In the end, Wendy’s frustration bolled over.


    She mmed her sandwich onto the table, her appetite gone.


    So far, there hadn’t been <b>a </b>single inch of progress between her and Larcas.


    If this kept up, her entire n would be dyed again.


    She took a deep breath, feeling more and more that this path was going nowhere.


    Her eyes flickered with calction, something clearly turning over in her mind.


    Meanwhile, Aurora had just settled into her office chair when she received a message from Leonard.


    “Aurora, <b>thank </b>you again for yesterday. That was the first time my sister ever spoke to someone outside the <b>family</b>.


    “You have no <b>idea </b>how happy it made me. I shared it with my parents too–they were overjoyed. They said they’d love to thank you in person if they ever get the chance.”


    Just reading the message, Aurora could already picture the look on Leonard’s face.


    His light blond hair probably shimmered under the sun, and those bright eyes must <b>have </b>been glowing with joy.


    Holding his sister, caught between surprise and happiness–that image alone warmed Aurora’s heart.


    She quickly typed a reply. “No need to thank me. Bring her out again sometime. I really like Nora.


    “As for your parents, there’s no need for that either. I didn’t do much. It’s just that Nora’s <b>doing </b>well on her own.”


    Leonard smiled the moment he read her <b>reply</b>.


    It was exactly what he’d expected her to <b>say</b>.


    She wasn’t the <b>kind </b>of person who liked being indebted, something he’de to understand clearly over the past few days.


    Still grinning, he texted back<b>: </b>“Alright, if you won’t ept my parents‘ thanks, then I’ll just have to find a way to than myself one <b>day</b>.”


    Aurora chuckled to herself, shaking her head at his persistence. She didn’t bother replying again.


    She knew Leonard well enough now. No matter <b>what </b>she said, he’d do as he pleased.


    Trying to stop him would only drag things out further.


    Fine. She’d just find <b>a </b>way to return the favor another time.


    With that, she set her phone down and got back to work.


    Leonard’s parents watched the growing smile on their son’s face, unable to hide their surprise,


    Was this really their son?


    Ever since Nora’s <b>ident</b>, it had been rare to see any expression on his face at all.


    Day after day, he wore the same quiet, solemn look, like something vital in him had been dulled.


    But now?


    Now he was grinning at his phone like <b>a </bplete fool, the smile not fading, but deepening with every second, like some love- struck teenager.


    The two elders of the Knight family exchanged a nce<b>, </b>eyebrows raised in silent question.


    “Son, this Miss Walton… you two…” Leonard’s mother, Jasmine Long, hesitated, but her meaning was obvious,


    Anyone o


    could fill in the rest.


    Leonard immediately wiped the grin off his face, straightening up with practiced seriousness. “Mom, she and I are just friends. Nothing more.”


    “Don’t go jumping to conclusions and interfering with her life. I’ve got errands to run. I’m heading out.”


    Without waiting for a reply, he stood up and walked out of the house, movements swift and seamless.


    His parents sat frozen for amoment,pletely thrown off by his sudden exit.


    It was Leonard’s father, Richard Knight, who finally broke the silence. “That brat, he’s gotten cocky now. How can he just get up and leaves like that?


    “One of these days, I’m going to <b>give </b>him a proper talking–to. That waspletely disrespectful.”


    But Jasmine had caught on to something else entirely.


    Her eyes lit up as she turned to her husband. “Don’t you think… our son’s acting exactly like a man in love?”