Megan Hahn's older brother, Frederick Hahn, has retired from his military career.

Rumors have it that he has gotten injured in one of his missions, resulting in him losing his ability to reproduce.

Megan can only sigh sadly.

"I plan to stay childfree, whereas Frederick has gotten hurt. It seems that my family's legacy will end at my generation."

A few days later, I finally get to meet the legendary hunk of a brother Frederick is. Shock overwhelms me immediately.

Why does he look exactly like the baby daddy I've slept with a few years ago?

My best friend, Megan Hahn, was at Cooper's Barbecue, cradling a beer bottle in her arms as she bawled her eyes out and wailed, "I wanted to introduce my elder brother to you after he returned, so that Nicky can become my very own niece.

"But he's unable to have children, which makes him no different from a useless piece of trash. How could I do you dirty like that when we're best friends?"

As she said all that, her phone rang.

I took a glance at her phone and saw that it was Frederick Hahn calling. Megan was so wasted that she was already face-first on the table, completely unaware that her phone was ringing.

I hesitated for a moment. However, when her phone rang persistently for the third time, I answered it on her behalf.

"Mom asks you to get your ass back here, if you're still alive and breathing."

His voice was deep and husky. It sounded quite mesmerizing. I pinched my earlobe, which felt strangely warm for no reason.

"Hello there, I'm Megan's friend. We are at Cooper's Barbecue. Would you be able to come over and pick her up?"

Given Megan's current condition, it was going to be a struggle to get her home today. After all, I had quite a bit to drink too. It would obviously be a lot more convenient if someone could come and pick her up.

Before the man on the phone could even respond, Megan, who had passed out face-down on the table, "came back to life" all of a sudden.

"Oh, poor Fred. He joined the military academy at such a young age, and he's still a virgin after all these years. Now that he's in this predicament, no one will ever want him…"

Suddenly, the call went eerily quiet. The awkwardness was enough to sober me up a little. I explained, "She really had quite a bit to drink…"

"Give me the address."

"8 South Avenue."

Then, he hung up.

Previously, I had heard Megan talking about her elder brother. He was a tough and strong-willed guy, someone she had idolized since she was a child.

However, when Megan and I first met, her elder brother had already been deployed elsewhere. So, I had never met him before. It wasn't until he was discharged from military service a week ago that I learned he'd been severely injured.

When the time was about right, I helped Megan to the entrance to wait. There, I saw a black vehicle cruising toward us from a distance.

Then, a tall man alighted. He was dressed sharply in his work uniform, looking broad-shouldered and long-legged. However, I couldn't get a clear look at his face. All I could see was his silhouette.

At the same time, a video call request popped up on my phone.

"Is it Nicky?" Megan asked, dazedly peering at my phone.

"I hope nothing serious happened, considering that she's looking for you out of nowhere at this hour. Hurry up and answer the call. Fred is already here."

As she said that, she waved at the man a short distance away.

Deep down, I, too, was a little worried about my daughter, Nicole Sawyer. I didn't even stop to greet Megan's brother. Once he came a little closer, I hurried to the side to answer the video call.

Almost immediately, Nicole's face appeared on the screen. "Mommy!" she greeted me.

Upon seeing her beaming face, I finally let out a sigh of relief. "Why are you still awake?" I asked.

"Because I miss you, Mommy!"

Then, my mother's voice came from the other end of the call. "I took her to the countryside to catch prawns today, and she had a whole heap of fun, so much so that she refused to go to bed after getting home and insisted on video-calling you instead.

"Are you still out? Why aren't you home yet?"

"I came out to meet up with Megan for a bit."

My mother had brought Nicole back to my hometown for a few days, giving me a rare bit of peace and quiet.

"Is Megs there too?"

Nicole squeezed her face back into the frame. "Mommy, I want to speak with Megs too!"

I turned to take a quick look at the entrance. The tall man had already picked Megan up and slung her over his shoulder. He tossed her right into the SUV parked at the side, as if she were just a sandbag.

Yes, he tossed her into the car. I pursed my lips briefly. He was indeed… behaving like a tough guy.

Nicole's arrival was never part of the plan. Four years ago, I went down to a bar to drown my sorrows right after a breakup.

That was where I met a man. He was the definition of stoic and sexy. Everything about his appearance, down to the way he breathed, was exactly what I looked for in a man.

Fueled by liquid courage, I slept with him. Surprisingly, our chemistry that night was completely off the charts.

Even now, I could still remember the quivering sensation that man brought about when he touched me with those calloused hands of his.

At the time, I figured I could allow myself to get into a relationship. However, I did not expect to see what I saw when I opened my eyes the next day.

His expression suddenly turned serious after he answered a call. "Got it. I'll be right there," he said.

Thereafter, he got out of bed hurriedly and got dressed. He wrote a string of numbers on a piece of paper and said, "I have an urgent task I have to attend to right now. You can call me at this number."

I never had the chance to learn his name.

Initially, I thought our paths would never cross again. Unexpectedly, the next month, I found out I was pregnant.

Driven by sheer helplessness, I dialed that phone number. Nevertheless, no one answered the call, even after a few attempts.

I assumed I was deceived. He probably had no interest in me, so he came up with an excuse off the top of his head to get away. At the same time, worried that I'd pester him after that night, he gave me a fake number to get me off his back.

Due to medical reasons, I decided to have the baby. I had never regretted my decision. Nicole was obedient and smart. I was extremely lucky to have her by my side all these years.

After Megan sobered up the next morning, she called me to vent. "Fred is so rough indeed. My hands are all bruised because of him. Take it from me—never ever date a man like that. They've got violent tendencies—"

Before she could even finish her sentence, someone on her end of the call warned in a deep voice, "Megan Hahn."

Megan fell silent immediately. Thereafter, something came to mind, and she said coquettishly, "Freddy, have you got some time in the afternoon to help my friend move some stuff?"

"Nope."

"That's great!" Megan exclaimed, completely ignoring Frederick's response. She then said to me, "I found a laborer for you. He can help you move your stuff in the afternoon."

"Oh, no, that's alright. I can manage."

"Hey, don't be a stranger. There's no need to feel bad about it. He's just staying at home with nothing to do all day anyway."

At first, I thought Megan was just kidding. However, much to my surprise, she actually came over in the afternoon with a tall man tagging along with her.

I ran a women's lingerie boutique in the city. I had been running the business for years. Business had been relatively good. I never bothered to hire any staff and just handled every single aspect of running the boutique by myself.

Sometimes, when things got really busy, Megan would come over and lend me a hand.

I was right in the middle of taking inventory in the afternoon when I heard an argument going on outside.

"The 'stuff' you wanted me to move was actually women's lingerie?"

"What's wrong with lingerie, Frederick? Don't you wear undergarments when you head out too? If you go on like this, I'm gonna tell Dad that you're sexist!"

"You're really asking for it, aren't you?" Frederick questioned, his tone thick with annoyance.

"Why, are you gonna hit me? I'm a woman. I'll make sure everyone hears about this!"

Upon seeing that they were both on the verge of a full-blown row, I hurried out to intervene. "It's fine, really. It's only a few boxes. I don't need so many pairs of hands."

I apologized to Frederick. "I'm really sorry that Megan called you over without clearly explaining the nature of my business. I—"

I managed to get a good look at his face before I could finish my sentence. His features were sharp, and his jawline was chiseled. His masculine energy radiated intensely through his brown jacket.

Every word I wanted to say vanished from my mind instantly. Instead, the memory from four years ago came flooding back to me.

I remembered the feel of his fingers through my hair, the bulging veins in his arms, and the sound of his heavy, ragged breaths. Shockingly, I actually managed to recall every detail so vividly.

"Forget it. Just get out of here if you're not willing to lend a hand. Just look at that scowl on your face. It's not like we're begging you!"

Megan rolled her eyes and linked arms with me. "Don't apologize to him. He's been gone for years and has clearly forgotten how to be a gentleman."

"Hold up."

Frederick stood in our way. His eyes were fixed on me. I held back the surging emotions within me, feigning composure as I looked into his eyes calmly.

He coughed. "Where's the stuff?"

"What stuff?"

"Didn't you ask me to move some boxes? Where are they?"

Frederick removed his jacket, revealing the plain black T-shirt he wore underneath. He was extremely strong, so much so that he made the heavy boxes look weightless in his hands.

Frederick was able to pick up four to five boxes at a time. With him around, Megan and I instantly became nothing more than beautiful ornaments.

Megan stood to the side, sipping on her tea as she scrolled on her phone, perfectly content with bossing her very own elder brother around.

Meanwhile, I hid in the storage room, pretending to be occupied with stock-taking. Deep down, my mind was racing. I never expected Nicole's biological father to actually be my best friend's older brother.

So, did he still remember me? He probably didn't. After all, so much time had passed…

Just as I was lost in my own head, a man's voice interrupted my thoughts. "I'm done with moving all the boxes outside."

"Oh, thank you!"

There wasn't much space in the storage room in the first place. With Frederick stepping inside, it became even more cramped inside here.

I took a small step back instinctively, accidentally knocking off something next to me in the process. Before I could even react, Frederick bent down and picked the item up.

"You dropped this," he said, holding a black, wireless bra in his hand.

The thin straps hung over his fingertips, pairing bizarrely with his shirt. That night, wasn't I also wearing…

Suddenly, my face flushed crimson red. He stared at me, and his gaze slowly intensified. Then, he leaned in out of the blue. "You seem to be terrified of me. Why is that?"

My breathing quickened as our eyes met. With nowhere to run, I had a brain fart. I simply answered, "Megan said you hit women!"

Before he could even process that, I squeezed through the gap next to him and dashed out. Megan, who had heard the commotion from outside, came over.

"Hit women? Which bastard has the guts to hit women?"

Frederick's expression turned even darker. "Say another word, and I might very well hit you."

Thanks to Frederick, our progress with moving the boxes accelerated. Work that should have dragged on until 7:00 pm or 8:00 pm was all done by 4:00 pm.

Not wanting to get in my way any longer, Megan pulled Frederick out of the store to leave. However, he stood firmly amidst the rows of lingerie on display.

"Are you that petty, Ms. Sawyer? Aren't you going to treat us to a meal?"

Upon hearing those words, I blushed. "I sure will. What would you both like to have?"

Megan widened her eyes in shock. "Frederick, how could you be so shameless? How could you expect my friend to treat you to a meal? Are you not ashamed?"

"Pick the place, you two. It'll be on me," Frederick said.

"That's more like it!"

Finally satisfied, Megan linked arms with me and lowered her voice. "Fred is actually pretty loaded, and he hardly splurges. Have a good think about what you want to eat. Do not hold back!"

Coincidence or not, the place we decided on in the end was located right next to the bar where Frederick and I first met.

Neither Frederick nor myself were the chatty type. It was fortunate that Megan was there to ease the awkwardness by playing the life of the party.

However, I kept sensing Frederick's gaze lingering on me. It was sometimes subtle, sometimes not. There was also an unmistakable, searing intensity in his gaze.

Suddenly, my phone rang.

Megan leaned in immediately to look at the screen. "Is that Nicky? It's been a long while since I've seen her. I miss her."

All of a sudden, the expression of the man across from me shifted. It wasn't until I walked out to answer the call that I heard him asking in a low and deep voice, "Is she… married?"

Frederick's question set Megan off instantly. "What are you trying to say? Can't she have a kid without getting married? You really are such an old-fashioned prude!"

"Oh. So, she's not married?"

Frederick was back to his relaxed self. He leaned back against his chair and took a sip of tea. A smile was playing on his lips.

"Good to know she's not married. Have you met the guy? Who is he?"

Megan observed him intently. Her expression shifted gradually. "Fred, frankly speaking, that smug grin on your face is quite obvious. Just because you can't have your own love life doesn't mean you have to wish for someone else's misery, right?"

Frederick was left completely perplexed.

Megan added, "When Jenna gets back later, do not mention anything about Nicky's father. I suspect that she hasn't forgotten about that scumbag. That's why she hasn't dated again in all these years."

Upon hearing that, Frederick gradually wiped that grin off his face.

I waited until the Hahn siblings were done with their loud gossiping before returning to the table at just the right time.

I had never shared details about Nicole's father and me with Megan. One of the reasons why was that Nicole was already born by the time we met.