Blair
She zipped up her shorts, smoothing her palm down the front of her tucked-in cream blouse. The fabric was soft, subtly satin, and it shimmered faintly against her sun-kissed skin. Her hair was swept into a zip-up bun—simple, elegant, but enough to show off her neck. With a soft breath, she stepped out of her room, her bare feet brushing the hallway's cool wood floor.
Just as she was about to head down, a voice caught her attention.
Victor.
His study door was cracked open. She paused, her steps faltering as she heard his low voice speaking sharply into the phone.
"I understand the risk, but threatening us with leaks won't help your case. Covey Industries isn't going to be manipulated."
Leak? Blair's brow furrowed. Her hand tightened around the bannister.
"Yes, I'm aware of what the footage contains, and no, we won't negotiate over blackmail. If that gets out, it's not just our name on the line. It's yours too."
Her chest tightened slightly. What footage? What risk? What did he mean by blackmail?
Victor's tone grew firmer, and before he turned to pace the room, Blair quickly moved, slipping silently down the stairs.
---
The kitchen was warm and softly lit, the scent of buttery seafood drifting through the air. Cassie was already there, surprisingly, folding napkins with precision while Lily arranged a basket of bread beside the cook.
"I still say the Danish butter is creamier," Lily smiled, lifting one wrapped in gold foil.
Cassie raised an eyebrow. "Maybe, but this one has sea salt crystals. Taste test it."
Blair lingered by the stairs, watching them. The ease between them. The laughter. The shared taste in butter. She smiled faintly.
Victor came up behind her.
"Beautiful to watch, isn't it?" he said.
Blair turned, her expression soft. "Yeah. It really is."
They walked in together.
Just as Blair reached for a stack of spoons to help set the table, the front door opened. Three voices drifted in before their faces appeared—Caleb, James, and Jasmine.
"Caleb," Victor lit up, embracing him.
"Hey, Dad," Caleb replied, his smile wide.
James offered a smooth handshake. "Sir."
Victor grinned, clapping his back before pulling Jasmine into a warm hug. "Look who it is. Jasmine!"
"Hi! What are you doing feeding half the city tonight?" Jasmine teased.
"Jasmine!" Cassie exclaimed, rushing over.
The girls hugged quickly, Jasmine's arms loose and warm.
"Don't get too comfy," Jasmine said. "I might ditch this dinner. Got somewhere to be."
"What, no time for your favorite brother?" Caleb smirked.
Cassie cut in, amused. "Which one?"
Caleb grinned. "The nice one. Obviously."
James chuckled low. "That excludes you, Cass."
Everyone laughed.
Victor gestured toward Blair. "Jasmine, I don't think you've met our newest member. Blair, meet Jasmine. She's like family to us. You girls should treat each other like sisters."
Blair offered a shy smile. "Hi. Nice to meet you."
Jasmine stepped forward, a flash of confidence in her stride. "Nice to meet you too. You're gorgeous."
Blair smiled, a touch caught off guard. "You're gorgeous back."
They both laughed.
Caleb walked over to Lily and gave her a gentle hug. "I'm crashing one of these weekends, by the way. Just me and you. That's the deal."
Lily laughed, delighted. "I'm looking forward to it. We'll bake. We'll gossip."
Cassie interjected, mouth curled. "If you're spending the weekend with Lily, I'm staying over too."
Caleb rolled his eyes. "Why are you always in competition with me?"
"Because I'm winning," she shot back.
The room burst into warm laughter.
With voices still light, plates clinking gently, and the scent of food wrapping around them, the family began gathering around the long dining table—each person settling into a night that would stir more drama
Blair sat at the dining table, the last to arrive, settling beside Caleb who flashed her a warm grin. Across from them, Cassie slid smoothly into the seat next to James, her posture just a bit straighter than usual. Jasmine had taken a spot closer to Lily, already distractedly stirring her drink.
The table was aglow with soft candlelight and the clinking of silverware. Lily passed around the breadbasket while chatting with Cassie about the butter brands they'd debated earlier.
Blair reached quietly for a bowl of seafood risotto.
"Oh," Cassie said, almost casually, "I read somewhere that Brussels sprouts are really good for runners."
Blair raised a brow, blinking at her. "Really?"
"Mmhmm. Though in Canada, they say Brussels sprouts are for sick people."
Blair chuckled. "Sounds right. Guess that's why you recommended them to me."
Cassie smirked. "Exactly."
Their teasing was light, oddly natural. Caleb blinked at them, amused, nudging James beneath the table. Lily looked over, eyes soft and sparkling. For the first time, her two girls were laughing together like sisters, as if the world wasn't broken a thousand different ways.
"Okay, what's happening here?" Caleb grinned. "You two bonding or rehearsing a scene from Mean Girls?"
Cassie flipped her hair dramatically. "Don't be jealous."
"Jealous?" Caleb scoffed. "Of who? You?"
James barely smirked, picking apart his food while occasionally glancing at Blair's plate like he couldn't help it. She was eating delicately, mouth closed, her chewing minimal, yet her lips didn't move in circular motions. It was calm, grounded. Like she'd been raised on quiet dinner tables and never learned to demand attention. James noticed that.
Then the knock came.
Everyone stilled. One of the housekeepers hurried to the door.
Blair barely looked up until she heard the voice. Deep, polite. Familiar.
"Good evening, Mr. Quest. Mrs. Quest. I just came to return something to Blair."
Her wondering " Oliver"
Jasmine dropped her fork with a sharp clatter, shoulders tensing like glass under pressure. James straightened in his chair, every muscle stilling. What the fuck is he doing here? he thought, jaw tightening. He glanced at Jasmine—wide-eyed, pale. That asshole. That dumb motherfucker.
Blair stood up slowly. "Hi."
Oliver stepped inside, pulling a folded, worn paper from his back pocket. "This fell out of your bag earlier at the hall."
Blair froze. Her breath stopped.
He handed it to her gently. "I didn't read it."
Her fingers trembled slightly as she took it. The color drained from her cheeks. Without saying thank you
Then she turned and left the room without another word, rushing up the stairs with a barely contained panic in her steps.
"I'll see myself out," Oliver said quietly. The silence he left behind was thick.
Lily stood slowly, watching after Blair. "It's... one of the letters from her father. She's very private about them. Even I haven't read it."
Victor nodded solemnly. "She never talks about him."
---
James
James didn't speak. He barely breathed.
He sat still at the table, arms resting, eyes trained on the staircase Blair had disappeared up. There was something about the way she'd reacted—like she'd been cracked open, even if just for a second. Her whole aura changed.
He'd watched her earlier. The way she'd tucked herself into the scene without asking for space. That subtle confidence in her quietness. She didn't wear fancy clothes. Just shorts and a nice top. She didn't do her hair up with glossy waves like Cassie, but somehow, that simple zip-on pulled back her curls in a way that made her look regal—like someone born under low lights and high expectations.
She was beautiful. But it wasn't the kind of beauty you compliment out loud. It was the kind you think about later. Alone.
He noticed the way she ate. Calm. Controlled. Her mouth didn't move much, but it wasn't robotic either. It was deliberate. Everything about her was deliberate.
And then the letter.
That fucking letter had turned her into someone else. Someone raw. Someone real. James thought he had her figured out—pretty, polite, a little reserved. But now he knew he didn't know a damn thing about her.
And that made him want to know more.
He leaned back slightly, jaw ticking. That letter had meant something. The way she ran off like a part of her had been exposed... it wasn't dramatic. It was deeper than that. Private pain.
James hated surprises.
But for some reason, the mystery of Blair Maybell was starting to feel like the kind of surprise he wouldn't mind chasing.
---