Chapter 72

"We've bothered you for too long," Arabella said sincerely. "You've already done so much for us."

"You're not bothering me at all," Asher replied calmly.

Arabella was quiet for a moment, unsure how to respond.

"What's going on here?" Daisy's voice suddenly called out.

The door swung open, and from where Daisy stood, she caught a glimpse of Arabella with one shoulder exposed and Asher crouched in front of her. The scene looked far too intimate at first glance. Alarmed, she rushed in, ready to pull Asher away, but then her eyes landed on the injury.

"Bella?" Daisy gasped, her eyes quickly brimming with tears. "You lied to me."

Arabella, caught off guard by Daisy's reaction,scrambled to explain. "It's really not serious.Just a small cut..."

But her voice trailed off under Daisy's gaze.

"It was Elissa, wasn't it?" Daisy said firmly, her eyes suddenly cold and sharp.

The serious look vanished so fast that Arabella wasn't sure if she imagined it. When did her usually sweet, bubbly sister start looking like that?

"Elissa's going to pay for this," Arabella said quietly.

Asher didn't say a word. He just continued tending to Arabella's wound until it was clean and bandaged. Daisy sat down beside them,quietly thinking.

Later, during dinner, the atmosphere was strangely quiet.

Daisy and Asher both focused on Arabella,

silently making sure she was comfortable and had everything she needed. For once, Arabella felt a bit overwhelmed by the attention.

"You should eat too," she said to Daisy, gently placing a dish in front of her. Daisy smiled softly but then looked down again, deep in her own thoughts.

Arabella served Asher next. He looked at her but didn't say anything.

After dinner, Asher's chauffeur drove them home.

Once they arrived, Asher went straight to his study to finish some work.

Not long after, there was a knock at the door."Come in," he said without looking up.

Arabella stepped inside, holding something small in her hand.Her voice was quiet. "I made this ring for you. It's my way of saying thank you."

Asher felt a little moved. He looked over and saw it was a cat-shaped ring. "This is for me?"he asked.

She nodded. "You mentioned once that you liked cats, so l designed it this way. But it's not just for looks. It can track your health, and if there's an emergency, you can send an alert,record audio, or call someone."

She showed him how to use the features. "If you keep coming home for dinner, I can tailor your meals based on the health data it tracks."

Asher watched her closely as she explained,her lashes slightly fluttering. Then he asked, almost without thinking, "And what about when you move out?"

There was a faint, hidden sadness in his eyes.

Arabella thought for a moment. "If I have time,l could still come by and cook for you or maybe teach your chef how to make healthy food."

Asher's face turned serious. "I don't want to eat

their cooking," he said quietly.

"Okay, then I'll cook for you," Arabella replied,thinking it was the least she could do after everything he had done.

Asher held out his hand. "Put it on me."

His fingers were long and well-shaped-elegant in a way that made anyone who appreciated details pause for a second.

Arabella carefully slipped the ring onto his finger. The small cat-shaped design caught the light just right, fitting him surprisingly well.

Asher looked at her and smiled. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," she replied, returning his smile. "I'll get going then."

"All right."

Once she walked out, Asher faced his laptop again. The video meeting was still on. "Let's continue," he said coolly.

The meeting resumed smoothly, but behind the scenes, the executive chat group was far from quiet.

"Did anyone see that? Mr. Gordon actually smiled!"

"Yeah,I saw! W/ho was that girl at his place?"

"If she can make him smile, maybe she's the one! She sounded really young,though!"

"But isn't he engaged to Miss Hudson?"

"Engaged, but not married. Things can change."

Over the next few days, Arabella and Daisy focused on rehearsing their performance.

Daisy picked up the steps fast-she moved with grace and instinct, her natural talent shining through with each practice.

In the evenings, Arabella would cook, and the three of them, Asher, Arabella, and Daisy,would

eat dinner together, sharing quiet moments and light conversation. It became their simple routine.

Before long, the ninth rolled around.

And the next day... would be the tenth.

At the hospital, Elissa was watching TV when Kenny walked in. "Tomorrow's the tenth,Elissa,"he reminded her.

"So?" Elissa replied carelessly. "Arabella's out of the way. No one's going to find out what we did."

Kenny nodded, but something still didn't sit right.

Elissa noticed the worry on his face and laughed. "Relax-they're just two orphan girls.What can they really do to us?"

"Yeah,you're right," he said, trying to convince himself. Still, part of him couldn't help but feel disappointed. The sisters were'exactly his type

-he couldn't forget them so easily.

Just then, both their phones buzzed with a message.

Elissa unlocked hers and read the message aloud. "Are you guys ready?"