The next day, when Sidney arrived at the studio, he noticed a gift box sitting on his desk.Puzzled, he asked, “Where did this come from?”Alex appeared again, grinning. “Ms. Maria brought us all gifts. She’s back.”“Maria’s back?”Sidney was a bit surprised—she’d returned quietly, without any fanfare.He opened the box to find some local specialties from South City, the sweet scent of floral pastries filling the air. His expression softened slightly.Alex, ever the gossip, sidled up next to him. “So, Mr. Troy, how’s it going with that girl? Are you two together yet?”Sidney frowned. “What girl?”“Don’t play dumb. We’ve all seen her—the pretty one who loves wearing floral dresses. Even Ms. Maria knows about her,” Alex said, eyes twinkling with amusement.Sidney’s brows furrowed further. “She only got back yesterday, how could she know?”Alex chuckled. “I told her! She seemed a bit surprised, to be honest.”Sidney paused, then asked, “Did she say anything?”Alex thought for a moment. “S
Maria held her cup of fruit tea, sipping slowly, her expression calm as she replied, “Don’t joke around like that. What if your brother already has someone he likes?”“He doesn’t! I can guarantee that!” Tiana immediately countered. “He’s a total blockhead. There was once a girl who tried to pursue him, and he asked her how she did on her physics exam. I couldn’t believe it!”The girls around burst out laughing.“Wait, so what? Does she need to outscore him in physics for him to even consider her?” one of the girls teased.Tiana rolled her eyes. “No, no! If she did better than him, he’d start giving her the problems he couldn’t solve. If she didn’t, well, she wasn’t even qualified to help him solve anything.”"Wow, sounds like your brother's pretty tough to deal with," someone remarked.Tiana waved it off. "That was years ago. He’s grown up now—he's not like that anymore."The group fell silent for a moment, absorbing the absurdity of Tiana’s brother.By 3 PM, the plane landed.The girl
Herman fell silent for a moment before responding, “I just got back. Let’s not get into such heavy topics—it might ruin our sibling bond.”Tiana burst out laughing. Maria sat quietly in the backseat, listening to the banter between the siblings. She felt her mood ease, enjoying their lighthearted conversation.Soon, they arrived at the restaurant, a familiar place Maria had been to before. The food was always good. After everyone got out of the car, the server led them to a private room.Maria was the last to enter, but just as she was about to step inside, she heard a familiar voice from downstairs.“I’m glad you like it.”“I do. Sidney, you really know how to pick a spot.”Maria paused, her footsteps halting as she stepped back, glancing over the railing. Sure enough, she spotted Sidney walking into the restaurant with a girl by his side. They headed to a booth in the main dining area.What a coincidence.“Maria, what are you looking at?”Tiana, noticing her delay, called out curiou
Maria smiled faintly and waved at Sidney, like greeting an old friend. Sidney, however, coldly averted his gaze and walked off with Diana. Maria finally got a clear look at the girl, who was undeniably beautiful.Herman got into the car and asked, "Miss Conner, where do you live?"Maria gave him the address. "Thank you, Mr. Evans."Herman chuckled lightly. "You're Tiana's friend, no need to be so formal with me."Maria's smile became a bit more relaxed. "Tiana is Tiana, and you're you. It's not the same."Herman was momentarily at a loss for words. He glanced at Maria again. Earlier, she'd been quiet, almost reserved. But now, in this more private moment, he realized she was different from most people. She didn’t seem to care about others’ opinions, acting on her own whims with a laid-back, carefree attitude. It was as though she possessed a truly free spirit.Soon, they arrived at the entrance to her complex.Maria got out of the car. "Goodbye, Mr. Evans."Herman nodded slightl
At the police station, the identities of the middle-aged couple were confirmed. The man was named Gorden Yates, and the woman was Tracy Harris. Both of them insisted that Maria was their daughter. They even presented a birth certificate from years ago. When the police asked why they were only looking for their daughter now, they explained that the child had been lost years ago, and a relative had recently seen Maria in Cloudflare City and remarked on the striking resemblance, prompting them to come find her.It was clear they had come prepared with their story. Since the situation had drawn police attention, it couldn’t just be brushed aside. The authorities arranged for a DNA test to first confirm if there was a parental relationship.Tracy looked at Maria with a face full of excitement and guilt. "I’m sorry, darling. It was my fault back then. After I gave birth to you, I was too weak. I had no idea you’d be taken away. You've suffered all these years."Maria remained indifferen
At that moment, as Sidney looked at Maria's radiant smile, his thoughts briefly drifted. That afternoon, she had been out having dinner with another man. She’d returned without letting him know. And yet...Sidney stopped himself from spiraling further into speculation. His tone was calm as he spoke, "I came to update you on the recent situation at the studio."“Oh?” Maria raised a surprised brow, clearly not expecting such an excuse from him. Nonetheless, she opened the door and said, “Come in, then.”After changing her shoes, Maria added, “Make yourself comfortable. I’m going to take a shower first.” Having spent the day out, she felt uncomfortable with the mix of lingering scents on her, especially after being grabbed by Tracy and Gorden earlier—it made her feel unclean.Sidney didn’t respond, simply stepping inside and taking a quick look around. The place was spotless, and there were no signs of anyone else being there. She hadn’t had other visitors.Sidney sat down on the so
Maria had been lost in thought for a while, and when she snapped back to the moment, the room had gone silent. Puzzled, she glanced over at Sidney. "Hm? Why did you stop talking?""I’m done," Sidney replied, his tone cool."Oh." Maria nodded, handing the tablet back to him. "Got it. You did great. Keep up the hard work."She even flashed him a harmless smile, then casually stood up. "I'm going to dry my hair. Feel free to see yourself out," she said, grabbing her hairdryer from the drawer and standing off to the side as she began drying her hair.Her arm lifted, exposing the soft curve of her waist, while her long hair cascaded down, filling the air with a faint scent. Sidney’s fingers twitched, his gaze fixed on her back for a long moment.Maria wasn’t paying attention to whether Sidney stayed or left. He clearly wasn’t interested in her, and she had shown him that she knew about his intention.Continuing to dry her hair, she assumed he would take the hint and leave.But after on
However, she didn’t notice the brief coldness that flickered in Sidney’s eyes.…When Maria woke up, it was already midday. She struggled to sit up, her body sore and tired. Memories of the night before rushed back to her, leaving her momentarily dazed as she sat on the bed. Turning her head, she spotted her phone—and next to it, a bottle of water and a small packet of birth control pills.Maria stared at the packet for a moment before taking a pill and swallowing it. When she walked out of the bedroom, she was surprised to see Sidney still there, cooking in the kitchen."You're still here?" she asked, leaning against the doorframe.Sidney glanced at her briefly, then returned to the stove. "I’ll leave after you eat."She watched his busy movements. "Last night..."Her words trailed off, and he didn’t seem inclined to pick up the conversation either. It was as if last night had been just a fleeting moment of indulgence, something acted on a whim with no strings attached. No need fo