Harry stood there under the bright, glittering lights of the mall corridor, completely and utterly confused by Clara’s sudden confession. His dark eyes blinked blankly, his mind struggling to process her passionate outburst.​To be completely honest, Harry had always been hopelessly, exceptionally dense when it came to romantic hints and subtle female affection. Back in his high school and university days, when breathless girls used to shyly slide colorful, scented love letters into his hands or locker, a clueless Harry had genuinely believed they were just asking him to pass the notes along to his taller, more popular classmates! Because of his incredibly emotional dense nature, he had completely missed out on countless romantic opportunities. Yet, despite his striking good looks attracting attention everywhere, Harry had never been a flirt or a player. He was fiercely loyal to a fault.​Once upon a time, he had truly, foolishly believed that Julia was more than enough for him. He h

Kevin’s sharp eyes darted toward the card in Harry’s hand. The moment he noticed that this sleek card looked completely different from the dark, fancy black card Harry had pulled out at the auction to fool everyone last time, a wave of uncontrollable, mocking laughter burst straight out of his throat. ​"HAHAHA! Look at this uncivilized idiot!" Kevin roared loudly, slapping his knee in delight as he pointed an arrogant finger right at Harry's face. "Harry, do you think you're playing a magic trick right now?! You think pulling out a completely different card from your pathetic little deck of colorful pastel cards is going to save you?! Stop putting on this pathetic act!" ​Kevin puffed out his chest, stepping forward with a smug expression, “Let me enlighten your broke, uneducated mind! Helico Mall is strictly owned and directly operated by the legendary Royal Zeiss Bank. This world-class luxury mall only accepts legitimate, verified standard bank cards—not your cheap, fake black ca

Harry’s heart skipped a beat, his muscles stiffening in sudden panic as he felt Clara’s firm palm against his shoulder. He genuinely feared he had pushed her too far, crossing a line that would make her hate him.​But in the very next moment, Clara’s small hand slid smoothly up from his shoulder and wrapped around the back of his neck, her fingers pulling him even closer to herself! She arched her back slightly, deepening the intimate pose so seamlessly that it looked like a passionate, breathless embrace.​Harry let out a quiet, relieved breath against her ear. She had understood his silent plea and was cooperating with his plan perfectly!​Clara turned her head toward the humiliated Aurelia, her eyes flashing with pride as she nestled her head against Harry's chest. She then looked up at Harry with a sweet, affectionate smile and murmured softly, "Darling, let's get out of here right now. I don't want to waste another second of our day looking at trash."​"Of course," Harry replied

Stepping out of the grand, polished entrance of Lyster21 into the bustling mall corridor, Harry’s brain finally reconnected with reality. The moment they were out of sight of Kevin and Aurelia, he quickly let go of Clara’s slender waist, taking a sharp step back as if he had accidentally touched a hot stove.His face looked like it had permanently turned red, even the tips of his ears were glowing red. He immediately raised both hands in front of his chest in surrender, looking so flustered that he almost seemed ready to bow in apology."Clara! I—I am so sorry about what happened back there!" He stammered in a rush. "I swear I wasn't trying to take advantage of you or make you uncomfortable. I just needed something convincing enough to make that shameless woman stop bothering us, and before I knew it, I..."His words became more and more tangled until he could barely finish a complete sentence.Before Harry could continue his panicked explanation, Clara suddenly burst into a clear, r

Clara slowly let go of Ricky Astor's waist, hanging her head down with a guilty, pitiful expression on her cute face. She shuffled her feet against the smooth marble floor, looking like a little child who had been caught red-handed.​"I know... I know I was wrong for running away from home," Clara mumbled softly, her sweet voice full of quiet repentance. But then, she suddenly looked up, her big brown eyes flashing with absolute determination as she puffed out her chest. "But Dad, Mom... I wasn't lying to you on the phone! I really, truly have a boyfriend now! And he came here with me today!"​Turning her head toward the entrance, Clara waved her hand enthusiastically and called out, "Harry, come over here!"​Harry stood near the valet station, observing the affectionate family dynamic. He reminded himself for the hundredth time to not slip up, as her family name was really Anica Astor, like she had shared that day during dinner. Hearing her call his name, he smoothed down his dark j