The engagement banquet made headlines.

However, it didn't cause much of a stir, as everyone assumed it was merely a PR move by the Green family.

As always, Brice was left to manage the mess created by Bowen's impulsiveness.

It had happened countless times in the past.

Bowen had the same thought when he received the news alert in the hospital.

He then sent me a voice message, with Rosie's weak cough audible in the background. "Leyla, I knew you would understand the bigger picture. The engagement banquet is just a formality, not important. I'll make it up to you with a grand wedding. Don't be mad. Just wait at home for me. I'll be back in a couple of days."

He sounded confident and seemed to be sure that I was still the pet and would run back at his beck and call.

I remembered the first time I met Bowen.

It was at a gathering dinner between our two families.

My mother was dissatisfied with the way I cut my steak. She poked my forehead and criticized me in front of everyone. "The Yates family spent so much money on your education, and you can't even learn proper etiquette."

I hung my head in embarrassment. I had the urge to disappear into a hole.

I was surrounded by the mocking or indifferent gazes of the elders. But Bowen was different. He casually tapped his glass.

"Mrs. Yates, you cannot criticize your daughter like that," he said with a raised eyebrow and a smile. Then he swapped his perfectly cut steak with mine. "Have this, and let me cut it for you."

In that moment, I, who had never been favored, thought I had found salvation.

Later, I realized it was merely the casual benevolence of Bowen or a way to show rebellion in front of the elders.

His defense of me was just a whim, but I took it seriously.

For this so-called love, I lowered myself to the point of self-neglect.

Thinking back now, it was nothing but a joke.

After the engagement banquet, Brice didn't take me to the Greens' home.

The car drove all the way to the top of the mountain, stopping at the entrance of a secluded estate known as Cloud Mansion.

It was Brice's private place. Even his grandfather had reportedly visited only a few times.

As I pushed open the door, I was stunned.

There were no traces of any women, but sunflowers were everywhere.

The painting in the foyer, the vases in the living room, and even the garden outside the large windows were filled with sunflowers.

They were radiant and vibrant like miniature suns.

I was a bit dazed.

I had never told anyone that I liked sunflowers because Bowen thought they were tacky, only fit to be side characters in a vase.

So I always pretended to like roses.

The butler and the servants approached.

They took my coat naturally with respectful expressions.

"Mrs. Green, dinner is ready."

"Mrs. Green, here are your slippers."

It seemed that they had rehearsed countless times and just waited for me to move in.

The dinner was sumptuous, filled with dishes I loved.

The dishes were light, with little oil, unlike Bowen's preference for spicy and heavy flavors.

Brice sat at the head of the table and spoke little. He methodically cut his steak.

That night, I was arranged in the master bedroom.

The black, white, and gray tones were cold and hard. Yet the style exuded a certain kind of austere allure.

I sat on the edge of the bed and twisted the sheets with my fingers. I was very nervous.

Although I had made the first move on stage, I was still nervous now.

The bathroom door opened, and Brice walked out, wrapped in a towel.

Water droplets traced down his torso and disappeared into the fabric at his waist.

He was drying his hair and let out a low chuckle when he noticed my rigid posture. "You were quite bold kissing me at the engagement ceremony. Why are you so timid now?"

He walked over and got down on his knee by the bed. His gaze was level with mine.

The pressure was immediate.

He asked, "Leyla, do you regret it?"

I bit my lip and remained silent.

Brice reached out, and his thumb brushed over my lips, turning the pale color into a deep red.

"There's no turning back now," he whispered as he leaned in, pressing me down.

In the hospital, Rosie was casually scrolling through her phone when she showed Bowen a news article about an engagement. "Bowen, look," she said, biting her lower lip. Her gaze was a mix of innocence and tentativeness. "Do you think Leyla is really going to get engaged to Brice? They do look quite a match, don't they?"

Bowen glanced at the screen.

In the photo, I stood quietly beside Brice and looked almost annoyingly submissive.

Bowen's usually flirtatious eyes were full of disdain, though there was a subtle hint of unease in his expression.

He sneered, "He is a work-obsessed machine, and she is a dull puppet. How are they a match? She's just trying to annoy me. She'll be back to me within three days." Despite his confident words, he felt an inexplicable anxiety.

The feeling of losing control was unsettling.

He forced himself to stay calm and dialed Brice's number.

Meanwhile, in the master bedroom of the Cloud Mansion, the atmosphere was intimate.

Brice was leaning over me.

He glanced at his lit-up phone screen with mockery in his eyes.

He didn't hang up. Instead, he answered and put it on speaker.

Bowen's voice came through the speaker, as casual and nonchalant as ever. "Thanks for today, Brice. If you hadn't covered for me, Grandpa would have broken my legs. Don't worry about Leyla. Leave her be for a few days, and she'll come around."

My body became tense on hearing Bowen's words, and my eyelashes fluttered slightly.

My faint disappointment didn't escape Brice's notice.

His gaze darkened instantly.

Without a word, he propped himself up beside me, and his other hand slipped under my dress.

His palm was warm and slightly calloused, sending shivers wherever it touched.

I couldn't suppress a low moan.

Although it was low, it sounded intimate enough to stir Bowen's imagination in the quiet night.

The other end of the line fell silent instantly.

"Brice?" Bowen's voice changed, tinged with suspicion. "Is there a woman with you?"

Brice lowered his head and kissed me on the collarbone.

He placed a soft bite on me.

"Mm…" I couldn't hold back, and a breathy sound escaped my lips.

Bowen was in a panic. "Who is that woman?"

Brice still didn't respond.

His fingers moved slightly and made me squirm. Bowen heard my ragged breathing clearly over the phone.

He was thoroughly flustered and raised his voice sharply. "Brice, what are you doing? Say something!"

Brice let out a cold snort and hung up the call. Then he shut off his phone.

Back at the hospital, Bowen listened to the busy tone and became restless.

He jumped up and was ready to rush out. "I can't just sit here. I have to go back and check it."

But his sleeve was gently tugged.

Rosie's face was pale, and her eyes instantly turned red. She was like a fragile flower caught in a storm.

"Bowen, please don't leave…" She looked up, and tears glistened in her eyes. "I know I have no right to keep you here. I never dared to hope for a relationship with you, but I just wish to quietly stay by your side at a time like this. Is that okay?"

Bowen paused and looked at her pitiful appearance. His steps faltered, and he eventually stayed with her in the hospital.

At the Cloud Mansion, Brice looked at me, and his eyes were filled with a desire that was almost tangible.

But he stopped.

He withdrew his hand from under my dress and fixed my disheveled clothes.

"If you're unwilling, I won't force you." He got off the bed, grabbed a pillow, and headed for the door. "I'm going to the guest room."

At the door, he hesitated for a moment. "Leyla, I want you to be willing to be with me. I don't want to be a pawn in your revenge against Bowen."

The door closed.

I lay on the large bed, surrounded by Brice's scent, which oddly comforted me.

I had the most peaceful sleep I'd had in seven years that night.

The next morning, Bowen finally managed to pull himself away and returned to our downtown apartment.

As he opened the door, a sense of emptiness greeted him.

The slippers were neatly arranged, but the warm water he usually drank was not on the table.

In the walk-in closet, more than half of my section was empty.

An inexplicable pang hit Bowen's heart.

He took out his phone to call me.

It rang for a long time before it was answered, but it wasn't my voice on the other end. It was Brice's.

"What's up?" Brice's voice sounded lazy and hoarse, with a hint of a morning nasal tone.

Bowen was stunned instantly. "Brice, why are you..."

"She's still sleeping," Brice replied nonchalantly. "She was exhausted yesterday."

His words left Bowen utterly puzzled.

"What do you mean? She stayed over at your place? You and she..."

The call was abruptly ended.

Bowen was furious and almost smashed his phone.

He rushed to Cloud Manor angrily and burst into the dining room.

I had sent my clothes for cleaning, so I had to put on Brice's white shirt. Its oversized hem barely covered my thighs.

The exposed part of my calf was strikingly attractive.

I was sipping porridge slowly.

Brice sat beside me. He was peeling shrimp with his long fingers and placing them naturally into my bowl.

The sight pierced Bowen's heart.

He strode forward and grabbed my wrist tightly. He seemed to be trying to crush the bones.

"Leyla!" Bowen gritted his teeth. "Are you so desperate for a man that you'd even go after my brother?"

Even though I had decided to move on from Bowen, his humiliating words still pierced my heart.

He cheated on me first, but now he was righteously accusing me?

Thinking about how I had devoted myself to him for seven years, I felt it was like a joke.

Just as I was about to retort, Brice beat me to it.

He stood up and gripped Bowen's wrist with a slight force. "Let go."

His voice carried an undeniable authority.

Bowen winced in pain and had no choice but to release his grip on my wrist.

He was annoyed and asked, "Brice, what do you mean? Leyla is my fiancée!"

Brice took a wet wipe and carefully cleaned my hands. He didn't even spare a glance for Bowen. "You are at Cloud Mason. It's not a place for you to act wildly."

Bowen glared at Brice with a hint of doubt in his eyes.

Although Brice often cleaned up Bowen's messes, the latter didn't dare act too recklessly in front of the former, the eldest son of the family, who still commanded respect.

Watching Brice attentively clean my fingers without any further intimate gestures, Bowen felt a sense of relief.

Brice wouldn't be with me, Bowen's fiancée.

He felt it must be me throwing a tantrum over yesterday's engagement party fiasco. It was just my way to draw attention.

With this thought, Bowen said in a softened tone, "Alright, Leyla. I was wrong to leave you yesterday. But it is too much for you to team up with Brice to upset me. I'll let it slide this time. Come back with me, and stop embarrassing yourself here at Brice's place."

Bowen, in a patronizing tone, reached out to take my hand.

Just as I was about to evade, his phone rang.

It was Rosie again.

"Bowen, I fell and bled so much..." Her voice, with sobs, came through the receiver.

Bowen's expression changed instantly.

He looked at me and then at his phone.

In the end, Rosie won.

"Wait. I'm coming right away." He turned to leave before warning me. "Leyla, I'm running out of patience. You'd better know when to stop. Don't forget that your family is counting on the Green family to save them financially this time."

With that, he hurriedly left.

Watching his retreating figure, I suddenly found it amusing.

He still thought that it was just my way of trying to get his attention.

Brice offered the last peeled shrimp to me. A hint of amusement flashed in his eyes. "It seems that he still doesn't know what was going on. No worries. He'll figure it out soon enough."