Daniel slowed his steps a little, allowing Jade to catch up.
"You always blush so easily," he said without turning, the smirk still present in his voice.
"I do not!" Jade snapped, walking past him to hide her embarrassment.
He chuckled softly. "You do. And it's adorable."
Jade shot him a quick glare but said nothing. Her thoughts were still tangled in the conversation she'd overheard earlier that day. A curse? A family secret? She wasn't sure what to believe, but something felt… off.
Daniel noticed her silence again. "You've been quiet today. Not your usual fire."
She hesitated before answering, "I guess I'm just… trying to adjust. This place, your family, everything feels… intense."
He looked at her seriously for a moment. "If anything ever feels too much, tell me. You're not alone in this."
His words caught her off guard. She wasn't expecting sincerity—especially from him.
"Thank you," she said softly.
They reached the garden path just before the entrance to the mansion. The air was cooler, the sky slowly turning golden as the sun began to set.
From a nearby balcony, Meredith watched them from the balcony, then went to the saloon waitîng them.
***
They all went to freshen up and returned to the salon. It was actually the first time Jade saw Daniel in casual clothes.
"He's so sexy," she thought, eyeing how his T-shirt perfectly fit over his chest and arms.
She quickly shook her head, trying to brush off the thought.
"Heh, girl, don't fall for him," she warned herself silently.
They were all seated, chatting casually, while Daniel and Riguel kept receiving work calls one after another.
"Daniel, Riguel, can you please turn off your phones?" Meredith said, clearly irritated. "We're here to spend time together—no work, no distractions."
Daniel tucked his phone away, and Riguel followed suit.
"The dinner will be ready soon," Meredith added.
A few minutes later, the dinner was served. Everyone chatted joyfully around the table—except for Daniel and Jade. They were both quiet, barely involved in the conversation.
Daniel stood up from his chair and said he had to go to bed — work awaited him early in the morning. Riguel followed, and soon after, Jade and Sofia did the same.
Riguel and Sofia went to their respective rooms.
As Jade was about to enter hers, she noticed Daniel casually following behind.
"Uh… what are you doing? Or better yet, where exactly do you think you're going?" she asked, arching a brow.
"What kind of question is that?" he replied with mock confusion.
"I'm going to bed."
"Great. But I'm pretty sure your bed is down the hall," she said, crossing her arms.
"Do you want my parents — or worse, the rest of the family — to start wondering why the 'engaged couple' sleeps separately?" he said, tilting his head.
"Really? But the first night, you slept alone, Mr. Strategic Planner," she shot back.
"Yes, because you weren't feeling well. Now you're fine."
He smirked and leaned in slightly.
"And remember, we're supposed to be engaged. So, my little tornado… for the next two nights, we're sharing a room."
He walked past her and into the room as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
Jade blinked, still frozen in place, arms crossed.
"Fantastic. Just what I needed — a roommate with abs and zero shame."
She muttered to herself before stepping inside, clearly not over the dramatics.
Daniel casually removed all his clothes before slipping under the covers, completely unfazed. Jade, standing there with wide eyes, blushed instantly.
"Shameless man…" she muttered, half-shocked, half-annoyed.
Daniel looked up at her with a smug grin.
"Why do you always act surprised? It's not like you've never seen me naked before."
He winked.
"You know I like sleeping without clothes. Comfort is key."
Jade sighed dramatically, arms crossed.
"Great. Just great. Exactly the kind of information I was dying to hear before bed."
Daniel simply chuckled and picked up his phone, casually scrolling through it like he owned not just the room—but her peace of mind.
"Feel free to make yourself uncomfortable while I enjoy my usual routine." he added without even looking up.
Jade rolled her eyes, grabbing a pillow like it might shield her from the absurdity of it all.
"Remind me again why I agreed to this fake engagement?"
Daniel smirked, not missing a beat.
"Because deep down, you enjoy the view."
She threw the pillow at him.
She chuckled and rolled her eyes.
"You're insane."
Daniel set his phone aside and slowly approached to her on the bed.
"Jade,"he called, his voice low and serious.
"What now?" she replied, half-expecting another one of his teasing remarks.
But instead, he leaned in, pressing his face gently into the curve of her neck without a word.
Jade froze. Her breath caught in her throat, her heart skipped a beat, and her cheeks burned with unexpected warmth.
"Okay… I know we have this whole contract thing—kisses and all—but could you at least warn me before sneaking up like some romantic ninja?"she said, voice shaky with a half-laugh.
Before she could say more, Daniel whispered—
"Thank you."
Her eyes widened. Daniel Ooman… saying *thank you*?
"Wait—what? Why are you thanking me?"she asked, completely thrown off.
He pulled back just enough to meet her eyes.
"Because you never left. Even when I shut down or act like some mysterious brooding villain from a bad novel… you stayed. Even when you were scared, even when you didn't understand. You stayed."
His hands found her waist gently, grounding her in the moment.
Jade blinked, speechless—and that was rare.
Then, without another word, Daniel leaned in and kissed her.
But this kiss… it wasn't like the others. It wasn't stiff or cold or bound by the rules of their fake engagement. It was warm, real, lingering—like he meant it.
Just as she began to melt into it, he pulled away and casually rolled to his side.
"Good night," he said, as if he hadn't just shaken her entire soul.
Jade stared at the ceiling, stunned.
"Did he just…?" she whispered to herself.
Daniel Ooman—romantic, vulnerable, soft?
No smirk. No sarcastic comment. Just Daniel… being real.
She turned on her back, eyes fixed on the ceiling.
"Well... that was unexpectedly emotional," she murmured, still feeling the ghost of his lips on hers.
She blinked again, then pulled the sheets up to her chin.
"Okay, now I am losing my mind…"