Vanessa''s lips curled into a sly smile. "Are you sure you want to hear this?"


    "Come on, spill it! I''m begging you. I even asked my brother, but he just brushed me off." Serena knew her older brother''s personality all too well-romance was never his thing.


    Vanessa''s gaze turned dreamy as she slipped into memory. "It was one of those rainy evenings..."


    Instinctively, Serena leaned closer, eager to hear the story of her brother''s first love.


    "I was only eighteen then, just a naive, starry-eyed girl, like anyone who dreams of their own fairy tale romance. I kept imagining my Prince Charming would appear on some cozy street corner, maybe in a little café-"


    Her lips curled with nostalgia. "But it wasn''t a café at all. It was right outside an art gallery. I was clutching an armful of books, soaked to the skin, when suddenly someone held a big ck umbre over my head. I turned around, and there he was-your brother, in a ck trench coat, looking exactly like a dark, brooding knight."


    Serena blinked in surprise. "My brother? Romantic? Now that''s hard to imagine!"


    "That''s how we met," Vanessa said softly. "He insisted on walking me home, and I asked for his number. He didn''t say no, and after a few more chance meetings, we just... clicked." She took a delicate sip of her wine.


    Swept up by the romance, Serena grinned. "So you two have all these beautiful memories. Sounds like love at first sight for my brother."


    "And then? What happened next?" Serena pressed.


    "Well," Vanessa looked a little shy, "we started dating-he''d take me out, show me new ces, always brought my favorite flowers, and he''d pick me up after my art sses at college."


    Serena was surprised-she never imagined her brother could actually have a romantic bone in his body. He certainly never did any of that for Eleanor.


    Then again, when a girl throws herself at him for free, even a nce from him is enough to make her day.


    "So you see," Vanessa went on, "even the most aloof man can be moved by genuine affection. I''m sure Xavier wille around if you''re sincere."


    "But what should I do?" Serena asked, uncertainty flickering across her face.


    "Try creating a memorable, serendipitous moment with Xavier. Move into his neighborhood, bump into him every day if you can, spend time with his mother and niece..."


    "So you''re saying I should just buy a ce in Xavier''s building?" Serena''s eyes sparkled with intrigue.


    "Didn''t you know? Your brother already bought a ce at Cloudcrest Manor." Vanessa swirled her wine. "Henry said it''s fully furnished-just move in and you''re set."


    Serena was taken aback. "Why would my brother buy a house at Cloudcrest Manor?"


    "Maybe he just wanted a change of scene? I''m not sure about the details," Vanessa admitted with a shrug.


    Still, Serena found her brother''s impulsive purchase odd, but couldn''t quite put her finger on it.


    Either way, if her brother had a ce at Cloudcrest Manor, she could move in for a while. She wasn''t about to give up on Xavier so easily-Vanessa was right. Who knows, maybe one day she''d finally win him over?


    Besides, Eleanor was always too busy to pay Xavier any attention, and Xavier was closing in on thirty; he was bound to be thinking about settling down.


    Serena had spent time abroad as a rtionship coach and had picked up plenty of new tactics. Looking back, she realized she''d alwayse on too strong and too desperate—that''s what had turned Xavier off. This time, she was determined to try something different.