No Strings Attached

Clara stared at lan in disbelief. The apartments here were cozy, with two bedrooms and a living room, barely reaching a thousand square feet. That was smaller than any single bedroom in lan's sprawling mansion. And yet, here he was, abandoning his luxurious abode to become her neighbor, all for the sake of treating Snow's illness.

Snow was bounding around with such vigor that he hardly seemed like a dog with depression.

A wry smile touched Clara's lips. "Mr. Hayes, you're going to great lengths for Snow, aren't you?"

lan regarded her earnestly. "Clara, the vet suggested having a second kid would do wonders for Snow's recovery. She recommends we get Snow a little sister or brother. What do you think?"

He seemed completely unaware of how outrageous his suggestion might be, watching Clara intently, waiting for her response.

Clara allowed herself a soft chuckle. "Mr. Hayes, if you want to get a companion for Snow, you might try a pet store. No matter how hard you try, you can't exactly give birth to a puppy, can you?" She stood up and continued chopping vegetables.

Just then, the door swung open again. Clad in a casual black ensemble, Ryker stood at the threshold, cradling a large bouquet of colorful asters, a stark contrast to his brawny presence. He slipped off his sunglasses and called out, "Ms. Clara, I'm back!"

as she took him in. "You look like you've lost weight. Has the camp

a mock pout. "Nothing tastes as good as your cooking.

Eat as much as you can today, and thank

you like them, I'll

disdain. "Those weeds? Who'd want that?

we do it these days. Only the old-timers are

gave lan a once-over. "Heard you got stabbed in the

eyes flashed with smugness. "Just stopping by to greet the new neighbor. It's good

him in astonishment. "Don't tell me you've actually

as

will you stop haunting us? Haven't you caused Ms. Clara enough trouble? Every time danger has come her way, it's been because of