Dexter hadn't taken his eyes off Evangeline since he disembarked from the helicopter. After descending the ladder and starting to approach her, he ran, then hesitated and stopped. Turning to Wesley beside him, he whispered something. Wesley nodded, picked up his phone, and quickly ordered the cameras surrounding Evangeline to be shut down.

Meanwhile, Evangeline had already walked toward him. "What are you doing here, Dexter?" she asked, stopping in front of him. She hadn't seen him since he returned to the Gallagher residence a year ago. He looked more mature and taller. He was even taller than her, a striking five and a half feet. He had been much shorter than her before turning twelve, but he'd grown rapidly afterward. She had tried various—and superstitious—methods to stunt his growth, such as accidentally stepping over him or holding an umbrella indoors, but nothing worked.

With a smile, Dexter hugged her, saying in a hoarse voice, "I missed you, Eva."

Evangeline patted his back. "Don't you think I smell? I haven't showered in days."

He smelled subtly and alluringly of fresh grass. Evangeline felt embarrassed by her comment.

Dexter held her tighter. "I love whatever you smell like," he said.

The white tiger ran over and circled them.

Evangeline pushed Dexter away, but he held her hand as clingingly as when they were children. Glancing at the happily circling tiger, she asked, "Why did you bring him to the forest?"

After she'd defeated the white tiger, she'd asked Arthur to send it to Dexter, hoping he could find a suitable home so the tiger wouldn't have to fight humans or be captured for genetic research.

She hadn't expected Dexter to release the tiger into the forest.

Dexter explained, "Keeping him would be expensive, so I had him 'earn his living.' I sold him for fifty million dollars to the production team's sponsors. That money's enough to support him for life."

"What? You made him earn his living, and you're taking him back?" Evangeline asked incredulously.

Dexter replied, "Leaving him in the forest would disrupt the ecological balance. A beast of his size has almost no natural predators. If released, other creatures would struggle to survive. Besides, he was raised by humans and is accustomed to human contact. If left in the forest, he might go to human habitats and cause harm."

Evangeline was stunned. She hadn't considered that. Hearing Dexter's words, she agreed the white tiger wasn't suited to life in the wild. He might endanger other creatures, but more importantly, he had eaten people before and still craved human flesh. While in the forest, he'd had several urges to eat people; she'd stopped him each time. If left there, he'd likely seek out human settlements.

"Just kill him if you don't like him," Dexter said, turning to Wesley. "Have someone kill him, Wesley."

The happily circling tiger grumbled, turned away, and began digging furiously, clearly upset.

Evangeline said, "Take him back. Maybe we can make money with him in the future."

The tiger's eyes filled with tears. He was relieved she still cared. Two more helicopters arrived—one for passengers, one for cargo. Marian and Riley boarded the passenger helicopter; the white tiger was loaded onto the cargo helicopter, secured in an iron cage to prevent him from harming anyone. He'd been reluctant at first, but Evangeline's cold glance persuaded him to enter.

Dexter took Evangeline's hand and they boarded the helicopter. After several hours, they landed on the rooftop of a five-star hotel. They went to the presidential suite.

"Go shower," Dexter said. "I'll have Wesley retrieve your luggage from your previous hotel."

Evangeline nodded and went into the bathroom. She'd only wiped herself with tissues in the forest and felt dreadful. She brushed her teeth three times, washed her hair five times, and showered for an hour before feeling refreshed. Her luggage arrived before she finished. Dexter had left pajamas by the door. She showered for another ten minutes before feeling truly clean, putting on the pajamas.

While she dried her hair, Dexter took the dryer. "Let me help you."

Evangeline handed him the dryer and looked at herself in the mirror. "How have you grown even taller since I last saw you? Is something wrong? Do you need growth-suppressing medication?"

Dexter looked at her in the mirror. "Are you jealous of my height? Ever since I surpassed you, you've been trying to stop me from growing."

"I'm not—" Evangeline denied it immediately.

Dexter continued, "Do you think I don't know what you've done? You kept stepping over me at night and holding an umbrella indoors! You didn't want me to grow taller."

Evangeline rubbed her nose. "How did you know? Why didn't you tell me?"

Dexter said, "There was nothing inherently bad about what you did, but regularly getting up at night leads to sleep deprivation, which stunts growth. You were hurting yourself. You used to mock me for being shorter, so of course, I didn't want you to be taller than me. Why would I tell you?"

Evangeline turned and punched him. "I treat you as my younger brother! Why would you hold a grudge over something so trivial?"

Dexter caught her fist, easily absorbing her blow.

Stunned, Evangeline asked, "Have you recovered? Do you want a friendly sparring match?"

Dexter glanced at her. "No. I'm weak. I can't defeat you."

Evangeline asked awkwardly, "Did you hear that?"

Dexter shook his head. "No, but I read your lips."

Evangeline was speechless. Dexter had undergone medicine resistance training before her, planning to compete afterward. Unfortunately, he'd suffered a severe allergic reaction, causing serious damage. This was why she'd undergone the same training. Worried, Evangeline grabbed his wrist. "Let me check you."