ANMELDEN“Miss?” the hotel employee called carefully. “Shall we head upstairs?”
Navia nodded and followed him toward the elevator.The VIP suite was luxurious without being overly flashy. Beyond the floor-to-ceiling windows stretched the breathtaking night view of Summerlight Beach.But Navia had no mood to admire it.She wasn’t here for a vacation.She was here to find someone.Sitting on the edge of the soft bed, she tried calling Leonel agNavia slowly looked around the room.Everything was exactly the same as their bedroom at Hillside Villa.Every detail.Every piece of furniture.Everything had been recreated perfectly.And yet, beyond the windows and outside the door, she was still in the unfamiliar Crawford Estate.A strange warmth spread through her chest.Yes, she was a little particular about sleeping in unfamiliar places, but not to the point where it seriously affected her. It was the kind of thing she could easily adjust to after a night or two.And yet...This man had quietly arranged all of this for her without ever mentioning it.Navia bit her lip before looking over at him."Leonel...""Hm?" He raised an eyebrow."Come here for a second."Her voice dropped conspiratorially."I have something to tell you."Leonel narrowed his eyes slightly.Clearly, he suspected she was up to something ag
With that logic, Navia's confidence immediately returned."Anyway," she declared proudly, "you're officially allowed to sleep in the same bed as me tonight."Leonel let out an exaggerated sigh."So... a blanket wall down the middle and strictly conversation?""What else?" Navia asked, narrowing her eyes suspiciously. "What exactly are you thinking about? Keep those dirty thoughts to yourself.""...I wasn't thinking anything.""You'd better not be."Of course, Navia hadn't forgotten the doctor's instructions.Her pregnancy was still in its early stages, and she'd been extremely firm about drawing certain boundaries with Leonel.But...Maybe because he'd been acting so pitiful lately—She occasionally found herself softening toward him.He spoiled her endlessly.Maybe she should spoil him a little, too.Perhaps once the pregnancy was more stable...Navia's thoughts came to a
"Our dear Aunt Navia?"Why did that suddenly make her sound ten years older?She let out a scoff."Aunt Navia? Excuse me?"Then she narrowed her eyes at him."I think our dear Uncle Leonel is the one getting old. Maybe your memory's starting to go."Leonel raised an eyebrow and casually pinched her cheek."So now you're making fun of me?""I'm just telling the truth," Navia shot back. "You are older than me."Leonel fell silent for a moment before giving her a thoughtful look."Having second thoughts about marrying into my generation?"Seeing right through her, he added calmly,"Too late."A faint smile tugged at his lips."You're Aunt Navia now, and that's not changing."As usual, his tone was firm and utterly non-negotiable.Strangely, though, Navia didn't find it intimidating at all.Instead, a quiet warmth spread through her chest.Maybe this was what hap
Navia wasn't particularly comfortable with public displays of affection.But after seeing the expressions on Liam and Linda's faces, she suddenly decided she could make an exception.Smiling sweetly, she slipped both hands around Leonel's arm."Alright," she said. "Let's go."Together, they walked away, leaving behind a crowd that looked as though it had collectively forgotten how to breathe.The ballroom buzzed with disbelief.Not only had Navia appeared at Chairman Crawford's birthday gala on Leonel Crawford's arm, but he had publicly revealed that she was pregnant.Nobody had seen that coming.At first, most guests had assumed the situation with Liam was nothing more than a messy piece of relationship drama. The fact that Liam's former fiancée had somehow become his aunt-by-marriage was shocking enough on its own.But Leonel's behavior changed everything.A man like Leonel Crawford didn't make public dec
Just as expected.Liam's face darkened, but under Leonel's icy gaze, he didn't dare argue. He stood there in silence, looking thoroughly cowed.Across the room, Linda had been quietly destroying a handkerchief while mentally cursing Navia in every way she could think of. The moment she heard Navia call her out, the color drained from her face.The instant she realized Navia intended to drag her into this mess, she turned and tried to slip away.Even Liam had been reduced to complete obedience in front of Leonel Crawford.If she got pulled into the spotlight too, she was finished.Linda didn't believe for a second that Navia had good intentions. The woman clearly wanted to humiliate both of them in front of everyone.Unfortunately for her, the guests were enjoying the spectacle far too much.The people in these circles were experts at reading the room.Just moments ago, the socialites surrounding Linda had been all smiles
In Liam's eyes, Navia was nothing more than a vindictive woman who would do anything to get even.It was bad enough that she was somehow involved with his uncle.Now she expected him to treat her like an elder?Why?What had she ever done to deserve that?A surge of anger rose inside him.For a moment, he nearly lost control.But after opening and closing his mouth several times, he forced out a strained smile."Uncle Leonel must be joking."His voice sounded stiff."What aunt?""I've never heard anything like that before."Desperate, he turned toward Old Mr. Crawford."Right, Grandpa?"Naturally, Old Mr. Crawford couldn't simply stand by and let Leonel continue this spectacle.Having finally recovered from the earlier shock, he pulled his arm away from Jason and said coldly,"Leonel.""You can't treat something like this as a joke."Lowering his voice, he st
Navia’s brows furrowed slightly.Honestly, she wanted to slap Linda across the face.But she didn’t want to make a huge scene outside the suite either.So instead, she smiled faintly.“Mistress?” Navia repeated lazily. “Who exactly are you calling
No one knew how much time had passed before dawn finally began to brighten the horizon.A pale silver glow spread across the sky.Suddenly—“No!”Navia jolted upright in bed with a frightened cry.Cold sweat covered her body.Leonel had always been
Navia had rarely seen him genuinely furious before.This was probably the first time.She wanted to laugh so badly, but didn’t dare.So she coughed lightly instead and muttered unhappily:“Fine, don’t use ice then. Why are you yelling at me?”&ldqu
Leonel Crawford clearly hadn’t expected Navia to push him away at a moment like this.His brows furrowed slightly.Even so, his arm instinctively tightened around her waist to steady her, making sure she wouldn’t fall backward off the entryway console.“Why?&rdquo







