After dinner, Alexander Valentine personally drove Natalie Sullivan home.

Natalie chattered away like a cheerful songbird throughout the ride. Her bright eyes sparkled under the night sky, as if filled with starlight.

Alexander kept his focus on the road, stealing occasional glances at her. Her animated expressions tugged at the corners of his lips.

This dynamic between them hadn’t changed since childhood.

As the car entered the gated community, Alexander parked smoothly. He circled to the passenger side and opened the door for her.

"I could’ve done it myself!" Natalie hopped out, sticking her tongue out at him playfully.

The night breeze carried a slight chill, and the moon hid behind clouds, casting only a hazy glow.

They walked side by side along the tree-lined path, their footsteps crisp in the quiet night.

"Natalie," Alexander suddenly spoke, "why have you never dated anyone?"

She tilted her head in thought. "Mom says I should keep my eyes open when choosing a partner—not end up like her, blindly boarding my dad’s pirate ship."

Alexander’s Adam’s apple bobbed. He wanted to say: I’m not a pirate ship.

But the words lodged in his throat.

Natalie spun around, walking backward as moonlight bathed her porcelain skin. "Alex, you’re twenty-eight. Why haven’t you dated anyone?"

His pulse quickened as he met her luminous gaze. He wanted to say: Because I like you.

Yet the confession stuck like a thorn in his windpipe.

Just then, a bicycle swerved recklessly toward them.

"Watch out!" Alexander yanked Natalie into his arms.

The bike grazed his forearm, leaving a dull ache in its wake.

Natalie’s cheek pressed against his chest, her ears filled with the steady rhythm of his heartbeat. The faint scent of laundry detergent clung to him—clean and comforting.

His arm remained wrapped around her slender waist, the warmth making him reluctant to let go.

They stood frozen, neither making the first move.

Alexander was the one to snap back to reality, hastily releasing her. "Sorry."

Natalie kept her head down, cheeks burning. "I should be thanking you."

Under the moonlight, the tips of her ears flushed crimson like ripe cherries.

Back home, Audrey Sullivan sipped tea in the living room. She glanced up at her daughter. "Why is your face so red?"

"It’s hot!" Natalie hurried upstairs.

Audrey set down her cup and followed. "Was that Alex who dropped you off? I saw you two—"

"Mom!" Natalie whirled around. "That was an accident!"

Audrey smirked knowingly. "Alex is a good boy, but his family..."

"You’re overthinking it!" Natalie slammed her bedroom door and flopped onto the bed.

She touched her flaming cheeks, her mind replaying the embrace. Alexander’s arms had felt so warm and safe, sending her heart racing.

Was this what falling in love felt like?

Meanwhile, Alexander had barely stepped through his front door when Isabella Valentine intercepted him.

"Brother, you smell like perfume!" She sniffed him like a bloodhound. "Natalie’s, isn’t it?"

He frowned. "Move."

"Are you two together?" she pressed. "I won’t allow it! She’s so spoiled—"

"My life isn’t your concern." Alexander cut her off coldly and headed upstairs.

Isabella stomped her foot in frustration and immediately went to tattle to Victoria Windsor.

Victoria’s face darkened after hearing the report. "We can’t let Alexander and Natalie get together. Otherwise, Sullivan Group will inevitably fall into Ethan’s hands."

"What do we do?" Isabella paced anxiously.

Victoria narrowed her eyes. "There are still unanswered questions about Sophia’s background. Tomorrow, go to Sullivan Group and find a way to get those paternity test reports."

The next morning, Isabella arrived at Sullivan Group under the pretense of attending a meeting.

After the meeting, she slipped into Victor Sullivan’s office and secretly photographed several paternity test reports.

As she stepped out, she collided with Ethan Sullivan and Sophia Laurent.

"Well, if it isn’t Ms. Laurent," Isabella sneered. "You’ve been visiting quite often lately."

Sophia smiled faintly. "Is the Pacific Ocean under your jurisdiction, Isabella? You certainly meddle enough."

Isabella’s face turned livid before she stormed off.

Inside the office, Ethan brewed coffee for Sophia. The rich aroma filled the air.

Just as Sophia lifted her cup, her phone rang.

"Sophia," Willow Grant’s hoarse voice came through the line, "can you come to California? Your grandmother is gravely ill... She wants to see you one last time."