Night had fallen, and a line of luxury cars began to pull up one after another in front of The K Bar.

McNeil arrived with Violet and Marcus; inside a private lounge, Isaac was already pouring drinks. Curtis showed up late, alone.

“Where’s your assistant?” someone called out as Curtis entered, and all eyes turned to him.

Without waiting for further questions, Curtis took a seat and immediately poured himself three shots as penance for being late.

He was about to go for another round when Isaac stopped him.

“This bottle cost a hundred grand,” Isaac chided with a smirk. “You think it’s water?”

McNeil glanced over, cool and collected. “So, did you get turned down?”

Curtis hesitated, cheeks flushing. “She’s married.”

Isaac nearly spat out his drink.

“No wonder you never date,” he laughed. “You’ve got your eye on someone else’s wife!”

The group burst out laughing. Even Violet, usually reserved, sipped her tea with a crooked, uncomfortable smile.

Strangely, Marcus-the one who usually teased Curtis the most-remained silent. After everyone had had their fun at Curtis’s expense, Marcus suddenly spoke up. “Ever heard of Highland Park Estates?”

Curtis was in no mood, but he shot a glance at McNeil anyway.

All eyes settled on McNeil, who replied with his usual calm, “That’s where I live. Why?”

Violet tensed for no obvious reason, worried McNeil might bring up something about Victoria.

Before anyone could press further, Marcus changed the subject. “I think I might be in love too.”

He successfully drew the group’s attention, even distracting Curtis from his heartbreak for a moment.

“What is it with you guys?” Isaac grumbled, half-joking.

Marcus thought back to the woman he’d met the previous day.

Out of the blue, Curtis muttered, “Do you think if I agreed to be the other man, she’d go for it?”

That afternoon, Victoria went to pick up her daughter after school.

Back home, she helped Gwyneth with a craft project from kindergarten, as was their routine.

Once they finished, Gwyneth wanted to play her favorite racing game.

Victoria knew that if she tried to say no, Gwyneth would just end up hurt and sulky, so she tried to negotiate instead.

“Half an hour, okay? Then you read a little before bed.”

Motivated by the promise of game time, Gwyneth nodded obediently.

With Victoria beside her, Gwyneth tore through every racing game she had, mastering each one in no time. Victoria couldn’t help but notice her daughter’s knack for it; soon enough, all the games seemed too easy for her. sŵnovel

“Mom, these are way too easy,” Gwyneth complained, already bored.

“Then maybe it’s time to stop?” Victoria hinted, hoping to curb her daughter’s screen time.

“Isn’t there one that’s actually challenging?” Gwyneth grumbled.

Victoria thought for a moment. “If

you

atten bed early and pay

in class, I’ll find

tough racing game. Deal?”

Gwyneth’s eyes lit up with excitement.

“Really?”

“Really,” Victoria replied, tapping her daughter on the nose with a smile. “When have I ever lied to you?”

“Okay! I’ll listen, study hard, and be a good kid.”

Gwyneth tried to coax Victoria into tucking her in for the night, but Victoria gently refused.

“You go to sleep first, sweetheart. I’ll look for that challenging game for you, all right?”

She kissed Gwyneth’s cheek and used the promise as an excuse-she had work

to do and couldn’t be in bed by nine.

“Okay!” Gwyneth agreed, the thought of a new game making her more than willing.

Victoria tucked her in, staying by her side until she drifted off. Only then did she turn off the lights and quietly leave the room.

Before getting to work, Victoria

downloaded a few new racing

games for Gwyneth to try. She even

tested them herself, but none were

good enough; in the end, she deleted

them all.