After a restless night of barely any sleep, Aubree woke up feelingpletely disoriented. When she heard Bowen’s voice. she instinctively pulled the covers tighter around herself. ‘How am I supposed to face him?’ she wondered, feeling utterly lost. After gathering her courage with a deep breath, Aubree finally opened the door.


    Bowen wore a ck windbreaker, with his hair down and lightly tousled bangs framing his forehead, giving him a fresh and well-groomed appearance. “Breakfast is ready! Do you want to hit the skating rink after we eat?” Bowen said.


    “Oh, and this.” Bowen pulled a gift envelope from his pocket, its festive shimmer catching Aubree’s eye. “Pocket money for you,” he said casually, as if the events of the night before had never happened.


    Aubree looked at Bowen with suspicion. “Last night…” A wave of indignation washed over her; she felt utterly used and then dismissed. ‘Is he ying dumb, or had he forgotten?’ she wondered.


    ‘Last night? I was drunk-I honestly don’t remember what happened,” Bowen said with a look of confusion, his expressionpletely deadpan.


    Aubree said, “Last night, I visited your room-”


    Bowen lightly interrupted, “So, you brought me that hangover remedy, right? Dad mentioned it. The cup broke, but it’s all


    leaned up now. Did I… do something to upset you when I was drunkst night?” he asked, feigning concern. “I can’t remember.” He frowned, adopting a troubled expression.


    Aubree felt all her resolve fade away; everything she wanted to express was lodged in her throat. ‘How could I possibly ask Bowen why he pinned me down and kissed mest night?’ she wondered, frustration bubbling inside her.


    Bowen looked at her before suddenly pausing. “What happened to your lip?”


    ‘I…” Aubree felt her cheeks flush with embarrassment.


    ‘Did you bite it yourself?” Bowen asked.


    Like hell I did! This masterpiece is all your doing!’ she fumed inwardly. But all she could do was nod. “Yeah, I had a dreamst night.” She thought, ‘Some shameless scoundrel kissed me!’


    ‘Anyway, I woke up this morning, and it was like this.” Aubree gritted her teeth, imagining a hundred different oues but never considering that Bowen would forget. “Alright, fine. You said we were going ice skating. I’ll go get ready.”


    Bowen’s eyes sparkled with amusement as he waved the gift envelope in his hand. “You still haven’t taken your gift,” he remarked.


    Aubree thought it was just a good luck charm as she felt the thin envelope in her hand. Assuming it contained only a small token amount, she epted it absentmindedly.


    She returned to her room and changed her clothes. Before leaving, she nced at the gift envelope on the bed, intrigued by the amount inside. She squeezed it and immediately felt that something was off. Upon opening the envelope, she discovered a bank card inside.


    Wait, is this how the Turner family gives out pocket money?’ Aubree wondered with a hint of disbelief in her mind.


    She checked the bnce on her card using her phone-the significant amount stared back at her. However, she didn’t need this money at the moment.


    She thought about returning it, but realized that Bowen certainly had enough money. Since he had given it to her, he probably wouldn’t let her refuse it. Rather than making a fuss, she tucked the card into her pocket.


    As Aubree descended the stairs, Alvin was just about to take a bite of his oatmeal. He nced up, did a double-take, and spat it out in shock, his eyes wide. “What the-Aubree! What happened to your lip?” Alvin eximed.


    Last night, Aubree went to Bowen’s room with the handover remedy, then returned to her room and never came back


    downstairs. Alvin had figured it was just the same old story-Bowen was probably showing off again. But now, he doubted <ol><li></li></ol>


    Ethan, who was sitting closest to Alvin, quickly shifted away with a hurt expression. “Alvin, I lost all my money to youst night. Did you have to do that?”


    Right then, Samson sharply nudged his arm and tilted his chin toward Aubree. At the dining table, Bowen and Enrique seemed the least affected. Aubree felt utterly embarrassed. With Alvin causing such amotion, she was half-convinced h had figured everything out.


    “Just a bite mark,” Bowen interrupted before Aubree could exin. She could only nod in reluctant agreement, unable to -peak the truth.