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.

first encounter since that night she'd drunkenly

with

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

"Still working this late?"

data

Well, when you're free, let's catch up

"Sure."

the relentless

decided to head back to their hotel, allowing

the couch at home, Beverley felt utterly drained, her body

got great

downstairs, beaming with excitement as

just received her acceptance letter from Kingswell University, where she'd study Bioinformatics

those gifts

nest soup, ginseng, donkey hide gelatin-that were initially meant for Madeleine

Edna a high-quality diamond bracelet through a middleman, costing nearly a million. She avoided direct contact to prevent any backlash or suspicion, especially

technically bought by Edna for five hundred dollars, a clever move to avoid any potential scandal.