Lia struggled to catch her breath as she leaned against the railing on the second floor of the mall. Felix stood beside her, hands on his knees, panting like he had just run a marathon.

"What the heck, Felix?" she shouted between breaths. "Why did you suddenly drag me out of there? I wasn’t even done shopping!"

Felix sucked in a deep breath, attempting to form words. "I… just give me a sec." He waved a hand before standing up straight. His eyes darted around the mall before suddenly locking onto a store.

"Actually, I wanted to go there!" he announced, pointing ahead.

Lia followed his gaze, raising an eyebrow. "A flower nursery?"

Through the glass walls of the mall, across the street, a quaint little nursery stood, filled with colorful blooms and potted greenery.

"Yep!" Felix nodded quickly, his enthusiasm almost suspicious.

Lia frowned, arms crossing. "Felix, you dragged me away from Celine. We had clothes picked out! I wanted that dress—"

"You don’t really need them," Felix interrupted, trying to look nonchalant.

Lia scoffed. "I definitely needed them!"

Felix groaned before smirking. "I’ll buy you that perfume you were eyeing next week if you just come with me now."

Lia narrowed her eyes at him, considering the offer. She had been obsessed with that perfume.

"Fine. But you better keep that promise."

Felix grinned. "Great! Let’s go!"

As he ran ahead, Lia tilted her head, watching him curiously.

He’s acting… weird.

She shook the thought away and followed him across the street.

The second they entered the nursery, all of Lia’s frustrations melted away.

Rows of beautifully potted flowers lined the greenhouse, sunlight streaming in through the glass ceiling. Tiny succulents, hanging ivy, delicate roses—she was mesmerized.

"Oh my God, these are so cute!" she gushed, rushing over to inspect a tiny bonsai tree.

Felix, on the other hand, stood stiffly by the entrance, his jaw clenched.

His mind replayed what had happened back at the mall—the way Ophelia had frozen, her face going pale when she caught sight of Lia.

She saw her.

Felix swallowed and pulled out his phone, quickly typing a message to his brother.

Felix: I just saw Ophelia Williams at the mall while I was with Lia. WTF is she doing here? I think she saw Lia before I could get her out of the store. It will be okay, right?

He hesitated before hitting send, his stomach churning.

Lia’s voice pulled him back to reality.

"Felix! What’s this one called?"

She held up a plant, looking at him with wide, curious eyes.

Felix glanced at it, forcing himself to smile. "I have no idea. Let’s ask someone."

After finishing their little shopping trip, Felix dropped Lia off at home before heading straight to his brother’s office.

Without knocking, he burst through the door.

"Bro! You didn’t even answer my texts!"

Lucian, who had been reviewing documents, barely looked up. "Felix, I don’t have time for your nonsense right now."

Felix’s eye twitched. "This isn’t nonsense! I’m serious!"

Lucian sighed and set his pen down. "Alright. What is it?"

Felix recounted everything that had happened at the mall—the shopping, the laughter, and most importantly, the moment Ophelia had seen Lia.

Lucian listened in silence, his expression unreadable.

When Felix finished, he folded his hands and said calmly, "It’s fine."

Felix blinked. "It’s fine?! What if she recognized Lia? What if she—"

Lucian interrupted, his voice steady. "It’s time for Lia to stop hiding. She needs to step into the world and let them see her. Ophelia is bound to find out sooner or later."

Felix frowned. "So you’re planning to reveal her as the missing daughter of the Winter family?"

Lucian shook his head. "No. Not yet."

Felix stared at him, confused.

Lucian leaned back in his chair. "She’s worked too hard for this. Only when she’s strong enough, when she’s capable of taking her own revenge, will she reveal who she really is."

Felix let out a long sigh. "I get that, but damn… She’s been training non-stop. She’s already putting in more effort than most of your trainees."

Lucian simply stared at him. "She’s still missing some vocal and dance lessons."

Felix scoffed. "Are you serious? She’s killing herself over this. Even before going shopping today, she made sure to finish her schedule first."

Lucian sat quietly, considering his words.

Felix rubbed his face before asking, "So when is she officially joining the company?"

Lucian glanced at the calendar. "In a week. I just need to finalize a few things."

Felix hesitated. "And her first public appearance?"

Lucian’s gaze turned sharp. "When her first debut song is released. That’s when the world will see her."

Felix sat back, a frown etched on his face. "I just wonder… How will her fans react to her?"

Meanwhile…

Back at the hotel, Ophelia stood frozen in front of her purchases.

Sen watched her from across the room, frowning.

"Ophelia."

She didn’t respond.

Sen sighed, setting his folder down before walking over to her. He reached for her hand, gently pulling her back to reality.

She flinched.

"Are you okay?" he asked, searching her face.

Ophelia blinked and forced a smile. "Yeah, I’m fine."

Sen didn’t look convinced. "You seem… off."

Ophelia let out a small laugh and quickly wrapped her arms around him in a hug. "Don’t be silly. I was just thinking today would’ve been a lot better if you had come with me."

Sen chuckled, relieved. "Sorry, work’s been keeping me busy."

Ophelia smiled sweetly and pulled back. "I know. It’s okay."

She then began showing him the clothes she bought, pretending everything was normal.

Pretending she hadn’t just seen a ghost from her past.

Pretending she hadn’t seen April—the sister she had once left for dead.