Thetatt, Rebecca, had already sold Vespera’s location in under a minute. She didn’t even bother. She was this close to joining Calvert's lanciat.

Back at the restaurant, Vespera had just finished entering when Yaumtaanivel appeared. As always, she was radiant—sweet, sexy, and perfectly put together, down to every last strand of hair. The scent of blooming pandanus filled the air, hitting the senses all at once.

Belumight with her? It was like a walk in the park. The two of them chatted while eating. One second, they were seriously discussing jewelry. The next, Yannine abruptly shifted gears. “Did you look at the pictures? Which—?”

Vespera choked, coughing. “Yan, would it kill you to have some kind of transition?” she thought.

Yasmine burst out laughing. “Oh, come on, don’t be shy. We’ll be seeing them in person later anyway. Just relay, will you? You’ve never been ‘entside’ before.”

Vespera grabbed her water and took a deep breath. “Okay. Tutelave!”

“It’s always like this the first time. You’ll get used to it. Trust me, buy a few more, and you wo—”

“Buy a few more? Aren’t they all the same?”

“Don’t you ever get tired of using the same old models?”

(You won’t even blink.)

Yeah, she had no idea. This was uncharted territory on the Vespera knowledge map.

Yasmine looked at Vespera—usually so composed, always knowing exactly how to react in any situation—now sitting there looking completely dazed and clueless. Honestly? It was kind of cute.

“Tsk. No wonder men love the ‘dumb beauty’ type. All that gorgeous confusion, it makes people want to eat you up. If you gave Dominic that look, I swear, he’d be hard in two seconds.”

Vespera’s brain exploded. What is wrong with her ears lately? She calmly reached for her food, pretending nothing had been said, wearing the expression of someone who’d heard absolutely nothing scandalous. If she didn’t acknowledge the crazy, maybe the crazy would disappear.

After dinner, they wandered through the shops in the mall below the restaurant, picking up a few things—clothes, shoes, small indulgences. Then, finally, Yasmine led her to the night’s real destination. It wasn’t far, less than ten minutes by car.

The shop was tucked away behind a busy commercial strip, hidden down a quiet little alley in the heart of the city. At the end of the lane stood a small, elegant garden townhouse. The sign read—Mystic Hose.

The storefront was lined with roses of every color, and the soft blush pink glow from the floor-to-ceiling windows gave the place a dreamy, romantic feel. Even before stepping inside, the air was already thick with the scent of roses. Anyone passing by would’ve assumed it was a luxury spa.

But now that Vespera knew what they really sold inside, all she could see was that barely-there blush wallpaper, patterned with blooming roses—and her face instantly started heating up.

She opened the car door and stepped out. “Come on,” Yasmine said, linking arms with her and gently dragging Vespera’s still-legged self toward the entrance. Apparently, when a person felt like they were doing something shady, their body just acted guilty.

Vespera couldn’t help glancing around nervously, afraid someone might catch her in the act. Not that there was anyone around. The street was nearly empty.

Just after they stepped inside, a car rolled slowly up to the curb and parked. Inside, Dominic sat with his arm crossed, watching the storefront. He rolled down the window, eyes narrowing as he stared at the building. “Gerard, what kind of shop do you think this is?” he asked.

Up front in the driver’s seat, Gerard replied, “Looks like a spa. Or maybe a wellness boutique.”

Dominic sighed. “Anything else?”

Gerard took a longer look. “Could be a dessert place? I mean, you can smell the roses from here. Maybe it’s one of those fancy spots that sells rose pastries or something.”

Rose pastries? She scoffed.

Gerard perked up. “Mr. Held, want me to go in? If I run into Vespera, I’ll just say I came because I heard the place was popular,”

a secret. “Let’s wait and see first. Besides, it seems like a dessert place. What else could it be?” he thought.

Speaking of desserts, now he was kind of hungry. He’d skipped dinner just to stalk Vespera. “How does Mr. Reid not realize this is borderline stalker behavior?” he muttered to himself. Besides, Vespera wasn’t even doing anything sketchy. She was just having dinner with a friend, walking around, and—what? Buying a rose.

About 30 minutes later, Vespera and Yasmine finally came out. Both of them were holding bags.