Skylar was still fast asleep when they arrived at Galaxy Villa.
Joe didn’t wake her. Instead, he quietly observed her, his normally cold gaze softening as he took in her peaceful expression. The moonlight cast a gentle glow on her features, and her slightly parted, rosy lips looked almost irresistibly delicate. Joe felt a subtle tightness in his chest and pursed his lips, restraining the strange emotions stirring within him.
As if sensing something, Skylar shifted in her seat, adjusting her position. Her lashes fluttered, and she slowly opened her eyes.
“Did I fall asleep?” she murmured, her voice still thick with sleep.
Joe found her disoriented state strangely endearing. His voice softened instinctively. “Yes.”
Skylar frowned slightly, trying to shake off the drowsiness. “I think I heard you saying something earlier… but I was too sleepy to catch it. I’m sorry.”
She felt a pang of frustration with herself. The past few days had left her drained—working on the restoration of Frank’s painting had consumed all her energy. Being in the passenger seat with Joe driving had lulled her into an unintended nap. Whatever he had said must have been important.
Her sincere apology made Joe hesitate. The serious topic he had considered bringing up no longer felt appropriate. Given their age gap, she might not take it the way he intended. He decided to hold back and wait for a better time.
“It’s nothing,” he said simply, then shifted the conversation. “That fake heiress from the Williams family came to see me yesterday.”
As he unbuckled Skylar’s seatbelt with casual ease, she was momentarily surprised by the thoughtful gesture—but her focus quickly shifted at the mention of Maisy.
Her expression tightened. “Maisy again?”
She was genuinely worried. Maisy had a way of appearing delicate and pitiful, and Skylar feared Joe might be swayed just like the Williams family had been.
Joe scoffed. “The Williamses are incredibly gullible. Who falls for such shallow tricks?”
Skylar blinked in surprise. “Don’t you find her… fragile? Like she needs protecting?”
Joe frowned. “No. I never have.”
Even as a child, Joe had always been able to see through manipulative behavior. To him, Maisy’s act was embarrassingly transparent.
Skylar grinned and gave him a thumbs-up. “You’re amazing!”
Joe’s gaze lingered on her cheerful smile, her sparkling eyes, and the slender fingers offering praise. His mind momentarily drifted. What she was praising him for wasn’t even noteworthy—not falling for a cheap trick? That wasn’t where his true strengths lay.
No, what made him stand out—well, that was something he hadn’t shown her yet.
By the time Joe refocused, Skylar had already stepped out of the car. He quickly followed.
Over the past several weeks, they had become used to spending time alone together. Back at the villa, each of them headed to their rooms to shower and wind down.
Skylar was yawning from exhaustion, but she still had orders to process from her Amazon shop. Just as she was finishing up, a message popped up on her phone—from Joe.
“Did you forget what you promised me?”
Skylar blinked at the screen. What promise?
They hadn’t really talked on the ride home, and she couldn’t remember agreeing to anything recently. Then, like a lightbulb flickering on, it hit her.
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