If Rose found out her precious eldest grandson had fallen for a divorced woman, she might not take it well.


    And if that happened... what then?


    "Why are you in such a rush? A good act has to be yed to the end," Tom said with a teasing smirk.


    "I haven''t even had the chance to show off my undying, head-over-heels love for you yet. The goal is to make sure Grandma burns out all her energy nagging me about marriage in the future."


    I couldn''t help butugh, torn between exasperation and amusement. "Why go through all this trouble? Tom, don''t you have someone you like?"


    "I do," he replied, his voice suddenly serious.


    "Who?" I asked, blinking in surprise.


    "You."


    For a brief moment, my heart seemed to skip a beat. Then, I realized he was just messing with me again. I shot him a mock re and scolded, "Tom!"


    He chuckled, reaching out to ruffle my hair. "Rx. I''ve got everything under control. Nothing will go wrong. All you need to do is focus on your acting skills."


    Tom didn''t get to stay home for long before Alvin came along and dragged him out to meet up with some old friends.


    As his "girlfriend", it was only natural that I had to tag along.


    The gathering was set at the Golden Shoreline, an upscale location where the afternoon sunlight poured in through the floor-to-ceiling windows. The light scattered across the surface like ayer of crushed diamonds, giving the space an almost ethereal glow.


    Just as we stepped into the grand lobby, Tom''s phone buzzed.


    "You two go on up first," he said, giving me a light pat on the back. "I''ll catch up in a bit."


    Then, with a slight tilt of his head toward Alvin, he added, "Take good care of Grace."


    "Got it, Tom!"


    After watching Tom walk away, I followed Alvin into the elevator, and we began our ascent to the luxurious penthouse where the gathering was being held.


    On the way up, Alvin must have sensed that I might feel out of ce because he kept me entertained with funny stories about Tom from their childhood.


    When he mentioned that Tom had once been dressed up as a girl, I couldn''t help but cover my mouth to stifle augh.


    "Grace, we''re here."


    The doors slid open, and the moment we stepped into the penthouse, a rich but unusual fragrance hit me.


    I nced around and was met with a scene of extravagant luxury. Every detail in the room spoke of indulgence, creating a world that felt entirely separate from reality.


    Alvin greeted his friends with ease, clearly in his element among the crowd. Yet he didn''t forget to look after me, going so far as to fetch me a ss of wine.


    "Thanks, but I don''t drink..." I declined softly.


    Since I was pregnant, alcohol was obviously off-limits.


    "What do you want instead?"


    I was about to wave him off, ready to tell him not to bother when a yful voice nearby cut in, "Hey, who''s this prettydy?"


    "Isn''t it obvious? She came with Alvin, so she must be his girlfriend!" someone else chimed in.


    "Don''t talk nonsense!" Alvin snapped, ring at the speaker. "She''s not my girlfriend!"


    But his friends were far from convinced.


    Someone let out a teasing whistle while another leaned forward with a grin, directing their attention to me. "Pretty miss, how old are you? How did you and Alvin meet?"


    It was clear they hadpletely misunderstood my rtionship with Alvin. I opened my mouth, ready to exin, but before I could utter a word, a low, steady voice rang out behind me.


    "Who are you calling ''pretty miss?"


    All eyes turned toward the source of the voice.


    Tom was walking toward us, his expression calm but carrying an edge of quiet authority. His sharp gaze swept across the group, and the weight of his presence was almost tangible.


    Without hesitation, he reached out and pulled me into his embrace. Under the stunned gazes of everyone present, his lips tilted into a faint smile. "Call her Mrs. White."