His Untamed Rose novel Chapter 39

“Lumina, you really shouldn’t have. There was no need to bring a gift,” Zara said warmly, ushering her into the office. “Come on in. The rest of the staff are out covering the morning news, so it’s just us for now.”

Lumina nodded. The office was empty, but the scattered papers on desks, the steady hum of the printer, and the phones ringing off the hook filled the space with a palpable sense of urgency.

As she glanced around, her gaze landed on a desk in the corner, and her heart gave a sudden, painful squeeze.

Catching the direction of her stare, Zara led her over with a gentle sigh. “That was Hugo’s desk.”

She paused, then added, “After he left us, everyone was devastated. We got special permission from upstairs to leave his desk exactly as it was. No one’s touched it since.”

A softness flickered in Lumina’s eyes.

She walked slowly to her brother’s desk. Every detail was just the way he’d always kept it.

Hugo was left-handed. On the left side of the desk sat the self-heating coffee mug she’d given him, a small humidifier, and two or three pens in different colors.

On the right, stacks of books—news, economics, history—all meticulously organized.

Lumina eased down into his chair and ran her fingers over the desktop, as if she could still feel the warmth he’d left behind.

Closing her eyes, she could almost see him there, doing the work he loved, full of life and energy, that confident spark lighting up his face.

The ache in her chest crept up into her eyes, leaving them hot and stinging.

“So many years have passed, and his desk is still spotless… Thank you,” Lumina murmured.

“Hugo was truly exceptional. He helped all of us so much. Keeping this space for him is the least we could do.”

Lumina offered a gentle smile, then looked up, her gaze settling on the three picture frames on the desk.

The first held a photo of her, Yadiel, and Hugo together.

The second, a family portrait.

The third…

Lumina picked it up, brushing the dust from the glass, and stared hard at the woman in the photo, her brother’s arm wrapped intimately around her shoulders.

Her expression grew heavier by the second. So her suspicions were right, after all.

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