Ever since ra came back. Palm Bay felt alive again. The whole ce buzzed—
suddenly, even the smallest chores seemed easier for the staff.
As long as Mr. and Mrs. Ferguson weren''t fighting, life was sweet. Honestly, Aiden
hoped this stretch of peace would never end. For once, the infamous workaholic
hadn''t touched hisptop, spending every moment tending to ra instead.
Dn peeled a grape and held it out to her. ra barely nced up from her
mouth. Dn, distracted, crushed another grape in his other hand without
realizing.
ra was oblivious. She read a few more pages before noticing his silence. She
nced over and saw him, elbow propped on the couch, hand covering his
mouth, staring out the windowpletely lost in thought.
She set heric aside, peeled a grape herself, and held it to his lips. "Babe,
have one."
His eyshes fluttered as he looked back at her, eyesnding on her bright,
innocent face. She looked so sweet—almost like a little deer, wide-eyed and
clueless.
But he knew better. This wasn''t the real ra. No onepared to the real her.
He dropped his gaze as she asked quietly, "Are you upset?"
"I''m happy." He answered right away, honest but distracted. "I was just
wondering... if you''re mad at me."
He figured she probably didn''t like him acting like this. ra was always so tough.
She grinned. "No way. I''m having so much funtely. No worries at all. You''re
good to me, and so is my brother."
The softness in Dn''s eyes faded the second she mentioned someone else. He
gently took her hand, grabbed a tissue, and slowly wiped the grape juice from her
fingertips.
Sensing his mood change, ra fell silent. Dn cleaned her hand until it was
spotless, then pressed her fingers to his cheek, nuzzling them softly.
Her fingers curled before she could stop them. The feeling was... hard to
describe.
Her mind shed tost night. Flustered, she pulled her hand back and shook out
her shirt cor. "It''s kinda warm in here."
The truth was, she was just nervous—all hot and restless. She didn''t dare meet
his eyes, burying herself in heric again. But after a few seconds, she realized
she hadn''t read a single word, sneaking nces at him from the corner of her
eye.
Dn was about to say something, a smile tugging at his lips, when Aiden walked
in.
"Mr. Ferguson, Walter wants you to bring ra to the main house for dinner."
The Fergusons had made a big show of searching for her, and now that she was
back, Walter wanted to see her. No one knew what to expect.
Dn hadn''t turned his phone on in days, ignoring the outside world. With the
spell broken, he just nodded. "Okay."
He took ra''s hand and led her to change clothes.
As they got in the car, Dn reached over and ruffled her hair. "If anyone picks on
you, just snap right back, okay?"
She nodded, watching as they drove up to the Ferguson family''s old estate.
Once they got out, she stuck to his side like glue.
Inside the grand hall, ra spotted
Tara. Walter''s eightieth birthday was
were busy nning a huge party.
Dn had been called home to help
sort out the details.
Almost the whole family was there.
When Simon saw ra, he jumped
up, looking like he wanted to rush
over but a single look from Dn
made him sit down fast.
The room was packed, but Walter and Mrs. Ferguson were nowhere to be seen.
The butler approached Dn. "Sir, Mr. Ferguson is waiting for you upstairs in his
study."
Dn nodded and turned to ra. "Come up with me."
The butler hesitated. "Um..."
ra rolled herself forward. "Where''s the elevator?"
Dn''s lips curled into a smile as he pointed the way.
At the study door, two bodyguards opened it but tried to stop ra from going in.
ra just brushed past them, frowning. Why shouldn''t she be allowed in?
The bodyguards nced at Dn for help. He looked away, barely hiding a smile.
ra followed him inside, standing just behind him.
Dn faced Walter and greeted him respectfully. "Father."
ra watched, then leaned over and whispered, "Am I supposed to say that too?"
She really hoped not.
Dn''s hand curled into a fist as he coughed softly. "Just sit over there."
She nodded—finally, something she could do—and picked the fanciest-looking
chair.
Walter''s face was stone-cold. He
took a long, deep breath, forcing
himself to stay calm. "The birthday
banquet is in a week. We''ll have
guests from abroad. I don''t care
what you and ra have going on
but she cannot show up at the
Ferguson family''s event. Dn, let''s
we''ve worked for this position. We
can''t risk anything now. If you want
to keep ra, that''s up to you. I''m
done arguing."
"ra is my wife."
Walter''s face darkened instantly. He hadn''t been this furious in years.