Ste stared at Abby in surprise. "Abby, are you in an online rtionship?"


    Abby waved her hands dismissively. "No, no. I was at a bar with some friends a while back and met this pianist who was wearing a mask."


    "He yed the piano beautifully, and he had this amazing presence. Someone offered to pay him to take off the mask, but... well, I just happened to step in and help him out."


    Ste was confused. "Wearing a mask? Why would he do that?"


    "He said he''s from a prominent family and ran away from home to rebel against them," Abby exined. "He said he can''t show his face in public because if anyone recognized him, his family would drag him back home."


    Ste wasn''t convinced. "So you''ve never seen his face?"


    "Nope," Abby said cheerfully while typing a message. "Anyway, I''m going back to Solmaris soon, so it''s not like anything wille of it. A little harmless flirting is nice, right?"


    "Abby, if you want to date, you could..."


    Abby cut her off before she could finish. "Star, you know me. A casual fling to have some fun is fine. But marriage..... let''s just forget about it. I have a major fear ofmitment now."


    Abby then looked up at Ste. "Star, how long are you nning on staying in Neo- Vespera?"


    "About two weeks," Ste replied.


    1


    "Then I guess this guy and I have two weeks left," Abby said with a serious expression. "Even though I don''t see a future with him, I''m taking this seriously."


    Ste couldn''t help butugh at Abby''s earnestness. "Alright, as long as you''re happy."


    She had no idea then that this man, whom no one took seriously, would one day cause Abby immense pain. If she had known what wasing, she would have stopped Abby in her tracks. But there are no ''what ifs'' in life.


    Back at the apartment, Abby stayed for a little while before tactfully taking her leave.


    Ste watched Joshua unpack his suitcase, wanting to say something but not knowing where to begin. Though Joshua''s attitude toward her hadn''t changed since that day, Ste couldn''t get it out of her mind.


    "Joshua," she asked, "is there anything you''d like to eat? I can cook for youter."


    Joshua''s hands paused, and he looked up at her.


    His gaze, dark and unreadable,


    made her heart skip a beat. Lately,


    the intensity in his gaze made her


    feel pressured, and she found


    herself instinctively wanting to look. away.


    Joshua quickly averted his eyes. "We just got off the ne today," he said coolly Just get some rest. We car talk about it tomorrow after you''ve recovered."


    However, the next day, Ste received a call from Haynes.


    "Star." Haynes''s voice sounded weary. "Could Keen stay with you for a few days?"


    Ste sensed something was wrong. "Is Deanna''s condition still not good?"


    Haynes sighed heavily. "Yes. She''s still in aa. The doctors said the prognosis isn''t optimistic. I''m afraid..."


    Ste suddenly asked, "Have you figured out the cause of the ident?"


    Haynes didn''t hide anything from her. "We found evidence of foul y, but we''re still investigating who was behind it."


    "Do you need me to call Mr. Burton and ask for his help?" Ste offered.