THIRD PERSON POV

Upstairs, Ashley sat quietly on the bed hugging her stuffed rabbit again.

Her arm still hurt from where Tasha pinched her last night. Although Sophia allowed her to sleep with her, Ashley still looked emotionally withdrawn now.

She missed her mother already. 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

Even though Sophia remained gentle toward her last night, Ashley still sensed the emotional distance between them. That hurt her tiny heart badly.

The child kept staring sadly toward the bedroom door now.

Mommy left.

A few minutes later, someone knocked softly.

Ashley looked up nervously. Then Declan entered.

Unlike Damien, Declan rarely interacted much with Ashley. But today, after the argument downstairs, he suddenly felt curious about the child’s condition.

Declan’s expression softened when he saw Ashley’s swollen eyes.

“What’s wrong with you?” he asked.

Ashley lowered her head quietly “Nothing...”

Declan walked closer and sat beside her

“You look miserable.” He teased.

Ashley hugged her rabbit tighter. Declan studied her silently for several seconds. His expression turned serious now.

Despite Sophia being gone already, Ashley still looked emotionally upset. Naturally, Declan immediately blamed Sophia. This must be all her fault.

“She upset you again?” he asked.

Ashley looked confused. “What?”

Declan snorted “She always causes drama around this family.”

Ashley remained quiet. She didn’t even know what he was talking about. She didn’t understand adult conflicts properly yet. She only knew everything felt wrong lately.

Nobody looked happy anymore. Not Daddy, not Mommy, not even Grandpa George sometimes.

“Women like Sophia always think emotionally.” Declan said bitterly.

Ashley blinked.

“She keeps fighting Damien even though he gave her everything,” Declan muttered coldly. “Now look at this family - completely chaotic.”

Ashley’s tiny face became sadder. hearing people speak badly about Sophia always hurt her somewhere deep inside, Even if she didn’t fully understand why.

Meanwhile, downstairs, Tiffany slowly walked toward the staircase carrying several books against her chest.

She originally planned to go to Ashley’s room, but the moment she noticed Declan walking out from upstairs, her eyes softened.

Declan noticed her too. He froze at the sight of her.

Tiffany looked beautiful today.

She was wearing a blue dress. Her long dark hair fell elegantly around her shoulders. She had perfect features that naturally attracted attention without even trying.

Declan’s eyes moved over her from head to toe

Tiffany noticed immediately. She smiled internally.

Perfect.

Unlike Damien’s coldness, Declan had always been easier reading emotionally. His attraction toward beautiful women was obvious.

He’d always liked Tiffany and she knew it.

The moment they met halfway on the staircase, Tiffany deliberately stumbled.

“Oh” she gasped.

Her body tilted forward. Declan quickly caught her waist.

For a second, they stood extremely close.

Tiffany looked up at him through her lashes.

“Thank you,” she said softly.

Declan’s fingers tightened slightly around her waist.

He swallowed hard. His heart beat nervously. The closeness affected him a lot.

Tiffany smelled sweet and feminine up close. Combined with her soft voice and beauty, she triggered male protective instincts naturally.

“You should be more careful,” Declan murmured.

Tiffany smiled “I’ve been tired lately.”

“From Ashley?”

Tiffany sighed softly as she stepped back “A little.”

That irritated Declan again.

“I don’t know how you tolerate all this,” he muttered. “Especially with Sophia constantly causing problems.”

Tiffany lowered her eyes, then deliberately spoke softly.

“Please don’t misunderstand Sister Sophia...”

The fake defense worked perfectly. Declan instantly became even more convinced Sophia mistreated Tiffany unfairly.

His expression softened toward Tiffany now.

“You’re too kind.” He said.

Tiffany laughed “Not really.”

Declan leaned slightly closer. “You know... compared to Sophia, you actually fit this family much better.”

Tiffany forced a shy smile but inside, she was grinning.

“You shouldn’t say things like that.” She said.

“Why not?” Declan asked “It’s true.”

Tiffany slowly bit her lower lip. It was a small movement but incredibly intentional.

Declan noticed immediately and his eyes went dark with desire.

Meanwhile, Tiffany internally smiled. This was exactly what she wanted.

Declan might not hold as much power as Damien, but he still belonged to the Stone family. Having him emotionally aligned against Sophia would only benefit her future plans further.

Especially now that Sophia and Damien’s marriage continued crumbling apart.

Tiffany touched Declan’s arm, pretending innocent gratitude.

“Thank you for understanding me.” she said.

The physical contact affected him.

Declan covered her hand “You deserve better treatment than this.”

Tiffany looked into his eyes.

And for one moment... Declan genuinely forgot everything else around him.