Irene was so furious with Julian that she almost lost her temper. “Is that how you talk to people? We flew for over a dozen hours just to celebrate with you, and this is how you treat us? You ungrateful little wolf cub!”
Nick, on the other hand, felt a pang of guilt. His relationship with Irene had never started on normal terms, and her words struck a chord in him.
Grabbing Irene’s hand, he said, “Irene, how about I start courting you all over again? Let’s fall in love properly this time.”
Irene shot him a sidelong glance, her expression dripping with disdain. “Get lost.”
Their banter had long ceased to surprise those around them. Meanwhile, on the other side of the room, Denis, who had always been a man of few words, now seemed to speak more-but only to Daria.
Denis paid no attention to what anyone else was discussing. His entire focus was on Daria.
For instance, when everyone was talking about Julian and Aurora, Denis leaned toward Daria, his tone gentle. “That’s too spicy. If you eat it, your stomach will hurt.”
Daria tugged at his sleeve and pleaded, “Can I just have one bite? Just a tiny piece.” She held up her pinky finger for emphasis.
Ever since they were kids, Denis had never been able to resist Daria’s pouting. This time was no exception. “Alright… but just one piece.”
“You’re the best.” Daria clung to Denis’s arm, snuggling against him affectionately.
From the side, Asher muttered sarcastically, “Ugh, the sour smell of love.”
Once upon a time, Asher had Denis as his fellow single comrade. But ever since Denis reunited with Daria, he had fully transitioned from a lone wolf to a devoted lover.
Before Daria came back, Asher would regularly invite Denis out for drinks. Now, every invitation was met with some variation of the same excuse:
“Drinks? No way. Daria doesn’t like the smell of alcohol on me.”
“Back by midnight? Impossible. Daria would be scared staying home alone.”
“A trip to the Maldives tomorrow? Sorry, I’m taking Daria to Hawaii.”
“Your birthday? Uh… I’ll ask Daria to make some dishes. We’ll celebrate at home. No restaurant can compare to home-cooked food.”
These days, Asher felt like Denis treated Daria as if she were a porcelain doll. Of course, Asher understood why. Denis-and Julian as well-had both gone through so much to find true love. Now that they had it, they were desperate to protect it, shielding it from even the slightest breeze or drizzle.
For Asher, however, this only meant one thing: he was now the last single person standing. Frustrated, he took another sip of red wine.
“I don’t get it,” he grumbled. “That Mona from your company likes you so much. Why don’t you just go for her? She’s such a great girl.”
Denis, who had come over with Asher, still felt a sense of camaraderie with him. With his own love life sorted, Denis naturally worried about Asher’s.
Asher rolled his eyes. “If it wasn’t for Daria, would you accept some woman named Maria just because she liked you?”
“Of course not. I only love my Daria.” Denis wrapped an arm around Daria protectively, as if she were his most prized possession.
Asher made a gagging motion. The once-cold and stoic Denis had become utterly childish since falling in love.
Julian quickly stepped in to defuse the situation. “Alright, alright. Don’t worry about me and Little Bunny. We’ll be just fine.”
Irene, however, turned serious. “Speaking of which, Julian, how are you planning to deal with Mio? He’s always had such a malicious streak. He almost hurt Little Bunny and caused you so much pain.
“Now that Little Bunny’s working in the same company as him, there’s a chance he might deliberately make trouble for her. People like him are a cancer that needs to be removed.”
“Who says I’m not dealing with him?” Julian replied calmly. “I’ve already made arrangements. Let’s just say someone will take care of him for us.”
“Really?”
“You’ll see.” Julian smiled cryptically.
—
The Barnet family’s garden villa was bustling with guests that evening. Some had come to catch a glimpse of the legendary Barnet heir, while others were eager to forge connections with the influential family.
In New York, however, the Barnet family was known by another name. Most of the attendees had no idea what their original surname even was.
Mio, dressed to impress, had carefully selected a gift and arrived at the villa. On the surface, he was there to offer his congratulations, but in truth, his real target was Julian’s Little Bunny.
After all, women were far easier to manipulate than men. Opposites attract-it was an age-old truth.
He had heard that Aurora, that foolish girl, had only prepared a birthday cake for the Barnet heir. Clearly, she didn’t understand men at all. No man would care about something so trivial. When she presented it, the recipient likely wouldn’t even spare it a glance. Women like her had such limited vision.
After dropping off his gift, Mio began searching the crowd for his prey. He didn’t see her inside the main hall, so he wandered out to the garden.
There, in the dimly lit garden, a silhouette caught his eye-a figure in a pale blue dress.
The woman was dressed in a gradient blue gown sparkling with starlight, the latest trend straight from the runways. The fabric was made from a special material that glowed faintly in the dark, resembling bioluminescence.
The garden’s lighting was soft and muted, but the woman’s dress radiated a faint blue light, adorned with tiny, shimmering embellishments that looked like scattered stars.
She had long black hair, her features unmistakably that of a mixed-race beauty. Her snow-white skin, tall and elegant figure, and exquisite face were captivating.
But her most striking feature was her pair of sky-blue eyes, so pure and vibrant that they seemed to hold the heavens within them. She was, without a doubt, breathtaking.
Who wouldn’t be drawn to such beauty? The moment Mio saw her, he couldn’t help but feel a jolt of amazement.
“Miss, what are you doing in the garden?” Mio approached the woman, who was crouched near a flowerbed.
“Shh.” She placed her finger to her lips in a gesture for silence. “My pet hamster climbed into the vines. I’m waiting for it to come out.”
Her innocent expression was a far cry from the women Mio was used to encountering.
In his world, he mostly dealt with sharp, professional women or seasoned female executives. They were like warriors, exuding competence and strength-rarely showing any trace of softness.
Mio had assumed this woman would be the same. After all, as the vice president of such a large company, she must have been shrewd and capable. But Rebecca turned out to be unexpectedly… adorable and innocent.
At least, that’s what she appeared to be. For now, Mio found her utterly delightful.
“Really? Where is it? I don’t see it.” Mio crouched beside her, trying to spot the hamster.
“It’s over there. You have to get lower to see.” Rebecca grabbed Mio’s hand and pulled him closer to the ground.