Lahat ng Kabanata ng Rivals to Lovers: Kabanata 31 - Kabanata 40

“You’ll be in charge of defense.”The afternoon activities included a strategy game followed by a water balloon battle at 3 PM. Six teams of ten were formed by random draw instead of self-selection, and Lena, like it or not, ended up on the same team as Alaric. Her injured leg was swelling more, but she didn’t consider bowing out—leaving her team a player short wasn’t an option. Before she could say a word, Alaric laid out the strategy: her job was simple—stay back and defend their fort.“Just one person on defense? That's enough?” Lena asked skeptically.Alaric smirked, picking up a water balloon. “One is more than enough. They won’t even get close.”She frowned at his retreating back. The confidence of this man was absolutely unmatched.Fifteen minutes into the game, his words rang true. Not a single opponent had come within striking distance of their fort.The referees kept calling out their team’s name, as the other five teams engaged in a chaotic free-fo

Alaric pinched her cheek, "Don’t think you can get away with saying these things just because you’re drunk."Lena giggled foolishly.He rubbed his temples. "Forget it, arguing with a drunk is pointless. Wait..." A mischievous grin spread across his face as an idea struck him. Raising his phone, he teased, "I’m gonna record your goofy, drunk face and let you die of embarrassment when you’re sober tomorrow. Hahaha..."On camera, Lena puffed up one cheek indignantly, hands on her hips. "You wouldn’t dare!"She jumped several times but couldn’t reach his phone. Desperate, she climbed onto the sofa, determined to grab it. Alaric yelped, "Whoa, are you crazy? Get down from there!"She nearly hung entirely off of him, putting all her strength into reaching the phone. One arm looped around his neck while the other stretched upward with all her might. Alaric’s face almost ended up buried against her chest. Not to be outdone, he leaned back and held the phone further out o

Back in April, they had jointly acquired a coastal plot of land in Z Country that had been abandoned for ten years. Now, three months later, rumors were spreading, and it was clear that plenty of people had approached Alaric with offers to buy the land. “The purchase price was 1.18 billion,” Alaric explained. “Now, two foreign developers are offering 1.8 and 1.85 billion for it. What do you think?” Lena immediately saw through him. He wasn’t asking her opinion about whether the price was good enough—he had something else in mind. Otherwise, why would he go out of his way to discuss this outside of the office? “If I’m not mistaken, you’re planning to keep the land and develop it yourself, aren’t you?” Alaric’s lips curled into a smile. “Exactly. I love talking to smart people. Besides, now that you’re part of our company, it’ll be much easier to manage the development.” He wasn’t wrong. On both personal and professional fronts, developing the land could only be ad

"Alright, I’m heading out." Alaric placed his napkin on the table, getting ready to stand up.A hand reached across the table and gently pressed down on his.“Alaric, you just got here. You haven’t even warmed the chair and you’re already leaving?” It was Alaric’s mother, Daisy, speaking. She had been pestering him for ages to come home, and now that he finally showed up for dinner, she wasn’t going to let him off so easily. "It’s Friday evening—surely you don’t have anything urgent to do? Stay a little longer.”“I have a few reports to review for Monday’s meeting,” Alaric replied, pulling his hand back as he stood.Mrs. Winfield, not wanting to confront her son directly, redirected her frustration toward her husband, Albert. “Look at you! You handed over the company to him so early, and now he’s too busy to have a life of his own.”Albert was busy staring at his phone.Irritated, Daisy snatched it away.Startled, Albert blinked in confusion. He had been

As soon as Lena entered Cassian's apartment, a teenage girl, around 14 or 15, came running out of the hallway. Her curly auburn hair matched Cassian's.Lena froze for a moment. The girl she remembered as barely waist-high had suddenly grown so much taller."Brother, you're back!" Tessa exclaimed, throwing her arms around Cassian. He gently patted her head—a habit he had with younger girls. "Look who’s here," he said, gesturing toward Lena.Tessa turned her head curiously and said, "Huh? Who’s this pretty lady? Is she your girlfriend? She looks familiar."Lena chuckled, "I’m not your brother’s girlfriend. But do you remember how you used to run to my house whenever your brother scolded you and you didn’t want to go home?"