Chapter 260
Chapter 260 Shire Family
As Leander stepped out of Maplebrook Manor, the sound of hurried footsteps echoed behind him. He didn’t turn, but the sharp rhythm on the stone path said enough.
Maeve was running.
Still in her formal gown, she gripped the hem to keep from tripping as she chased after him. Her heels struck the ground hard with each stride. The manor staff nearby stood frozen, stunned to see her tear across the courtyard without a shred of restraint.
She reached him breathless, eyes shining with stubborn fire. “You’re just gonna leave p>
Leander looked at her, his voice cool and distant. “What else would you expect?” Maeve bit her lip. Her hands were shaking. “You don’t have anything to say to me p>
He stood tall. His face gave nothing away.
“I already said everything that mattered p>
Her voice cracked, full of pain and disbelief. “You said it, but I didn’t understand it.
“You told me you never felt anything for me. That I was just someone you happened to save. But did you ever ask how I felt?
“You were everything to me. You were the one I believed in. For over two years, my sister and my father told me you were dead. Do you have any idea what that did to me?
“Now I finally find you, and you treat me like a stranger. Like I don’t even deserve the chance to be near you p>
She took a step closer, tears running freely. “What am I supposed to do p>
By then, she could barely speak. The sobs came hard and heavy. She had thought she was strong. She had kept her pain locked inside for years, pretending she was fine.
But now that he stood right in front of her, she realized she had only ever held on because of him.
Leander was the one thing that made her strong. And also the one thing that could break her.
“Ask your father. Ask
father. Ask your sister. Don’t ask me p>
His voice stayed cold. He moved past her without stopping.
“Ice Cube! You can hate me, but you better listen p>
Macve shouted at his back. Her voice was loud, raw, and full of heartbreak.
“These past two days, I’ve made up my mind!
“No matter what you say, no matter what you feel, I’m not leaving. Not in this life or the next. You’re stuck with me. I don’t care where you go. I’ll follow you until the day I die p>
Her voice rang out into the open night. Yvette and Ginny had just stepped outside. They heard everything. Neither of them moved. They just stared from afar, unsure of what to do.
Leander stopped. His eyes lowered slightly.
This girl really was hopeless.
He let out a slow breath. Ever since his secret had come out, he knew this was going to happen. Maeve wasn’t going anywhere.
He paused, then turned to face her. His gaze was calm, but his eyes held something deeper- quiet and heavy like a sky before a storm.
“Let’s make a deal p>
Maeve wiped her tears. She stepped toward him quickly and nodded.
“For the next three years, let’s not see each other. Not unless it happens by chance.
“If three years pass and your feelings haven’t changed, then I’ll let you stay by my side p>
Maeve’s lips trembled, but she managed a small smile through the pain.
“Okay. That’s our deal. I’ll keep away from you for three years.
“But after that, you better not shut me out again. You have to mean it p>
Leander gave a quiet nod. “I will. I don’t go back on my word. If your heart’s the same after three years, I’ll let you stay p>
As soon as he finished, he turned and disappeared into the night.
Maeve stood in place, eyes fixed on the darkness where he had vanished. Her tears
had stopped, but her resolve had only grown stronger.
“Three years, huh p>
She whispered to herself. Her eyes were clear now.
“Ice Cube, you’re never getting rid of me.
“Three years from now, I’ll cash in on that promise, and I’m not letting go p>
Far ahead, Leander walked in silence. He had only agreed to the deal to buy time.
He figured that after three years, her feelings would fade, and she’d let go on her
own.
He had no idea just how wrong he would be.
The next morning, after a quiet night at the villa, Leander answered a call from Madeline.
“What? Your grandfather called? He wants you to come back for his seventieth birthday p>
The second she said it, Leander’s eyes narrowed.
He had once lived with Hazel and
Madeline for a while. Life back then was quiet and poor. The three of them barely scraped by. But to Leander, Hazel was warm, gentle,
and thoughtful.ways
had
believed she was just a kind woman
from a small village.
But eight years later, when he returned and found out she had passed, everything
changed. That loss hit hard.
And with it came the truth. Hazel wasn’t just some village woman. She had been born into a powerful family in Cranfordale. Her relatives had begged her not to be with Madeline’s father. They weren’t married, and when she got pregnant they turned on her. They accused her of shaming the family and threw her out.
They told her to leave the man and end the pregnancy. But Hazel refused. She left everything behind and chose love. She followed Madeline’s father into the countryside and gave birth to her daughter.
She never expected that the man would abandon her and vanish. After that, she had no strength to go back or face the people who had rejected her So, she stayed in the village and raised Madeline on her own.
During all the years Leander lived with them, he had never heard her speak about
her past. No one ever came to visit. Her family had erased her.
And now, out of nowhere, they wanted Madeline back. Leander didn’t understand it. Something about it just didn’t sit right.
“Leander, I really don’t get why they came to me,” Madeline said, her voice small and unsure.
“But when my mom was still alive, she told me she felt guilty for what she did to her family. She asked me not to hate them. She said if I ever had the chance, I should go see my grandparents.
“I never had the nerve to reach out. And now they’re the ones calling me… I don’t know what to do
Her voice shook as she spoke. She might have been Astria’s rising star, but at heart, she was still a teenage girl. Faced with strangers who shared her blood, she didn’t know where to begin.
Ms. Shire’s family, huh?” Leander murmured.
His eyes dimmed slightly. Hazel had been like a mother to him. She had cared for
him with the kind of quiet strength he’d never forgotten. Even now, her voice and smile often drifted through his memory.
After a long pause, he finally said, “Madeline, you’ve never seen them before. Maybe this is chance to meet your family. You should go p>
“Will you come with me?” she asked.
Her voice was soft, almost timid, but filled with hope.
“Of course. They were Ms. Shire’s kin. I should go pay my respects too p>
your
He didn’t hesitate. His gratitude toward Hazel ran deep, and it extended naturally to the family she came from.
When the call ended, Leander leaned into the couch and glanced at Madeline’s message. He whispered to himself.
“The Shire family of Cranfordale. The top military house, huh p>