Burn the Marriage, Keep the Crown

Chapter 214

William visibly stiffened.

A moment later, he turned around, his eyes soft and warm, like sunlight streaming through a window. "Just give me the watch," he said gently.

"Why won't you let me meet the owner of the watch?" Serena pressed.

"That's not what I meant-"

"Is it because you're the owner?" she asked.

William's words caught in his throat. He looked at Serena, the gentle expression

on his face giving way to a sudden chill in his eyes.

"Serena, what are you talking about?"

“That watch—it was a keepsake from your parents, wasn't it? Why didn't you ever tell me the truth?"

William's gaze sharpened.

pause

"The watch did belong to

Serena frowned in confusion.

about my parents'

Serena nodded.

Northspire, William's parents were nothing short of

in their youth, the gap between their backgrounds was insurmountable. The Grayson family had refused to allow William's mother to marry into their

out, she left

Group and had

and

son's fifth birthday, in

was divorcing his wife and

the Graysons created a scandal

wedding only fueled the gossip, and soon, their love story became the stuff of legend-envied

been born yet; everything she knew was just stories passed down

so deeply in love," William said, his gaze fixed on the wall. Half his face was bathed in sunlight,

a child, my parents were always off traveling together, leaving me behind in Northspire. My two brothers didn't like me. Whenever

a little older, my father resigned as CEO of the company, took my mother, and left Northspire for good. He called it 'making it up to

so small, it only had room for her. My mother's world was just as tiny—so small that it could