"Mr. Dn, don''t worry, there''s still another bowl in the pot. I''ll go get it." ra tried to ignore the pain in her hand. Right now, she didn''t have time to fuss over it.


    As she turned to head back to the kitchen, Eden darted past her. "No, let me do it! You''ll just mess up the dishes with your hands!"


    ra stumbled back a few steps, watching as Eden rushed into the kitchen. She gingerly touched her aching hand, staying put. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Dn staring toward the kitchen. Was he lost in thought, or worried Eden might burn herself?


    Dn really did care about Eden.


    ra lowered her gaze, her heart skipping when she heard him ask, "Does it hurt?"


    She blinked, a wave of emotion washing over her, making her eyes sting. "It doesn''t hurt, Mr. Dn. I''m really sorry."


    Eden had been right earlier. With all her mess-ups, how did she still have the nerve to stand in front of Dn?


    Dn looked up, his eyes meeting her face. She looked so small and vulnerable, her nose a little red, her longshes casting shadows.


    He quickly looked away, his voice calm. "The Bradfordnd has an underground river. It''s not good for building, but only Kingston and I know."


    That''s why the Dawson family picked up the other plots but left this one alone.


    ra''s eyes lit up with surprise, and she crouched down in front of Dn. "Mr. Dn, thank you so much!"


    The brightness in her eyes was more dazzling than the stars. It seemed to make him ufortable, and he turned his head away, mumbling, "Hmm."


    ra was thrilled, her heart racing. Land with an underground river wasn''t worth much. Everyone thought the Dawson family would grab all the plots, so they didn''t bid on this one. But the Dawson family skipped it, leaving it to Johnny.


    Now, no one else knew about the underground river. She still had a chance to find a fool to take it off her hands.


    She thought of Greysen. He''d been eyeing the Bradford family for a while, secretly plotting with somepany. If that was the case, finding someone to offload this on wouldn''t be hard.


    Her smile widened as she looked at Dn. "Once I sort this out, I promise to take you out to dinner, Mr. Dn!"


    "Hmm," he replied, still not meeting her eye.


    ra suddenly regretted her crazy decision to find a stand-in. She hadn''t realized how much it would hurt him, how it made a mockery of his feelings. But she didn''t want to bring it up again. No point in making things awkward between them.


    She quickly found an excuse to leave, sending a message to Scarlette to release Greysen in a couple of days.


    Dn sat alone in the living room, feeling the loneliness seep in, until Eden walked out with the medicine, her tone full of disdain.


    "She left? I knew it. She gets what she wants and bolts. That''s just the kind of person she is! Dn, don''t go soft on her. She''s just using you!"


    Dn looked at the carefully prepared medicine, knowing she''d put effort into it. He drank it all down.


    Eden, anxious, grabbed his arm. "Dn, you should hate her."


    Dn slowly put the bowl down. "Yeah, I do hate her."


    When there was trouble, she was nowhere to be found, but when everything was fine, she was all sunshine. She''d always been like this.


    But it wasn''t her fault. She just didn''t love him.