Chapter 446

His gaze deepened, lips pressed thin as he focused on the woman’s silhouette. She wore a fitted, off-shoulder gown that revealed elegant shoulders and a swan-like neck. Her waist seemed impossibly slender, milky skin glowing softly under the lights. The high slit of her skirt teased glimpses of a slender, straight leg as she sat – inviting endless imagination.

Undeniably, these five years had treated Alaricka well – far better than her time with the Argent family.

Alaricka stood poised with quiet confidence, her aura calm and dignified. Her assurance steady, no longer hesitant or evasive.

This was good.

Yet Kieran felt dissatisfied.

Even he couldn’t grasp why.

Back then, he had agreed to let her leave.

He had agreed.

Kieran suddenly spaced out, feeling like he’d seen this scene somewhere before.

After a moment, the piano music in the room stopped.

Kieran frowned slightly and looked over.

Alaricka remained seated on the piano bench, turned sideways to face him, her gaze steady and her tone even.

“Mr. Argent, I’ve finished playing.”

Staring into Alaricka’s clear black-and-white eyes, he suddenly remembered where he’d seen this.

In a dream.

One day after work, he’d inexplicably told his driver to go to a music store, bought this piano on a whim, and had it delivered to the Argent’s villa.

When Wallace and Rose asked about it, he rubbed his temples without understanding why he’d done it.

Just seeing the piano made him recall thirteen-year-old Alaricka when she first joined the Argent family, and he’d impulsively bought it.

“Just bought it casually, don’t mind it.”

That’s how he answered Wallace and Rose.

The piano was placed in Alaricka’s old room.

That night, he dreamed of Alaricka.

In the dream, she sat at the piano just like today, playing an unfamiliar tune, wearing a high school uniform, her hair in a swaying high ponytail.

So different from today.

The biggest difference: Dream-Alaricka kept glancing back at him while playing, her face younger, her smile brighter, her eyes sparkling with laughter.

Kieran didn’t understand why he’d dreamed that, and after waking, he’d nearly forgotten it.

But today, he remembered every detail perfectly.

Even the curve of Alaricka’s eye corner in the dream.

Alaricka waited endlessly for Kieran’s response, unnerved by his strange stare.

So she repeated: “Mr. Argent, I said I’ve finished playing.”

Kieran looked dazed.

Within seconds, he snapped back, cleared his throat, and murmured: “Got it.”

Alaricka stayed silent for a moment before standing: “Mr. Argent, didn’t you just promise me–”

A sudden noise outside cut her off mid-sentence.

The Argent’s villa walls had decent soundproofing, but couldn’t block all noise.

Piano music was one such sound.

When Alaricka started playing, it drifted down to the living room.

The living room held guests invited by the Argent family, all hoping to network with Kieran. After he left, they chatted half-heartedly.

Rose, as Kieran’s wife, worked the room with practiced smiles.

Shi Yao didn’t know these people or care to, his mind fixed on Alaricka upstairs, ignoring all conversation.

The living room stayed relatively quiet, just soft chatter and clinking glasses.

So when the piano melody drifted down, the living room instantly fell silent.

Shi Yao’s expression darkened instantly. He burst up from the couch, glaring toward Alaricka’s room.

Rose’s face paled for a split second, though she quickly regained her composure.

The guests exchanged uneasy glances, not daring to speak.

Earlier, everyone had watched Alaricka and Kieran ascend the stairs. The second-floor railing only reached waist-height, offering a clear view from below.

They’d all seen the pair enter not the study, but Alaricka’s former bedroom.

Complex expressions had crossed their faces then, leaving them speechless.