As dinner wound down, soft jazz floated over the hedges, and the quiet clink of wine glasses seemed to invite the neighbors in.
Up in the Malibu hills, where the homes were scattered and spacious, familiar faces began to appear—
a Hollywood actor fresh off the red carpet,
a Grammy-winning singer mid-tour,
a designer just back from Paris Fashion Week.
"Oh my god—is that Celeste?"
A voice called out from behind. Celeste turned, startled—then smiled.
"Matilda?"
She set down her glass and hugged her. Matilda, a New York–based perfumer, had worked with Langley on their Eau de Toilette project.
"It's been ages. I've heard you're killing it lately. You're going to out-earn your dads at this rate."
"It's only possible because of them," Celeste said, smiling.
"Still so humble." Matilda laughed, raising her glass.
Before long, the garden filled with soft chatter—flowing dresses brushing against open shirts, laughter mixing with the scent of wine and evening air.
Somewhere by the pool, a model in a sheer Versace robe balanced a coupe full of bubbling champagne.
"Celeste, this isn't a dinner. This is a kidnapping," Marcel joked as he popped open another bottle.
Georges looked out at the growing party and gave a slow, pleased nod.
"Yes… this feels like a proper Langley evening."
The villa no longer felt like a family gathering.
The stillness had shifted—into something elegant and electric.
And in the center of it all, just as always, was Celeste.
As night deepened, Mocha, her golden retriever, ran headfirst into the pool.
Celeste laughed and dove in after him, fully dressed.
Her shoulders glinted beneath the ripples, and her wet hair slid down her back.
In that moment, she wasn't a CEO, or someone's lover.
Just a woman—free, alive, and beautiful.
On the poolside sofa, three men watched her—each lost in his own thoughts.
Suhyeok showed up late—straight off a runway in New York—already in swim trunks, and slipped into the pool like he belonged there.
He wrapped an arm around her waist and splashed her, both of them laughing and tangled in the water.
Noah watched, raising an eyebrow.
"Guess I missed the memo on 'no rules tonight.'"
Daniel and Jinwoo chimed in together: "He's gay."
Noah nodded and downed the rest of his wine.
"Ah...Completely harmless. Got it."
Noah glanced at Celeste before finishing his thought.
"Still… feels like you all live in a different world."
Daniel smirked and turned his glass. Jinwoo just sipped quietly.
A moment later, Noah stood with the empty bottle in hand, gazing toward the pool where her laughter echoed.
"…Honestly," he murmured,
"just being allowed near her like this…I should be grateful."
Noah's words cracked something open in Jinwoo—something he'd been trying to ignore since last night.
Noah stepped inside to fetch another bottle.
Jinwoo, watching him go, glanced over at Daniel—at the look in his eyes.
Not competition. Not doubt.
Just the simple truth that she was there, laughing, radiant, unreachable in her freedom.
"She's beautiful, isn't she?" he said softly.
"...What?" Daniel blinked.
"I think Noah was right," Jinwoo murmured.
"It's enough... just being near her."
He set his glass down with a small sigh.
The rim clinked faintly against the stone table.
"Feels like someone just slapped me awake."
Daniel gave him a sideways look.
"Since when do you get all philosophical?"
"I don't know."
Jinwoo rubbed the back of his neck.
His voice dropped, quieter now.
"My head's been a mess lately. But right now... things feel clearer. Lighter."
Daniel tilted his head.
"Okay... but what are you even talking about?"
Jinwoo exhaled, this time with a faint smile tugging at the corner of his lips.
"I kept trying to figure something out," he said.
"Something that didn't need solving. I thought... maybe I had to define everything. Compare it. Measure it. Choose it."
A pause.
"But it's not that kind of thing. It's just... different. And that's okay."
He smiled to himself.
"I love her. That's all that matters."
Daniel's heart skipped a beat.
He blinked and looked at Jinwoo, just as Jinwoo turned toward him.
"Daniel,"
he said.
"That thing you told me once—about how things work in your world?"
Daniel nodded.
"Well… I think I get it now."
He looked at Daniel, not as a rival, but as someone who'd known this truth far earlier.
"I think I'm part of that world too."
He clapped Daniel twice on the shoulder, then dove into the pool.
He scooped Celeste into his arms, kissed her, and with a laugh, tossed her back into the water.
Her laughter rose, and droplets scattered into the night.
In that moment, love didn't belong to anyone in particular.
It simply belonged to everyone who was there.