"Sabrina, just curious... what did Gracewell offer?" Simon leaned a bit closer to Sabrina, casually brushing her shoulder with his arm as he spoke.

He sounded like he was asking about money, but the way he grinned gave him away-this was more about finding an excuse to stay close.

Sabrina felt a jolt in her chest at the question. Everyone in the lab knew her favorite little disciple had a thing for cash-growing up broke does that to you-and honestly, it wasn't his fault.

But this time... she was the one being selfish, risking the team's interests for a deal.

No, not quite right.

She never planned to toss the team under the bus-she was the one taking the hit.

She'd already decided. Once she signed the contract with Gracewell, she'd split her savings with the crew. It wasn't going to be a lot, but at least they wouldn't lose out.

Sabrina swallowed hard. It took her a second, but she finally said, "You'll see once it's signed."

"Alright then." Simon gave her a look, like he was sensing something off, but he didn't press. Just nodded and backed off quickly.

A few minutes later, the folks from Gracewell arrived.

Seven people piled out of two cars-none of them Cedric.

Sabrina's mood, which had just lifted a bit, sank halfway back down.

"Hello, Ms. Lionhart. I'm assistant to Mr. Strickland. You can call me Orion. I'll be signing the contract on his behalf today," the man introduced himself, one hand adjusting his suit while the other reached out politely.

Total professional.

Sabrina forced away her sour mood and shook his hand, but her eyes still darted past the group, instinctively hoping to catch a glimpse of the man she'd been missing these past three days.

She asked, "Is Mr. Strickland really that busy?"

"Yes, quite. Aside from Gracewell, he's also managing Maxon Group. He's usually swamped. Actually, he was supposed to be here today-this project's a big one after all-but something urgent came up at Maxon. I don't know the details since I only work on Gracewell's side," Orion explained courteously without dodging the question.

"Oh, no worries. Just wondering." Sabrina nodded, catching the subtext.

Orion seemed like a decent, straightforward guy. Maybe Cedric really was caught up and not just avoiding her.

The other six introduced themselves one by one and shook hands with her. Sabrina also made sure to introduce Simon.

The formalities flew by and, ten minutes later, Orion gestured for them to head inside.

Everyone in their crisp suits looked seriously impressive, and as Sabrina glanced at the rather outdated restaurant she'd picked, she felt a little embarrassed.

"Sorry, I think this place might not be the best. Should we switch to somewhere nicer?" she asked, trying to be polite.

"No need, really," Orion answered quickly. "We heard you've been living abroad, and it's already very kind of you to take on organizing the dinner. We're honored, truly-please don't stress over this."

Sabrina just nodded, offering no explanation.

She had been overseas for a bit-but honestly, the way Orion handled things? She couldn't out-politeness him even if she tried.

Once seated in the private room, they placed their orders. While they waited for the food, Orion pulled out two hefty contracts from a yellow file folder and handed one of them to Sabrina.

"Ms. Lionhart, please have a look at this contract. If there's anything you're unsure about, you can consult our legal team anytime."

Sabrina gave a short nod.

She didn't bother reading every word-just flipped through the pages fast. Almost at the end, she finally spotted the part she was looking for.

Yep, the price.

She glanced at it. It started with a five... but wait, not five bucks.

Sabrina rubbed her eyes and counted the zeros.

Seven.

Fifty million?!

Cedric actually offered fifty million for this collaboration?!

A cold shiver ran through her. It felt like getting slammed into a freezing pit.

So this was his way of saying no to her that night?

Offering a hundred times more-no, a hundred million times more-was his silent way of shutting down her asking to get back together?

Sabrina's shoulders slumped.

Simon, who noticed her face like she'd just been struck by lightning, leaned in for a look. Fifty million-he also sucked in a sharp breath.

Just fifty million?!

Was Gracewell kidding with this offer?

He mentally crunched the numbers-heck, Pama had offered more than this.

Were they seriously trying to lowball them?

Under the table, Simon gently patted Sabrina's hand, silently urging her to chill. "Orion..."

"One second!" the assistant, Orion, jumped like a deer in headlights.

Cedric had handed him the contract personally this morning, telling him not to open it until Sabrina arrived.

He hadn't thought much of it-maybe it was some top-secret file.

Didn't expect it to be the price that stirred up a mess.

Fifty million might be decent for a random patent, but for Twinkle...

This product's been blowing up in the market, with Pama even trading stocks for it. There's no way it's only worth fifty million. Not even close.

Maybe Cedric's too tired. Did he accidentally miss a zero?

Orion closed the folder, silently screaming in his head. Great. Finally got the legendary beauty expert to the table, and now there's a pricing mess.

"I'll call Mr. Strickland right away," Orion said, getting up in a panic. His chair scraped loudly against the floor in the rush.

The whole legal team tensed, sensing the scale of the blunder. Laptops popped open as they got ready to record Cedric's new instructions or Sabrina's demands.

"No need," said Sabrina suddenly.

Everyone froze.

Orion's finger stopped just short of the call button. He turned, stunned. "What?"

"I said don't bother. Let's just go with this." Sabrina held out her hand toward Simon. "Give me the pen."

Simon, who usually did whatever she asked, didn't move this time.

"I'll explain it to everyone in the lab with my own savings. No one's going to end up empty after these months," she said calmly.

Simon's face darkened like a storm cloud. She was serious. She'd even use her dowry to patch this up, and still push through with Gracewell...

She must've known from the start the deal wouldn't be ideal. Had she already planned this out?

Just who the hell was behind Gracewell?

"Pen," Sabrina pressed.

Simon took a few deep breaths, chest rising and falling. Finally, he gave in. He pulled a black pen from his briefcase and slapped it hard into her palm. Then he turned around, giving her the cold shoulder.

An obvious warning: He was pissed.

But he knew it wouldn't change anything.

She never cared about consequences.

Sabrina popped open the pen cap and swiftly signed her name on the current page. Then she looked up at the nearest lawyer and asked, "Anywhere else I need to sign?"The lawyer quickly caught on-since the signatures were already down, it didn't really matter why things happened the way they did.

In business, results were everything. He pointed out a few spots on the contract for Sabrina to sign, and once she was done scribbling her name, she stamped each one firmly.

With that, the future of Twinkle was officially sealed.

"Miss Lionhart..." Orion hesitated, unsure how to phrase what he wanted to say.

"Pass me that copy. You go sign this one," Sabrina replied, all business, not letting the hefty price tag show on her face even one bit.

She calmly took the other contract, signed every spot that needed her name, stamped every necessary area. After Orion followed suit, the deal was officially done.

Then came the usual pleasantries. Orion couldn't fully hide how bothered he was by the pricing, dropping multiple subtle hints to Sabrina that even though the contract was signed, if she had any requests down the road, they could still be considered.

Sabrina just smiled and nodded politely, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.

At the dinner afterwards, the folks from Gracewell were clearly riding high.

Once they finally left, Simon couldn't hold it in anymore. "Why would you do this?! What even is Gracewell that it's worth throwing in your dowry for a damn deal like this?!"

And more than that-who the hell was the mystery man behind Gracewell?

He clearly hadn't let go of the "Mr. Strickland" that Orion had briefly mentioned.

"The reason behind it all? I don't owe you that explanation," Sabrina said calmly. "But yeah, I made this call on my own, and if it hurt the team, I'll take that responsibility."

Her dowry...?

Heh, what dowry?

The man she wanted to marry had already given her a slap in the face with the way he responded. What was the point of keeping that money?

She'd feel better giving it to her research team-sure, 100% reimbursement wasn't happening, but 80%?

Yeah... that could work.

"You don't owe me an explanation?" Simon's chest heaved again, just as he thought he'd cooled down. "What am I even to you?!"

Sabrina frowned, feeling her patience fading-dude's stepping way outta line.

She looked at Simon with a calm but sharp gaze. "You tell me."

Simon realized he'd gone too far in the heat of the moment. He knew Sabrina's rules-personal stuff never mixed with work at the lab.

No matter how chill she seemed normally, when work was involved, she was strict as hell. No gray areas.

Feeling a bit sheepish, he changed the subject. "Didn't you ask what I've been up to the past few days? I'll be honest-I went house hunting. My plan was, once your deal with Pama was signed, I'd use my bonus to buy it outright. And now..."

He slumped a little, muttering in defeat, "Now I can only afford the down payment."

He lowered his head, completely baffled how a guy like him-5'9'' tall-kept losing to a pocket-sized woman barely hitting 5'3''.

"Pfft!" Sabrina burst out laughing, the corners of her eyes crinkling. That one laugh seemed to drive off all the bitterness from earlier. "What, trying to buy a house and settle down already?"

Settle down, huh?

Simon didn't deny it.

Sabrina's smile shifted, a little mischievous. "Hey, we researchers are supposed to stay pure-minded, you know? Chase knowledge, not bank accounts. If all you think about is money while working in R&D, aren't you just a little too practical for this line of work?"

"I'm not listening I'm not listening I'm not listening-" Simon slapped both hands over his ears. Knew it, this was her favorite move.

She always spun things around, even when she was the one being totally unreasonable.

Sabrina laughed even harder, reaching over to swat his hands away. "Nope, you gotta listen to your teacher."

A black sedan had been idling by the roadside for quite a while without moving.

After getting called into the car, Orion looked completely lost and confused. He couldn't help asking when he noticed the man in the driver's seat staring blankly in one direction, "Mr. Strickland, since you're already here... why not just go in?"

Honestly, when Sabrina first asked him about it, he almost had a heart attack-he thought she'd felt snubbed by Gracewell. But to his shock, everything went more smoothly than expected. Way too smoothly.

"Who was that guy?" Cedric finally pulled his gaze away just as Sabrina and the young man laughed their way into a cab.

"That's Ms. Lionhart's apprentice. Last name Morris," Orion answered honestly, then added, "Honestly, I always imagined a beauty expert would be in her forties or fifties, and probably hard to please given how she skips all events. But seeing her today really shattered that stereotype."

Turns out the real skincare genius? Young, stunning, and radiating energy.

A prodigy if there ever was one.

Cedric didn't catch the rest of Orion's rambling. His mind had gotten hung up on one word-apprentice.

An apprentice? Now that's something.

"Everything go smoothly?" Cedric asked.

"Super smooth!" Orion straightened up, visibly trying to contain his excitement. "At first I freaked out when I saw the numbers-thought Ms. Lionhart would totally flip. I was just about to call you, but then she looked right at it and just went, 'Okay,' grabbed the pen and signed like it was no big deal. Honestly, if Pama got wind of these terms... they might have an aneurysm."

Cedric gave a nod. "Got it. You can get out now."

Click-the car doors unlocked.

With a huge grin still frozen on his face, Orion blinked at the sudden dismissal, quickly wiped off the smile and hopped out without a fuss.

*****

Sure, Twinkle's deal was signed, but Sabrina knew the real game had just begun.

From now on, she'd be working closely with Gracewell's folks. She had no clue what their R&D team was like-if they'd be chill or a pain to deal with.

New environments always made her nervous, but having Simon by her side helped ease that tension a little.

As her apprentice, it should be fine bringing him into the R&D zone.

Right then, Simon was kneeling by the coffee table, peering through a magnifying glass he'd dug up from who-knows-where, meticulously reading every line of the contract.

Sabrina, annoyed, tore open a bag of chips with a loud rip, grabbed a handful and stuffed them into her mouth. "I already signed it. Even if it's a trap, too late to back out now."

"I just wanna check and see if Gracewell actually had the guts to try and lock down Twinkle forever for fifty million," Simon muttered, frustrated.

He hadn't had time to review it earlier-he'd caught something in Sabrina's eyes that had thrown him off.

In his mind, she had always been that carefree, light-hearted type; full of color, never weighed down.

Sure, her family history was messy, but Lynne adored her, and she had someone basically like a sister in Monica. The whole R&D crew had the emotional range of a golden retriever-easy to get along with.

So what did she have to worry about?

And yet, when she signed that contract... for the first time, he caught something different under that always-sunny exterior. Something quiet and hidden.

Turns out, just because a feeling is buried doesn't mean it isn't there.

Sabrina said nothing, just kept munching on chips while letting him comb through the papers.

After skimming through the whole thing, Simon finally stopped muttering to himself. He let out a reluctant grunt and admitted, "Well, at least the guy's not stingy-it's fifty million just for a one-year license to use Twinkle."

"One year?" Sabrina almost shouted.

Developing a new product line could take who knows how long-three, five, even seven months was totally normal. And that's without accounting for testing phases and the actual launch. By the time all that's done, a year could be over in a blink.

Did Cedric really understand how limited this licensing period was? Once that year was up, it didn't matter if the product was out for just a day-without a renewal, it'd all be pulled off the shelves.

Did he seriously trust her that much?

"Yeah, it's written in black and white. One year. Not exactly a loss for us. Sabrina, you can hold onto that dowry of yours. I'll talk to the folks in the lab for you," Simon said as he closed the contract, fiddling with a pen held between his lips and nose.

"Wait a minute, why do you sound like you've seen a lot of contracts before?" Sabrina asked, genuinely puzzled.

She could read all the legal jargon, sure, but once the words came together, it just felt like a maze. She had a legal team for stuff like this, honestly. But Simon? He'd breezed through that thick contract and zeroed in on the key points like it was second nature.

"I, uh..." Simon put the pen down and shuffled toward the door. Some questions were better avoided. "I've gotta bounce, Master. If Gracewell calls and wants you on set, just text me. Later!" he said, already halfway out.

Sabrina rolled her eyes.

*****

Gracewell hadn't even pressed Sabrina to start working yet. She was the one who kept calling to follow up, only to get told every time to just rest for now.

And it was driving her nuts. A one-year license, and three days had already ticked by since they signed... Gracewell wasn't in a rush at all.

But her worrying wasn't helping anything. She didn't even have Cedric's contact info. No way to press him for answers. Since he didn't seem to be in a hurry, fine-she'd take it easy too.

Another day passed.

One of her friends who's big on charity invited her to an event at a senior center. The idea was to bring some joy to the elderly, and since she worked in skincare, Sabrina could show them how to whip up basic moisturizers. It was almost winter-dry skin season.

It sounded like a great cause, and she said yes on the spot. They set a time.

She didn't tell Simon about it-he'd been acting all mysterious lately. Every time she called, she'd catch someone in the background talking about real estate. Seriously, was he still stuck on house hunting?

She didn't bother digging into it.

Dragging a toolkit packed with ingredients and supplies, Sabrina caught a cab to the senior center.

Standing at the entrance, her eyes landed on the plaques hanging on both sides. It hit her just then-this wasn't a regular retirement home.

To be precise, it was a care facility for Alzheimer's patients.

It even had a less formal nickname: "The Memory Village."

Plainly put, it was a dementia ward-part recovery center, part research institute.

Sabrina hadn't even stepped inside when a strange ache tugged at her chest.

She'd never encountered this illness firsthand, but had seen it on TV enough to get the gist.

"Sabrina!" a familiar voice called out from inside.

Sabrina saw her friend step out from the nursing home in a fitted skirt, swiping her access card and walking over. She pushed back the sour feeling in her chest and greeted her with a smile, "It's been a long time."

"Yeah, tell me about it. I'm like a headless chicken these days-three events all lined up today. Just stopping here for a bit before I rush off again. You'll be okay by yourself, right?" Her friend led her inside.

"Totally fine, just tell me if there's anything I need to keep in mind." Sabrina clutched her case with both hands, looking all serious like a kid heading to school.

"It's really nothing major-just the memory stuff, or rather, the serious lack of it. You'd better be ready to answer the same question a dozen times. Like just now, this old guy grabbed me and kept asking for my name. I must've told him like seventeen or eighteen times. Almost lost it."

Her friend added with a grin, "Oh right, about your skincare stuff-don't bother teaching them how to make it. Just do one batch yourself, portion it up, and hand it out. They won't remember the steps anyway. Might even forget what it's for after five minutes."

Sabrina found herself oddly annoyed.

Maybe it was because she wasn't great with memory herself, so she couldn't help feeling a bit for the folks inside.

Memory loss from organ decline or illness... that's no joke.

But she bit her tongue-no point souring a reunion over this.

Her friend seemed to catch on. "You're still just as soft-hearted, huh? One sentence in and you're already emotional? But seriously, be careful. All the people living here? Rich and powerful types. You gotta watch what you say. Sometimes they're surprisingly lucid, and if you say the wrong thing, you don't want to get reported. But you? I trust you. You've always been good with people."

Sabrina nodded. "Got it."

After a few more steps, her friend introduced her to one of the nurses and left. Sabrina followed the nurse along a stone path toward the back of the building, the sound of chatter slowly growing louder.

"No need to be nervous," the nurse said gently. "Just think of them as a bunch of mischievous kids. I mean, toddlers don't remember much either, right? Until their brains grow. It's kinda similar."

"Don't worry, I'm good," Sabrina replied.

They walked past a wall, and finally, the scene opened up before her.

Around twenty seniors, both men and women, about the same age, most staring off blankly in their foldable plastic chairs. Only a handful showed any real expression-

And even those expressions moved in slow motion, way behind what you'd call normal.

Sabrina had never met people like this before, and all at once, it felt overwhelming. Seeing it on TV just didn't compare. Her lips pressed together slightly as she stepped forward.

Around the area were nurses and a few others dressed normally-probably family members of the residents.

The place was buzzing with noise and activity.

She reached the long table, set down her toolbox, ready to introduce herself-but then her eyes landed on one of the elders sitting across two chairs. And that face was unmistakably familiar.

"Grandpa Strickland!" she gasped, abandoning her kit and rushing straight toward the man in the crowd.

She crouched down in front of the old man, tilting her head up to look at the person she'd once seen as powerful and towering in her childhood. But now, he was thin, hunched over, his eyes vacant and lifeless-he wasn't even aware she was standing right there.

There was nothing left of the old presence that used to command a room.

Sabrina's chest tightened. He was still someone she knew so well, yet the contrast hit her hard, her eyes instantly welling up with tears.

"Grandpa Strickland," she called softly.

Around them, every elderly person was surrounded by family, chatting and smiling. Only Grandpa Strickland sat alone, making him seem even lonelier.

Where was the Strickland family? Why was no one here?

He didn't respond. His gaze stayed fixed on something beyond her, staring straight ahead at nothing.

Sabrina had no choice but to stand and block his line of sight. Meeting his eyes again, she repeated, "Grandpa Strickland."

Finally, his eyes twitched. She held her breath in anticipation.

Then came a slow, confused, "Who are you?"

It didn't crush her. She smiled gently and said, "I'm Sabrina, remember? The girl from next door, the Lionhart family."

She didn't say "we used to be neighbors."

Back when Lynne divorced her dad, Sabrina had spent a few days in the big villa with him - mostly out of childish, petty curiosity to see the "enemy" who wrecked her home.

Of course, with her sweet face, no one ever guessed what she'd been thinking.

But the stay didn't last long. She couldn't handle being around Margaret and her mom, so she asked to go back-and never visited again.

"Sab...rina..." Grandpa Strickland repeated slowly, trying to mimic her name. "Nice. Sounds nice."

"Right?" Sabrina grinned, dimples showing, her bright smile revealing two neat rows of white teeth. She knew deep down he didn't really remember her, but just having a conversation like this already meant a lot. "Grandpa Strickland, you're still just as charming as ever."

He could understand praise-that much still stuck. He chuckled and replied, "Nah, I'm just an old man now."

"No wa-" Sabrina was about to argue when a sudden stench hit and a soft splash followed.

She looked down instinctively.

His pants were darkening fast. Yellow urine trickled from the wheelchair onto the grass. And the man himself?

Grandpa Strickland was completely unaware, still grinning cluelessly at her.

"Oh no, who was supposed to check on Mr. Strickland today? Why didn't he have a diaper on?" A nearby nurse noticed and called out.

Another responded while hurrying over. "That's on me. He hates wearing them. If he wakes up and finds out, he'll go off, so what can I do?"

A few people glanced over briefly, but they quickly turned back to their own family members, clearly used to Ins like this.

"Sweetheart, can you give us a sec? I need to change him," the nurse said as she grabbed the wheelchair handles, nodding at Sabrina.

Sabrina gave a dazed nod and stepped aside.

She must have looked really stunned, because the nurse added gently, "This is one of the symptoms of Alzheimer's. It's... completely normal."

Is it though? Is this really normal?

Sabrina had always thought Alzheimer's-no, better to call it brain degeneration-was just about forgetting things. She never imagined it meant delays like this, incontinence, and more.

She watched as Grandpa Strickland was wheeled into the building, her fingers twisting together in front of her without her even realizing it-she still couldn't quite believe what she'd just seen.

Back when he was younger, Grandpa Strickland had served in the military. That man used to be so particular about how he carried himself, always upright and proper. Now... this?

This illness-it was terrifying.

Way beyond what she had imagined.

All those documentaries on TV? Way too sugar-coated. What they showed was just people being forgetful. But in reality, once someone really got this disease, it hit both the patient and their family like a truck.

Like the nurse said just now... Grandpa Strickland sometimes gets rare Ins of clarity, only to realize he's wearing an adult diaper-

"Excuse me, where's my grandfather?"

A familiar voice called out from nearby.

Sabrina quickly looked up.

It was Cedric.

He looked like he came straight from work, dressed in his usual business attire. Clean-cut, no-nonsense.

"Mr. Strickland had a little accident earlier. We're helping him change right now-please wait here a moment," the nurse replied.

Cedric gave a slight nod. Then he turned and spotted Sabrina.

He blinked just once, as if trying to place her-but quickly put it together. He'd heard about an activity today-some celebrity skincare expert coming in to hand-make moisturizing lotion for the residents.

And apparently, the retirement home had managed to pull some serious strings, because they'd gotten a big-deal name. Someone who usually charged insane fees outside.

Celebrity-level.

Cedric mentally repeated the words, his expression unreadable.

He walked closer and noticed the damp patch on the ground near Sabrina's feet. Faint smell still lingered in the air. He immediately figured out she must have recognized his grandfather.

But from her still expression, seemed like Grandpa hadn't recognized her.

How daring of her, though-still showing her face in front of the Stricklands, like she'd done absolutely nothing wrong.

"When was he diagnosed?" Sabrina asked quietly, still obviously reeling from the shock. She didn't catch the slight flicker of distaste on Cedric's face.

"Two years ago," his reply was clipped and cold.

"Oh," she murmured, nodding, lowering her gaze again.

She'd been gone a few years, never imagined things had changed this much.

Grandpa Strickland seriously ill, Grandma Strickland in the hospital too... No wonder Cedric seemed even more closed-off than before. No wonder Lynne warned her not to bring up anything painful.

Yeah... probably wasn't the best idea to come saying hi just to poke at old wounds.

She knew Cedric's parents had been caught up with business back then. He was raised mostly by his grandparents. They meant a lot to him.

"Sometimes, forgetting is a blessing. If memories do nothing but hurt, maybe wiping them clean isn't the worst thing," Cedric said suddenly.

"Hmm..." Sabrina wasn't on board with that. Her memory wasn't great either, maybe that's why she reacted strongly.

"I feel like... the good and bad memories, they're all parts of who we are. Trying to erase them is just running from it. I mean, unless it's a health issue and people have no choice-then yeah, maybe this kind of comforting line has its place. But for someone healthy to say that... it just doesn't sit right."

Cedric's mouth twitched slightly-not quite a smile, more like an amused scoff. He didn't argue, just said, "Executioners always know how to wrap things up in fancy words."

"What?"

Sabrina didn't catch that last part. She was just about to ask when someone called her from down the lawn, signaling the activity was starting. She acknowledged with a quick "coming" and didn't bother following up.

Anyway, Cedric always talked weird, never easy to follow.

She turned and made her way towards the long outdoor table, where she'd set up for today's session.

The things she brought were simple: glycerin, white vinegar, and a generous amount of fresh rose petals. Plus a handful of basic tools.Thinking back on her friend's reminder, Sabrina didn't listen.

Instead, she laid out all her tools on the long table and clipped on a speaker headset before cheerfully introducing herself to the crowd in front of her. "Hi everyone! I'm Sabrina, and I'm here today to help you make some simple skincare products."

Her voice was sweet and soft, her smile just as gentle-she didn't give off an ounce of pressure, the kind of girl anyone could feel at ease with.

Right after she spoke, someone started clapping, and soon the elders followed, slowly raising their hands to clap too.

Sabrina hadn't expected them to get into it like this, so she added another question, "So, my dear friends, do any of you struggle with dry skin during the winter?"

"Yes," came the scattered responses.

"Right? I figured as much-these winters here are just way too dry!" She looked down, fiddling with the containers as she moved into the demo. "Ever since I got back, even my face's been hurting. I've been slathering on lotion like crazy every day..."

She mumbled to herself with a tiny dramatic sigh, like a light-hearted complaint. It only made her seem more playful.

Even though she wasn't really trying to engage them at that moment, the elderly audience looked on like she was giving some deep talk.

Cedric glanced at his grandfather, who was sitting upright, neck craned forward to watch her intently.

He couldn't help but shake his head. So that "young and old all fall for me" thing she used to boast about? Yeah, apparently she wasn't kidding.

Cedric kept watching the old man for a few more seconds, then moved his gaze back to her.

She wore white gloves, her movements slow on purpose but clearly skilled. Every ingredient was weighed carefully on a digital scale before being poured in and mixed. She even held up some roses, doing little "tricks" like turning one flower into two. It was honestly kind of silly, but the old folks loved it-some even clapped appreciatively.

Getting their applause only made her more cheeky. She started tossing around measuring cups like she was in a little juggling act, basically using every item on the table like a prop.

Once the skincare cream was done, she stirred in crushed rose petals and packed the mixture into small clear jars.

They looked so cute when finished that she actually smiled. One by one, she handed them out. Some ladies clutched their jars like precious jewels, and that made her grin even more. Clearly, a love for pretty things didn't fade with age.

Cedric's grandfather had come in last and was seated all the way at the back. Sabrina had two boxes left in her hands-one for him, and the other one...

"Here," she said, stretching the one toward Cedric.

"Oh ho! Miss Lionhart plays favorites, huh? I want one too!" one of the nurses teased, clearly trying to make it less awkward and fishing for a gift of her own.

Cedric looked up at her but didn't take it.

Sabrina didn't lower her hand either, like she was silently daring him.

Time ticked by, and with the tension rising, the nurses went quiet. Some of the family members nearby also turned to look, and no matter how thick-skinned Sabrina might be, in that moment...

"Hey! Where are your manners?" Cedric's grandfather barked, breaking the silence with a loud reprimand. His voice had that unmistakable tone of a proper scolding. "If someone gives you something, you take it-both hands! Don't be rude! Right, Sabrina?"

He said her name so smoothly, so naturally.

In that split second, Sabrina felt like she'd gone back in time-to the days before he got sick.

She hadn't stayed long at the Lionharts' house, but thanks to Cedric, she'd seen his grandparents quite a few times.