Helena's gaze avoided Camila's eyes and settled on John instead.
"Oh~ how adorable little John is… How have you been? Even though I've only seen you in photos, you've grown into quite the young man," she said, wearing a polite, restrained smile.
John looked at her with complete seriousness. He showed no nerves, no surprise, no emotion at all. For a full five seconds, he remained silent, staring directly at her.
"Thank you very much, Aunt Helena. I'm doing well. And you? Are business matters going smoothly?" he finally replied.
An innocent smile formed on his face. His manner of speaking was impeccable—polite, refined, far too mature for his age. There was not a single flaw in his manners.
"Ah… excellent… thank you for asking!" Helena replied, though her tone wavered ever so slightly. Then she lifted her gaze toward Camila and Romeo. "Congratulations. You have a very well-mannered child. I can't even complain."
"Thank you. I'm looking forward to seeing my nephews. They arrive tomorrow, correct?" Camila said, maintaining her neutral, composed demeanor.
"That's right. I hope that, as cousins, they all get along well," Helena replied.
Those were her final words. They parted normally and went their separate ways.
As Helena walked down the mansion's corridor beside her husband, the courtesy vanished from her face, replaced by unmistakable unease.
"Is something wrong, dear?" he asked, noticing the change in her expression.
"Of course something's wrong! Didn't you see him? That child… while he smiled at me with such innocence and naivety, his eyes—" she pressed her lips together. "They looked like a sea filled with blood. So deep you could see your own reflection in them."
Her words were directed squarely at John.
"He reminds me… of that useless sister of mine, more than ten years ago. She smiled at me the exact same way, while her eyes didn't hold even a trace of affection for me."
Her husband listened in silence. Then, a confident smile spread across his face.
"Relax. Tomorrow is the parents-and-children gathering at the mansion, right?" he said, wrapping an arm around Helena's shoulders. "Let's prove that their little living doll is nothing more than that."
"Haha~ you always know when to speak," she replied, lifting her face to give him a light kiss on the cheek. "There's nothing to worry about. The only thing people say about that boy is that he's a mistake within the family. I don't even know why I'm concerned."
Their laughter echoed down the corridor.
Yet behind the walls, someone had heard every word. Only a shadow could be seen… and a piercing gaze fixed firmly on them.
———
Camila escorted John to his room, as Romeo had decided to fetch something for the three of them to share.
"All right, this will be your room while we're staying here. Romeo and I will be next door, in case you need anything," Camila said gently, stroking John's head.
"Yes, Mother. Thank you," he replied, calmly surveying the room.
Camila sat down on the bed, leaning back and resting her arms on the mattress. Her gaze settled on John as he began organizing his belongings on his own.
No more than three minutes passed before the door opened.
"Did I take too long?" Romeo asked, wearing his charming smile and carrying small bags of food.
"I told you it wasn't necessary. We could have asked the staff," Camila replied, recalling her earlier insistence.
"And I told you it wasn't a problem," he said with a laugh. "I wanted to walk around the house a bit, so it's fine."
Camila sighed in resignation while Romeo kept smiling. John simply watched in silence.
Shortly afterward, the three of them gathered to share a few small snacks, spending their first night in the mansion in a calm that—though genuine—felt fragile.