Chapter 3

When I arrived at Valerie's house, her aunt and uncle greeted me warmly.

The food was exquisite, and the atmosphere was lovely.

Mid-meal, there was a commotion from the entryway. I instinctively looked over.

A tall figure walked in, long legs striding with an effortless cool.

His striking silver hair, glinting lip piercing, and a black and red biker jacket accentuated his lean, tall frame.

His expression was cold and aloof, jawline taut, giving off that undeniably cool vibe that makes young girls shriek and go crazy.

But for "seniors" like Valerie and me, our first reaction was to unconsciously shrink back a bit.

Valerie lightly kicked me under the table and mouthed, *See?*

I nodded in agreement. He was too trendy, trendy enough to give me a chill.

Unexpectedly, despite his rebellious appearance, the boy actually showed some manners.

His gaze swept over us, and he gave a slight nod, a silent greeting. His voice was cool and distant,

"Uncle, Aunt, Valerie."

When he sat down to eat, his table manners were surprisingly impeccable, completely at odds with his attire.

Aunt Valerie smiled throughout, constantly filling his plate.

"Jaxon, eat more. Are you tired from riding your motorbike today?"

He grunted, his voice deep, "I'm okay."

Hmm, his voice was quite nice, and a little familiar? I shook my head internally. Impossible.

His voice was much deeper and colder than my online golden retriever boyfriend's.

My guy could make "Goodnight, sis" sound like eighteen syrupy sweet melodies.

After dinner, Valerie energetically started organizing the pool area, talking about shooting her first big swimwear photoshoot of the year and told me to wait.

Aunt Valerie, worried I'd be bored, suggested,

"Why don't you wander around the garden? It's beautiful at night when the lights are on."

I readily agreed, strolling into the garden.

The evening air was pleasant.

Finding a long bench, my first move was to pull out my phone.

My golden retriever boyfriend had, predictably, sent a string of messages.

"Sis, are you done with dinner?"

"Did you miss me? [Puppy cuddle.jpg]"

"I'm so bored, sis, talk to me~"

My heart melted into a puddle, and I quickly replied, "Just finished dinner.

Staying at my best friend's tonight, and of course, I miss you!"

He replied instantly: "Aww! Sis, I miss you too! So much I can't sleep!"

Then another generous cash transfer came through, with the note: "For sis's late-night snack!"

I bit my lip, suppressing a smile, typing back about who eats so much late at night, but my heart was bubbling with sweetness.

Lost in this cloyingly sweet atmosphere, my cheeks burned.

I got up and slowly walked along the garden path, my fingers flying across the screen, sharing the evening's fun with him.

Of course, I left out the part about the super trendy cousin.

Rounding a thick azalea bush, a tall, dark shadow suddenly flashed out from behind the rockery.

I gasped in surprise, my foot slipped, and my high heel twisted sharply. I lost my balance, falling straight forward—

The expected crash to the ground didn't happen.

I collided into a cool embrace, smelling faintly of cedar and the night breeze. Panicked, I tried to stand up, my hand instinctively grabbing onto something.

It was a hard, muscular abdomen.

"Tch." An annoyed voice came from above my head.

I was awkward and flustered.

As I quickly released my grip, my hand knocked his phone, and it hit the ground with a *thud*.

Once I regained my balance, I apologized profusely, "I'm so sorry! I didn't know anyone was here. Are you okay?"

The light from the streetlamp outlined his handsome, sharp face and that striking white hair. It was Valerie's cousin, Jaxon.

His brows were tightly furrowed, his face clearly showing annoyance and irritation at being disturbed.

He stepped back extremely quickly, putting distance between us, as if I were a source of contagion.

His gaze swept over me, cold as ice, and his voice was full of mockery and warning: "Ma'am, watch where you're going."

I froze. *Ma'am?*

Before I could react, his next sentence followed, like a bucket of cold water poured over my head:

"And please, have some self-respect. Don't go around grabbing people. I have a girlfriend!"

My head buzzed, and I felt a rush of blood to my temples.

*Grabbing? Self-respect? He has a girlfriend?* Absurdity and anger exploded in my chest, but what little reason I had left made me swallow it back down

. It was true, I hadn't been watching where I was going, and I had bumped into him. I was in the wrong.

I forced down my anger, trying to keep my voice steady, "I'm really sorry. I didn't mean to. Your phone…"

I bent down to pick up his phone, which had fallen into the grass. The screen was facing up, still lit, displaying a Snapchat chat interface…

My pupils constricted. That familiar, cute cat avatar I’d seen countless times. And the familiar chat history and contact name—

**[Baby ]**

My fingers froze mid-air. Time seemed to stand still.

I clutched the cold phone, slowly lifting my head.

I looked at the displeased boy in front of me, his lip piercing reflecting a cold glint under the streetlamp, looking utterly rebellious.

My online golden retriever boyfriend, who texted me sweet nothings every day, sent generous transfers, recorded syrupy voice messages, was incredibly clingy, and was supposed to meet me tomorrow…

It was *him*?

My head spun, and it felt like my entire world just imploded.