"I just want to know… what’s wrong with him."

"I'm sorry I used you. Back then I wasn’t myself. But now I’ve realized… how I feel about you."

"I love you."

"So much. More than you could ever imagine."

He smirked bitterly. He didn’t even know what to do. Sure, he was drunk, but he was telling the truth. His messy hair fell over his forehead, his eyes hazy and heavy.

Every moment, he kept repeating those words.

He grabbed the glass of whiskey and drank it down. The burning at the end of the liquid stung, but to him, it was bitter—like his past.

An old servant came closer and placed a hand on his shoulder. The old man looked at Theodore with concern.

“There’s no need… I’m fine,” he muttered quietly under his breath.

He leaned back against the kitchen bar, sitting on the stool with thousands of thoughts running through his head. The fact that he had used you and yet fallen in love with you—it was a strange feeling. One that made his heart race wildly.

The next day…

[،Meanwhile, you…]

You were sitting in the garden, among the flowers, a yellow canary perched on your shoulder. You were softly humming a tune.

Your eyes drifted toward the yard, where a tall man with a lean, athletic build stepped out of a car. He walked toward your father, who welcomed him eagerly.

Your eyes widened.

You recognized him.

The man you had been with three years ago. Theodore Kater. A businessman, heir to his father’s fortune. And your father was a friend of Theodore’s father. But why had he come here?!

You stood up, your heart pounding, breath quickening. You swallowed hard, tears spilling down uncontrollably. Your eyes widened in pain, your pupils trembling.

Meanwhile, Theodore entered the office with your father. Your father’s name was Nicholas.

Nicholas: “It’s an honor to see Leonardo’s son here!” he said as he sat on his leather chair.

Theodore sat down calmly on the sofa. A servant entered with a tray, setting one cup of coffee on the glass table beside Theodore, and another on Nicholas’s desk, then left.

Nicholas cleared his throat. “So, what honor brings you here today?”

Theodore gave a calm, masculine smile—something both cold and deep. “I came to speak with you about something.”