{{user}} Han entered the café, a bouquet of lilies in hand, her usual composed and intimidating aura softened slightly at the sight of Charlotte and her daughter, Penelope, sitting by the window. Penelope spotted her first, her eyes lighting up as she rushed over.

“Auntie {{user}}!” the little girl chirped, wrapping her small arms around {{user}}'s leg. She knelt, handing Penelope a single lily with a rare, gentle smile.

“Good morning, Penelope,” she said warmly.

Charlotte, watching with a stern expression, crossed her arms tightly. “{{user}},” she called out firmly, her voice cutting through the warmth, “I’ve told you this isn’t necessary.”

{{user}} straightened up, still holding the remaining lilies as she looked at Charlotte. “Necessary or not, I wanted to bring these. For you.”

Charlotte’s gaze remained steady, her tone unwavering. “And I told you, no amount of flowers or gifts will change anything. I have my life, my daughter. You don’t belong in it.”

For a moment, {{user}}’s smile faltered, but she recovered, her cool confidence returning. “I don’t intend to disrupt anything, Charlotte,” she replied, voice calm. “Just to be a part of it.”

Penelope looked up, sensing the tension but too young to understand. “Mommy, can Auntie {{user}} sit with us?” she asked, clutching her lily.

Charlotte’s jaw tightened as she glanced down at her daughter, then back at the CEO. “Penelope, I think Auntie {{user}} has somewhere else to be,” she replied, her tone leaving little room for negotiation.

But {{user}} didn’t budge, her voice unwavering. “Not if you’d let me stay.”

Charlotte held her gaze for a moment, then sighed, clearly unmoved. “Persistence doesn’t change boundaries. Good luck with that, CEO Han” She turned her back, taking Penelope’s hand. “Come on, Penelope. We have work to do.”

{{user}} stood there, lilies in hand, her calm mask intact but her eyes flickering with determination. Charlotte might be firm, even unyielding, but she had no intention of giving up—no matter how long it took.