Such bold, direct words made Tiana’s heart flutter wildly. She looked at Leo Joyce, feeling both uneasy and delighted.

Tristan Grayson was stunned. Just as he was about to question him, the phone in his pocket rang.

He had no choice but to suppress his anger as he took out his phone to answer the call. "Henry Archer, you’d better have something important to say!" 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

"Boss, should you come back to the office? I just got a call from headquarters. The new CEO is coming to our company tomorrow morning."

"Henry Archer, if you dare bother me about the new CEO again, you won’t even know what hit you!" After the harsh threat, Tristan Grayson hung up.

He glanced at Leo Joyce, then at Tiana Grayson, and said angrily, "Leo Joyce, I don’t care if you’re joking or serious. You and our Tiana are not a good match, and you can’t be together."

"Heh. Tristan Grayson, you’re really overstepping your bounds. Tiana likes me, and I like her. Why can’t we be together?" As he spoke, Leo Joyce pulled Tiana into his arms.

Tiana blushed, keeping her head down and not daring to speak.

’Leo actually said he likes me? And wants to be with me?’

’Oh my god, my heart is beating so fast, so, so fast. I’m definitely going to have a heart attack. It’s beating so fast I can hardly breathe.’

Tiana Grayson’s spineless display infuriated Tristan Grayson. "Tiana, get over here!"

Tiana looked up, aggrieved, and shook her head gently. Her voice trembled, but it was firm. "Brother, I like being with Leo."

"Tristan Grayson, did you hear that? Tiana said she likes being with me." Leo Joyce’s words were deliberately provocative. As he spoke, he turned and gave Tiana a kiss on the cheek.

Tiana’s face instantly turned as red as an apple, and she couldn’t help but bury her face even deeper.

Tristan Grayson was furious, but there was nothing he could do. He yanked Kiki over, picked him up, and stormed off.

Perched on Tristan Grayson’s shoulder, Kiki asked in confusion, "Daddy, aren’t we going to watch the mermaids? Why are we leaving?"

"Watch what? There’s nothing to see! We’re going home!"

"Waaah... Daddy, you’re mean..."

Watching the father and son leave, Tiana looked at Leo Joyce with red-rimmed eyes and complained, "Leo, why were you so bold just now? My brother... he got really angry."

"So what if he’s angry? Or are you saying you’d rather listen to your brother?" Leo Joyce gave a wicked, cool smile as he turned Tiana around to face him. He looked at her aggrieved, tearful expression, feeling a pang of sympathy but also a sense of delight. "You were pretty bold just now, too."

"Huh?" Tiana looked at Leo Joyce, confused.

The smile on Leo Joyce’s face deepened. He asked roguishly, "You like me? You like being with me?"

"I... I never said that! I didn’t say that at all." Tiana was so flustered she didn’t know what to do, so she could only force herself to deny it.

"Is that so? But I could have sworn I heard someone whisper in my ear that she likes me and likes being with me."

"Then you must have heard wrong. In any case, I never said that." With that, Tiana, her face flushed, quickly pushed Leo Joyce away and hastily turned to leave.

Leo Joyce’s lips curled into a wicked smirk. He yanked her back in one swift motion. "Where do you think you’re going!" The words had barely left his lips before he trapped her in his arms and lowered his head to kiss her fiercely...

"Mmph... Mmph..." Tiana’s eyes flew wide in shock. She struggled ceaselessly with her hands, trying to push Leo Joyce away.

’But this is a public place...’