"I thought... I saw him coming out of here a few days ago," Emily mused, her confusion written in the way her brows knit together. She looked at the towering building of the Newman apartment, then back at Mikael.
Mikael looked perplexed for a moment before the memory clicked. "Oh... Ken. He came to visit me a few days ago while I was sick. You probably assumed he lived here. We moved from our old place after... well, after everything. This is my home now."
Emily took a long look at the mansion. The architecture was sharp, modern, and aggressively expensive. It screamed of the Newman legacy—old money and high expectations. Mikael hadn't changed; he was still the prince in the ivory tower. A small, sad smile touched her lips.
"I see," she said softly, finally meeting his eyes. "Thanks for the ride, Mikael."
"It's no problem," he replied. He hesitated, his thumb hovering over his phone screen. "Emily... if it's not too much trouble, can I have your number?"
Emily was startled, her eyes widening. But after a beat, she took the phone and typed in her digits. She handed it back with a faint smile and turned away, walking toward her own building. Mikael stood by his car, watching her go. That smile... it was like a flash of lightning from his childhood. For a second, he wasn't a traumatized man in a luxury SUV; he was just a boy in love again.
He shook the feeling off and began unloading his groceries, oblivious to the fact that every move he made was being calculated.
Back at the beach, the afternoon heat had mellowed. Amy, Laura, and Ken lay on the sand, their heads touching to form a human clover. The midday sun was a golden weight above them.
"Laura... what do you actually intend to study in Europe?" Ken asked, closing his eyes against the glare.
"Web Design and Development," she whispered.
"Really?"
"Yeah... you know that's always been the dream. Building something from nothing, making things look beautiful on a screen."
"And Ken, you chose Medical Science," Amy added, turning her head toward him. "Why?"
"For my mom's sake," Ken admitted, his voice tinged with a hidden sadness. "I always wanted to be an artist... but you don't always get to decide your life. Sometimes, the path is already paved by necessity."
A heavy silence fell over the trio. Amy wanted to tell him to chase the art, to be the person he wanted to be, but she knew Ken's reality. She knew about the hospital bills and the failing heart of the woman who raised him. Neither she nor Laura spoke; some sacrifices were too heavy to argue with.
"What about you, Amy?" Ken asked, breaking the tension.
"Law. I haven't gotten the admission yet, but I'm hoping. I want to be the one who makes things fair."
"So, the dream is overseas for you, too?"
"Yeah... it is."
"Soon, we're all going to be separated," Ken stated, the thought finally reaching his lips. "I wish... I wish we could stay friends regardless of the distance."
"Always," Laura and Amy said together.
Suddenly, Ken sat up, his eyes bright. He held out his hand. "Then let's make a promise. Right now. No matter where we go, no matter how many miles are between us, we remain us."
The girls sat up, too, each stretching out a pinky finger.
"Always and forever?" Amy asked.
"Always and forever," Ken and Laura vowed, their fingers interlocking in a fragile, human bond.
The next morning, Sunday, Ken visited the hospital. He carried a single, vibrant sunflower—a splash of gold for his mother's drab room. When he entered, he found her awake, propped up against the pillows with a tired but genuine smile.
"Hey, Mom... how are you doing?"
"Still holding on," she replied.
Ken walked over to the bedside table to set down his sunflower, but he froze. There, already sitting in the glass vase, was a fresh bouquet of Daffodils. They were perfect—crisp, fragrant, and expensive.
Did Lucien come here? Ken thought, his heart skipping a beat. "Mom... who brought these?"
"Oh, those? They're from that nice young man who came the other day. He's been here every morning, Ken. Same time, every day. He brings fruit and flowers... he's truly a wonderful soul."
Ken was stunned. While he had been drowning in Mikael's past and Emily's drama, Lucien had been here. Quietly. Consistently.
"He came himself? Every day?"
"Every day," she confirmed. "He buys the best fruit. He says it's important for your recovery."
Ken looked at the Daffodils in disbelief. Why? What does he want? How does he have the time?
Across the city, in the sterile, dark luxury of the Dark Tower, Lex walked into the penthouse. He bowed deeply to Hades, who was lounging on a black leather sofa, a leather-bound book in his hands and silver-rimmed glasses perched on his nose.
"Lord Hades. The files for the acquisitions you requested," Lex said, handing over a folder.
Hades didn't look up from his book. "Proceed."
"The fruit shop cost seventy-five thousand dollars. The florist cost forty-eight thousand. The total for the two businesses comes to one hundred and twenty-three thousand dollars."
"Simple," Hades replied, setting the file aside.
Lex bowed and exited. As the door clicked shut, Hades set his book down and glanced at a bank of monitors on the wall. One of them showed a live feed of the hospital room. He watched Ken staring at the daffodils, his expression a mix of confusion and something Hades couldn't quite define.
Ken walked home that evening, his mind a chaotic mess of shifting loyalties. While he was chasing ghosts with Mikael, Lucien was acting as the anchor for his real life. Lucien knew exactly what his mother needed, exactly when she was lonely, and exactly how to be present without making a scene.
He's always on time, Ken thought, scrolling through his dead chat history with Lucien. He's always there before I even know I need him.
A strange, fluttering sensation stirred in Ken's chest—not the frantic panic he felt with Mikael, but a steady, magnetic pull. "What is this feeling?" he muttered to the empty street. "What am I doing?"
The next morning, Ken woke up to a text from Mikael.
Mikael: Hey Bae, I won't be able to pick you up. I have something urgent to do this morning. I promise I'll make it up to you. See you later!
Ken smiled at the phone. He hadn't heard from Mikael on Sunday, but he figured Mikael was taking his advice and spending time in self-reflection. He got dressed and headed to school on foot—a walk he used to enjoy before the cars and the drama started.
As he reached the main road, a familiar black SUV slowed to a crawl beside him. The window rolled down to reveal Lucien's unbothered, sharp profile.
"You seem to be headed my way," Lucien said, his voice smooth as silk. "Need a ride?"
Ken looked at him. His face is a blank slate. Is he being nice, or is this another move? How does he always find me on this specific stretch of road? Ken shook his head. "No, thank you." He didn't want the complication. He didn't want the school gossip, and he didn't want to feel like he was betraying Mikael by stepping into the "Devil's" car.
Lucien didn't argue. He simply nodded and drove off, the SUV disappearing into the morning traffic.
I still can't understand him, Ken thought, turning into the school building.
But as he reached the parking lot, his heart stopped. There was Mikael's SUV. Mikael was stepping out of the driver's side, looking refreshed, glowing with a newfound energy. Ken started to wave, a smile forming on his face—until Mikael walked around to the passenger side.
Mikael opened the door, and out stepped Emily.