It was eight in the evening. The city was cloaked in darkness, and the vibrant, neon-lit pulse of the night was just beginning to stir.

Maxwell King stepped out of the office building, his tailored suit sharp and immaculate. He headed toward his reserved parking space, his assistant, Cole Parker, trailing a step behind. The two were deep in a discussion about their latest partnership.

Maxwell raised a hand, pressing his thumb against his brow. His features, usually cold and sharp, betrayed a faint trace of exhaustion, yet his bearing remained effortless—a blend of prestige and cool indifference.

His voice was low, laced with a hint of gravel. "Let's pick this up tomorrow. I’m heading back. My wife is waiting for me at home."

Cole fell silent. *Why am I always the one suffocating in their relentless, unprovoked displays of affection?*

They reached the car, and Cole reached out, hands practiced, to open the door. He paused halfway, a frown creasing his forehead. Something was off. In his peripheral vision, he caught a flicker of light. The driver was nowhere to be seen, and the front seat sat empty.

Cole began to pull out his phone to call the driver, but Maxwell didn't seem to notice. He stood there, hands tucked loosely into his pockets, looking relaxed.

Suddenly, a hand tapped Maxwell on the shoulder. He turned, and his entire demeanor shifted instantly. He froze.

Arianna Stone, who was supposed to be at home, was standing right in front of him. A radiant, playful smile lit up her face. She was wearing a deep-emerald silk slip dress, a delicate pendant resting against her collarbone. She looked luminous, her skin almost glowing against the backdrop of the city lights.

The night’s chaos reflected in her vivid eyes. She was breathtaking.

Maxwell stared at her, stunned, as if he couldn't quite process that she was real.

Cole was the first to regain his composure. "Mrs. King."

Arianna smiled in acknowledgement, tilting her head to study Maxwell's reaction. "What's wrong? Why are you staring?" Her eyes were clear, like running water, and they held only him.

Maxwell finally snapped back to reality. "Why are you here?"

"To pick you up, of course," Arianna chirped, her eyes curving into crescents. She jingled the car keys in her hand. "I told the driver not to come, so don't blame him."

Maxwell offered a soft hum of acknowledgment, his gaze refusing to leave her face for even a fraction of a second.

Arianna reached out and opened the back door for him, her tone light and breezy. "Get in, Mr. King."

Cole, who had just been forced to swallow another massive serving of their PDA, hugged his own arms, feeling the chill of loneliness. He started to open the front passenger door for himself, only for a deep voice to stop him cold.

"Cole."

Cole turned. Maxwell was watching him with a calm, unreadable expression. "Didn't you say you needed to go to the store? There’s one right over there."

Cole understood the subtext. Under the crushing weight of his boss’s gaze, he obediently shut the door. Turning to Arianna, he gave a polite nod. "I... realized we’re out of, ah, fruit. I’m going to run to the store. Please, you and Mr. King head on back. If anything comes up, give me a call."

Arianna couldn't help but admire Cole’s professional resilience. "Sure. Thanks, Cole."

*Ms. Stone is so much easier to deal with than Mr. King,* Cole thought. He wanted to say more, but he caught a glimpse of Maxwell standing behind Arianna. Maxwell’s eyebrows were arched, his dark eyes like an abyss, cold and dangerous.

Cole felt his scalp prickle. He didn't dare say another word and vanished into the night.

Arianna held the door open, mimicking a bodyguard in a movie. She kept one hand on the roof of the car to protect his head as he ducked inside. She chuckled, "Mr. King, please."

Maxwell arched an eyebrow. "You're driving?"

"Obviously," Arianna replied, blinking as if it were the most natural thing in the world. "I came to pick you up, so I’m the driver."

Without a second of hesitation, Maxwell said, "Then I’ll sit in the passenger seat with you."

"No, no! Absolutely not!" Arianna’s heart skipped a beat. She reached out to block his path, her nerves making her stutter. "The passenger seat is off-limits. You—you stay in the back."

Maxwell looked down at her, his patience infinite. "And why is that?"

"It just is," Arianna couldn't come up with a better excuse, so she leaned into her ‘boss’ persona. "You have to listen to me today." She even threw his own words back at him: "You told me you’d listen to me about everything."

Maxwell hadn’t seen this side of Arianna in a long time. For a moment, he felt a wave of nostalgia. He was back in the days before she had even met Cameron Hughes—back when she was that same confident, vibrant, adorable girl.

This was the real Arianna.

Ultimately, Maxwell obediently climbed into the back. Arianna nodded with satisfaction, shut his door, and walked around to the driver's seat.

But a moment later, she climbed back out. She scurried to the passenger side, grabbed something from inside, and then opened Maxwell’s door again. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, looking flustered. "Sorry, I forgot about the privacy partition in your car..."

Maxwell then saw it: she was holding a bouquet of roses.

They were Malta blue—a blend of deep sapphire and shimmering white, like moonlight hitting the surface of a turbulent sea. They were gentle and romantic.

Arianna had planned to wait until he was settled in the back, then "casually" pull the bouquet from the front seat to surprise him. But the surprise had been ruined by the car’s built-in partition.

*Whatever,* she thought. *The rest of the night has to be perfect.*

Arianna kept her face cool and collected as she shoved the roses into his arms.

Maxwell looked stunned, uncertain. "For me?"

Arianna stuffed the bouquet deeper into his lap and grinned. "Obviously. Who else would they be for?"

The fragrance of the roses drifted into the air. Maxwell felt as though he had been cast under a spell; he sat perfectly still, staring down at the flowers in his arms.

Arianna found him strange tonight. She tilted her head, voice softening. "What’s wrong? Are you not happy?"

"No," Maxwell whispered, as if lost in a daze. "I’m happy. Truly." He looked up, his eyes bright. "Arianna, thank you."

"We’re married," Arianna said, her tone light and airy. "No need to be so formal."

Maxwell lowered his head, a genuine smile tugging at his lips. "Right."

As Arianna pulled onto the road, Maxwell finally snapped out of his trance. He held the bouquet tight and asked, "Why the sudden gift?"

"Cole mentioned you and the Volber Group signed the contract," Arianna said casually. "Congrats." She added playfully, "I hope the business keeps booming."

Maxwell watched her back profile, his gaze intense. He didn't speak for a long time. The neon streetlights outside flickered across his eyes, reflecting in his irises. For the first time in a long time, the happiness was entirely sincere.

"When did he tell you that?"

"This afternoon," Arianna said, keeping her eyes on the traffic. "I finished a meeting and saw I had a missed call from you. You didn't answer when I called back, so I assumed something was up and checked with Cole. He told me you were just trying to share the good news."

*Good news...*

Was he really that transparent? Could Cole not keep his mouth shut?

In truth, Maxwell hadn't called to brag. He had just wanted to ask her what she wanted for dinner so he could prepare it. Since he’d taken over King Enterprises, he’d closed dozens of deals. The Volber Group was just one more. Common. Negligible.

Yet, this felt different. It was the happiest he’d ever been. Not because of the deal, but because of her. Because of her reaction.

Maxwell sat in silence for a long time.

Arianna, sensing his quiet, misinterpreted it. "Do you wish Cole hadn't told me?"

"No," Maxwell said, a small smirk forming. "I don’t blame him at all."

He was actually quite grateful to his assistant.

Maxwell pulled out his phone, his long, pale fingers tapping against the screen to type a message.

*Maxwell: Send me the bill for tonight's expenses. I’m paying.*

Cole, currently sitting in the back of a taxi, stared at the message, bewildered. He cautiously sent back a question mark.

*Maxwell: Don't want me to? Never mind then.*

*Cole: No, I do, I do! Thank you, sir!*

Inside the moving taxi, a loud, maniacal laugh erupted from the back seat.

Under the driver's terrified gaze, Cole quickly regained his composure, his voice dripping with forced elegance. "Driver, please pull over at the mall ahead."

"Sure. Going in to buy something?"

"No," Cole replied, smoothing his tie. "I'm going to raid the place."

The driver: "..."