Victoria nced at her phone-it was alreadyte. She barely knew this man, he certainly wasn''t a child in need of looking after, and staying any longer just felt


    inappropriate.


    Quickly, she stood and apologized. K looked at her with a disarmingly innocent expression.


    "If you have time tomorrow, could youe over again? I''d love to have your pasta," he said, a hint of yfulness in his voice.


    Sometimes, a man''s pleading could be even more persuasive than a woman''s. Victoria, who still needed his help, found herself nodding before she could think twice.


    Downstairs, Yasmine was waiting in the car and nearly dozing off. As soon as she saw Victoria emerge, she hopped out to open the door for her.


    "All set, Ms. Turner?" she asked.


    Victoria hesitated at the question. Was everything really settled?


    She''d been here four or five hours. All she''d aplished was tidying up his ce, making him a meal, and taking a nap. As for what she''d actuallye to discuss-she''d gotten nowhere. She remembered K''s promise: after a few rounds of his game, he''d talk with her. But one round stretched into another, and by the time night fell, they still hadn''t spoken. In the end, she''d simply let him usher her out.


    Yasmine could read her disappointment right away. "No luck, huh?"


    "It''s fine. I''lle back tomorrow," Victoria replied.


    "Wait, what?"


    After a long, fruitless night, Victoria dragged herself into the office the next day, yawning nonstop. George spotted her and hurried over.


    "So? Did you see K? What did he say? Is he as entric as they say?"


    Truth was, George had never met K either.


    Victoria felt embarrassed to admit she''d been yed for hours with nothing to show for it, so she just shook her head. "I haven''t gone yet. Maybe next time— been busy with family stufftely."


    George instantly recalled the man''s voice that had drifted from herptop during thatst meeting and abruptly fell silent. Now that the quarrel between her and her husband had passed, of course she''d be preupied.


    During the day, Victoria focused on coding at her desk. After work, she headed back to K''s apartmentplex, making a stop at the market to restock his fridge with fresh fruits and vegetables.


    She climbed all fifteen flights again to his floor. This time, she just rang the doorbell. K opened the door almost immediately.


    "Right on time," he greeted her with a sheepish grin.


    Victoria''s heart sank when she saw the state of his living room. She''d just cleaned


    it yesterday, but now it was aplete mess again. K was sprawled out, surrounded by Lego bricks and collectible figurines, none of which seemed to have a ce. Honestly, his habits were something else.


    With a resigned sigh, Victoria started cleaning up after him again.


    Once the chores were done, she headed to the kitchen and whipped up a proper meal—no more nd noodles tonight. Her cooking skills, honed during her years abroad when she couldn''t stomach local food, didn''t disappoint. Back then, Lyndon and the others had gotten to know her bying over for her home- cooked meals, and through their shared obsession with racing, they''d eventually formed a team.


    Victoria had always had a knack for knowing what men liked to eat. To be fair, aside from all she''d done for McNeil during their marriage, she''d lived a pampered life-hardly ever setting foot in a kitchen. Thest time she''d cooked for McNeil was when he was sick, making him a pot of nourishing soup.


    Now, in no time at all, she''d prepared four dishes and a hearty soup. If she hadn''t already eaten beforeing, the delicious smells would have been torture.


    K stayed holed up in his room gaming until the aroma of food lured him out,


    stomach growling. He didn''t say a word, just sat down and dug in.


    By the time Victoria finished another night of chores, it waste again—and she''d gotten absolutely nowhere.


    For several days, it was the same story. K gave her no opportunity to talk about algorithms or code; he only ever had her running errands and doing housework.


    Victoria struggled through her days at the office, exhausted from herte-night visits. By the time she returned to the Turner family home, it was already the early hours of the morning.


    K was a true night owl, always full of energy after dark, constantly finding things for her to do.


    One afternoon in the office, Victoria was typing away at her keyboard when, before she knew it, she''d slumped over and nearly fallen asleep at her desk. A colleague passing by gave her a gentle shake.


    "Victoria, wake up. We''re at work, you know."


    The colleague walked off snickering, leaving Victoria baffled by the teasing.


    Meanwhile, Violet was making her rounds through the tech department when she overheard whispers at the coffee station.


    "Victoria must have patched things up with her husband. Ever since that meeting, she''s looked exhausted—probably keeping busy at night, if you know what I mean."


    "I heard her husband''s voice that day... Honestly, that deep, velvety tone you only read about in romance novels? He''s the real deal."


    Violet''s expression soured. She wasn''t trying to take it personally, but McNeil hadn''t been by Winding Peak Lane all week, and Gwh hadn''t stayed over either. Sure, they''d met up to eat and y with their daughter, but by eight o''clock McNeil always left with Gwh in tow-he never spent the night.


    Violet''s heels clicked down the hallway. Inside, Victoria was struggling to stay awake at herputer, her head nodding dangerously close to the screen.