subdued now, its lights reflecting across the remaining patches of snow.
Franz entered without announcing himself.
He didn’t approach immediately.
Instead, he stopped a short distance behind her, his gaze following hers toward the view outside.
The silence that followed was not unfamiliar.
But it felt different.
"What changed your mind?" he asked.
Arianne didn’t turn. She remained facing the window, her reflection faint against the glass.
"I used to play for someone." Her voice was steady. "That was the only reason."
A pause.
"It wasn’t mine."
Franz didn’t move.
"I don’t want that for Lily."
Arianne’s fingers tightened around the phone before relaxing again.
"She should decide for herself."
The words settled into the room without weight.
Without emphasis.
Just truth.
She hadn’t said it aloud before. Not to anyone. The piano had always belonged to someone else’s expectations, someone else’s schedule, someone else’s idea of who she should be. Standing here now, with Franz behind her and the city below, she felt lighter. As if saying it had finally let it go.
Franz stepped closer then.
Not enough to touch.
But enough that the space between them disappeared.
Outside, the city lay quiet beneath the night sky.
Inside, neither of them moved away.
