Listening to Kieran''s voice deliberately lowered, it somehow felt even more restrained and teasing, stirring an attraction in L that made her ears tingle.


    She quickly leaned back a little, trying to keep her tone as normal as possible.


    "Noah won''t beat me," L said, her voice sweet and clear.


    In truth, she didn''t realize her ears were already blushing red.


    Kieran chuckledzily, the warmth of the room from the heatingplementing his casual, unhurried movements as he reached up to loosen his tie.


    "Is that so? Then you must be pretty amazing," he said, his slow drawl only making the tingling in her ears worse.


    This time, even her heart seemed to skip slightly, fluttering faintly in response.


    Nicole, sensing the subtle shift in the air between them, smiled in satisfaction. These two-there was definitely something there.


    Out of the corner of her eyes, L nced at Kieran, but his expression was as calm as ever, a faint, rxed smile gracing his face.


    Although he seemed gentler than usual, he remained utterlyposed.


    The little spark of fluttering emotion in L''s heart slowly began to sink.


    Ruby chuckled lightly, breaking the moment. "Mr. and Mrs. Morgan seem to have a pretty good rtionship, don''t they?"


    Hearing the amused chuckle rumble softly in Kieran''s throat beside her, L instinctively turned to nce at him. But before he could reply, Noah''s voice cut


    in.


    "How could a newlywed couple not be close? Don''t be jealous. When you get married, it''ll be sweeter than this. Come on, let''s y. Aunt L, it''s your turn."


    Kieran''s long fingers reached out, plucking a card from L''s hand with ease. Showing no intention of letting her win, he casually tossed the smallest card-a four-onto the table.


    His expression remained unruffled, betraying not even the faintest hint of emotion.


    And just like that, the delicate wave of affection stirring in L''s chest disappeared entirely, sinking into the abyss.


    When she looked up again, her face had already returned to its usualposure.


    After a few rounds, Noah was losing miserably. Clutching at Nicole''s sleeve in a dramatic plea, he whined, "Mom!"


    Nicole immediately caught on and shrugged. "I don''t have any money, sorry."


    At that moment, Noah became certain that he had to be adopted.


    Turning to L instead, he tried his luck. "Aunt L, we''re so close. Wouldn''t talking about money ruin our rtionship?"


    Kieran''s calm gaze shifted in Noah''s direction, and Noah stiffened, nearly jumping


    in panic. "No way, Uncle Kieran! You''re not short on cash, are you?"


    Even as he spoke, Noah reluctantly pulled out his phone and transferred the money to L.


    He muttered under his breath, "L, you''re defecting to the enemy''s side here. You used to be so sweet, calling me uncle and ranting about with me..."


    Before he could finish, L''s hand


    darted out to cover his mouth,


    silencing him. "I''ll give the monel


    bao you, it''s just a little gesture


    from me!"


    Noah''s eyes widened in disbelief as he stared at her, as though she''dpletely lost her mind.


    L noticed Ruby ncing over at them, and the moment their eyes met, L slowly withdrew her hand.


    Ruby chuckled softly. "Aunt Nicole, seeing how close they all are, I can''t help but feel a little jealous."


    Her tone was light, but the genuine hint of envy in her expression softened the words.


    "Noah," she said in her warm, gentle voice—a tone that perfectly matched her demeanor. "I don''t need money. Why don''t you give me one of the gold medals you''ve won in yourpetitions instead?"


    Noah considered those medals. To him, they were little more than dust collectors


    taking up space. After a brief moment of thought, he shrugged.


    "Fine. Come on, I''ll grab one for you upstairs," he said.


    The truth was, he just didn''t want Ruby spending too much time around Kieran.


    At first, Noah hadn''t been thrilled about L marrying Kieran, but now that it was a done deal, he wasn''t about to let anyone stir up trouble.


    The Morgans didn''t do divorces.


    "I''lle with you and take a look. You all chat here," Ruby said, rising gracefully from her seat.


    Out of the corner of her eye, L noticed Kieran''s gaze lingering on her. He only looked away once Ruby had disappeared upstairs.


    "L, are you two heading home tonight?" Nicole''s question snapped L''s attention back to the conversation.