Jude scratched his head. “He said he’s got something to deal with. Noting.”


    Bianca paused, surprised. “Did you tell him Seth and I are here too?”


    “Yeah, I told him.”


    Bianca was quiet for a couple of seconds before turning away and heading <i>into </i>the restaurant without another word.


    They’d booked a private room for the three of them.


    Maybe it was the fallout from the summit, but the mood hung heavy over the table. Even Jude, usually the chatterbox of the group, stayed silent, focused on his food.


    Midway through the meal, Bianca excused herself to the restroom. On her way back, she just so happened to bump into Dn–apparently dining at the same ce.


    Bianca’s eyes lit up. She called out to him right away, “Dn!”


    He nced her way. Whatever easy smile he’d been wearing vanished, reced by a distant, almost indifferent look. Still, he acknowledged her with a brief nod.


    “Jude said you were in Harborcrest,” Bianca continued, her tone as gentle as ever as she walked towards him. “Honestly, I thought he was making it up. Didn’t expect to really see you here.”


    She deliberately left out the fact that she’d already spotted him at the summit earlier, pretending this was just a random encounter. “When did you get in?”


    “This afternoon.”


    So, straight off the ne, he’d gone to the summit. For whom, exactly? Was it for the person she was thinking of?


    Bianca kept her feelings under tight control, not giving anything away.


    After a bit of small talk, she offered, “Well, since we ran into each other, why not join us? Jude and


    Seth are both here.”


    Jude might have been turned down, but that didn’t mean Dn would refuse her. They had history,


    after all.


    But Bianca had clearly overestimated how much that history meant now.


    Dn replied, his tone neutral, “No, thanks. I’ve got friends here. Maybe another time.”


    With that, he gave a polite nod and walked off


    Bianca stood there for a long moment, stunned by how tly–and unceremoniously–he’d brushed


    her off.


    She didn’t head back to the private room right away. Instead, she followed the direction Dn had gone, curiosity pushing her forward. She wanted to see who he was having dinner with.


    When she saw Noreen sitting across from Dn, Bianca’s heart sank instantly.


    10:03


    So that was it. Dn turned her down because he was having dinner with Noreen?


    Even after trying topose herself before returning to the room, Bianca couldn’t quite wipe the look off her face.


    Seth was out taking a call, Jude exined.


    No sooner had Bianca sat down than her phone started buzzing non–stop. She nced at the screen–it was the group chat where Jude and the others shared videos and updates.


    Healy had just dropped a photo of a receipt in the chat, instantly lighting up everyone’s notifications.


    “Holy crap! Am I seeing this right?”


    “That’s Dn! Dn gave Noreen flowers?!”


    “When did those two start hanging out? How did nobody hear a thing about this?”


    Someone else chimed in, “They’re sunflowers, not roses. Probably doesn’t mean anything. But where’d you get this photo?”


    Healy immediately posted the livestream link from the summit.


    Bianca tapped it open. There were several photos showing the exact timeline. And there was the bouquet–the same one Dn had been carrying when she ran into him at the summit entrance.


    So…


    He’de all the way to Harborcrest City just to give Noreen flowers?


    Bianca’s expression soured again as the realization set in.


    Noreen had just stepped out of the restroom when someone lurking in the corner startled her.


    She hadn’t even registered the face before the thick smell of smoke hit her.


    She wrinkled her nose instinctively, then looked up–to see a figure she knew far too well.


    It was Seth.


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