Love Burned, She Rose Unscathed

After dinner, Leda was whisked away by a phone call, leaving Roseanne to escort her parents back home.

Despite a long day of browsing and shopping that left them exhausted, Norris couldn't contain his excitement as he scrolled through the photos on his phone. "...I'm telling you, this enamel-coated silver goblet...and this coral-inlaid silver brooch..."

His voice echoed through the staircase.

Madge couldn't help but smile at his childlike enthusiasm, a rare sight for her.

Roseanne played the part of the attentive listener, chiming in only when prompted.

The family of three laughed and chatted as they climbed up to the seventh floor, with Roseanne reaching for her keys to open the door.

Just then, the door opposite theirs opened.

"Oh? Heading out, Owen?" Norris greeted warmly.

Roseanne instinctively turned her head, her gaze unexpectedly meeting the man's smiling eyes.

He was dressed simply yet elegantly in a white short-sleeved shirt paired with khaki trousers, his appearance both clean and restrained.

since that night she'd drunkenly

drunken escapade with

smile deepened slightly as he nodded at Norris, "Yeah, off

"Still working this late?"

some data to

let's catch up over a game

"Sure."

finally found relief from the relentless demands of Maisie

worn themselves out and decided to head back to their hotel, allowing her to escape

utterly drained, her body

got

beaming with excitement as she sat

from Kingswell University, where

those gifts she'd sent

soup, ginseng, donkey hide gelatin-that were initially meant for Madeleine Payne but were declined,

secure a favor by sending Edna a high-quality diamond bracelet through a middleman, costing nearly a million. She avoided direct contact to prevent any backlash or suspicion, especially considering her past actions of spreading rumors about Roseanne using backdoors for

for five hundred dollars, a clever move to avoid any potential scandal. Edna delivered, and the admission notice was