Happy Valley.
"Wuhu—" May Miller ran alone at the front, happily waving both hands in the air. Looking at the handsome guys ahead, showing off their powerful arms and well-defined abs.
Riley Palmer and Chloe Frost followed closely behind May, looking at the girl in front of them, feeling a little like they didn't even want to know her anymore.
But there was nothing they could do about her.
Riley Palmer's apartment.
"Just wear it, then the everybody will know we're bestiee!" May enthusiastically recommended that they put on the clothes she was holding.
They were matching best-friend outfits, with a big squirrel face printed in the middle.
Disgust filled Riley's face as she looked at May's enthusiastic expression. Her head stiffly turned to look at Chloe again and again.
In the end, the two of them still couldn't resist May's endless persistence and reluctantly nodded in agreement.
But both of them took advantage of the recently cooling weather and wrapped themselves in coats.
Riley and Chloe crossed their arms, awkwardly covering the squirrel face on their clothes. Looking at May happily weaving through the crowd, they couldn't help but admire how thick-skinned she was.
"Buzz buzz—"
Riley looked at the message on her phone.
[Wife, what are you doing?]
[Miss you.jpg]
Riley smiled softly at the set of coquettish messages Adrian Carter had sent and replied,
[I miss you too.]
She raised her phone, took a selfie, and sent it to Adrian.
In the conference room, Adrian looked at the photo Riley sent. The coldness he usually showed others was gone, replaced by a peaceful smile.
Everyone in the meeting room, seeing their boss's abnormal expression, was too scared to say anything.
Yulius Linn quietly looked at his boss smiling foolishly and helplessly shook his head.
Yulius complained in his heart, that their boss really seemed like the type who loved beauty more than power.
"Riley, hurry up!" May called out from the front to Riley, who was still standing in place.
Riley looked up in their direction, smiled, put her phone back into her bag, and ran toward them.
May affectionately hooked her arms around Riley's and Chloe's wrists, dragging them forward into the crowd.
"Riley, Chloe, look over there!" May pointed at the mascot on top of the Happy Valley castle.
Riley looked in that direction, and her eyes lit up.
A little bear mascot was standing on the castle, waving its hand. It was the symbol of Happy Valley.
It looked exactly like the big bear next to Riley's bed.
"Let's go! Let's take photos!" May pulled their hands and ran toward the bear.
Unlike Riley and May's excitement, among the three of them, Chloe was the odd one out.
She had no interest in these cute things, or rather, no feelings toward them at all.
Chloe was a realist. To her, these mascots were just toys, things with no value.
If they broke, they would only end up in the trash.
The sunlight softly fell on their faces. Chloe held up her phone and took pictures of the beautiful moments of Riley and May.
Looking at their silly, happy smiles, Chloe felt an endless sense of satisfaction.
The newly bought camera captured a total of 1,500 photos. Every single one was filled with the joyful images of Riley and May.
A person who had never felt love since childhood was ultimately the one who understood best how to love others.
"Chloe, come on! Let's ride the Ferris wheel!" May and Riley turned to look at Chloe, who was blankly staring at the photos, and called her over, telling her not to get lost again.
Pear Hall.
Soft lights filled the private room, carrying a faint scent of osmanthus.
Riley sat quietly beside the main seat, her face full of joy as she looked at her phone.
May dragged her chair closer to Chloe, leaning her head gently on Chloe's shoulder while watching her reply to work messages.
"Riley, when is your husband coming?" May asked weakly.
Riley slowly put down her phone and looked at her. "They're here already."
Chloe looked at Riley. They… who else?
"Knock, knock—"
The door opened. It was Adrian Carter.
He nodded slightly toward Chloe and May, then walked straight to Riley.
He looked at her for a long, long time. He had so many things he wanted to say, but in the end, the only thing that came out was, "Did you have fun today?"
Riley smiled and nodded, then shifted her gaze to the man who entered after him. "Mr. Sterling."
Leonard Sterling nodded slightly and looked at Chloe and May who were seated nearby. "Miss Frost, Miss Miller."
Chloe gave a slight nod and softly said, "Mr. Sterling."
May grinned and scratched her head. "Mr. Sterling, you still remember me."
Leonard didn't reply, only nodded quietly and sat down across from May.
May tried hard to look outside the door but still couldn't see the person she wanted to see.
Adrian sat beside Riley, intimately playing with her hair. Seeing May's behavior, he spoke to Leonard:
"Leonard, where's Caleb?"
Leonard lifted his eyes from his phone, glanced at Adrian, then at May's obviously disappointed eyes. "He's still on set."
Hearing their answer, May silently lowered her head.
Riley saw everything and secretly made up her mind. One day, she would let May see Caleb.
"Knock, knock—"
"Mr. Carter, Mr. Sterling."
A waiter entered and respectfully greeted them with a smile.
"Mr. Carter, the usual for you?"
Adrian didn't think much and answered directly, "Add another plate of crayfish and boiled beef."
His eyes moved toward the girls. "Ladies, is there anything else you'd like to order?"
May glanced at the menu in her hands and shook her head lightly. "That's enough."
Riley agreed as well. "We already had some snacks earlier."
Only then did Adrian nod. "That's all then."
The waiter respectfully took the menu from May's hands and slowly exited.
Inside the private room, the vibes were clear.
Adrian and Riley in full-on sweet, lovey-dovey mode. Chloe and May with their deep best-friend bond.
Only Leonard's side was missing the one figure who could really make him happy.
Leonard kept checking Caleb's Moments again and again, pressing the back button repeatedly, then opening the timeline again. Seeing him appear on the trending searches, he felt a faint sourness in his heart.
Adrian glanced at Leonard, noticing something was off, and slowly toned down his affectionate gestures.
"Leo." Adrian lowered his voice.
Leonard raised his head and looked at him but didn't speak.
"I remember your Ignite Group has a design company, doesn't it?"
Leonard thought for a moment before answering, "Yeah, I think so."
The Gu family controlled many commercial sectors; it seemed like they had a hand in almost every field.
Adrian looked at Riley beside him. "Another day, I'll take Riley to check it out."
Leonard glanced at his lit-up phone and casually replied, "Whatever."
[Leonard Sterling, I'm off work!]
[Where are you? Send your location!]
Looking at the message on his phone, a faint smile broke through his originally indifferent eyes.
Dishes began to arrive one after another.
May's eyes sparkled at the table full of food as she refilled her bowl again and again.
Leonard also asked the waiter beside him for a new set of chopsticks and carefully placed the bowl and cutlery next to him.
He picked up the serving chopsticks and placed some of every dish into the empty bowl.
Adrian, still working on peeling shrimp, noticed his actions. "Caleb's coming?"
"Yeah." With none of his earlier coldness, Leonard now sounded extremely cheerful, continuously piling food into the bowl.
Leonard's own bowl remained spotless, while the one prepared for Caleb was already filled with food.
Shrimp, meatballs, fish, ribs all of Caleb's favorites.
Leonard carefully peeled the shrimp and removed fish bones, making sure that Caleb could enjoy the food without worry.
"Leonard Sterling! I'm here."
A boy wrapped in a thick coat, wearing black sunglasses, a black mask, and a white hat, stood at the door.
"So lively in here…"
Caleb slowly closed the door and looked at the stunned faces staring at him.
His eyes landed on Leonard, who was watching the show from the side. Out of everyone present, Leonard was the only one Caleb could mess with.
"Leonard Sterling! You didn't even tell me so many people were here today!" Caleb lightly smacked Leonard's shoulder, glaring at him in complaint.
Leonard chuckled and looked at him. "You didn't ask."
Caleb's face changed as he was about to argue. "Leona—"
His mouth was blocked by a piece of shrimp paste.
Fresh and bouncy, it was shrimp paste.
Caleb closed his eyes and slowly savored the flavor in his mouth, enjoying the delicious food.
When he looked at Leonard, there was still a hint of grievance in his eyes, as if to say fine, I'll forgive you for now.
Leonard's hands didn't stop as he continued peeling shrimp, one after another disappearing into Caleb's stomach.
"Stop! Leonard Sterling, I'm going to get fat." Caleb quickly stopped him.
Leonard gently moved his hand away. "You won't. Shrimp is high-quality protein."
Caleb thought about it carefully and nodded.
To be honest, he just really wanted to eat it too.