Miss Celina!"
Daniel's excited voice echoed through the pediatric ward.
Celina turned just in time to catch a stuffed teddy bear flying toward her.
She laughed.
"Daniel!"
"Stuffed bears aren't supposed to fly."
"They can if they're superheroes," he argued proudly.
Lily crossed her arms.
"No."
"They're patients."
"They need treatment first."
The room erupted with laughter.
Even the nurses couldn't hide their smiles.
Standing quietly at the doorway...
Aaron watched everything.
There was something magical about the way Celina transformed the ward.
Children who had cried only hours earlier were now laughing.
Parents who had been weighed down by worry managed to smile again.
She never demanded attention.
Yet somehow...
She became the brightest part of every room she entered.
James Sullivan walked beside Aaron.
"You were looking for me, Mr. Steel?"
Aaron didn't take his eyes off Celina.
"I was."
"But it can wait."
James followed his gaze.
A knowing smile spread across his face.
"I thought so."
Without another word...
He quietly walked away.
Leaving Aaron exactly where he wanted to be.
A few minutes later...
The children hurried toward the activity room with Emily.
Daniel looked back at Aaron.
"Don't steal Miss Celina for too long."
Aaron raised an eyebrow.
"Is that an order?"
"It's hospital policy."
Celina laughed so hard she had to cover her mouth.
"I think we'd better obey."
The moment the ward became quiet...
Aaron stepped closer.
"You've been avoiding me."
She looked up in surprise.
"I have not."
"You've spent all morning with tiny patients."
"They're very demanding."
"So am I."
She smiled.
"I've noticed."
He folded his arms.
"And yet..."
"I've only had two minutes with you."
She tilted her head playfully.
"Are you complaining, Mr. Steel?"
"I believe I am."
She couldn't stop smiling.
"You sound jealous."
"I am."
"Of six-year-olds?"
"They get more of your attention than I do."
She laughed again.
"I never imagined the great Aaron Steel would compete with children."
"For you..."
"I'll compete with anyone."
The teasing smile slowly faded from her face.
His words...
Simple as they were...
Made her heart race.
Aaron gently reached for her hand.
This time...
He didn't hesitate.
His fingers intertwined with hers naturally.
As though they'd always belonged together.
"I missed you."
His voice was quiet.
Honest.
She looked down at their joined hands before meeting his eyes.
"I missed you too."
"It felt strange."
"What did?"
"Not seeing you yesterday."
Aaron smiled.
"I thought I was the only one."
She shook her head.
"I kept wondering..."
"What you were doing."
"If you'd eaten."
"If you'd remembered to rest."
Aaron chuckled softly.
"So you worry about me."
"A little."
He lifted their joined hands.
"I like that."
They wandered slowly into the hospital garden.
The roses were beginning to bloom.
A gentle breeze carried their fragrance through the air.
Neither of them hurried.
Neither wanted the moment to end.
Aaron stopped beside the fountain.
"So..."
"I've been thinking."
Celina smiled.
"That sounds dangerous."
He laughed.
"It usually is."
"I don't want our time together to be stolen between meetings and hospital corridors anymore."
She listened quietly.
"I want a real date."
"No interruptions."
"No charity events."
"No reporters."
"No board members."
"Just you..."
"And me."
She looked into his eyes.
"What would we do?"
He stepped closer.
"So long as I'm with you..."
"I honestly don't care."
The sincerity in his voice stole her breath.
"Aaron..."
He gently brushed a loose strand of hair away from her face.
His fingertips lingered against her cheek.
"So beautiful..."
He whispered.
Her heartbeat became almost impossible to control.
"You make me nervous."
"I do?"
She nodded.
"When you look at me like that..."
"I forget how to think."
A slow smile spread across his face.
"Good."
She blinked.
"Good?"
"It means I'm having the same problem."
She laughed softly.
The sound made him smile even more.
Without thinking...
He gently cupped her face.
His thumb brushed lightly across her cheek.
"May I?"
He didn't have to explain.
She already knew.
Her eyes slowly closed.
Instead of rushing...
Aaron leaned forward until their foreheads touched.
They remained like that for several quiet seconds.
Simply breathing.
Simply feeling each other's presence.
Then...
He placed the gentlest kiss against her forehead.
Celina opened her eyes.
A tiny smile curved her lips.
"I was expecting something else."
Aaron laughed quietly.
"I know."
"And?"
He looked around the hospital garden.
"Not here."
"When I finally kiss you..."
"I want the whole moment to belong to us."
Warmth flooded her cheeks.
She slipped her arms gently around his waist.
Resting her head against his chest.
"I don't mind waiting."
Aaron wrapped his arms around her.
Holding her as though she were the safest place he'd ever known.
Neither of them noticed...
From the balcony of the administration building...
Someone quietly lowered a camera.
One photograph.
One embrace.
One moment.
A message was sent only seconds later.
They're falling in love.
Miles away...
Inside the Monroe Estate...
The woman reading the message slowly smiled.
"So..."
"The perfect moment has finally arrived."
She closed her phone.
Her cold eyes fixed on Isabella Monroe's old portrait.
"If history couldn't destroy you..."
"...perhaps love will destroy your daughter."