The rest of the day passed quickly. After dinner, everyone finally retired to their rooms.

When I entered the bedroom, it was empty except for the sound of running water from the bathroom. I figured Alexander was taking a shower, so I walked into the closet to take out my toiletries and pajamas.

By the time I returned, he had finished his shower and was standing on the balcony, seemingly taking a call. He was speaking in a hushed tone, so I couldn’t hear what he was saying.

But somehow, I had a feeling it was Lilian—or something related to her.

I stepped into the bathroom and took my own shower. After changing into my pajamas and drying my hair, I returned to the bedroom.

He was still on the phone.

I went straight to bed. Although I was exhausted from the journey and the long day, I still couldn’t fall asleep.

A moment later, I felt the other side of the bed dip slightly. Alexander’s woody, expensive cologne filled the air.

"Alicia, are you asleep?" he asked softly.

"No."

"Can’t sleep?"

"Mm."

"Want to hear a story?"

"Okay."

Alexander was a very good storyteller. Whenever I couldn’t sleep, he would tell me stories.

But I didn’t know whether it was the stories that lulled me to sleep... or Alexander’s deep voice.

Alexander’s POV

By the time I finished telling the story, Alicia was already fast asleep.

I stared at her peaceful face. She looked calm and serene.

I couldn’t help but smile when I noticed the way she slightly pouted her lips in her sleep.

Carefully, I tucked the blanket around her before finally closing my eyes and drifting off to sleep as well.

The next morning, I woke up early as usual and got ready for my workout. When I left the room, Alicia was still sleeping. I jogged around the lake for a while before returning. 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

By the time I came back to the room, Alicia was already gone. Since the house was buzzing with preparations, I guessed she must have gone to help out. After showering and getting ready, it was already breakfast time, so I went downstairs only to find everyone already seated. The table was unusually full and lively.

"Alexander, you are finally here. I was about to send Alicia to get you," Aunt Rose said.

"Sorry for that, Aunt."

"Good morning, Uncle. Good morning, Nana. Happy birthday."

"Ugh, you had to be the last person to wish me," Nana said dramatically.

I smiled. We rarely saw this side of her—except when Alicia was around, of course.

"Sorry, Nana. I didn’t want to wake you."

"Brother Alexander, I woke up early just to wish Grandma, but Sister Alicia was there before me!" my cousin Grace said, pouting.

I sat down and began taking some food from the plates.

"Is that so?" I said, glancing at Alicia, who sat beside me.

She smiled sheepishly but said nothing.

"You should try better next time."

Although I wasn’t the type to talk much, Grace had always been very cheerful. No matter what you did, you simply couldn’t avoid her energy.

The discussion continued like that throughout the meal, and I couldn’t help but notice how happy and cheerful Alicia seemed. She kept teasing Nana and Grace, making the whole table lively. Nana seemed satisfied, even though Aunt Annabelle wasn’t here.

After breakfast, everyone resumed the preparations for the evening celebration. The work could easily have been handled by the staff or designers, but Grandma always believed that the more people worked together, the more attached they became to each other. So she preferred letting family members handle everything.

"Alexander, there’s a document I need you to help me work on."

Uncle Steve approached me.

"Let’s go to the study then."