Hades stood rigid in front of his parents in the grand living room of the Falcon Estate.
They had returned not long ago from the Monteverde's welcome party, but instead of letting him retreat to his room, he had been summoned, to stand trial.
Jupiter sat upright on the leather sofa, his eyes narrowed sharply as he gripped his polished cane. Beside him, Angelina watched silently, her usual grace tinged with quiet disappointment.
"What did your mother and I tell you earlier today?" Jupiter asked coldly. But he didn't wait for an answer. His voice rose. "Didn't we tell you to look after Evadne? To make her feel welcome? To win her over?"
Hades remained still, fists clenched tightly behind his back.
"Instead of focusing on her, you spent the entire afternoon beside Cieryl Clark," Jupiter spat her name with disgust. "And didn't I instruct you, explicitly, to end that relationship before school begins?"
His tone sharpened, thundering through the room.
"What are you waiting for? Do you want Evadne to be mocked in public? Humiliated? Is that what you want to happen to your future wife?"
Though Hades's expression remained impassive, the veins on his neck stood out. His jaw tightened.
"Cieryl and I are just friends, sir," he replied quietly.
CRACK!
Jupiter slammed his cane down hard against the coffee table, the sound echoing across the room.
"Friends?! Do you think I'm stupid, boy?" he roared. "Do you think I don't know the truth about your relationship with that girl?"
His voice was sharp enough to cut through steel.
"Two years, Hades. Two years we allowed you to play romance with her. And you think you've hidden it well? I know everything. You booked VIP tickets for Adventureland, just for the two of you."
He leaned forward, eyes blazing.
"Never forget that Tyla may assist you in your company training, but she works for me. There is nothing you do that escapes my notice. The only reason you have the freedom you enjoy now is because I allow it."
"Dear, calm down," Angelina said softly, reaching for her husband's hand.
"How do you expect me to calm down with the way your son is behaving?" Jupiter snapped, though his voice lowered slightly.
"Maybe he's just waiting for the right time," Angelina offered gently. "It's not exactly easy to win over Vee, especially since today was the first time they've truly met."
But even she didn't sound convinced.
Jupiter turned to her, unconvinced. "And yet Casadin seemed to have no problem. And they met just today."
Angelina fell silent.
Because it was true. Despite their chaotic energy, Evadne and Casadin clicked like old friends. Meanwhile, between Hades and Evadne… there had only been distance. Awkwardness.
Cold silence.
"Go to your room," Jupiter finally ordered. "You're grounded. And make sure you cancel that Adventureland reservation with Cieryl."
"No." Angelina's voice cut clean through the room.
Jupiter turned to her, frowning. "Dear…"
She didn't look at him.
Instead, she met Hades's gaze with calm steel.
"Don't cancel it. Take Evadne instead."
Jupiter blinked, then slowly nodded, realizing the brilliance in the suggestion. His fury began to ease.
"That's a good idea," he muttered. "Take her. And make sure she enjoys herself. Use the day to get to know her."
He stood slowly, leaning on his cane, then stared Hades down.
"Once school starts, I expect you to watch over her at NY Elite. Make sure she's comfortable. Make sure no problems reach her."
His voice dropped lower. Final.
"We've already informed Romos and Cielo that you will be driving her to and from school every day."
Hades's jaw clenched again.
But he gave the only answer he could.
"Yes, sir."
"Now go to your room," Jupiter ordered coldly.
Hades didn't argue. He turned silently and walked toward the grand staircase, every step echoing against the marble floors. But just as he reached the curve leading toward the private wing where his bedroom was located, he heard their voices again, and paused, hidden just beyond the column.
"Where did we go wrong in raising that boy?" Jupiter asked, lowering himself onto the couch once more, cane resting across his lap.
"We've given him the best, best life, best education. Everything we gave Zeus, we gave him too. And yet he can't even measure up to half of what Zeus was. It's like we wasted millions raising him…"
There was a pause. A beat of silence that pierced straight through Hades's chest.
"…If Casadin weren't Caspian's only heir, I'd rather pass our name to him instead."
Angelina didn't answer right away.
"And don't tell me he's just taking his time to win Vee over," Jupiter continued. "Vee is the sweetest girl. Just look at Casadin. He managed to connect with her instantly. And yet Hades? He just sat there and did nothing."
"Just give it time, dear," Angelina said softly. "Eventually, the two will grow closer."
"Time?" Jupiter scoffed. "Until when? Until she falls for another man? Takes his last name instead of ours?"
He sighed, shaking his head slowly.
"I wouldn't mind who she ends up with, as long as the man makes her happy. I'd give that man the Falcon name. But what if that man is lesser? Someone with no accomplishments? High society would mock her. And what's worse, what if he can't protect her? What if he fails her?"
Angelina reached over and gently placed a hand on his arm.
"The reason we chose Hades," Jupiter said heavily, "was because out of all the children at that orphanage, he was the one always playing with Vee. Every time we visited, it was him she ran to. I thought it would be easy. Natural. I thought they'd grow close."
He fell silent for a moment.
"But now… Hades is nothing but a disappointment."
Angelina looked down.
"I'm starting to regret ever adopting him."
"Come on, dear," she murmured, trying to soothe him. "Don't be so harsh. Just… give Hades a chance. Please."
Upstairs, Hades stood frozen.
His breath shallow.
His chest tight.
Slowly, with the weight of those words crushing his spine, he made his way to his room and shut the door behind him.
He didn't bother with the lights.
He just collapsed on the bed, staring blankly at the ceiling.
Everything he had done.
Every perfect score.
Every award.
Every carefully measured action to meet their impossible expectations.
It was never enough.
Not because he failed at school.
Not because he lacked skill or ambition.
But because he couldn't win the heart of the girl they loved most.
The girl who was never meant to be his to begin with.
His biological parents had discarded him before he even had a name.
And now, even the parents who claimed him, raised him, molded him, regretted him.
Was he truly so unwanted?
So worthless?
What was even the point of being born… if his entire existence served only one purpose?
To belong to her.
To be molded for her.
To become the perfect man not for himself, but for Evadne Monteverde.
Just a carefully groomed possession meant to stand beside her like a trophy?
Even his adoption… wasn't out of love.
It was because he was the little boy Evadne liked playing with at the orphanage.
That was his only qualification.
A hollow laugh escaped his throat.
It was empty. Bitter.
And then, silence.
A thick, choking silence.
And finally, tears.
Not the loud, wracking kind.
Just quiet, relentless drops streaming down his cheeks as he stared up at the ceiling, the weight of his existence pressing down on his chest like a thousand bricks.
The question echoed in his mind over and over again,
'If I wasn't born to be loved… then why was I even born at all?'
The silence was broken by the sharp ring of his phone.
A video call.
From Cieryl.
He immediately wiped his tears away, brushing them off with the back of his hand before answering.
"Hi, babe," Cieryl greeted him with her usual soft smile, only for her expression to shift quickly into concern the moment she saw the sadness lingering in his eyes. "Everything okay?"
Only Cieryl ever asked him that.
Only Cieryl ever saw him.
His parents? They didn't ask if he was okay.
They expected him to be okay.
"Yeah," Hades answered quietly.
"Did they scold you again?" she asked gently.
He couldn't bring himself to reply. He just let out a slow, tired sigh.
He didn't want to unload everything, how his existence was a transaction tied to a girl he did not like. How his accomplishments meant nothing because he couldn't win over the Falcon and Monteverde princess. How, no matter what he did, he would always be someone else's shadow.
And how, his parents couldn't see the kind heart of the girl right in front of him.
Cieryl was kind. Soft-spoken. Loyal. Someone who cared about him for who he really was. Someone who didn't ask him to be perfect. If only his parents saw that, not everything had to revolve around Evadne.
"Babe… about our Adventureland date," Hades began hesitantly. The words weighed like lead on his tongue. "I…"
"Cancelled?" Cieryl asked softly, already knowing.
"I'm sorry," Hades breathed. "They want me to take Evadne instead."
For a second, the screen was quiet.
He saw her smile falter, just a flicker of pain flashing in her eyes, quickly replaced by a brave smile.
"It's okay, babe. I understand," Cieryl said, voice gentle.
"No, it's not okay," Hades said bitterly. "I know it's not. I promise, I'll make it up to you."
She was silent for a beat.
Then…
"Babe, don't worry about me," she said quietly. "Just like I told you before… I'll wait. I'll wait, even if it takes forever. I'll wait until the day comes when you're finally free to choose me."
Her words stabbed into him like a knife. And still, her smile was unwavering.
Hades felt his throat tighten. His lips curved into a pained smile.
"Thank you," he whispered. "Thank you for understanding. I swear I'll make it up to you, babe. I hope you know how much I love you."
"Of course I know," she said, her voice softer than before. "And I love you more."
Then, her tone shifted, light, teasing. "You know what? Maybe we don't need to cancel the date."
Hades blinked. "But my parents…"
"I mean," she said, her eyes twinkling now, "it wouldn't be our fault if we just happened to run into each other at Adventureland, right? Like… purely coincidence? Maybe me and a few of our friends just decided to go there on the same day. Just to have some fun before the semester starts."
A sly little scheme. The kind he had always loved about her.
Then, finally, he smiled. A real one.
"Of course," he said. "It'll just be a coincidence."
And for the first time that night, Hades didn't feel completely powerless.