Flora blinked herself awake, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. After quickly freshening up, she headed straight for the living room, her stomach reminding her that she had skipped dinner the night before.

She stopped dead the moment she entered the room. Zander was standing there, waiting.

"You!" she exclaimed, her face flushing crimson as she realized she was still in her sleepwear with her hair likely a mess. She instinctively spun around, trying to hide.

"Flora, you're up!" Samayra said, smiling warmly. "Look, Zander came to give you a surprise."

Flora sheepishly turned back around, hurriedly smoothing her hair down with her fingers and offering a tentative wave. Zander didn't hesitate; he crossed the room in a few strides and pulled her into a firm embrace.

"I missed you," he whispered against her hair.

David and Samayra exchanged a knowing, affectionate glance. "Breakfast is ready," David said, stepping in to break the moment. "Let's head to the dining room."

Zander stepped back, keeping his hand in hers. After breakfast, David mentioned that the guest room had already been prepared for him.

"I'd rather spend some time with Flora in her room, if that's alright," Zander answered.

"Of course, go ahead," David encouraged, sharing a knowing glance with his wife. "I have to head to work now."

Flora led Zander upstairs and gestured for him to make himself comfortable. "I still need to shower and get dressed properly," she said.

"Is that why you were hiding from me earlier?" Zander teased, a smirk playing on his lips. "I remember seeing you like this plenty of times back at the pack."

He turned his attention to the wall, where several framed photos of Flora, Amelie, and Noah were displayed.

"The boy has grown up fast," Zander observed.

Flora's face lit up with a wide smile. "He has. He calls me 'Ana.' I adore him."

"We'll have our own pups, too," Zander remarked with affection. He offered her a lopsided, knowing smirk. "I can already picture it the way you'll pour every ounce of your love into them."

Flora felt a warm flush creep up her neck at his words, a soft, genuine smile gracing her lips. She didn't want to dwell on her shyness, so she turned toward her cupboard to distract herself. "I'll just get cleaned up so I don't keep you waiting any longer."

Gathering a fresh set of clothes, she hurried into the washroom, the click of the door providing a brief moment of privacy to steady her racing heart.

~~~~~

"I think we should focus this product line on the pup market," Juniper suggested during the meeting, leaning forward on the table to put her point during the meeting. "I believe we should venture into that sector; it has the potential to generate significant profit."

Sean leaned back in his chair, his expression skeptical. "June, the idea is ambitious, but the market is already crowded with established brands that have been around for years. Pivoting to the pup market so suddenly could easily backfire if we aren't careful."

"If we promote it strategically, I believe we can carve out our own space in the market," Juniper stated.

"Promote it how?" Manager Angela asked. "What do you have in mind? Keep in mind that our budget is strictly limited."

"We don't need to hire celebrities; 'pack moms', community influencers, carry far more weight with our demographic. We can also drive initial interest with limited-time introductory discounts. There are plenty of ways to build brand credibility without the high cost," Juniper explained.

"But June, people gravitate toward celebrity endorsements because they equate fame with trust," Chelsea countered. "If we rely on a grassroots approach, it's going to take far too long for the brand to gain any real traction."

"Though this idea isn't bad, I will talk to the seniors regarding it," Angela affirmed. She grabbed the proposal and dismissed the meeting.

Juniper was the last to leave the boardroom, her mind still buzzing with ideas from the meeting. Suddenly, a thought struck her, Noah.

'Why didn't I think of this sooner?' She paused in the hallway, hesitant. 'Would Amelie and Gabriel even consider it? Noah is still so young.' She weighed her options for a moment, then decided it couldn't hurt to ask. She pulled out her phone and dialed Amelie.

The call connected after a few rings.

"Hey, June!" Amelie answered, sounding cheerful. "Noah, stop. Don't do that," she scolded gently.

There was a faint sound of a toy car skidding on the floor, and the boy instantly stopped pushing it.

"Sorry," Amelie laughed, returning her attention to the phone. "He's been driving that thing all over the living room all morning."

Juniper smiled, feeling a bit of hope.

"It's alright. Actually, Amelie, I called because I had an idea. My company is planning to venture into a new line of apparel, and I realized Noah would be the perfect model for it. I know he's young and we don't have the budget to hire big celebrities, but for this specific line, I truly feel no one would be better than him. It's just a suggestion, of course, you should talk it over with Gabriel and see what you both think. Also, I believe Noah is biggest celebrity among all."

Amelie's expression softened as she considered the proposal. "Noah is four and a half months old already," she mused, her interest clearly piqued. "I'll speak with Gabriel and let you know. I think he'll be open to it; it would be our Noah's first professional work," she added with a bright, excited smile.

"True. And given Noah's cheerful personality, I know he is perfect for this," Juniper affirmed.

"Hmm. Thanks for offering this proposal."

"Mention it not. I'll hang it up then. Do tell me Gabriel's decision so that I can tell my manager later," Juniper urged.

"Sure," Amelie lowered the phone as it disconnected. Seeing his mother had stopped talking, Noah began playing with his car while babbling in loud voices.