Melany’s eyes widened. The school teacher had spent two long lessons trying to explain this, but Rylie had cut through the confusion in a few minutes.

“Do you get it now?” Rylie asked.

“Yes!” Melany nodded hard, courage suddenly bubbling to the surface. “And Rylie, I have a question… With your background and your family, why would you even help me?”

Rylie turned with a soft smile tugging at her lips. “I told you, I wouldn’t eat your mom’s jelly for nothing.”

Meanwhile, across the house, Zaylee had asked the butler to call a car for her two classmates. Once they left, she thought the matter was done and dusted — completely forgetting Melany was still at the Morgan residence.

The butler, however, said nothing. He managed everything for the Morgan family and had long seen through Zaylee’s little tricks. But he wasn’t the type to meddle. He simply watched quietly, letting the consequences speak for themselves.

Melany’s tutoring stretched on until one in the morning. Hearing that Rylie was still working in the lab at such an hour, Brad walked in, carrying the crisp night breeze with him. He had a military coat over one arm, and the top buttons of his shirt were undone. His eyes landed on Rylie first, checking if she was alright, then shifted to the unfamiliar girl sitting in the corner.

“And who’s this?”

“Melany Cohen, Zaylee’s classmate. I just helped her with some tutoring,” Rylie said casually.

Brad raised a brow and glanced at the cluttered table, filled with research notes and mechanical parts. Clearly, Rylie had been working nonstop again. She really never knew how to take a break.

“It’s already past one,” he said, checking his watch. “She should head home.” Only then did it click — Rylie suddenly remembered that high schoolers weren’t built to pull all-nighters like she was. They still needed proper rest.

“Alright, I’ll take her home. Her mom must be worried,” she said, standing. She also wanted to visit Melany’s place, curious to find out where the Snow Mint had come from.

Melany quickly began packing her things. “N-no, really… You don’t have to trouble yourselves. I can—”

“I’ll take her,” Brad said, already picking up his keys. He turned to Rylie. “You should stay here and rest. I’ll get her home safely.”

“I want to go,” Rylie insisted.

With both of them eager to take her home, Melany felt a mix of nervousness and warmth. She was deeply touched and quietly gave them her home address. The black military SUV slipped into the quiet night.

In the back seat, Melany sat nervously, stealing glances at Brad’s sharp profile in the rearview mirror. This was a man she had only ever seen on the news — and now, he was personally driving her home.

She pointed ahead. “I actually live far out, in the suburbs. You can just drop me here. I can walk the rest.”

But Brad didn’t stop. The road turned to gravel, yet he kept driving until they reached her doorstep.

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