Twenty minutes later, Tiffany arrived home to a hug from Eric, who had just returned from school.

"Tiffany, do you miss me?" Eric asked.

He raised his head, a delighted expression on his face. Eight years old this year, his baby fat hadn't completely faded, giving him an exquisite and likable appearance. His big, blinking eyes made him as cute as a puppy.

Tiffany smiled dotingly. "Of course, I miss you."

Eric, who adored Tiffany, was overjoyed.

Only Tiffany, Thalia, and Eric were home for dinner. Charlie had been busy with the old alley renovation project lately and had been returning very late.

After dinner, Tiffany watched TV with Thalia before returning to her room to sleep. The afternoon's storm had passed, but the sky remained shrouded in dark clouds. The weather had been poor for several days.

Lying on her bed, Tiffany subconsciously glanced at the window. Richard had climbed up to her window every day; she wondered if he’d done so when she wasn't home. She wanted to laugh.

Unknowingly, the memory of their passionate kiss under the dense tree resurfaced. A frown creased her face, and she muttered, "Bastard!"

She was Jacqueline Wood, the Miracle Healer, and Richard, that damned man, constantly teased her, claiming to be good but unable to control himself. The rumors of his disinterest in women were lies, she thought.

Furious, Tiffany decided to keep the window closed. As she was about to get up, she heard a faint sound from the window. A gust of wind blew in, and a shadowy figure flashed past.

Richard, arriving in the wind and rain, stood before her.

"Huh? Who did you just call a bastard?"

Tiffany choked. She hadn't expected him to overhear. Before she could answer, Richard approached, his dark expression and deep, curious eyes fixed on her. "Who are you talking about?"

"You!" Tiffany snapped. (The sentence "Tillany was funOLÍS" is unintelligible and has been removed.)

However, Richard's face brightened. "That's good." He seemed pleased she could talk about him, but not anyone else—he was fiercely jealous.

Tiffany laughed angrily. After a while, she sat back and asked indifferently, "It's raining. Why are you here?"

Seeing his wet clothes, her gloom dissipated. Casually, she grabbed a towel and tossed it to him. "Wipe yourself."

He happily accepted it. The soft, fragrant towel reminded him of her.

Richard wiped his face and asked, "Is this your bath towel?"

Tiffany stared, her eyelids twitching as she saw the pink bath puff in his hand. She instinctively wanted to snatch it back. "I'll change it for you!"

"No," Richard raised his hand, making it unreachable. The height difference frustrated Tiffany. She said fiercely, "Give it back, or I'll bite you!"

Richard bent down, offering his neck and shoulders.

Tiffany kicked him. "Bastard!"

His low chuckle—mellow, magnetic, and teasing—was her only response. Her ears reddened slightly. She decided to leave it and sat down, smiling. "Actually, that's for wiping my feet." She thought, Now you'll despise it, right? Will you throw it away?

But Richard acted as if nothing had happened. A chilling smile curved his lips. "Yes, it's quite good."

The legendary super mysophobic Richard? Tiffany thought, wilting.

After a long silence, Richard said, "I'm going on a business trip tonight. I might be gone for ten days."

"Yeah."

Tiffany suddenly realized something was amiss. "If you're going on a business trip, why tell me?"

"A word of advice," Richard chuckled, his gaze burning. (The promotional text has been removed.)

"Yes?"

Before she could react, he pulled her into a strong embrace. She could feel his heartbeat and the warmth of his chest. Startled, her face flushed.

"Hey, let me go!" she protested.

Richard's domineering voice cut her off. "You're not allowed to open the window while I'm gone."

Is that his advice? Tiffany thought, amused. "Hey, jerk, not everyone likes climbing windows as much as you do." Besides, Garry, who’d tried it last time, was downed by her poison in minutes. Richard smiled contentedly. "That's good."

Tiffany broke free, changing the subject. "What time is your flight? Why aren't you leaving?"

"Anytime. The plane's mine." (Richard's internal thoughts have been removed for clarity.)

Richard raised an eyebrow.

Tiffany pushed him. "Well, don't be late. Go. Be careful."

His smile deepened. "Okay."

Richard jumped out the window, disappearing into the night. Tiffany felt a pang of annoyance. It was still raining, and she'd forgotten to get him an umbrella. She was overthinking, however.

Richard, walking through the rain, remained dry. His aura was strong, his face cold and distant, like a god.

Sidney watched from afar, sighing. "Even heroes fall for beauties."

Garry nodded in agreement. Richard, the two-faced man, had deliberately gotten wet before climbing through the window.

Sidney and Garry exchanged knowing glances.

"No wonder you're still single," Garry said.

They looked at each other in disdain.

Richard got into the car, glancing indifferently at Sidney and Garry. Sidney straightened. Garry, having been recently pardoned for almost harming Tiffany, quickly drove away. A private jet took off from Royal Bay shortly after.

The next morning, Tiffany woke to a fresh, post-rain atmosphere. Downstairs, Eric was acting cute. "Tiffany, can you pick me up from school today?"

He loved being picked up because he could proudly introduce her to his classmates as his beautiful sister.