The Family Vacation

Aurora's heels clicked softly against the wooden floor as she walked into the mansion after the long gala with Tristan.

Her phone buzzed in her hand, and she glanced at the screen. Daemon's name flashed across it.

She let out a sigh, already feeling the exhaustion from pretending to be the perfect wife all night.

"Vacation tomorrow," Daemon said as soon as she answered the call. His voice sounded demanding, as always.

"Vacation, suddenly?" Aurora raised an eyebrow, already knowing there was more to it.

"If you agree, I'll give you that Caelestis-Medallion contract you've been fighting so hard for," Daemon added, his tone almost too casual for a man like him.

Her breath hitched. She needed that contract. It was the key to one of her biggest business plans, something that could give her more leverage in her plans against Daemon's company.

But a vacation? With him? It sounded too simple, and nothing with Daemon was ever simple.

"And what's the catch?" Aurora asked, keeping her tone light, even though her mind was racing.

"No catch. Let's just call it a truce. For the kids. They deserve to have their father around, away from all the drama for once."

She could almost hear him smirking on the other end. "Fine," she agreed. "But I want the contract signed before the picnic starts."

***

The next day, the sun was shining, and the mansion by the sea was like something out of a dream.

The kids were running around, excited about their day out.

Daemon was lounging on a blanket, watching the two kids build a sandcastle with all the excitement kids should have.

But Leonardo, the eldest of the three, sat off to the side, typing away on his laptop.

Daemon, noticing his son wasn't playing with the others, got up and made his way to where Leonardo was sitting.

"Hey, buddy," Daemon said, sitting down next to him. "What are you working on?"

Leonardo didn't look up.

His little fingers moved fast across the keys, his small face serious. "Studying," he muttered, clearly not interested in talking.

Daemon tried to peek at the screen, seeing lines of code.

He couldn't believe his son was doing that at just five years old.

"You're really smart, you know that?" Daemon said, hoping to start a conversation. "You've got a sharp brain and a high IQ for your age. It's impressive."

Leonardo finally stopped typing, his eyes narrowing a little.

"Mom says being smart isn't everything," he replied coldly, closing his laptop with a snap. "It's about how you treat people too."

Daemon blinked, taken aback by his son's maturity. "Your mom's right," he said slowly, but before he could say more, Leonardo got up and walked over to where Aurora sat, phone pressed to her ear.

Aurora was talking to Tristan, her voice low but cheerful as she updated him about the day. "The kids are having fun, for the most part," she said. "But you know how it is…"

Leonardo climbed onto the blanket next to his mom, his face lighting up as he heard Tristan's voice from the other side of the line.

"Tristan!" he called happily.

Aurora handed him the phone, smiling softly. "Go ahead, say hi."

"Hi, Tristan!" Leonardo said, grinning. "I wish you were here. You'd be way more fun than this dumb picnic."

Daemon, standing just a few feet away, felt his stomach twist.

He clenched his fists, pretending to focus on something else.

But then Leonardo's next words hit him like a punch to the gut.

"I wish you were our dad," Leonardo said, his voice innocent but sharp, cutting through the air like a knife.

Aurora froze, her eyes darting between Leonardo and Daemon, who was now glaring, his jaw clenched tightly.

She knew Daemon had heard every word.

Daemon's face darkened, and Aurora quickly took the phone from Leonardo.

"Alright, buddy, let Tristan talk to me for a minute," she said, trying to keep her voice steady.

She smiled softly at her son, but her heart pounded in her chest.

Leonardo shrugged and wandered back toward the sandcastle his siblings were building, leaving Daemon standing there, fuming silently.

"Tristan," Aurora whispered into the phone, keeping her voice low so Daemon wouldn't hear. "I need to go. I'll talk to you later."

She hung up and stood, brushing off her dress.

Daemon was already staring at her, his eyes cold but full of jealousy.

"Really?" Daemon said, his voice laced with irritation. "Our son wishes Tristan was his dad?"

Aurora crossed her arms, staying calm. "He's just a kid, Daemon. Kids say things."

Daemon stepped closer, his expression hard. "He said it because Tristan's always around. Don't you think that's a problem?"

Aurora lifted her chin, not backing down. "Maybe if you spent more time being a father and always being there for us, instead of abandoning us five years ago like you did, then maybe yes, leonardo would want YOU to be his father"

Daemon opened his mouth to argue, but nothing came out.

Aurora didn't wait for him to recover. She turned and walked toward the triplets, her heart racing.

This was exactly why she was pretending, why she needed to stay in control. She couldn't let Daemon get the upper hand, not again.

As she sat down beside Leonardo and the others, helping them with their castle, she felt Daemon's eyes still burning into her back.

This truce was already crumbling, and she wasn't sure how much longer she could keep up the act.

But for now, she had to. For the kids. And for the plan.