Selena adored Carly. She never went anywhere without her, treating her like a delicate flower in need of constant care. Whatever Carly wanted, Selena always gave.

“That man, he’s just like Eden. He doesn’t listen, and he’s not fun to play with. How about I find you someone nice? Someone who listens and plays games the way…”

Carly shook her head. “No, I want him.”

As the two spoke, the door to the room opened. A man walked in from outside, dressed in a sharply tailored suit. His features were handsome but cold, with an air of intense gloom hanging around him. An hour ago, he’d received photos of Fiona getting cozy with that pretty boy. He never would have guessed that getting rid of Tina with Dominic’s help would invite someone even more dangerous into the picture.

Tina wanted her freedom back. The Sowle family couldn’t give it to her, so she sold their secrets to Selena.

One wrong move, and now the consequences clung to him like gum on the bottom of a shoe—disgusting, annoying, and impossible to shake off. He walked over and sat down, his expression cold and sharp.

He got straight to the point. “What do you want from me, Mrs. Locke? You want me to break someone out? Sorry, I’m not capable. I can’t help you!”

“Carly, do you think this young man is handsome?” Selena asked sweetly, gently turning Carly’s face away from the window and toward Luke.

Carly blinked, dazed, staring at the unfamiliar face in front of her. Luke frowned.

But then—terribly, the most burdensome moment—in the mornings, he found her soft and adorable. Something in the young woman’s features made him pause. Her sleepy, innocent gaze reminded him of Vespera, half-awake.

“Don’t you think this young man is handsome, too?” Selena coaxed, still smiling as she watched Carly.

Carly gave a small, obedient nod. Then she dropped her head and mumbled, “But the other one was even better looking.”

Selena sighed lightly, looking a little troubled. Meanwhile, the chill in Luke’s eyes deepened. “What the hell is this woman trying to pull?” he wondered.

Outside the restaurant, Samuel invited Theodore to stop by his office for a while. The moment he said it, Eden chimed in cheerfully, “I want to hang out in Dom’s office, too. Maybe even take a nap.”

Samuel shot him a look so sharp it could kill. Seeing that Samuel was about to come over and strangle him again, Eden immediately backpedaled, “Okay! I’m kidding, I’m not going.”

Then, he leaned in and whispered in Dominic’s ear, “Pretty slick, right? That’s all I can do. The test is up to you.”

“Eden, you little brat!” Samuel exploded, catching him whispering to Dominic again—this time truly fed up as he stormed toward them. Eden let go of Dominic. Despite his size, the guy moved fast, dodging Samuel’s fist with ease. As he ran, he didn’t forget to run back and blow Dominic a kiss. “Dom, left a little gift in your office. When I’m back from Auralia, I’m taking you on vacation!”

Samuel pulled off a shoe and chucked it at him. His assistant immediately rushed over from the car with a fresh pair from the trunk. How typical of Samuel. He couldn’t keep his cool when angry.

Vespera glanced at the smug, taunting Eden, then at Samuel, who looked about two seconds away from whipping off his belt and chasing him down. Was this elderly abuse? Like, some weirdly specific form of bullying the elderly?

“Put your shoe back on,” Dominic said dryly, shooting Samuel a look. He gave Theodore a polite nod, then walked out with Vespera. Vespera respectfully said goodbye to the two chairmen, then quickly followed after Dominic. Theodore kept staring at her slender silhouette as she walked away, his gaze lingering for a long while.

Samuel, still changing his shoes, didn’t bother hiding his thoughts. “She could be your daughter, you know. If you’re having those kinds of thoughts, that’s just…”

It was hard not to jump to conclusions—first saying she looked like his late wife and now staring holes into the poor young woman’s back. It was really creeping him out.

Theodore sighed wearily. “Come on, I don’t see her like that. I just genuinely like the kid; she does resemble Mira.”

Samuel didn’t hold back. “Stop with the ‘Mira’ already. She’s dead; she can’t hear you or see your dramatic performances.”

On the way back to the office, Vespera wanted to gossip about the Locke family. But she also had a strong feeling that if she opened that door, Dominic would take the opportunity to bring up other things… She pushed the thought aside. She wasn’t even that curious to begin with. She took a peek at the rearview mirror and saw that Dominic had his eyes closed, resting.

From the moment they got out of the car, into the elevator, and to the door of his office, Vespera was on edge. She half-expected him to drop some emotionally devastating question out of nowhere.