Chapter 2

Hayden did not expect Sylvie to come back so soon.

He was always the dominant one in this relationship, so he did not hold back and calmly told her his decision. "What's wrong with us not getting married?"

Seeing the casual expression on his face, Sylvie thought he was just angry, as usual. She did not take it seriously and took off her coat, answering icily, "You were the one insisting on getting married, and now you're saying you don't want to anymore. What are you doing now?"

Looking at the group of models standing around in the room in the dresses, Sylvie carelessly pointed. "Let's go with that one."

Hayden looked in the direction she pointed and saw the wedding dress. It was her favorite one from the video they watched yesterday.

Although he was a little surprised, he did not think much of it. He just glanced at her. "What did you do today?"

Sylvie lied calmly, her expression unchanged. "I was busy with work.

“Don't worry. I won't forget to keep my promise of sleeping with you every day."

Then, she began to take off her undergarments to go to the bedroom with him.

Uncharacteristically, Hayden pushed her away. "We don't need to do it for a while. You should sleep in the guest room."

Sylvie's hand paused, disbelief flickering in her eyes as if she were meeting him for the first time. "Didn't you used to pester me all the time, begging to sleep with me?"

Hayden offered a self-deprecating smile. "Didn't you always say you can't force someone to love you?"

Sylvie's gaze deepened. After a moment, she put on her clothes. "Suit yourself."

With that, she headed upstairs without hesitation and disappeared into the guest room.

The next day, Hayden woke up quite early.

A housekeeper brought him coffee and mentioned Sylvie's whereabouts. "Ms. Scott went out to work out first thing this morning. Would you like to wait for her to have breakfast together?"

Hayden shook his head. "I'm heading out shortly. I won't wait for her."

Hayden drove off after breakfast. After finishing the paperwork for his permanent residency in Areland, he found an open-air café with a panoramic view and enjoyed the scenery from the upper floor.

After spending some time on his phone, Hayden looked up and saw Sylvie.

She was being led by Joshua into a collectibles store below.

Joshua picked out two figurines from the display window, while Sylvie asked the staff to bring out the most expensive item in the entire store.

Upon seeing the black card in Sylvie's hand, the staff immediately retrieved a limited-edition figurine from the back, which was entirely different from anything on display in the storefront.

As expected of childhood sweethearts, she remembered his interests perfectly.

Hayden stared at the two of them, not taking his eyes off them.

When Joshua's collar was askew, Sylvie would tiptoe to fix it.

When he said he wanted to try her coffee, she handed it to him without a second thought and let him take a sip.

When he marveled at the new luxury cars in the showroom, she took him inside to pick one.

Watching them stroll around like a young couple on a date, Hayden felt as though he were seeing the real Sylvie for the very first time.

It turned out that when she was with someone she loved, she did not wear the icy expression he knew so well. Instead, she would laugh, crack jokes, and watch the other person's antics with affection.

She would not keep people at a distance or act indifferent to everything. Rather, she remembered the other person's tastes and preferences, even helping him coordinate his outfits.

She never said anything to kill the mood. No matter what they talked about, she would quickly find a way to keep the conversation going, never letting it die.

Around Joshua, she shed the cold facade she usually wore and became herself—the vibrant Sylvie, full of life and capable of loving with all her heart.

This was the authentic, lively version of Sylvie that Hayden had never seen before.

He finally understood that the gulf between love and indifference was as vast as a galaxy, and no amount of money could bridge it.