The next morning, Ste slowly awoke, feeling tightly held in ce.


    Turning her head, she found Ronald''s eyes gleaming with amusement as he watched her.


    "What are you doing here?" she asked, still groggy and slightly bewildered by his presence.


    Ronald raised an eyebrow and yfully pinched Ste''s cheek. "Forgot already?"


    Ste''s mind instantly flooded with memories fromst night, and her face turned a bright shade of red. "Then why are you still here?"


    "Hmm?"


    Ste blinked, the events ofst night rushing back. Ronald was insistent about staying over. She''did out all the pros and cons, but he wouldn''t listen.


    By now, both Idris and the housekeeper were undoubtedly aware of the dramatic shift in their rtionship. She felt helpless, deciding to let Ronald handle it all.


    A buzzing sound interrupted her thoughts as the phone vibrated non-stop.


    Ronald picked it up and nced at the screen. It wasn''t his-it was Ste''s.


    Seeing Yvonne''s name shing on the caller ID, Ste handed the phone to Ronald. "I can''t take this call."


    Ronald''s brow furrowed slightly as he saw the name, but without a word, he pressed the answer button.


    Before he could speak, Yvonne''s voice erupted from the other end. "You little rascal! You''ve really grown some nerve, huh? Three years gone, and you think you can just rat me out? Let me tell you, this isn''t over. You better not show your face in Ferrond again." Yvonne was fuming, her voice a mix of rage and disbelief.


    It was obvious-she had been sent back to Ferrond.


    Ronald spoke calmly into the phone, "Are you threatening her?"


    The line went silent.


    Ste clutched Ronald''s robe anxiously.


    "Speak," Ronald demanded, his voice carrying a stern authority.


    Yvonne stammered, "I-I was just..."


    Truth be told, when Ronald got serious, Yvonne found him quite intimidating. Words failed her, and she struggled to form a coherent sentence.


    Ronald''s icy demeanor seemed to seep through the phone, reaching Yvonne.


    She shivered, "I was just kidding around. You know I miss her."


    To be fair, she did miss Ste. When they were younger, Ronald had taken Ste to live near their school, and Yvonne had wanted to join them but was stuck with her studies. Back then, she''d save all her favorite snacks for Ste, only to watch them go stale because Ronald''s visits home became sporadic.


    But she was genuinely upset. She loved Ste dearly, and yet Ste had seemingly betrayed her.


    Ronald scoffed. "That''s an interesting way to show you miss her."


    Yvonne grumbled, "I was just mad. I wanted to see her, but you never let me visit Portis City."


    She was genuinely irritated. Ever


    since Ronald found Ste, Yvonne had been itching to visit Portis City, but Ronald had blocked her every attempt.


    This time, she''d managed to slip away from Ferrond, only to be caught by ldris''s people halfway through, When she finally got a chance to call Ste, it seemed like Ste had ratted her out. How infuriating!


    "Wait a minute," Yvonne said suddenly, sounding puzzled. "Isn''t it just dawn in Portis City? How''s Star up so early?"


    Her question, full of suspicion, implied a curious observation about Ste''s phone being with Ronald.


    Hearing Yvonne''s inquiry through the speaker, Ste''s heart leapt into her throat.