Leonard Peters caught the sideways glances people were sending him, and tugged up a subtle smile before making his exit. "My wife’s with her mother, so I ought to take my leave." With that, he slipped out smoothly and caught the elevator upstairs.

In the banquet hall’s private lounge, Sophia Porter sat lost in thought, her fingers twisted tight around a wool shawl draped over her arms. It was a custom piece from her favorite little boutique—her secret treasure, known to barely anyone… but Haven knew it well. A faint spark flickered to life in her eyes, then died just as fast. Maybe, after all this time, Haven wasn’t coming back at all.

Close by, Cheyenne Larson couldn’t resist slipping in a sarcastic jab. She stared at the elegant shawl with over-the-top curiosity, sneering, "Who gave you this thing? Hiding it away, huh? Is it too cheap to show off? C’mon, sister-in-law—where’d you dig up someone with such terrible, boring taste?"

Sophia was just about to snap back when a knock at the door cut her off. She set the shawl aside, pulled in a steadying breath, and smoothed her expression. "Come in," she called.

The door swung open. Sophia’s breath caught. She stared at the visitor, disbelieving. "Haven…" Her voice shook, thin with uncertainty, like she was stuck in a dream.

Haven Peters stood in the doorway, her throat tightening when she spotted the fine new lines fanning at the corners of her mother’s eyes, the dullness that had crept into her once-vivid, glowing skin. Five years. Her mother had aged so much. A lump swelled in Haven’s throat, her voice thick with raw emotion when she whispered, "Mom."

Caught off guard at first, Sophia quickly masked her shock behind a stern frown, a sharp edge of annoyance creeping into her tone. "What are you doing here?"

Haven shrank, just like a kid caught stealing cookies from the jar. She bowed her head in shame. Once upon a time, she’d defied her mother to run off with Joshua West… only to learn how huge a mistake she’d made. A marriage without her family’s blessing had never held any joy, and it had left Joshua lonely, too. Emotion crashed over her, and hot tears slipped down her cheeks.

Sophia couldn’t bear to look, and turned her face away.

Cheyenne, who never missed a chance to stick the knife in, smirked. "Oh, look who it is—dear sister-in-law, what brings you crawling back after five whole years? Haven, you run into trouble out there, huh? Now you’ve come home to admit you were wrong?"

A sharp pain jabbed straight through Sophia’s chest, like someone had punched her, and it stole her breath clean away.

Nelson Carlson had never liked his aunt’s cruel mouth, and he’d had enough of her taunts. His voice was calm, steady when he cut in: "Aunt Cheyenne, you’ve got it wrong. Haven’s doing just fine out there. You don’t need to worry about her. Maybe you should worry more about your own family. Last I heard, June hasn’t gotten a call from her dad in weeks. That sounds way more pressing than this, doesn’t it?"

Cheyenne’s face flushed bright red with rage. "Nelson! Is that any way to talk to your elder? What kind of manners did your mother teach you?"

Sophia was a mother bear through and through, and she never let anyone badmouth her kids. Her expression turned ice-cold. "Nelson’s words might be blunt, but they’re true. You ought to mind your own family’s business instead of poking holes in ours."

"You’ll regret this! I’m going straight to Vicente to tell him everything!" Cheyenne stormed out, glaring daggers at all three of them as she went, and the door slammed shut behind her so hard the walls shook.

Nelson gave Haven a reassuring pat on the back. She looked up, her eyes pink and puffy from crying, then stepped closer to her mother, kneeling down and pressing her cheek to Sophia’s lap. "Mom, I’m sorry. I never should have left. If punishing me makes you feel better, do it."

Sophia’s body went rigid. Her gaze stuck to the tears tracking down Haven’s face, and her own heart ached so bad it hurt. Tears pricked her eyes as she lifted a hand, ready to snap at her daughter for being so stupid… but instead of a slap, her palm came to rest soft against Haven’s cheek. "Why did you get so thin? Be honest with me, Haven—did you run into all the trouble Cheyenne talked about? Is that why you’re back?"

Haven leaned into the warm weight of her mother’s touch, and every bit of pent-up grief and grievance she’d carried for years came pouring out. For the first time in forever, she felt safe. Her mistakes from the past were unforgivable, and she’d sworn she’d never repeat them.

She’d never let anyone hurt the people she loved ever again.

Watching the tender scene unfold in front of him, Nelson’s eyes got misty. Just then, his phone buzzed in his pocket with a new text. He glanced down at the screen. The sender was Leonard Peters.

"I’m here. When am I getting to meet the wife you promised to introduce me to?"

Nelson typed back a quick reply, then looked up, his gaze softening as he watched mother and daughter reconnect.

Noticing the hesitation hovering over Haven, he spoke up in a clear, bright voice: "Mom, you’ll never guess what. Haven didn’t just come back—she came to introduce her husband to you."

Sophia’s expression turned a little frosty at the news. She pinned Nelson with a sharp, piercing look. "Why do I get the feeling you’re talking about the same man that dragged Haven away from us five years ago?"

Nelson stiffened a little. He knew better than to push his mother too far right now. He helped Haven to her feet, keeping his tone light: "Mom, you’ve been running around all morning. Let’s take a minute to breathe, yeah? The banquet hasn’t started yet, and I haven’t seen Haven in years. We’ll just go catch up, then we’ll be back before it starts."

Sophia had lived enough to see through almost anything. She knew her kids inside and out, and saw their little lie instantly. She’d rarely seen Nelson defend anyone outside the family this hard… let alone openly acknowledge Haven’s "husband." Their excuse to go catch up was just that—an excuse. What were they really up to…?

Her curiosity spiked. Who was this man Haven had picked this time? What had he done to earn her son’s full approval?

As a million thoughts raced through her head, Sophia fixed Nelson and Haven with a probing gaze, then faked a casual smile. "Of course. You two must have so much to catch up on now that Haven’s home. Go on ahead."

Nelson’s eyes darkened a little. He knew his mother had seen right through his excuse. He cast a knowing look at Sophia, then led Haven out of the lounge.

Once they’d put a good amount of distance between them and the lounge, Haven pulled her hand free of Nelson’s grip. "Where are we going, brother?"

Nelson grinned down at her, teasing. "What? Off to run and meet your future husband?"

"Nelson, my stomach just dropped. I gotta bolt to the bathroom," Haven said, wincing as she pressed a hand to her cramping belly. She didn't even wait for him to answer before spinning on her heel and hurrying off.

Nelson chuckled and shook his head. His little sister was just nervous, that's all.

Locked in the bathroom, Haven splashed cold water on her face, letting the chill droplets trail down her jaw. When she glanced up at the mirror, her reflection looked almost foreign. It wasn't the soft, innocent face she knew anymore—her eyes glinted with a new, sharp maturity she couldn't place.

Going on a blind date right after a breakup? It felt wrong. Daunting, even.

She patted her face dry and stepped back out into the hall. Rounding a corner, she crashed straight into a man walking the other way. His scent—rich, crisp cedarwood—wrapped around her instantly, leaving her frozen, head spinning.

"How long you planning to stay glued to my chest?"

The low, smooth voice rumbled from above her, clear and cool as a mountain stream, and it sent a shiver down her spine.

Haven jolted back to awareness. She'd fallen right into his arms, her palms pressed flat against the hard muscle of his chest. His heat seeped through the fabric of his shirt, straight into her skin.

Her face burned bright red. She scrambled back quickly, putting a full foot of space between them, and tilted her head up, already apologetic. "I'm so sorry, I didn't see you coming I—"

He was devastatingly handsome.

The words died in her throat. She froze, completely stunned, as she drank in every sharp, perfect line of his face.

His gaze lingered on her flushed cheeks, and a flicker of curiosity glinted in his dark eyes. "No harm done, Miss Carlson. Your brother's waiting for you."

Her eyes blew wide with shock. How did he know her last name? They'd never met before, she was sure of it.

While she stood there reeling, he brushed past her, leaving the scent of cedarwood hanging thick in the air behind him.

Haven shook herself out of her daze and headed for the room Nelson had told her about. She took a deep breath and turned the doorknob.

Once inside, she stopped short. "Nelson, why's there only one person here? Where's the guy you set me up with?"

Nelson knew exactly who she meant. He grinned, eyes sparkling with mischief. "Haven, you already anxious to meet him, huh?"

Seeing Nelson just fooling around, Haven's voice dropped, laced with worry. "Nelson, did your friend change his mind?"

Nelson caught the genuine concern in her eyes and dropped the act. "Who said he bailed?"

Right then, a deep, steady voice sounded right behind her. "Miss Carlson, why linger by the door?"

The unexpected words made Haven jump. She spun around fast, and when she registered who it was, her eyes went wide. "It's you."

Nelson frowned, curious now. "Haven, how do you two know each other?"

Haven's long lashes fluttered as she pulled herself together. She let her gaze linger on Leonard's sharp, chiseled features for a beat before answering, "We just bumped into each other in the hall."

She looked away, choosing not to get into the details of how she'd landed flat in his arms.

Leonard Peters' dark eyes flickered almost imperceptibly at her words "just bumped into," but he schooled his face back to neutral in a heartbeat.

He held her gaze, his eyes deep and searching. He worked his jaw against the inside of his cheek and let out a low, soft chuckle. "That's right. We did."

Nelson's eyes darted back and forth between Haven and Leonard, catching the weird, thick tension hanging between them. His gut told him something had definitely gone down in that hallway.

He kept that thought to himself, though, and leaned in close to Haven, whispering, "Alright, let me do the intro. This is Leonard Peters, the guy I set you up with. Now that you two are here, I'll get out of your hair and let you chat."

He didn't even wait for Haven to argue before turning and walking straight out the door.

Haven just stared, mouth hanging open, and then panic crashed over her.

Seriously? He was just gonna dip, leave her alone in a room with this stranger? This was so awkward.

Stuck alone together, Haven and Leonard stared at each other across the room. The silence stretched, thick and charged with something she couldn't name.

Needing to keep things civil, she forced a polite smile. "Um, Mr. Peters, please have a seat."

Leonard's dark eyes locked on her forced smile. Even like that, she was stunning. He loosened his tie, unbuttoned his suit jacket, set down a gift box and his leather briefcase, and sank onto the sofa with easy, relaxed grace that made Haven's heart skip a beat.

Even sitting, he radiated this overwhelming, take-charge energy that filled the whole room. Haven felt a quiet weight settle in her chest—Nelson's friend wasn't just some regular guy, that was for sure.

Wait, the name Leonard Peters... it sounded weirdly familiar, somehow.

Once they were both seated, they opened their mouths to speak at the exact same time.

Leonard smiled faintly, lifting one dark eyebrow. "Miss Carlson, after you."

Hearing him call her that felt strange, formal in a way that didn't fit. Haven's eyes softened. "Mr. Peters, you're my brother's friend. Just call me Haven."

"Sounds good. Then you call me Leonard," he answered without a second of hesitation.

Again, they said his name at the exact same time.

"Leonard."

Their eyes locked, and the newness of being on a first-name basis hung between them, soft and thrilling.

His voice, deep and a little rough around the edges, rumbled in her ears, and it stirred something low in her belly she hadn't expected.

She blinked up at him with those big, clear, beautiful eyes of hers. She didn't even realize how good it felt to hear him say her name that way, but her heart picked up its pace, spurred on by that mesmerizing voice of his.

"Haven, will you marry me?"

Leonard asked the question, his dark eyes glinting with quiet mystery, a soft, knowing smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.

Haven blinked, and a flicker of unease crossed her face. "It was a mistake. My brother just pushed me into it to keep Mom from yelling at me."

She paused, dropping her gaze as she fumbled for the right words. "I don’t know if my brother ever told you, but I messed up bad a while back. I walked out on someone totally wrong for me. My brother wanted to hide it from Mom to avoid gossip, keep our family from looking bad. Now I see the whole plan was selfish, unfair, and totally unnecessary. We shouldn’t have to keep up this fake act."

Leonard listened in silence for a long minute. A flicker of disappointment glinted in his deep-set eyes, masking whatever else he was feeling that was impossible to read.

"I can’t do this," he finally said. "I’m not good at pretending. And besides, the truth always comes out eventually. Won’t that just upset and disappoint your mom even more in the end?"

His deep voice hit Haven’s heart like a hammer. She dropped her gaze, her mood sinking like a stone.

He was right, wasn’t it? This was just lying. One lie always begets a dozen more. Why would Leonard even have time to play along with this dumb charade?

When the truth did come out, Mom would only be even more heartbroken.

Once that clicked, she snapped her head back up. "Thank you. You made me get it. I was wrong. I need to be honest with Mom, own my mistake, and start fresh. That’s what I should do."

Leonard stepped abruptly in front of Haven, and curled a gentle hand around her wrist. Something unfamiliar shifted in his normally unflappable eyes.

Haven froze. The warmth of his touch sent her heart racing for no reason she could name. She turned, wide clear eyes studying him curiously.

Leonard’s intense gaze lingered on her perfect face, his steady voice laced with unshakable determination. "I’ve got a solution that works for both of us. Wanna hear it?"

Haven stared at him, confused.

Wasn’t he against putting on an act?

How could he have a better idea than faking it?

Her mind spun a mile a minute as she paused, and under Leonard’s watchful stare, she sat back down.

Once he was seated, she leaned in, curious. "Leonard, what’s this solution you’re talking about?"

Instead of answering right away, Leonard grabbed his briefcase off the sofa and set a thick folder down right in front of Haven, his tone cool and collected. "Open it."

Curious, Haven snuck a glance at the relaxed, confident Leonard before turning her attention to the bulging folder sitting in front of her.

What could be inside this thing? And what did it have to do with this so-called solution of his?

Enigmatic Leonard was playing some mysterious game here, wasn’t he? What was his endgame?

Shoving the chaotic swirl of questions to the back of her mind, Haven slowly flipped the folder open. The second she did, her eyes blew wide and her mouth dropped open, completely speechless. She couldn’t even move for a whole minute.

The folder was stuffed full of documents proving just how insanely wealthy Leonard was.

Prime real estate all over the place, blue-chip stocks worth fighting for—all of it was his.

Haven had never been this stunned silent in her entire life.

She knew a few of these properties were registered under the Peters family name, inherited through government deals, not bought outright. But contrary to everything she assumed, every document was stamped and officially registered in Leonard’s name, plain and simple.

She remembered the financial hit her dad took when he bought similar property. Those weren’t permanent ownership—they were just leases, you had to drop a huge annual fee just to keep them. If you didn’t pay, the properties go right back to the government.

Wasn’t Leonard basically holding the entire region’s economy by the throat? How was this even possible?

Who was Leonard Peters really?

How could he own all these priceless assets?

How did the government even allow this?

"You done yet?" Leonard’s deep, calm voice cut through her racing thoughts.

Next to Leonard’s total composure, Haven was a mess of disbelief, curiosity, wonder, and confusion all tangled up. She couldn’t see Leonard as just some random guy anymore. To her, he was walking, breathing wealth and power personified.

"Uh—yes, I’m done, Mr. Moneybags."

"What did you just call me?" Leonard’s dark eyes narrowed, and that innate, intimidating aura of power rolled off him in waves.

Haven didn’t dare piss off the richest guy in the room. What if he went after her family?

"Ah—nothing," she laughed awkwardly, smoothing her face into something neutral before looking at Leonard with wide, sincere eyes. "I don’t get it. How do all these assets tie into your solution for helping me?"

Leonard’s gaze was intense, his eyes holding depths like an old, uncharted river. His lips tugged into a faint smile. "There’s a connection."

As his words settled in, Haven found herself holding her breath, her hands curling slightly tighter. Her beautiful eyes stayed locked on him, not even blinking.

"My dear wife, your family’s properties won’t owe another cent in fees. You’ll get full permanent ownership and land use rights. On top of that, I’m giving you a plot over two hundred thousand square feet right in Manhattan. You can do whatever you want with it. The wedding house, the dowry, all the traditional gifts—nothing’s going to be missing."

Leonard’s calm, steady words hit the quiet lake of Haven’s heart like a boulder, sending shockwaves of astonishment rippling out.

"Are you for real?"

"Yeah. Take all the time you need to think it over," Leonard’s lips pressed into a thin line, his dark eyes like an abyss, dragging her in with an irresistible pull.

"Why me? And besides, we barely even know each other. Don’t you care if your spouse even likes you?"