"Alexander, Celeste, here you go."

Amy smiled gratefully before adding, "I've been indulging in so many sweets recently. I'm afraid I'll start gaining weight."

Sebastian, crunching into a golden apple turnover, quipped, "A woman should have some curves. Looking like a stick figure isn’t appealing."

Alexander tilted his head curiously. "Amy, didn’t you used to love desserts?"

She sighed. "After having Liam, I practically gave them up."

A moment of realization dawned on Alexander.

"Is it because Liam is lactose intolerant that you stopped?"

Amy nodded.

Sebastian's expression shifted as if he'd just uncovered a hidden truth. "You’ve been sacrificing this for years? You were married to Alexander Blackwood for five years, and I bet he never even noticed what you liked to eat."

Amy had always craved bold, spicy flavors—dishes that made her lips tingle. Yet, for Alexander and Liam’s sake, she had cooked nothing but mild, unseasoned meals all these years.

She shrugged lightly. "I couldn’t expect Liam to avoid something if I wasn’t setting the example."

Just then, the mischievous Oliver piped up, "Amy, when you’re with me, you can eat anything you want! I promise I won’t touch anything you say I shouldn’t!"

Liam, watching them, muttered under his breath, "Fake."

As the trio happily devoured their ice cream, Liam’s gaze flickered toward a nearby gelato stand. His throat tightened with longing.

He really wanted some.

But his body couldn’t handle lactose. Ice cream was off-limits.

Forget it, he told himself firmly. Not worth it.

Then again, Victoria had mentioned that most ice creams nowadays were packed with artificial ingredients—maybe they didn’t even contain real milk.

A tiny taste wouldn’t hurt… right?

No. He clenched his fists. If Oliver could resist temptation for Amy’s sake, then he definitely could too.

He wouldn’t lose to Oliver of all people.

Despite the craving gnawing at him, Liam held firm.

"Sir! We have a problem—the young master is missing!"

Chaos erupted in the Blackwood estate.

Eleanor had stepped away briefly to prepare a fruit salad, only to return and find Liam gone.

She and the staff scoured every corner of the mansion, but there was no sign of him.

Panic rising, Eleanor immediately called Alexander.

Alexander was mid-meeting when his phone buzzed. The moment he heard the news, his expression darkened.

"What do you mean missing? How could Liam just disappear?"

Eleanor’s voice trembled. "I don’t know, sir. He asked for a fruit salad, and when I came back, he was gone."

With Liam’s safety at stake, the meeting was instantly forgotten. Alexander stood abruptly. "Meeting adjourned."

He turned to Gregory. "Get a team to track Liam’s location."

Then he dialed his mother, Margaret Blackwood. "Mom, is Liam with you?"

Liam often spent weekends at Margaret’s, but this time, she replied, "He told me yesterday he was attending a friend’s birthday party today, so he didn’t come over."

Hearing the tension in Alexander’s voice, she pressed, "Is something wrong with Liam?"

Alexander’s voice was grim. "He’s missing."