"Where are you going?" Xavier asked Anna as he noticed her getting dressed.
"I'm just going to meet a friend. Apparently, she has a new collection of jewelry for sale, and I want to see it. I'll also stop by Dylan's apartment afterward to clean," Anna replied.
"You're still cleaning there? I told you, we could just have the household staff do it," Xavier said.
"Come on, I might as well do it myself. I don't have much else to do. Besides, Dylan might be back there soon, and since he's close to my nephew, we could even offer to let them stay there together. After all, we're planning to have them study at the same time," Anna explained.
Xavier sighed. "Fine, it's up to you. If it makes you happy. But you're not even sure yet, right? You said Flynn got angry when he found out about us."
"I know. But I have complete faith in Dylan—he can convince Flynn," Anna said confidently.
It had already been two weeks since Anna discovered that Dylan and Flynn knew each other. Ever since, she had become more excited to handle Flynn's paperwork for studying abroad, thinking everything would be much easier since she was close to Dylan.
She had also been pestering Xavier almost daily, urging him to speak to his son to bring him back home.
Once she was ready, Anna headed straight to a private restaurant to meet her friend.
As soon as Anna arrived, her friend showed her the jewelry collection. The sparkling diamond pieces immediately caught her attention. But what drew her gaze the most was a serpent-shaped diamond necklace.
"You can try it on if you like," Anna's friend said, noticing the way her eyes lingered on the necklace.
Anna didn't hesitate. She lifted the delicate piece and draped it around her neck. The diamonds caught the light, sparkling brilliantly. "Wow... it's stunning," she breathed, mesmerized by how it shimmered against her skin.
"That necklace is top-tier rose gold, set with flawless diamonds, and it's a limited edition," her friend explained, pride lacing her words. "It's one of the crown jewels of my collection, and honestly... I doubt I'll ever come across another one like it."
"How much?" Anna asked, still running her fingers over the intricate design.
"Fifty thousand dollars," her friend said, a small smile tugging at her lips. "Pieces like this don't come around often. That's why it's worth every cent."
Anna nodded, already reaching for her phone. "Alright. I'll take it. I'll just wire the payment to your account," she said, clearly reluctant to remove the necklace from her neck even for a second. It fit perfectly, as though it had been made just for her.
After transferring the money to her friend, Anna stayed for a little while to chat. She left only when she noticed how late it had gotten, remembering she still had to stop by Dylan's apartment.
Once she stepped out of the restaurant, she immediately called Xavier to let him know she'd be late getting home.
When she arrived at Dylan's building, she rode the elevator up to the 10th floor and headed straight for his unit. But before entering, she noticed the door was slightly ajar. Anna frowned—she could have sworn she had closed it tightly the last time she was there, just the day before.
Cautiously, she pushed the door open and switched on the light. Something felt off. As she stepped toward the living room, her eyes scanned the space. She didn't notice the small vase perched on the side table by the sofa until she accidentally knocked it over.
Seeing that the unit was otherwise tidy and showed no signs of a break-in, Anna quickly grabbed a broom and dustpan to clean up the shattered vase.
Just as she finished, she heard a bedroom door open behind her. Startled, she turned—and froze. Flynn and Dylan emerged from the room.
Dropping the broom, Anna rushed forward. "Flynn, my nephew! So you're here," she said, cupping Flynn's face in her hands.
"I-I was just helping Dylan grab some things," Flynn replied quickly, a little awkward under her attention.
"I knew it—you got dragged here by Dylan," Anna said, glancing at him with a knowing smile. "Thank you, Dylan, for bringing Flynn here. "Why don't you two just stay here?" she added warmly, not really thinking about how it might sound.
Dylan immediately pulled Anna's hand away from Flynn's face, his eyes narrowing. Without a word, he grabbed Flynn's arm and drew him close.
"That's enough," Dylan said, his tone sharp as he looked at Anna. "You're not deciding where we stay, and I didn't bring him here for you."
He released Flynn just enough to let him stand beside him. "It's late, Flynn. Let's go home—to your place."
Anna pursed her lips, speaking with sincere concern but oblivious to Dylan's irritation. "Wait, you live at Lucas's house? Why don't the two of you just stay here instead? This place is so much nicer than—"
"What's the problem with staying at Uncle Lucas' house?" Dylan said, his voice low but steady. "That place actually feels more like a home compared to this... where snakes seem to pop out of nowhere."
He stressed the word snakes deliberately, his gaze dropping pointedly to the Serpenti necklace resting against Anna's collarbone.
Without giving her a chance to respond, Dylan tightened his hold on Flynn's wrist and pulled him toward the door, leading him out of the unit.
The moment they were gone, Anna remained standing in the quiet room, stunned by the weight of Dylan's words. Her hand slowly rose to her necklace, fingers curling around it. Dylan hadn't said her name, but Anna understood exactly who he meant.
A flicker of hurt crossed her eyes before she forced her expression back into its usual calm. She let out a quiet breath and simply watched the door where they had gone, choosing not to call them back.
When Flynn and Dylan arrived at the apartment building parking lot, Dylan headed straight to his parked car. He opened the door for Flynn. "Get in," Dylan said.
Once Flynn was inside, Dylan slid into the driver's seat and started the engine. He noticed Flynn's irritation after what had just happened with Anna.
"Are you okay?" Dylan asked gently.
"I'm just tired," Flynn replied quietly.
"Don't worry about her. Let's just go home and get some rest," Dylan said.
Flynn simply nodded and turned his gaze out the window.
Lucas was about to head to his room to sleep, growing impatient waiting for Flynn since it was already late and he still hadn't come home. He figured Flynn would spend the night at Dylan's place, and he was completely at ease knowing Dylan would be there with him.
Before Lucas could step into his room, he heard the sound of a car pulling up in front of their house. Peeking outside, he saw Flynn and Dylan getting out of the vehicle, and he decided to go greet them.
"Uncle, sorry we're so late," Dylan said as they entered the house and Lucas came to meet them.
"No problem. I'm just happy you're back," Lucas said, gently holding Dylan's arm. "Flynn told me you're the child of the man who will marry flynn's Aunt Anna. So that means your family must be wealthy... I just hope you won't see me differently because of how simple I am."
"No, Uncle. Honestly, I actually prefer it here," Dylan said sincerely.
Lucas chuckled. "Well then, there's nothing to worry about. You're really such a good kid. Just know you're always welcome here—you can stay as long as you like."
"Thanks, Uncle," Dylan replied.
"All right, you two, go get some rest," Lucas said, and they headed to their respective rooms.