“… That person?”
“Mm, that person…”
He lifted his head, his dark hair catching the faint glow of the breeze. “The one I’m in a relationship with.”
—
“Are you sure about this, Theo?”
When practice ended, the girls all left as if utterly crushed. Mike approached him with a smile. “Revealing that you’re in a relationship will hurt your popularity, you know.”
Theo chuckled softly, his clear eyes radiating light like dawn breaking through the twilight, breathtaking in their beauty. “It doesn’t matter. After all, I only care about *that person.*”
“Speaking of which… Theo, you haven’t introduced this person you’re dating to us yet, have you?”
Adjusting the bowtie on the teddy bear in his hands, Mike glanced at him knowingly, her eyes sparkling with amusement as though she could see through everything. “The one even I don’t know about—who could they be?”
“Well…”
Gripping the strap of his backpack, Theo began walking toward the door. “Does it really matter if you don’t know?”
*Oh my…*
Mike lowered her lashes, her enigmatic gaze concealing unspoken thoughts.
*Such a terrifying sense of possessiveness.*
—
At the entrance to his home, Theo stepped out of the car and pulled out his phone, pressing the first number on his speed dial.
After a long wait, the call went unanswered.
He frowned slightly.
From earlier today, he hadn’t been able to reach them at all.
*Could it be… they forgot?*
—
At 8 p.m., a large gift box arrived at his door.
Shifting his gaze away from the unresponsive phone, Theo glanced at the massive box with little interest.
With a resigned smile, he muttered, “It’s fine. Time to sleep.”
*After all, you’re the best gift I could ask for.*
—
He carried her carefully into the bedroom, gently placing her on the bed.
As he lowered her, his hand accidentally brushed against her ear, and in the process, it caught the silver-rimmed glasses perched on his nose, pulling them off.
For a moment, the air seemed to freeze.
Half-asleep, Avira Nassy groggily rubbed her eyes. “Mmm… I think I felt something…”
“No, nothing.”
Theo’s voice was calm, soothing, as he placed the glasses back on with a subtle, unreadable smile.
The boy’s soft, low voice seemed to echo right by her ear.
Avira Nassy froze.
Warm breath brushed across her cheek, and she suddenly became aware of a weight pressing down on her. Tilting her head upward, she found herself face-to-face with those mesmerizing, almost otherworldly eyes.
Her fingers were locked tightly, and her whole body was pinned beneath him.
Avira Nassy shifted uncomfortably, her voice carrying a trace of unease. “Theo…”
Theo’s gaze deepened as he tilted her chin upward, his thumb gently brushing over her cream-streaked lips.
“It can’t be ‘nothing.’”
His voice was soft, almost a whisper, as his thumb lingered, stroking her lips with such tenderness that even the surrounding air seemed to grow warmer.
“What…?”
Avira Nassy’s thoughts grew hazy.
“Avira ate the cake meant for me… so…”
He lowered his head, slowly and deliberately licking away the cream on the corner of her lips. Then, with a slight tilt of his head, he smiled—a devilishly enchanting curve, as vibrant and deadly as a blooming poppy.
“So now, I can only… eat Avira instead.”
—
Nick furrowed his brows. “Leon, I think we should stop getting involved in this matter. It’s far from simple.”
“Hmm?”
“I’ve already done some digging. There’s no record of a second person, not even a sibling. But your earlier observation lines up with my own thoughts. If our suspicions are correct, this could involve too many secrets. It might be better for us to avoid this trouble altogether.
“There are plenty of top-tier actresses who would kill for the lead role in this idol drama. A-listers are a dime a dozen. We don’t need to waste time on a girl whose identity we can’t even verify—”
“No.”
Leon interrupted him, turning to gaze out the window.
On the rooftop of the city’s tallest building across the street, a massive advertisement loomed, its dazzling display impossible to ignore.
The composite-style poster featured a lineup of stunningly handsome boys in basketball uniforms, the gold-embossed crest on their jerseys gleaming against the solid-colored backgrounds that showcased their individuality.
At the center of the poster stood Leon himself, draped in his team uniform.
His commanding presence and effortless charisma drew the eye irresistibly, holding it captive against the backdrop of the city skyline.
