ra waited. Four whole days.


    The funeral had alreadye and gone. Someone said they''d buried the olddy at the Westhill Cemetery. Every day, ra called Aiden, asking if there was any word from Dn. But Aiden hadn''t seen him either. Actually, he''d been warned off by the old man.


    On the fourth evening, Aiden finally showed up at Palm Bay.


    ra opened the door herself. Her heart sank the moment she realized it wasn''t Dn standing there.


    Aiden looked ufortable, hesitating before he spoke. "Mrs. Evans, the boss asked me to tell you... he wants you to move out. He''ll probably be back tomorrow morning. He doesn''t want to see any unfamiliar faces around."


    For a second, ra thought she must''ve misheard.


    Unfamiliar face?


    She just stared at Aiden, searching his face for a sign this was some kind of joke.


    Aiden dropped his eyes, repeating quietly, "Please, Mrs. Evans, this is a direct order from the boss."


    ra stood there, silent. After a few moments, she nodded.


    She turned to go pack, but honestly, she didn''t have much at Palm Bay to begin with. After a few steps, she turned back and said, "Alright. I''ll head out. Aiden, I might call youter. Will you pick up?"


    She didn''t even ask about Dn-not this time.


    Aiden nodded.


    ra didn''t say anything else, but Charles couldn''t hold it in any longer.


    "What does he mean, ''unfamiliar face''? Wasn''t he head over heels for my sister? Suddenly she''s a stranger? What a jerk! Sis, let''s go. Don''t waste another second on him. Juste stay at my ce. My helicopter''s still here we don''t need Palm Bay anyway."


    He took ra''s hand, ready to whisk her away.


    But ra didn''t move. "Charles, can we leave Milo and Buddy here? My apartment in the city''s tiny-they''d be cramped."


    Charles gave her a look, a little annoyed but relenting. If it were anyone else telling him what to do with his dogs, he''d lose it. But when it came to ra, it just made sense.


    As she was about to leave, Aiden spoke up, "Mrs. Evans, let me drive you home."


    ra shook her head politely. "No, thanks. I want to walk for a bit. Clear my head."


    Charles caught up to her, still trying to cheer her up. "There are tons of good guys out there, you know. My friend Mitch is a bit of a flirt, but he''s actually a decent guy. My older brother''s a total stiff, but he''s


    loaded. Sis, say the word and I''ll


    introduce you."


    ra didn''t answer. She just kept walking, silent.


    They''d barely made it out of the Palm Bay gates when ra stopped, looking at


    the trees blooming on both sides of the street.


    Charles frowned. "What''s wrong? Don''t want to leave? Dn kicked you out himself. We have our pride, right?"


    ra just said quietly, "Magnolias. I never noticed before, but they''re all blooming now."


    Charles had no idea what kind of flower that was, but seeing ra so calm made him feel lighter too.


    "Sis, where''s your ce? Should we grab a cab?"


    ra nodded. It was too far to walk.


    When they got to her apartment, Charles looked around. It was about 1,500 square feet—honestly, smaller than the room where Milo and Buddy got their baths back home.


    He felt a pang of sympathy. "If you can''t afford a bigger ce, I''ll have my brother buy you a house. All my savings are with him anyway. can just use his card. He''ll see the bill, but whatever."


    Charles had zero concept of money. As far as he was concerned, buying a mansion was as easy as swiping a card-his brothers did it all the time.


    ra was exhausted. She''d waited for Dn for four days, barely sleeping, tormented by nightmares every night.


    Now she finally had her answer. It wasn''t the ending she''d hoped for, but she needed to pull herself together and figure out what came next.


    "Charles, the guest room''s yours. I''m going to shower and try to sleep. If you get hungry, just order some takeout, okay?"


    Charles nodded, suddenly happy just to be under the same roof as his sister. Somehow, the apartment didn''t feel so small anymore.


    After her shower, ra towel-dried her hair and stood by the window, looking out at the city lights.


    Maybe it was Richard''s warning that settled her, but she felt strangely calm now. Calm enough to start wondering how she could do what he suggested-spend more time around Dn, just like Richard said.