Luca Hale was driving leisurely through the streets of Midtown when the display on his center console lit up with an incoming call from Julian.

A smile spread across his face as he tapped the steering wheel controls to answer.

"Hey, Big Bro. What’s up?"

The moment the call connected, Julian’s voice exploded through the speakers.

"What’s up?! You seriously have the nerve to ask me that? Do you have any idea what you just gave me?!"

Luca blinked innocently.

"Hm?"

"You dropped an entire luxury penthouse into my hands and drove off before I could even stop you! Are you completely out of your mind?!"

Luca suppressed a grin.

"Hello?"

Julian stopped for a second.

"...Don’t ’hello’ me."

"Hello? Big Bro?"

Luca frowned theatrically as if struggling to hear.

"The signal’s terrible."

"What?"

"The wind’s really loud over here. I can’t make out a single word you’re saying."

"Luca, don’t you da..."

"I’m losing you."

"Fourth!"

"Big Bro, I’ll call you back later."

Click.

The call ended.

Silence filled Julian and Evelyn’s apartment.

The couple stared at the disconnected phone for several long seconds.

"..."

Julian’s eyelid twitched.

A vein bulged faintly on his forehead.

"That little brat..."

Grinding his teeth, he immediately called Luca back.

The automated voice answered almost instantly.

"The number you have dialed is currently unavailable. Please try again later."

Julian froze.

He tried again.

The exact same message greeted him.

"..."

Realization slowly dawned on him.

"Luca actually blocked my number..."

Only then did he understand.

Luca had no intention of giving him the slightest opportunity to return the gift. He had probably blacklisted his number the moment he hung up and wouldn’t remove it until after the wedding.

Julian could only laugh helplessly.

"That kid..."

He shook his head with an expression caught somewhere between exasperation and gratitude.

"...He’s impossible."

Beside him, Evelyn couldn’t help smiling through the tears gathering in her eyes.

"He really values you."

Julian lowered his gaze to the property documents lying on the table.

His heart felt strangely warm.

"...Yeah."

"He always has."

...

Elsewhere, Luca tossed his phone onto the passenger seat before letting out a satisfied laugh.

’Trying to return the gift?’

’Nice try, Big Bro.’

’You’ll have to do better than that.’

Humming quietly to himself, he steered the G-Class toward Golden Water Bay.

It had been a busy day, and there was only one person he wanted to see.

Naomi.

Just thinking about her made him smile.

A short while later, the SUV rolled into the underground garage beneath the luxury residential complex.

After parking, Luca took the elevator upstairs.

Knock.

Knock.

Knock.

He rapped lightly on the front door.

A familiar, melodious voice floated from inside.

"Who’s there?"

Luca smiled mischievously.

"Your handsome husband has arrived."

"My queen, aren’t you going to welcome me home?"

A second later...

Click.

The door swung open.

Naomi Monroe stood there with one hand still resting on the doorknob.

The instant she saw his smug grin, she rolled her eyes.

"You’re so full of yourself."

Even so...

The happiness shining in her beautiful eyes betrayed her completely.

She had clearly missed him.

Luca glanced around the spacious penthouse.

Naomi reached out without hesitation, took his hand, and gently pulled him inside.

"So stop standing there."

"Come in."

The moment Luca sat down on the sofa, Naomi wrapped both arms tightly around his waist.

She rested her head against his chest, snuggling comfortably into his embrace as though she’d been waiting all day to do exactly that.

Luca blinked in surprise before smiling.

"Someone’s being unusually affectionate today."

Naomi didn’t answer immediately.

She simply listened to the steady rhythm of his heartbeat.

After several quiet moments, she finally murmured in an almost inaudible voice,

"...Because I missed my husband."

Luca’s heart skipped a beat.

That simple sentence somehow carried more weight than he expected.

He smiled softly before lowering his head to kiss her forehead.

"I’m right here."

His arm naturally slipped around her slender waist, holding her a little closer.

Naomi slowly lifted her head.

Instead of settling back into his embrace, she shifted slightly and climbed onto his lap, sitting sideways as she looked directly into his eyes.

Neither of them spoke.

They simply stared at each other.

After a few heartbeats, Naomi gathered her courage.

Leaning forward, she gently pressed her lips against his.

It wasn’t a long kiss.

Nor was it particularly skilled.

But it was filled with sincerity.

When she finally pulled away, her cheeks had already turned a lovely shade of pink.

Even so, she lifted her chin proudly.

"So?"

A playful smile appeared on her lips.

"Chairman Hale..."

"Have I mastered the art of Kissing?"

Luca couldn’t hide his surprise.

This wasn’t the shy, easily flustered Naomi he was used to.

She had actually taken the initiative.

His lips curved into a grin.

"Not yet."

He gently squeezed her waist.

"But i’d say you’ve improved quite a bit."

Naomi’s face lit up immediately.

"I knew it."

She looked incredibly pleased with herself.

"I asked Mom for advice."

Luca froze.

"...You what?"

Naomi nodded matter-of-factly.

"Mhm."

"I wanted to know how to be a better girlfriend, and she gave me lots of hints."

For a brief moment...

Luca genuinely didn’t know how to respond.

’Mother-daughter conversations cover that too?’

He suddenly found himself developing even greater respect for Elena Monroe.

Naomi, on the other hand, remained blissfully unaware of the thoughts racing through his mind.

She simply smiled, clearly satisfied with the results.

The two spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing together on the sofa, chatting about everything and nothing at all.

As the sun dipped below the horizon, they wandered into the kitchen and prepared dinner together.

The atmosphere was calm and comfortable.

Neither of them needed grand entertainment.

Simply being together was enough.

After dinner, Luca stretched before standing up.

"I should probably head home."

Naomi looked at him immediately.

"So soon?"

Her reluctance was impossible to miss.

Luca raised an eyebrow.

"Don’t you have a stream tonight?"

She shook her head.

"Nope."

"The company gave me today off."

"Complete day off."

Luca smiled.

"In that case..."

He sat back down on the sofa.

"I’ll stay a little longer."

Naomi’s eyes brightened.

Just as Luca opened his arms to pull her back into his embrace, she suddenly dodged him with surprising agility.

She slipped out of reach with a playful giggle before hurrying toward the hallway.

Luca blinked.

"Hm?"

Naomi stopped near the bedroom door.

Peeking around the corner, she hesitated for several seconds.

Her face gradually turned pink.

Then...

Pink became red.

She fidgeted nervously with the hem of her shirt before finally speaking in a tiny voice.

"You..."

"You can watch television for a while..."

"I..."

She swallowed.

"...I’m going to take a shower first."

The words had barely left her lips before she disappeared around the corner.

A moment later...

The bathroom door clicked shut.

Soon afterward, the gentle sound of running water echoed through the quiet penthouse.

Luca remained sitting on the sofa, staring blankly toward the hallway.

’A shower...’

He blinked once.

Then again.

A slow smile spread across his face.

’...A shower?’