TCBUP 14

I thought I’d never have to hear about Demian again.

If I gave up on the male lead from the start, I figured we’d never cross paths.

After all, the world he lives in and the one I do are worlds apart now.

But then, news of him came to me in the most unexpected way—

From Nox’s own mouth.

Hearing my ex-fiancé’s name from the very person I’m currently trying to win over… It was a strange feeling.

“There were a few investments I made before. The returns were decent, and the repayments went smoothly too.”

So Demian must’ve used that money to pay back his debt to the Hargreaves family.

Come to think of it, Nox’s financial skill played a significant role in my broken engagement.

“I mentioned the item you proposed while looking for the next investment target. He showed some interest.”

“How much is he willing to put in?”

“Would that be alright with you?”

“Why wouldn’t it be? If the Duke of Ortiz is on board, there’s no reason to say no. He’s a highly credible investor. I’m sure others will want to follow suit.”

“That’s true.”

“Well, I don’t mind, but would the Duke feel the same?”

Since I was planning to launch a series of funds using the same model, the success of the first fund was crucial.

So if Demian participated, there was no reason to reject him.

In fact, I’d be grateful.

“Does the Duke know I’m involved?”

“No, I haven’t told him.”

“Good. He’d probably think I’m incompetent if he knew I came up with it. He’d never trust it.”

Nox let out a soft hum.

His reaction made me feel grateful—it was as if he didn’t agree with Demian’s low opinion of me.

“I’m just a minor investor anyway. No need to let him know.”

“But you worked harder than anyone. Wouldn’t it bother you not to be acknowledged?”

“I’ll let him know after we succeed and move on to the next project.”

Seeing the look on his face then would be so satisfying.

Still, I was a bit worried—would Demian’s involvement affect my chances with Nox?

But unfortunately—or perhaps fortunately—Nox didn’t seem fazed.

Was it because he didn’t like me enough to feel jealous? Or was he just too focused on success?

“Alright then. Since the amount he’s offering is quite large, we can move up the launch date and make it easier to secure the rest of the funding.”

“Exactly. A trusted investor’s first move has a huge impact.”

“You even know terms like that?”

Nox let out a small laugh.

It was the first time I’d ever seen him laugh so freely.

Sure enough, the green diamond in the middle of his silver lock icon sparkled.

[Nox Green’s Affection: 27% → 30%]

Oh, just using the word “first move” bumped his affection up 3%.

Breaking free from the image of a stiff noble—turns out, that’s the key to winning Nox over.

* * *

“You seem to be in a good mood today, miss?”

“Yep. I’m in a great mood.”

Demian had quickly decided to participate, which accelerated the launch of the first fund. I even managed to purchase the building I’d been eyeing.

To celebrate, I decided to splurge a little and take Mary to one of my favorite dessert shops from the past.

I planned to buy a cake to celebrate with Nox.

“It’s been a while since we’ve been here, huh?”

“Yeah, it really has.”

Feeling emotional, I stood in front of Le Doux Flora, a famous dessert shop in town.

The strawberry shortcake I used to buy every other day—it felt like it was calling me back.

The soft, melt-in-your-mouth sponge, the snowy white sweet cream, the generous layers of tangy strawberries between the cake—oh, how I had missed that taste.

“I thought I wouldn’t be able to afford it anymore… but here we are. Right?”

“You really are something, miss.”

Chuckling at Mary’s teasing, I stepped inside Le Doux Flora.

My mouth watered, and a smile formed as soon as I saw the strawberry shortcake in the display.

But the smile didn’t last long.

I could feel stares piercing my face from all directions.

I turned my head slightly toward Mary and whispered.

“Mary, does it feel like people are staring at me?”

“Not just feel like—they are. Glancing and whispering, to be precise.”

“I thought enough time had passed…”

I regretted not wearing a hat as I pretended to fix my hair to hide my face.

Mary, who had been quietly scanning the store, suddenly stepped close to me, using herself as a shield.

“What is it?”

“It’s nothing. Just… keep walking, miss.”

“Huh?”

Wondering what was going on, I looked around—and locked eyes with Demian inside the store.

Among the bustling crowd, he alone stood still, staring straight at me.

I wanted to look away and flee in embarrassment, but I’d already been spotted. And I had come all this way for the cake—I couldn’t just leave.

“Miss, do you want to wait outside? I’ll get it for you.”

“No, it’s fine. I can’t keep running away forever. Let’s just pretend we don’t know him.”

Putting on a brave smile, I walked straight to the counter and placed my order without glancing in Demian’s direction.

As I waited with my back to him, Mary whispered beside me.

“He’s here with that woman.”

“……”

“Looks like they’re officially seeing each other now. How could he…? I’m so disappointed.”

I didn’t need a live broadcast.

It would be a lie to say I wasn’t affected. But it’s not like I was curious or cared.

At least, that’s what I kept telling myself.

But Mary must’ve been really upset—she kept muttering about what Demian and Lily were doing.

“Don’t worry about it, Mary. They have nothing to do with me now.”

“But it’s infuriating! He pretended they weren’t anything special!”

“They probably weren’t back then.”

“Miss! Are you still defending him?”

Mary grumbled as she took the cake box from the staff.

Her pout and furrowed brows made it obvious how upset she was.

“And who was it that kept insisting he wouldn’t do such a thing?”

“I’m the type who doesn’t look back on the past. I don’t even remember it anymore.”

“Right. It’s all in the past. That man is just that to me now.”

I replied with a light laugh and nudged Mary to hurry along.

I didn’t want to stay longer and risk running into Demian face-to-face.

But just as I said that—

We bumped into them on the way out—Demian and Lily.

They were exiting the store at the same time, and our eyes met.

Demian looked at Lily and said something before approaching me.

“It’s been a while, Sienna.”

“Yes, it has. Duke. Have you been well?”

I gave a polite curtsy, but my gaze drifted to his chest.

There it was—a silver lock icon, just like Nox’s.

But unlike Nox, the icon on Demian’s chest had a red four-leaf clover in the middle.

If I touched it, I could check his affection level…

‘But what’s the point?’

If it wasn’t 0%, it might even be in the negatives—if that were possible.

I was a little curious how low it could go… but I let it go.

I wasn’t planning to win him over. Besides, he was with Lily now—what good would knowing his affection level do?

“What brings you here?”

Seriously. Always so polite, it’s annoying.

If you’re going to speak so coldly, why not just ignore me?

We’re not close. No one would’ve cared if he hadn’t said a word.

“I came for the strawberry shortcake, of course. It’s their signature.”

“…Is it?”

Ah, he didn’t remember.

Back then, ‘Sienna’ used to beg him to come here, and he’d reluctantly tag along, sipping bitter coffee with a bored look.

He probably didn’t remember a word she said.

I glanced at the cake box in Lily’s hands behind him.

“If you didn’t get it this time, try it next time. Miss Lily might like it too.”

“Miss Lily just… never mind.”

He cut himself off and stared at me quietly.

His jet-black eyes were still breathtaking—but they hid his emotions so well that I couldn’t tell what he was thinking.

After a short silence, he spoke indifferently.

“This was… a coincidence, right?”

“…Sorry?”

“That we ran into each other here.”