The call went silent for a few seconds. And when Aiden didn''t hear her saying anything, he asked again.

    "You said if I don''t skip my meals, you will reward me," he repeated, his voice low and teasing. "So, tell me how are you going to reward me? If the temptation you offer me is hard to resist, I will find every single way to get it down without a miss."

    Arwen''s breath hitched and her face flushed red. She hadn''t given much thought when she mentioned about reward earlier. She just wanted him to agree to her request so she said whatever she thought would make him agree.

    She used the trick that often worked on the kids, but she failed to remind herself that Aiden wasn''t a child.

    "A r-reward will still be a reward. You don''t have to think about it now," she said, clearing her voice in an attempt to sound composed and natural. "Your only goal is to have three proper meals a day. As long as you achieve that, you will be rewarded."

    The moment she finished speaking, she thought she had successfully evaded the situation. She was about to give herself an appreciative pat on the back when she heard his response.

    "Sure, I will focus on the goal," Aiden said, his voice carrying a calculative edge. "I will make sure to finish all three meals of the day, every day. And when I am back, I will claim the reward."

    "Perfect! You —"

    "But Moon," he interjected, amusement lacing his tone, "since you haven''t revealed what the reward is, I won''t fall for any trickery. I will make sure that I am well rewarded."

    Her brows furrowed in confusion. "What do you mean?"

    He chuckled on the other end of the call.

    "All I mean," he said smoothly, "is that your husband is a businessman. Making profitable deals is my forte. If I hold up my end of the bargain, I will take a reward that I deem fit. You won''t be able to refuse me."

    Arwen blinked, processing his words. "You can''t do that," she said, already feeling the butterfly dancing in her stomach. "I will decide on the reward. It could be something as simple as a piece of candy or something as precious and expensive as an antique."

    Emyr immediately snapped out of his daze. Clearing his throat, he quickly responded, "My apologies, Sir. The chefs will arrive tomorrow. For tonight, I will order a takeout."

    As he spoke, he was already pulling out his phone to make the arrangements.

    A short moment later, he reported, "Sir, your dinner will arrive in another thirty minutes."

    Aiden nodded but didn''t say more. He simply turned back his gaze to the city, the bright lights reflecting in his eyes.

    Emyr stole a glance at his boss, watching him stand in silence. It was once rare to see his boss in a pleasant mood, but since the day the lady appeared, it has become a part of his life.

    He was lost in his train of thought when his phone beeped with a notification. His brows furrowed as he checked the message.

    "Sir," he said cautiously, looking up. "Something happened at the hospital today."

    Earlier, he had just got the brief that the lady had visited. It was only now he had received a complete report.

    Aiden didn''t react at first. He remained as he was, gazing out the window as if city lights had suddenly become more interesting than before.

    Emyr hesitated. He had expected some sort of reaction, even if it was just a glance. But when Aiden remained silent, he debated whether to continue.

    However, given that the matter involved the lady, he decided to report it anyway.

    "At the hospital where Madam took Ms. Griffin, Ryan Foster and Delyth Ember were also present. They —"

    "Did they try to do something?" Aiden''s voice was calm, almost too calm. He didn''t move but Emyr could see the shift in his demeanor, the way his fingers curled up in a fist inside his dress pants'' pockets.

    Though his boss looked calm from behind, but Emyr knew better. That was the kind of calm before a storm.