로그인Marina looked at Jamie with a hint of surprise. "You seem to know quite a lot about this… Don't tell me you used to be a hacker too?""No," Jamie replied flatly. "But I know a little about the field."His gaze settled on her. "Marina, could you be Q?"Marina's eyes widened. "How do you know?! Did you investigate me?"Jamie's tone remained indifferent. "You spend generously at my café every day. It would be strange if I didn't look into you."Marina frowned. "Just because I go there every day, you investigated me? Don't you think that's a pretty unreasonable excuse?"Jamie glanced at Thomas, who had been silent all this time. "You can ask your friend here whether my caution is reasonable or not."At that, Marina really did turn to Thomas."Thomas, what does he mean?"Thomas leaned back casually, speaking in a light tone. "Jamie is the head of the Walton family. It's only natural he wouldn't feel at ease about a stranger who suddenly appears with unclear intentions."Marina loo
There was no deliberate avoidance or coldness—just the natural distance of people who knew of each other, but were not truly familiar. A simple acquaintance, nothing more.Seeing that Thomas had finished a piece of dessert, Marina asked a little nervously, yet with clear anticipation, "Thomas, how is it? Is it good?"Thomas replied, "Mm. Very good."At his answer, a bright smile bloomed on Marina's face, a faint blush coloring her cheeks as well. It was the kind of expression only seen when someone received praise from the person they liked.Seeing this, Sharon suddenly felt a faint sense of suffocation. She lowered her eyes slightly and took a sip of tea to conceal it.Jamie's low, husky voice came from beside her. "Marina and Thomas, you guys seem quite close."Marina turned toward him. "Mm yeah, we're friends."Jamie's tone carried something unreadable. "Thomas certainly has quite a few female friends."Marina looked surprised. "Does he? As far as I know, besides Carmen, Tho
The shop assistant girl was clearly excited—so excited that she repeated "very handsome" three times in a row.It was obvious she had never seen a man that good-looking before.Marina's eyes lit up.She didn't even spare a glance for Sharon or Jamie as she quickly walked into the flower shop and pushed open the door to the lounge."Thomas, I invited you here so many times before, and you're finally here today!"Inside the room, a young and strikingly handsome man sat on the sofa, flipping through a floral catalog, quietly reading the descriptions of different flowers.At the sound of Marina's voice, he looked up and smiled faintly."I was handling some business nearby. I remembered you opened a flower shop here, so I came to take a look."He closed the catalog in his hands and asked, "Have you been going to that café you mentioned last time?"Marina smiled. "Yes. The cats there are adorable. I go every day to play with them for a while. My shop is close to that café. Do you wa
Marina continued her story, "Her new cat was nothing like that unruly cat, who was too strong-willed and possessive."So even though the previous cat had stayed by her side for so long and given her everything it possibly could, outsiders still felt it could never compare to the more obedient one."People praised the well-behaved cat instead, slowly forgetting the one from before. Whenever they did remember it, or spoke of it at all, it was only in terms of how it had become violent or hurt others—completely erasing the happiness it had once brought."But what had it done wrong, really? If you chose it in the first place, you couldn't only enjoy its gentleness and refuse to bear responsibility for its flaws. So before I'm certain I can take full responsibility for a cat, I'd rather not raise one at all."For some reason, Sharon found herself especially drawn to this story, vaguely fixated on that unruly cat.She looked at Marina. "Does the story have a continuation?"Marina said,
Seeing that Sharon had added her contact, Marina broke into a bright, radiant smile.She was about to say something when she noticed Jamie staring at her expressionlessly. Marina raised an eyebrow."Boss, I asked for a latte. Why aren't you making my coffee and instead sitting here watching us? Are you planning on eavesdropping on our girly conversations?"Sharon also glanced at Jamie. "Jamie, go ahead and get back to work. I'll talk with Marina for a bit."Only after Sharon spoke did Jamie finally leave.Soon after, a server brought over the coffee.Once the server left, Marina invited, "Sharon, my flower shop is just nearby. Would you be interested in taking a look? Think of it as a visit to evaluate my shop."Sharon was surprised. "There's a flower shop around here?"Marina smiled. "I opened it not long ago—mainly to make it easier to come here and play with the cats."Sharon asked, "Do you really like cats that much, Marina?"Marina nodded. "Yes. Fluffy little kittens are
Only the bitter aroma of coffee lingered in the air, curling softly through the quiet space.For some reason, a memory surfaced in Sharon's mind—something Thomas had once told her."Sharon, there's still so much I can do for you. When I can no longer provide any value to you… will you at least wait until then before you stop wanting me?"Just then, the gentle chime of the doorbell broke the silence.Marina had come to see the cats again.After greeting each of them and opening cans of cat food, her gaze landed on Sharon by the window.Her eyes lit up, bright and lively like a painting coming to life."Sharon! We meet again!" She walked over with obvious delight. "I haven't seen you in a while. I thought you weren't coming anymore."Sharon paused slightly. "Marina, were you looking for me?"Marina smiled. "Not really. I just happen to be very much a 'visual person'—I like beautiful things. It's rare to see someone as beautiful as you, Sharon. I just wanted to admire you a littl
Though Thomas was gravely injured and barely hanging on, Toni hadn't escaped either. Liam and the others had cornered him before he could slip away.Julliard looked at him with a cool, almost detached calm. "I'm not his friend. To be precise, I'm his enemy."At those words, Toni's eyes snapped ope
People like Carter, Xavier, and Julliard had already noticed Thomas's feelings for Sharon. The Kalen family, too, had long suspected that something ambiguous was going on between Thomas and Sharon.Thomas smiled lazily. "I've been so obvious about it, and yet you're only realizing it now? Hard to b
Johanna froze.On the screen, just beneath the fancy dishes, she spotted a familiar keychain.Johanna had been close friends with Victoria for years. She had visited the Kalen house often enough to recognize it instantly. There was no mistaking it—that keychain belonged to Victoria.Thomas was
"Besides," John continued, "we don't even know when the teachers will find us. Water is important for us, too."Earlier, the three of them had been chased by a wild boar and lost their backpacks while running. Their food and water were gone. Only Sharon's single flask remained, and it had to last u







