"It's really beautiful," Arian said, and Lynette turned to face him.
"Thanks," she replied with a small smile.
Arian leaned slightly, his gaze unwavering. "Very beautiful," he murmured, staring at her intently.
Lynette felt the moment stretch, slightly awkward, and just as she was about to turn away, Arian's hand gently held her face.
Before she could process it, his lips pressed against hers.
The family members, who had been engrossed in conversation about the necklace and Leonardo moments earlier, fell silent.
Lynette's eyes widened in shock, frozen by the unexpected kiss.
But Arian didn't pull away too quickly—he let the moment linger, his lips gently pressing against hers before he finally withdrew, his gaze locked onto hers.
"Sorry. Did I surprise you?" he murmured, his voice low, his lips still close to hers.
She parted her lips slightly, but no words came out.
She was stunned.
Rhysand cleared his throat dramatically, cutting through the thick tension . Arian finally leaned back, giving Lynette space.
Still unable to form a response, she turned toward her family, hoping someone would continue their conversation—anything to break the lingering awkwardness.
But Rhysand smirked.
"Lynette, you must be feeling steamy right now. Why don't we let the couple have some privacy—especially Lynette?"
"Who is feeling steamy?" Lynette said in her mind, her head snapping toward Rhysand in disbelief.
"Oh well… family, I would've loved to stay longer. You all are my comfort, but I have something to attend to," Leo said, his voice smooth, effortlessly engaging.
"My heart aches to leave you all tonight."
Lynette's mother smiled warmly. "You're welcome anytime."
With a final, lingering smile, Leo said, "Have a good night's rest, everyone. Don't dream of me," his tone teasing as laughter rippled.
He turned to leave, but as he passed Arian, he paused beside him.
Without fully facing him, Leonardo let his gaze slide over, watching Arian through the corner of his eye.
"You shouldn't have let your inferiority complex get to you," he murmured, voice quiet but cutting. "Ever the same."
He let out a faint chuckle before walking away.
Arian didn't respond neither did he turn.
Rhysand, sensing the tension, glanced at Lynette before looking toward the rest of the family.
"Lynette would like to leave now," he announced. "She's stressed."
"Oh… we were only thinking about ourselves," her maternal grandmother said, a hint of guilt in her voice. "Rest, my dear."
Lynette offered a sincere smile. "I enjoyed the party with all of you. You're warm to me. I wish I could see you every day."
One of her uncles chuckled. "Warm? How could we ever be cold to our Lynette?"
Paloma, her aunt, chimed in. "We're never far away. You can see us anytime within the estate or the estate extension."
"I will," Lynette assured them.
Arian stepped forward then, offering his hand.
***********
The ride back to the estate was quiet.
In the trunk, the gifts from the evening sat untouched, and Abigail occupied the front seat beside the driver, staring outside.
Once they arrived, they climbed the grand staircase. Though they had separate rooms, Arian instinctively escorted Lynette to hers.
Abigail paused at the door, asking if Lynette needed anything. She declined, offering a soft goodnight before Abigail left the residence for the night.
As Lynette ascended the final steps, a sharp ache radiated from her feet. The heels she had worn all night were beginning to take their toll, and she stretched her foot slightly as she walked, attempting to ease the discomfort.
Arian noticed.
Without hesitation, he asked, "Should I carry you up?"
She immediately refused, still uneasy about the kiss from earlier—the way it had caught her off guard, the way it lingered in her thoughts.
But Arian didn't wait for permission.
He lifted her effortlessly, his arms firm yet gentle as he cradled her against him.
"Don't be stubborn. I know you're in pain," he murmured, smiling down at her as he carried her the rest of the way.
she didn't protest.
Once inside, he pushed the door open and stepped into her room, laying her carefully onto the bed.
He knelt before her, removing her heels with slow, deliberate movements. She let her head rest against the headboard, allowing herself to relax just a little.
Then, without a word, Arian sat on the bed and placed her leg over his and began to massage her foot.
Her instinct was to pull away, to object—but the warmth of his touch, the way his fingers eased the tension in her muscles, surprised her.
Lynette closed her eyes.
The sensation was soothing, comforting in a way she hadn't expected.
It felt like princess treatment—something she had only read about in books or seen in films.
Men like this… didn't exist to her.
Yet here he was.
And he was real.
"You really… know how to care for a woman," Lynette murmured, her eyes closed.
Arian glanced at her, a small smile tugging at his lips. "Well… I was raised well by my mother.
My parents truly loved each other, and whenever I saw them being affectionate, I would tell myself, 'I'll treat my wife even better.' "
He paused briefly before adding, "And you're not just any woman… You're my wife."
Then she opened her eyes.A sudden thought struck her.
"How come your family wasn't at the event? I didn't meet them," she asked, looking at Arian.
He hesitated, his expression unreadable.
"They are up," he finally said.
It took Lynette a second to piece it together.
She glanced toward the upper floors of the estate, she was at the last floor,then—her heart sank.
Up.
As in… heaven?
"Oh… I'm sorry," she said softly.
Arian gave her a reassuring smile as he continued massaging her second foot. "It's fine."
There was Silence between them for a while.
Then, Arian spoke again.
"Earlier… when I kissed you—"
"I was just surprised," Lynette interrupted quickly. "I didn't hate it."
Arian's fingers stilled for a fraction of a second before he gently placed her feet down on the bed. Without hesitation, he removed his shoes, settled onto the bed, and settled beside her.
He stared at her and she stared back at him,they were quiet for a while.
Lynette thought,
"This man just never give up.why do I feel like he wants to ask for a kiss?I shouldn't agree yet,kevin words were still in my head and I'm trying to figure everything out.But...."
"What if.." he said as he lowered his gaze to her lips,"what if I do it now....can I?."
She hesitated for a while,still staring at arian.He began to lean towards Lynette slowly and unconsciously lynette began to lean towards arian too.
She was breathing a little hard as she felt nervous and at the same time wanted to stop herself.
Arian lips were on her's,this time lynette didn't leave her eyes opened with a surprised look.
Arian began to guide his lips in her slowly ,deliberate,savoring.His temperature began to rise and he held lynette waist and pulled her closer to himself as he caressed her back and reached to her zip and was about to pull it down.
Lynette too was enjoying the moment,her body feeling the sensations she had never experienced.she felt Arian hands on her zip,then...