Later that night, featherlight steps brushed on the carpeted floor.

    It was ten in the evening, and Maxen didn''t waste time snaking his way to the master bedroom where he guessed Olivia could be.

    True to his instinct, Olivia was deep in slumber, her hand tucked under the pillow while her leg crossed over to Maxen''s side of the bed.

    Silently, Maxen went to the ensuite so as not to disturb Olivia''s sleep for she rarely had a full rest at night, especially when her nightmares come and hunt her, leaving her awake for an hour or two in the wee hours of the morning.

    After he showered the remnants of the day off of his body, Maxen then headed to the bed, peeling the duvet so he could slide under it.

    Turning his body to his side to face Olivia, he planted a soft kiss on her lips and sighed at the cast of serenity on her face.

    She didn''t sport the same air last night. Looking at her now, it was as if a heavy weight was lifted off of her shoulders in the span of a day.

    As usual, Maxen slid his arm under Olivia''s neck and scooped her closer to him.

    He wrapped her in his cocoon and smiled when she started rubbing her foot on his leg.

    "Max?" she croaked with her eyes closed.

    "Yes, it''s me."

    "Welcome home."

    Home. He never considered Notios Estate as his home for years. To him, the place was nothing but a place he could take shelter from. It never gave the warmth of a home to him.

    It was why back then, he would rather stay at the penthouse suite in Rockaway which also happened to be his favorite amongst all the properties he had.

    It was custom-built to his preferences, and it gave him the liberty to move around the country easily.

    Things changed, however, when Maxen and Olivia started living together. May it be in Notios Estate or Rockaway Tower, or a silly cabin in the heart of a forest, to Maxen, anywhere with Olivia was home.

    A smile ghosted Maxen''s lips when Olivia''s lashes fluttered dreamily in an attempt to open her eyes but failed.

    Burying her face on Maxen''s c.h.e.s.t, Olivia asked, "Why did you change your password?"

    "We''ve been changing it daily for security purposes. Someone is trying to hack deep into our system, but you have nothing to worry about."

    "Mmmm." Olivia stirred in her sleep, and a soft snore escaped her lips, telling Maxen that she went back to dreamland.

    A flying shadow crossed their window, heightening Maxen''s senses. On instinct, his arms tightened its coil on Olivia, pressing her deeper into his c.h.e.s.t.

    He knew it was a night owl taking flight, but with the way things were going in the War Room, he couldn''t let his guard down, especially when their lives were at stake.

    Weeks ago, they agreed about their sleeping arrangements, that until the security issue of the Suis was handled, Olivia would be staying with Oliver in the meantime.

    "You shouldn''t be sleeping here," he trailed off, as though he didn''t want to share the bed with her.

    He''d been saying the same words every night, yet every night when he came home, he would still look forward to seeing her asleep on her side of the bed.

    Seeing there was no point in having a midnight disagreement with himself, he sought solace with the fact the nothing felt more reassuring than having her in his arms for a few more stolen hours at night.

    He then buried his face in Olivia''s hair, inhaling the crisp apple scent that he loved the most. Slowly, tiredness took over, and Maxen was asleep in no time.

    The following morning, two minutes before five in the morning, Maxen''s knee jerked and sent the duvet sliding down his leg. To his surprise, when he swiped his arm to the left, he found Olivia''s side of the bed empty.

    He quickly reached for his phone on the bedside table and rubbed his nose bridge in circles before accessing the cameras inside his mansion where he was able to pin Olivia''s location.

    A corner of his lips tugged up in a smile that reached his eyes. Not wanting to disturb his wife, he let Olivia busy herself while he got ready for another day, jampacked with commitments.

    By the time Maxen was done taking a bath, Olivia was wheeling in their breakfast on a cart inside the master bedroom. She instructed Yana to arrange the meal on the balcony where Maxen and Olivia usually ate their breakfast.

    It was their favorite spot in the morning. It blessed them with a panoramic view of Nisia''s picturesque beauty as the sun slowly rise from the endless horizon to the blue and orange ombre skies.

    Once Yana started with her task, Olivia left her to seek Maxen in their bedroom.

    "Oh, there you are," she greeted. She leaned on the bedroom door''s frame and crossed her arms over her c.h.e.s.t, ogling Maxen as he dried his hair with a towel while another towel wrapped around his waist.

    "Like what you see?" Maxen c.o.c.ked a brow with a smug grin on his face, but it faded away when Olivia shrugged at him.

    "I don''t want to say anything that will make you flip me on the bed so early in the morning."

    "Not even this?" Maxen yanked his towel and spread his arms in a wingspan, offering his n.a.k.e.d glory for Olivia''s taking, yet all he got was a scowl from her.

    Her eyes narrowed into slits. She pushed herself off the doorframe and turned on her heel. Looking over her shoulders, she told Maxen, "Hurry up. I''m hungry."

    "Oh, okay-okay. Hungry. Angry. Hungry Angry," Maxen muttered as he scrambled on his feet, picking up the towel on the floor, and got dressed for the day in under ten minutes. He had an inkling that a second more than that, his wife would turn into a dragon, and would breathe fire down on him.

    Right after eating every bite of Olivia''s savory crepe filled with smoked salmon, slices of avocado, and an over-easy egg, the two watched in silence how the waves rolled on the surface of the ocean below.

    "Why did you change your password, Max? Did something happen?" Olivia asked, breaking the comfortable silence. She turned to face Maxen whose brows furrowed in confusion.

    "I told you last night," he trailed off, then quickly realized that she must be talking in her sleep that time. "You asked me the same thing last night so my answer is still the same: there were a few attempts to breach the Suis database, so my password changes after I log out of the system."

    "Oh," the vowel slipped out of Olivia''s mouth as she bobbed her head. "Should I be worried about it?"

    Reaching out for her hand, Olivia accepted Maxen''s gesture and let him whisk her to his seat, propping her on his t.h.i.g.hs. He wrapped a hand on her waist and perched his chin on the plane of her shoulder as he spoke, "You have nothing to worry about. Let me handle these matters, okay?"

    "Okay," Olivia agreed without hesitation, and not an ounce of doubt that Maxen would do everything in his might to keep her safe.

    After a few beats, she opened her mouth and informed him, "Soooo, I was playing with your account, and then I stumbled onto something and you won''t believe what I saw."