Sweet Love 2x: Miss Ruthless CEO for our Superstar Uncle-Chapter 76: Seven Days

Arianne had already informed the twins about her one-week overseas trip. She had thought that informing them ahead of time would give her and Franz enough time to reassure the children that she wouldn’t disappear without a word. Lily seemed to understand that it was work-related, but Leo had opposed the idea of Arianne being gone for too long.

Arianne was busy packing her luggage in her room when a knock sounded against the door. She opened it halfway and found the twins standing in the corridor outside, their hands clasped. She noticed the redness in Leo’s eyes immediately, the skin beneath them slightly swollen as though he had cried not long ago.

"What’s wrong? Why are you still up?" Arianne asked. She did not step aside to let them in. The doorway marked a boundary she had always kept; aside from Aunt Estella, no one entered her room without permission.

"Do you really have to leave?" Lily asked as she held her brother’s hand.

"I have to," Arianne replied.

Leo’s fingers tightened around Lily’s at once. He did not attempt to speak. Instead, he shook his head once, sharp and immediate, as if the motion alone might undo her decision.

Lily glanced at him before looking back at Arianne. "He doesn’t want you to go," she said quietly.

Arianne’s gaze shifted briefly past them and then back to Leo. The open suitcase lay visible behind her on the bed, shirts folded into neat stacks, a folder aligned precisely beside them. Nothing in the room suggested hesitation.

"It’s one week," Arianne said, her tone steady.

Leo lifted his hand and extended seven fingers in two deliberate motions, counting the days. When he lowered his hand, he pointed toward the far end of the corridor where the staircase descended. His meaning was clear.

"Yes," she answered. "I will leave, and I will return once the week is over."

He did not look convinced.

Lily hesitated before speaking again.

"He keeps thinking about last time," she said. She did not elaborate. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

The memory of the accident lingered in the house. It was unspoken but always present. Leo had not spoken since that night. Doctors called it trauma-induced mutism and said time would help. Arianne did not rely on time alone; she depended on structure, stability, and repetition. Still, she understood that some wounds could not heal with discipline and structure alone.

"I am not leaving in the middle of the night," Arianne said. "I am not traveling without preparation. I am not putting myself in unnecessary danger."

Leo’s shoulders remained rigid, but he listened.

"I do not make impulsive departures," she continued. "If I say one week, it is because the return is already arranged."

Leo moved his hand again, this time less controlled. His fingers formed an incomplete sign that Lily carefully watched before explaining.

"He wants to know why you won’t tell us what it’s for."

"It’s work," Arianne said.

Leo’s jaw tightened. He signed again, slower this time.

"He says that’s not enough," Lily translated, her voice softer now.

Arianne looked at him steadily.

"But it’s true. I’m traveling for work. Didn’t your Daddy travel before, too?"

Leo’s breathing grew shallow. He stepped forward slightly and pressed his palm against the doorframe, testing whether she would move aside.

She did not.

"Not inside," she said evenly. She intended to correct the behavior without escalating it.

Leo let his hand fall. Lily squeezed his fingers in reminder. This boundary had always existed. Arianne’s room was not a shared space.

"You think I am leaving because of something here," Arianne said after a moment.

Leo did not nod, but he did not look away either.

"I am not."

Behind them, footsteps approached along the corridor. Franz stopped a few steps away, taking in the scene without interrupting.

"They’re still awake?" he asked mildly. He had just arrived home from work, his jacket still draped over one arm.

Lily nodded. "He doesn’t want her to go."

Franz moved closer but did not step between them. Instead, he crouched slightly so he was level with Leo’s line of sight, one hand resting loosely on his knee.

"You knew about the trip," he said calmly. "It’s been on the calendar for two weeks."

Leo’s eyes flickered toward him. He signed again, more emphatically.

"He says knowing doesn’t make it better," Lily said.

Franz gave a slight nod. "No. It doesn’t."

Leo’s expression shifted, as if he hadn’t expected Franz to agree.

"Being afraid won’t make it shorter," Franz said. "It just makes it feel longer."

Leo held his gaze.

"You’re worried she won’t come back," Franz said evenly. "Because last time, someone didn’t."

The hallway grew still.

Leo’s throat moved reflexively, but no sound followed. His fingers curled into his palm.

"Did Aunt Arianne ever break her promise to you?" Franz asked. "She does not leave without planning her return."

Leo glanced back at Arianne, then at Franz again.

"If she says one week," Franz said, "then it’s one week."

Leo lifted his hand once more and counted silently. Seven days. His breathing steadied slightly.

Lily spoke after a pause. "He wants to know who’s in charge."

"I am," Franz answered without hesitation. "And I am not going anywhere."

Leo studied him carefully, searching for uncertainty. Finding none, he gave a small nod.

"We should sleep," Lily murmured.

Before turning away, Leo looked at her again, his expression taut with something he could not voice.

Leo lingered a moment longer at the doorway before stepping back. His gaze remained fixed on Arianne.

"Next Friday," she said evenly.

He held her gaze.

"I’ll come up the stairs. You’ll hear me before you see me."

The image was familiar—the sound of heels against the wooden steps, steady and unhurried.

Leo’s shoulders eased slightly.

When the twins finally walked back down the corridor toward their rooms, Arianne remained at the doorway until their door closed.

When the hallway quieted, Franz remained where he stood.

"You could have told him more," he said.

"It would not have reduced his fear," Arianne replied.

"It might have reduced the distance."

She met his gaze. "There is no distance."

"There is context," he said. "And you’re standing outside of it."

A brief silence settled between them.

"You’ve known for two weeks," she said.

"Yes."

"And you didn’t question it."

"I did."

Her eyes sharpened slightly. "And?"

"You said it was work."

"It is."

"You’re not saying what kind?"

"It’s a meeting that cannot be delegated."

"Is it dangerous?"

"No."

He studied her expression rather than her words.

"I don’t like not knowing what pulls you away," he said.

"It’s not pulling me away," she said. "It’s something I have to do."

"That’s not the same thing."

"To me, it is."

He shifted his weight, deciding how far to press.

"You trust me with this house and the children."

"Yes."

"With what remains here."

"Yes."

"And with you?"

Arianne did not look away. "Yes."

"Then don’t leave me outside the reason," he said quietly.

She considered him for several seconds.

"For now, the details are unnecessary," she said. "But I understand your point."

"That’s not really an answer."

"It’s the only one I can give right now."

He held her gaze.

"Next time," she added, "I will include you sooner."

Franz inclined his head. "That’s sufficient."

She nodded once.

"I expect the twins will test boundaries while I’m gone," she said.

"I expect they will," Franz agreed. "Leo will be more restless at night."

"I know."

Arianne had already anticipated what could happen during her absence. She could only hope Franz’s presence would be enough to reassure the children.

"And Lily will pretend she isn’t worried."

"Yes."

A small pause happened.

"Thank you," she said.

"For what?"

"For being where you are."

He didn’t answer right away. His expression remained calm.

"Come back in a week," he said instead.

"I will."

Inside her room, Arianne resumed packing. She aligned the documents again, then closed the folder and set it neatly beside the folded clothes. When she stepped back toward the doorway to turn off the lamp, something near the threshold caught her attention.

A small metal lion keychain lay on the floor just outside the entrance.

Leo’s.

She paused for a moment before bending to pick it up. The edges were worn smooth from years of handling. He must have been holding it earlier and dropped it without noticing when Lily pulled him away.

Or perhaps he had meant to leave it there.

She did not call him back to return it.

Instead, she set it quietly on the table beside her door.

In the morning, she would decide whether to take it.

Down the corridor, Franz paused outside the twins’ room before entering. The lights were dim; Leo lay awake, staring at the ceiling.

Franz remained near the doorway rather than approaching the bed.

"She will return," he said calmly.

Leo turned his head slightly.

"And if she does not," Franz continued, "I will handle what follows."

Leo studied him for several seconds before lying back down. His breathing gradually evened.

Next to him, Lily was already under the covers, though her eyes remained open.

"He’s scared," she said softly.

"I know."

"Are you?"

"Yes."

She considered that.

"But she’ll come back," Lily added.

"Yes."

"Because she said so?"

"Yes."

That seemed enough for the night.

When the lights went out and the house became quiet, the departure was still a day away. But its absence was already starting to fill the rooms—not as fear, but as adjustment.

In the room they shared, Leo’s breathing eventually steadied beside Lily’s, though neither had fallen asleep easily.