Haynes''s gaze narrowed slightly.


    Finishing her conversation with Keen, Ste turned to look at the two men.


    The dark emotion in Joshua''s eyes instantly receded like the tide, returning to a calm facade.


    It was as if what Haynes had just witnessed was nothing more than an illusion.


    It seemed that no matter how brilliant Joshua was, he couldn''t remain entirely unaffected by hearing about their past.


    A little whileter, Keen dragged Joshua off to the shooting range for apetition.


    The weather was sweltering, so Ste went over to a nearby stand and bought four iced drinks.


    Taking the custom beverage from her hand, Haynes raised a brow.


    "You still remember my favorite order?"


    The drink was specially mixed ording to personal preferences.


    Haynes belonged to the highly demanding category of customers.


    Anyone with a less-than-perfect memory would never be able to keep track of all his specific requests.


    Watching Joshua and Keen at the shooting booth, Ste replied coolly, "Is there anything about you I don''t know?"


    Although Joshua was actively engaged in thepetition with the boy, his attention never wavered from Ste.


    Even from a distance, he could hear exactly what she and Haynes were discussing.


    Just as she finished speaking, Joshua-whose shots practically never missed the bullseye-hit a nine.


    Keen stared in disbelief. "Mr. Joshua, you missed?"


    Since the day he met him, whether it was throwing darts, archery, or shooting, Joshua had always hit dead center. There had never been an exception.


    Today, although his score was still incredibly high, the sudden deviation left Keen utterly amazed.


    Joshua nced over toward Ste. "Yeah, I''m just a little off today."


    Ste was chatting andughing easily with Haynes.


    Their actions weren''t overly intimate, nor were they standing ufortably close.


    Yet, the effortless harmony born from years of living together slipped out naturally.


    Antoney and Neville were important to Ste, but she had never felt any romantic inclination toward them.


    But Haynes was different.


    She had truly loved him once.


    Moreover, he was her first love.


    Joshua''s eyes darkened drastically.


    By the end of the day, no one was happier than the blissfully oblivious Keen.


    After dinner, he tugged on Ste''s hand and blinked up at her. "Are you and Mr. Joshuaing home with us tonight?"


    Ste nced at Joshua.


    He stood silently behind her, offering no opinion.


    It was blindingly obvious that if she chose to go, he would undoubtedly follow.


    Neither


    Haynes could


    exactly kick him out, and with Keen


    acting


    as the perfect shield,


    moving in waspletely effortless.


    If anything, it just gave him more time to bond with her son.


    Ste thought it over before finally saying, "We won''t go back tonight. Mom will take you out again tomorrow."


    Keen nodded obediently. "Okay! I get to y with Mom again."


    Hearing this, Haynes made no effort to persuade her to stay.


    He was a smart man; some things didn''t need to be spoken aloud for him to


    understand her intentions.


    ...


    Back at their ce, Ste took off


    ?????


    her jacket and was just about to head to o the bathroom for a shower when Joshua embraced her tightly from behind.


    "Star, I''m jealous."


    His breathing was jagged, as if he was tryin desperately to suppress


    bet


    his emotions but a chilling edge still bled into his tone.


    "I hate Haynes. Can you please stop seeing him?"