This week, they finally decided to rent a villa and take a break together after being so busy with work for so long—a reunion of their old circle. Two teams joined the getaway this year, and for the first time, Ceva decided to come along, after so many past invitations he had declined.

The two teams were split between separate villa wings: Team 1 stayed in Villa A and Team 2 in Villa B. Ceva's team, consisting of six people, stayed in Villa A. His main reason for joining, though, was not just the reunion—but the girl he had quietly fallen for, who happened to be in Team 2.

Even if they were in separate villas, Ceva saw this as his chance—his quiet mission to finally win, to finally take a step forward.

While everyone gathered and mingled in the central courtyard that evening, Ceva, sly as ever, slipped away unnoticed. He found his way to a quiet side of the island, bringing her along for a moment away from the others—just the two of them.

Ceva sat beside her, his gaze lingering steadily—not intense in a way that made her uncomfortable, but filled with something else: quiet admiration, a touch of nervousness, and a deep, unspoken tenderness.

"If you're cold, we can go inside and talk instead," Ceva said at last, his voice low but thoughtful. "Just say we're handling some work stuff."

It wasn’t an excuse to run away—it was a cover, a fragile shield for the feelings he still couldn’t say out loud, but was beginning to show in every small gesture he made.