"Caleb, it has been a while!"

Gracefully accepting his friend's embrace, the young lord smiles. Inna Cents, a trusted ally of House Vatore, requests a meeting with the head of the family as soon as she arrives. A beautiful vampire, her luscious brown locks are held into an updo with intricate pins and a lovely floral headpiece, captivated ember eyes, and a beauty mark that adds a touch of color to her soft pale skin.

"That is quite a hasty trip you're making, Inna. What brings you here?"

"I can not visit my friend?" even her smile radiates grace and elegance, an aristocratic among the vampires "House Cents is hosting a party and I would like to invite everyone in your family to come and join us."

"A party? That sounds rather lovely. But why do you have to come here on your own?" Caleb inquires "It's quite dangerous for you, especially during this time."

The brunette giggles at her friend's comment. While it is true that Inna Cents and her family don't have the privilege of withstanding direct sunlight like House Vatore, they can still venture out in the daytime, provided they remain in the shadows. Today, she explicitly comes to Caleb for a reason.

The daughter of a family friend, the young lady of the Bloodvein family, has taken a shine on the dashing lord Vatore and wishes to meet him in person. As Caleb's good friend, Inna has to introduce her to him. The young maiden has every positive aspect of a vampire, she comes from a prominent family, is a beautiful girl, and is at a suitable age to be married. On top of that, the most important thing about her is that she is a full-blood vampire. If Caleb accepts her, the next heir to House Vatore will also be a pureblood vampire.

"Inna, I'm grateful for your consideration but I have told you many times that I don't have any intention to marry yet." Caleb sets his teacup down and looks at his friend.

"Oh come on Caleb, you need to start thinking about these things. You are a pureblood vampire, it's only natural for you to be with one of our kind."

Her words, while seem genuine, hold a tone of warning. Lilith and Kian who are sitting near them can't help but wonder what is Inna's true motivation behind this.

"We have long abandoned that ideology, Inna. I don't want to marry someone based on the premise of retaining the pureblood of our family." he speaks up "You can not treat a marriage as if it is some form of contract."

"But Caleb, she likes you, that is enough. She will be a perfect wife for you, just give her a chance."

"But I don't have any feelings for her. To marry her means that she will never find her happiness, I can't do that."

Inna scoffs at his words. This is one of her many attempts to introduce Caleb to a potential mate but he keeps shooting her offer down. The brunette doesn't understand why her friend insists on the idea of marrying for love when the most important thing within the vampire world is to preserve the bloodline of the next generation.

Unlike her, House Vatore has been a prominent family for many centuries and holds a respected position in vampire society. After the defeat of Vladislaus Straud, their influence and power increased, solidifying their reputation and authority within the hierarchy. Not only that, the family's unique ability, blood manipulation, is only passed down to a full-blood vampire. If Caleb's children aren't full-blood, this ability will be gone forever.

"Caleb, this is for the good of your family. If my family had the same privileges as yours, I would waste no time ensuring the future of House Cents. But here you are, rejecting another opportunity to strengthen House Vatore's power and preserve the bloodline." Inna asks him, frustration fills her voice "Are you still thinking about her? That little girl you saw in Glimmerbrook years ago?"

Lilith wants to step in and speak up for her brother, but Kian knows better and stops his wife from interrupting. Butler Richard stands by Caleb's side as he silently observes how the conversation plays out. They all know that Inna Cents only wants the best for her friend, but she is slowly overstepping her boundaries.

"That girl is gone Caleb, she is not in your world anymore. You chose to leave her there and pursue a more noble cause, remember?" the lady of house Cent speaks up, her voice soft yet full of venom "That girl won't help you, she can't help you. No matter how much you love her, your relationship is forbidden. As long as you are still the head of house Vatore, it is your duty to serve your family."

Inna sighs, crossing her arms as she looks away, brows knitting together. Her frustration doesn't faze Caleb as he sits on the plush sofa, wearing a calm and nonchalant face. Never again will he allow himself to be dictated by anyone, especially Inna Cents. He admires her dedication to maintaining and preserving the bloodline of the next generation, but House Vatore is more than that.

Their family is built on morals and the philosophy of living in harmony with humans, their research and success in creating the plasma fruit are the sentiment of their values. Whether house Vatore has a pureblood heir or not is not an important thing, as long as the next generation carries on the will and values of their house, that is enough.

"What a naïve thinking…" Inna scoffs, shaking her head in disappointment.

"Enough Inna! I will not allow you to say bad things about my brother anymore." Lilith steps in, voicing her objection "Caleb has sacrificed everything for this family. If it is his wish to marry someone he loves, we will support him, whether his mate is a human or a vampire."

"You truly don't understand the scope of things, do you Lilith?" Inna turns to the younger Vatore, scoffing "Even until now, there are still Vladislaus Straud loyalists who want to take down House Vatore and rebuild his legacy. Unless Caleb has an heir who possesses your family's unique ability, this vampire world will soon be thrown into another war. You and your husband should know that very well."

"Don't you dare bring Kian into this."

"Lilith, calm down."

Kian holds onto his wife's arms to stop her from striking down on Inna.

"That's right, keep her under your control. After all, you are nothing more than the pawn of Vladislaus." Inna continues her insults, particularly aiming at Kian "You and your father are the same. You may think that your marriage with Lilith can save you from the falling grace, but remember that anyone who carries the blood of the Straud family shall face the same end as Vladislaus Straud himself."

The tea set on the table flies across the room, breaking into pieces. Lilith's blood is boiling at Inna's harsh words about Kian. It doesn't matter if her husband is Vladislaus Straud's flesh and blood, that he was the son of their enemy, no one is allowed to insult him like that, not even Inna Cents herself.

"Say that again I'll make sure that you will not live to see tomorrow!" the younger Vatore grits her teeth angrily at the other vampire.

As the two women stare at each other, their eyes turn into different colors, veins appear on their faces, and their healthy pale skin is now turning into a shade of grey. They are turning into their vampire forms, Inna with cyan blue eyes and Lilith with her signature red. There are black hues surrounding them as they both crack their knuckles, ready to take down each other in a deadly duel.

Kian tries to calm his wife down, knowing that her anger is stemmed from the way he is being insulted by Inna. While he is irritated by her words, what Inna said is true. He was and will always be the disowned son of Vladislaus Straud, the last member of the Straud family who is directly related to the enemy of the Vatore family.

"Enough!"

A firm voice booms in the tense air, drawing everyone's attention. Caleb, who has witnessed everything, speaks up with all might and authority. His eyes, bright red, are cold and dominant, there is a powerful and majestic aura exuding from him. With one word, Lilith and Inna retrieve from their fighting stance, still glaring at each other.

"You can call my view naïve as you wish, Inna. But I stand by what I said. House Vatore operates solely on our morals and values, whether we have a full-blood heir or not." looking at Kian, he continues "As for Kian, he is part of the Vatore family. Anyone who dares to look down on him means they look down on us."

Inna scoffs at her friend's words, but the cold look in Caleb's eyes threatens to tear down anyone who dares to voice their opinion, and she knows better than to keep her mouth shut. Leaving the invitation on the coffee table, she turns her heels and takes her leave.

When the door of their living is closed, Lilith wastes no time trying to tear off the letter. After what that woman said to her, to Caleb, and especially to Kian, she can no longer accept this stupid part House Cents is hosting. But Butler Richard steps in with a kind look on his face and takes the letter out of her hand, handing it to Caleb.

"My lady, there is no point getting angry at those who refuse to understand you. Master Kian is more capable of handling some nonsense sprouting from House Cents." nodding at the blond, he continues "However, may I suggest a solution to this particular invitation we are receiving?"

"Please enlighten us, Richard."

"I suggest Lord Caleb brings a date of his own. We will prepare her for this party and by then, everyone will understand why you chose her, my lord."

Caleb looks at his butler, taking in his wise advice. But to bring Primrose with him…?

"My my, Primrose. This is the fifth dress you have tried on already."

The raven head blushes at her mom's comment, onyx orbs never leave the mirror. Rosalina Emberlynn watches her daughter from afar, picking and choosing which dress her little one might like. It's rare to see Primrose seeking her guidance about dresses, despite having a mother who is a well-known stylist.

"Are you going with someone special?"

Primrose almost acts on her instinct to say no, but she holds herself back. While Caleb is not someone special, he is a person that she can not put her finger on.

When she asked him to accompany her to the company's event, he was more than happy to assist. It was after their heartfelt conversation, how he told her everything about his sudden disappearance. After hearing the story, although she still guards her heart, Primrose slowly opens up to him. There are small exchanges in front of their apartments, a few glances back and forth when their eyes meet, a simple coffee date with a third wheel named Lilian, and a few more.

Lilian once told her that she hates being the third wheel, but Primrose couldn't help herself. Something about sharing a cup of coffee with Caleb unnerves her, even when she has been in a more intimate setting with him, like having the young lord holding her close during that conversation. So whenever she sees her friend, the raven head wastes no chance and pulls her into their conversation.

Caleb on the other hand, doesn't seem to mind if people are interrupting their private time. Knowing Primrose's nervousness whenever they're alone, he is happy to know that at least she gives him chances to prove himself.

"How about this one?" Rosalina pulls up a blue dress with a high neck and silk ribbons that she can style with "See, this ribbon here can add many details to your style, like this flowy bow, or maybe a small flower, like this…"

When Primrose puts on the dress, her mother wastes no time helping her little girl understand what style she can go with. The dress fits her like a glove, just above the knee a bit and not overly revealing. The raven head nods, she likes this a lot.

Besides the dress, Rosalina even helps her pick out a few accessories to go with it and how she can wear her hair tomorrow for the event. It's always a mother's dream to play dress up with her adult daughter and she is happy that Primrose is comfortable enough to let her enjoy the moment of mother-daughter bonding.

Still, Rosalina can not shake off the odd thoughts of maybe her daughter is going with someone special. The little one hasn't confirmed anything but she believes in her mother's intuition. Maybe when things are official between Primrose and that mystery man, the raven head will introduce him to the family. She would love to meet the man who has captured her daughter's heart.

"I'm very happy that you are getting the happiness you deserve, sweet one."

"O-of course…"

Primrose hopes that her smile doesn't come off as a forced one. Her mother's words catch her off guard as she doesn't know how to answer them without telling the woman that she is reconnecting with an old flame.

Between her father, mother, and younger brother, Rosalina is the only one who has witnessed the pain she carries after returning from Glimmerbrook. It was a week after Caleb's sudden disappearance and the heartbreak was too much to bear that Primrose chose to return home instead of finishing her studies at Glimmerbrook School of Magic.

Her father, Edward Emberlynn, was not pleased. It's a tradition for every Emberlynn family member to study magic at Gimmerbrook for two years when they reach 18 years old and on her father's side of the family, Primrose was the only one who could not do it. But Edward was a kind man, while he did not know what happened to her, the hurt in his daughter's eyes was enough for him to drop the topic and tell her to do however she pleased.

Rosalina, on the other hand, became her emotional pillar, the one who she could lean onto whenever she needed a shoulder to cry on. Her mother always combed her hair gently when Primrose sought her comfort, her words of encouragement were kind and gentle and they lifted her spirit up day by day.

Nathaniel was young and naïve, she didn't want to bother him with her problems. But the young Emberlynn seemed to pick up her distress and offered a more practical solution, bringing her to a game night or getting ice cream together after he finished school. Such small gestures warmed her heart as she knew that her younger brother cared.

Thanks to the great support she received from everyone, Primrose was able to stand on her own feet again and sought out Marlin and Lumera's guidance to continue her study in magic. Then she attended university and before she knew it, her life transformed itself as she became one of the most popular authors of the romance genre.

"I hope to see him one day if that is possible…"

Primrose stays silent for a few seconds before nodding her head. While she doesn't know where the future will lead her, the thought of maybe letting Caleb see her family sounds nice.