After running herself ragged for days and barely catching any sleep thest two nights, M finally decided to give herself a proper day off-the perfect opportunity to ept Forrest''s invitation.


    "Are you sure this is okay?"


    Forrest nced at the rearview mirror as he pulled up in front of Montgomery Holdings to pick M up. He couldn''t help but notice the car trailing them,


    Leonard''s, keeping a respectful distance. Even though he knew the Montgomery family was just trying to keep M safe, he still wasn''t used to it.


    M just sighed. "Let''s just roll with it. I''d rather they follow in in sight than sneak around."


    Forrest didn''t reply, but M could tell he was still uneasy.


    "So, where are we going? What''s for lunch?" M was still thinking about Forrest''s promise of good food. He was a whiz in the kitchen and always put extra thought into dining out. Back in college, he''d always sniffed out the best spots before anyone else.


    He was basically a walking food radar.


    "That''s a secret," Forrest said, grinning.


    "Again with the suspense," M muttered, finally letting herself rx in the passenger seat. She leaned her head back and closed her eyes. "Mind if I catch a quick nap?"


    "Didn''t sleep well?"


    Forrest caught the shadows under her eyes in his peripheral vision.


    "... Yeah," she murmured, already half-asleep.


    He nced over at her peaceful, unguarded face and breathed in the soft scent of jasmine that filled the car. Forrest''s smile deepened, the tension in his brow fading away. When they hit a red light, he quietly draped his jacket over her, eased her seat back a notch, and slowed his pace as they drove.


    M slept deeply, morefortably than she had in days.


    She woke up groggy, blinking against the sunlight streaming through the window. Shielding her eyes, she realized with a start that the car had stopped.


    "Aren''t you going to sleep a little longer?" Forrest asked, twisting in his seat to smile at her.


    "Why didn''t you wake me?" M sat up quickly, his white jacket slipping off her shoulders. She caught a faint whiff of his cologne, and her cheeks flushed pink.


    "You looked so peaceful I didn''t want to wake you." He studied her face for a moment before asking, "Not sleeping well-are you stressed, or...?"


    “Nightmares,” she answered, brushing it off. She peered out the window at the quiet side street. "Where are we? I don''t see a restaurant."


    "We''re not there yet," Forrest replied, moving closer to unfasten her seatbelt. "We''ll have to walk the rest of the way-these little alleys aren''t great for cars."


    "Oh, right."


    M climbed out, and a breeze carried fluffy seeds through the air. At the corner, a tree was bursting with tiny pink blossoms. Narrow, windingnes snaked between mismatched townhouses—the kind of winding backstreets you''d only find in Kingsford.


    Forrest shot a casual nce at the car parked a block away. Leonard was leaning against the door, watching them with his usual impassive gaze.


    Forrest ignored him and called out to M, who was admiring the flowering tree. "Hey, Mimi-this way, it''s further in."


    "Coming!"


    The alley was quiet and cool.


    Forrest-dressed in a pale shirt, his white jacket slung casually over one arm-walked side-by-side with M who for once wore a soft knit dress instead of her usual business attire. Theirughter echoed softly as they strolled.


    Leonard kept a steady distance behind.


    After a few moments, as if remembering something, he pulled out his phone and snapped a quick photo of the pair ahead. But at that precise moment, Forrest nced back, his gaze sharp behind his sses.


    Leonard calmly pressed the shutter, his face unreadable, as if he saw nothing unusual about any of this.


    Forrest narrowed his eyes.


    That guy...


    "Forrest?"


    Noticing Forrest had suddenly fallen silent, M stopped too and followed his


    gaze back down the alley, then let out a resigned sigh.


    He really is sticking close, she thought.


    "Sorry," M apologized, helpless.


    Leonard was stubborn andpletely unppable. Aside from moving him off her detail, there was really nothing she could do; he''d follow orders to the letter, and ignore everything else.


    She''d just have to wait until the business with Cossio was over.


    "It''s fine."


    Forrest suddenly ced a reassuring hand on her shoulder, gently guiding her forward. Even as he steered her on, his gaze lingered on Leonard. When he noticed Leonard pause ever so slightly, Forrest''s lips curled into a knowing, icy smile.


    So that''s how it is.


    A watchdog, huh. The guy''s got guts.


    Before M could get ufortable and pull away, Forrest let go, smile softening


    as he picked up their earlier conversation. "So, what kind of nightmare''s been keeping you up?"


    "Nothing important. Probably just work stress," M replied airily. She didn''t want to ruin this rare moment of rxation by bringing up Lysander.


    "Then let''s just enjoy today and forget about all that."


    Forrest could tell she was holding something back, but didn''t push. They chatted about travel and food, swapping stories about favorite ces until Forrest suddenly changed tack. "Mimi, what do you think about Leonard?"


    "Huh?" M blinked, caught off guard.


    Where''d thate from?