เข้าสู่ระบบGenevieve finished the last few bites of her noodles and pushed the empty cup aside. The supermarket had grown even quieter. Only the soft hum of the refrigerators and the occasional passing car outside disturbed the silence.She reached for her small wallet. Then stopped. Nothing. She checked again. Still nothing. Genevieve frowned and searched the table, then looked around her. Her phone was there. Her keys were there. Her wallet wasn’t.She checked the floor beneath the table. Nothing. A strange feeling settled in her stomach. She hadn’t taken it out after paying. She was certain of that. Genevieve stood and walked toward the counter.“Excuse me?”The cashier looked up.“Yes, ma’am?”“I think I lost my wallet. I was sitting over there.”The young man glanced toward her table.“Are you sure you brought it in?”“Yes. I had it before I came here.”He hesitated for a moment before reaching for the monitor behind the counter.“We have cameras. Let me check.”Genevieve waited while he pu
Genevieve grabbed her coat and left her apartment. A small twenty-four-hour supermarket sat a few minutes from the building. It wasn’t anything luxurious, but it was quiet at that hour, and she only wanted something to eat and a little time away from her thoughts. She bought a cup of Korean noodles, a bottled drink, and a few other things before settling at one of the small tables near the glass wall. Outside, the street was almost empty.Genevieve ate slowly, her gaze fixed on the passing headlights. She was halfway through her noodles when raised voices caught her attention. She looked toward the counter. An elderly man stood there with a packet of food tucked beneath his worn jacket. Beside him stood an elderly woman holding several items she clearly hadn’t paid for.The cashier stared at them.“You two know the rules yet anytime you both come here all you do is stir up problem.”The woman rolled her eyes.“We’re paying.”“With what?”The man gave a low chuckle.“Put it on the tab.
Alain sat alone in his study, staring at the document on his desk. The gala had ended hours ago, but his mind was still there. More specifically, it was still on Genevieve.He remembered seeing her leave the private restroom area with Desmond. The sight had burned more than he wanted to admit. Alain leaned back in his chair and exhaled slowly. He didn’t know what had happened between them or what Desmond might have said to her. He hadn’t seen enough to draw any real conclusions, but there had been something about Genevieve’s expression when she came out. Her cheeks had been flushed, and Desmond had been right behind her.Had they talked? Had something happened between them? Or had jealousy simply filled in the blanks his eyes couldn’t see?Alain looked down at the document on his desk. It was the medical report Genevieve had accidentally left behind in the guest room when she moved out of his house. He had intended to return it to her, but work had gotten in the way. Now, he wasn’
Ethan excused himself.“I’ll catch up with my brother,” he told her with an easy smile. “We’ll talk later.”“Of course.” Genevieve nodded, still smiling, even though her heart was beating loudly in her chest. She reminded herself not to focus on Desmond.Ethan turned and made his way through the crowd. Genevieve watched him disappear before slowly heading toward her designated seat.Desmond was still standing there.Ethan reached him a moment later.“You’re late. Well, at least you came. I was beginning to think you were going to ignore Mom’s words.”Desmond gave his brother a look but said nothing.They moved farther into the crowd, stopping several times to greet familiar faces. By the time everyone settled down and it was time for the unveiling of Sterling Couture’s new face, the lights in the ballroom dimmed slightly.The host on the stage continued with the announcement.“Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for joining us tonight as we celebrate another milestone for Sterling Group.”
“Mom, I already told you. I’m not announcing our marriage tonight.”Alain tightened his cufflink as he stood in front of the mirror, his phone pressed against his ear. He had been getting ready for the gala for nearly twenty minutes, but the conversation with his mother had turned into an argument he had no intention of losing.“You cannot be serious,” his mother replied. “Your father has already spoken to the Sterling board, and Victoria’s parents are expecting the announcement. What exactly do you want us to tell them when you walk into that ballroom and say nothing?”“Tell them I changed my mind.”“Alain.”He closed his eyes briefly.“I said I’m not doing it.”His mother’s voice hardened. “You and Victoria are married. You agreed to this arrangement, and tonight is simply the first time both families intended to acknowledge it publicly. Why are you suddenly acting as though something has changed?”Alain said nothing.There were some things he could never explain over the phone. His
Desmond had been sitting in the chair beside the bed for what felt like hours.He had changed out of his work clothes after they returned from the hospital, but he had barely moved from the room since then. His phone rested in one hand while his attention shifted between the screen and Olive, who had been lying quietly beneath the covers.The room had been silent for so long that Olive had almost convinced herself he would stay there without saying another word.Then Desmond finally locked his phone and stood.Olive watched him take a step toward the door.Something inside her tightened.“Desmond.”He stopped.She reached out and caught his hand before he could walk away. He looked down at their hands, then back at her.“Please don't go.”There was something in her voice that made him pause.“I’m not going anywhere. I’m still around the house. If anything is wrong, you can let me know immediately.”“Do you even care about me?”Desmond's expression changed slightly.Olive slowly pushed







