After Joshua left, Ste sat alone on the stone bench, quietly taking in the scenery around her.


    She had to admit, this ce really was beautiful-there was even a touch of romance in the air. Even by herself, she didn''t feel the least bit bored.


    Resting her chin in one hand, her elbow propped on the stone table, Ste let herself rx. The tranquility here was almost hypnotic, and she realized just how tired she''d beentely with everything going on.


    Shey her head down on the table and, before she knew it, drifted off for a few minutes.


    A cool breeze swept past, stirring her awake. With a start, she checked her phone and realized she''d been out for over twenty minutes.


    The banquet hall wasn''t far-ten, maybe fifteen minutes round trip at most. Surely nothing could have happened, right?


    Still, a faint unease crept in. She grabbed her phone and called Joshua.


    The line rang and rang, but no one picked up. Ste''s concern deepened.


    She slipped off her shoes, deciding to go look for him herself.


    Just then, footsteps sounded behind her.


    Relief washed over her-Joshua must be back.


    She turned around. "Joshua-"


    But the face she saw made her freeze.


    "Neville? What are you doing here?"


    His striking features were half-hidden in the soft glow of the streemp, every gesture radiating an effortless elegance and nobility. There was a rebellious spark in his eyes, and those dazzling hazel irises caught the moonlight, shimmering with something unreadable.


    At that moment, his gaze rested on her, and in the silvered night, it almost felt... tender.


    He walked toward her, a small, knowing smile on his lips. “I just got in from the airport. I stopped by your studio to surprise you, but you weren''t there.


    Abby told me you were at the music conference, so I came to find you."


    It had been a while since Ste had seen Neville. The unexpected reunion was a pleasant surprise.


    Neville''s eyes dropped to her broken shoe, his brows knitting together. "Your shoe broke?"


    Ste nodded. “Yeah. Joshua went to get me another pair, but he''s been gone a while. I''m starting to worry something happened, so I was


    about to go check."  fo


    Neville sat down across from her, an amused, enigmatic smile ying at his lips.


    "Joshua? I actually just saw him. But honestly, I don''t think you should go looking for him right now-you might interrupt his fun."


    Ste frowned in confusion. "What fun?"


    "He''s ying the hero, rescuing none other than Simone Lerman, the eldest Lerman daughter."


    Neville''s gaze lingered on Ste. "Are he and Simone... close?"


    Ste remembered thest time she''d seen Joshua and Simone chatting, how well they seemed to get along. "I guess they hit it off?"


    Neville''s tone was teasing. "Didn''t expect that guy to have such charm, did you?”


    Now that she knew Joshua was fine, Ste rxed and gave up on her rescue mission.


    Instead, she turned the conversation to Neville. "I heard from Marvin Connolly that today''s your birthday."


    Her voice was soft and melodious, drifting through the gentle night. "Happy birthday, Neville."


    A faint warmth crept into Neville''s eyes. "Thank you."


    Ste reached into her bag and pulled out a small, neatly wrapped box. "I got you a birthday present. I was going to give it to Marvin to pass along, but since you''re here, I can give it to you myself."


    Neville opened the box to find a delicate keychain inside. Nothing too fancy, but the little cartoon figures on it made him smile despite himself.


    "Is this supposed to be me and Marvin?"


    Ste nodded. "Yeah. I drew them myself for you and Marvin."


    With her artistic talent, sketching chibi versions of Neville and Marvin was practically second nature for her.