Raylen Vale is exhausted, but fate will not offer him any respite.
His mood worsens as his soon-to-be ex-wife barges into his home office, spewing streams and streams of expletives.
He cannot even be bothered to look up, and that only seems to anger her more.
"Raylen Vale, I am talking to you."
"I am well aware."
"And?"
He decides that her question is not worth replying and continues looking through the contract at hand.
After a few seconds of silence, Livia decides to ask what she came here to ask. "Are you really going to let your father separate the children? They've never been apart since they were conceived."
Raylen finally raises his head. Looking at his once sweet and understanding wife, he replies, "You are the one who asked for a divorce. This is simply the consequence of your actions."
"Are you," she demands, "so eager to get rid of me that you are disregarding the happiness of your own children?"
He sighs. "I am not the one who initiated the divorce."
"Yes, but you have a say over the custody arrangements."
"I have," he explains slowly, "no control over this matter either."
"What do you mean you have no control? Isn't that just a little too convenient?"
"What," he asks sharply, "do you mean by too convenient?"
Livia takes a deep breath before launching her accusation. "Isn't the situation just unfolding according to your wishes? You can get rid of me and get together with that little reporter who looks like your dead love."
At the mention of Delaney, Raylen flinches. This attack is below the belt, but he quickly steels himself.
"There is nothing between the reporter and me."
Livia snorts. "Yes, because inviting someone over in the middle of the night is a sign of innocence."
Raylen looks at her coldly. "Ms Astor," he says icily, "I do not feel the need to explain myself to you. May I remind you that we will soon no longer be family?"
That seems to take the wind out of Livia's sails. She looks positively defeated. "You don't need to remind me. But even as our relationship ends, you're still the father of Cornelia and Cornelius. Does their happiness mean nothing to you?"
"This is not my wish either," Raylen replies. "You know what Father is like. He was so enraged last night that he ordered the servants to begin moving your belongings immediately at daybreak."
"Where is he now? I must speak to him." She is just grasping at straws right now.
Raylen smiles ironically. "Unfortunately, that is not possible. He is not home at the moment."
"Not home?" Livia is surprised. The geezer's health is too poor for him to leave home often. He has been largely homebound for the past decade or so.
"Indeed," answers Raylen smoothly. "It may please you to know that he worked himself into such a rage last night that he triggered a heart attack. He is in the hospital right now. His condition has stabilised, but he is not completely out of the woods yet."
"It does not please me at all," insists Livia.
"As such," he continues, "there is nothing I can do to help your situation unless you want me to add patricide to my list of accolades."
"I wish," she protests weakly, "for no such thing."
"Then I suppose there is nothing more for us to discuss." He looks down at his contract once more.
From the corner of his eye, he notices her stiffening before she slowly makes her way to the chair opposite him.
As she settles into the chair, he notices a change in her demeanour that signals a shift in her strategy. He pretends not to notice.
"You are wrong," she begins softly. For a moment, she is the old Livia Astor again—tender, sweet, and agreeable. "There is something more to discuss. I would like your help in another matter."
"Oh?" He is too tired to even feign curiosity.
"I told Cornelius and Cornelia that this was a game."
Raylen narrows his eyes. "A game?"
"Yes, a mystery hide-and-seek."
"What is the point," he asks frostily, "of such a lie?"
Livia hesitates before explaining. "To ease them into their new living situation."
Raylen has to admit that her reasoning has some merit. The twins are still very young. Such a disruption is unlikely to be good for them.
"Tell me more about this game of yours," he says.
"Well, the idea is that Cornelia and I are supposed to hide and leave clues behind in a series of places. It is up to Cornelius and you to seek us out and reunite with us."
As he mulls over the validity of such a plan, Livia continues explaining. "Please, it doesn't affect the agreement. There is nothing stopping you from seeing Cornelia just because you don't have custody."
That much is true. Unlike his father, he does not hold any antiquated idea about gender. He loves both his children equally and while he may not show it, the prospect of being separated from his younger child does pain him. He is also obviously against tearing the siblings apart in some drawn-out and acrimonious custody battle.
In truth, Raylen resents the old man for using his health as a bargaining chip whenever things threaten to go against his will. Now that he has foolishly agitated himself into a heart attack, Raylen feels sorely tempted to call his bluff once and for all.
At the same time, he has no interest in reconciling with Livia unless she takes the first step. It is beneath him to chase after a woman who, regardless of how she truly feels, claims that she no longer wants him.
He has begged before—once, a long, long time ago—and he has sworn that he will never do such a demeaning thing again.