One Night Stand, Eight Surprises: Pampered by My CEO Husband --- - Chapter 98: Chapter 98

The attic had always smelled of cedar and time.
Iris had gone up there to search for more blank canvases. But instead, she found a box she didn’t recognize—tucked behind an old desk, wrapped in the kind of dust that only accumulated when something had been untouched for years.
Inside, nestled in velvet, was a pocket watch.
Simple. Elegant. Heavy with meaning.
It had initials engraved on the back: E.C.M.
She held it up to the light. The cover sprang open with a soft click, revealing a photograph tucked inside—a faded picture of Damien holding Elijah as a baby.
Iris stood still for a long time. Then, wordlessly, she carried the watch downstairs.
Arielle was in the study when Iris entered. Her face was pale, her hand trembling as she passed the watch over.
“I think he meant to give this to Elijah.”
Arielle took the piece gently, her thumb grazing the initials. Her heart constricted.
Damien had shown her this once—years ago—said he’d give it to Elijah when he turned eighteen. “It belonged to my grandfather,” he’d said. “Every man in the line leaves something behind. I want Elijah to know I believe in him.”
That night, after everyone was asleep, Arielle sat on the edge of Elijah’s bed.
He stirred, blinked awake, and sat up. “Mom?”
She placed the watch in his hands.
He stared. “Is this…?”
She nodded.
“Dad wanted you to have it. To remind you who you are.”
Elijah swallowed hard. “I’m not him.”
“You don’t need to be. But you are his son.”
Arielle hesitated, then continued, her voice steady. “I’ve been running this empire because I had to. But one day, it will be yours.”
The air between them felt heavy—sacred.
“I don’t know if I can,” Elijah whispered.
“You won’t do it alone,” she said. “But we need to start preparing now. Not because I’m stepping away—but because you deserve to grow into this with guidance. Not pressure.”
He looked down at the watch, then back at her.
“Then teach me,” he said.
Arielle smiled, though her heart ached. “First lesson—every decision has weight. But none should cost you your soul.”
Over the next few weeks, Elijah followed her to board meetings. Sat through strategy sessions. Learned how to read numbers not just for profit, but for people.
He asked questions.
Took notes.
Listened more than he spoke.
Late one night, after a long investor call, he leaned against her office door.
“I think I get it now,” he said.
“Get what?”
“Why you never stop. Why you cry sometimes when no one’s watching.”
Arielle didn’t respond.
Elijah walked over and placed the watch on the desk. “But I’ll carry some of it with you now. If you’ll let me.”
She rose and pulled him into a hug.
“You already are.”
In the quiet of the office, long after Elijah went to bed, Arielle sat staring at the photo inside the watch.
A father. A son. A legacy passed not through wealth—but belief.