Jeremy had never been a particular fan of the arts, but he couldn't deny his curiosity about seeing Violet in her element. This was why he attended the opening performance of her new show.

He couldn't deny her extreme talent. The natural grace and elegance she displayed in her daily life were evident in her movements.

What truly intrigued him was her character's transformation throughout the story. Sometimes Cinderella danced slowly and sadly; other times, she leaped around cheerfully; and at still other times, her love for the prince was palpable. Violet captured each emotion perfectly.

He suddenly understood Aaron's comments about her dancing. Besides possessing the same natural grace, the ballerina on stage seemed almost unlike Violet. She displayed far more facial expression.

At the performance's end, he clapped loudly. Jeremy had been captivated not by the story, but by the ever-deepening mystery of Violet Hale.

During the post-performance meet-and-greet, he saw her across the room talking to the man who frequently appeared with her on Instagram. Knowing her twin was home, he naturally assumed that was who it was.

Discovering the man he assumed was Violet's brother was actually Cameron Singleton's son came as a shock. He knew Cameron and Aaron were close, having been friends since Harvard. It made a strange sort of sense that their children would be close as well.

Jeremy still found it hard to believe Aaron socialized with colleagues outside of work, even after seeing Cameron and Aiden featured on Keeley Hale's Instagram.

He hadn't considered Aaron the type to have actual friends. Seeing them at work—wasn't that enough interaction? Especially since they seemed to annoy him so frequently.

Even more interesting was Noah's immediate resentment of Jeremy's presence. Had Cameron said something? Jeremy disliked the man, and the feeling seemed mutual, though Aaron was too emotionally obtuse to notice.

He didn't take his work seriously. Jeremy couldn't understand how such a person had maintained the vice presidency at such a prestigious institution for so long.

Cameron lacked ambition, yet, heaven forbid, if anything happened to Aaron, he would inherit the top position solely due to his title. Aaron had promised Jeremy the company after further training in upper management—he had it in writing—and he wouldn't let anyone take that away.

Becoming CEO of Hale Investments…carrying on Aaron's legacy…it was more than Jeremy had ever dreamed of. Even after witnessing his mentor's habits and unpredictable personality, Aaron remained his idol.

He didn't understand how such a cold, proud, intelligent man could be close friends with people like Cameron Singleton and Aiden Quinn. Aiden was undoubtedly a computer genius, but his personality! He supposed his usefulness explained his continued employment, but Cameron remained a mystery.

Yet Violet, clearly Aaron's favorite, had been close to Cameron's son her entire life. This meant Aaron and Cameron were even more closely connected than Jeremy had initially thought.

She described Noah as her "best friend and most avid fan." On the day they first met, Aaron mentioned her favorite person would be back in town, so she probably wouldn't be home until late. On their smoothie date, she'd mentioned spending most of her time with family or her best friend.

Jeremy had assumed her best friend was a woman. Didn't most women have female best friends? Yet her social circle seemed limited to her family and the man before him.

Violet called him as good as a brother. Yet none of her brothers had attended her show. Noah clearly cared more than a brother would.

There was only one reason a man would bring flowers to a woman's performance: romantic interest. Noah Singleton was interested in Violet. Jeremy almost felt sorry for him, being dismissed as a sibling in front of a romantic rival.

Based on the pictures he'd seen, they truly had been raised like siblings. Pictures of Noah with Violet and the other Hale siblings dated back decades. If Violet didn't see him as anything other than a brother now, she never would.

Jeremy relaxed. This man wasn't a threat to his interest in the only woman who had ever intrigued him. He decided to ignore him.

"Violet, I'd love to talk more about your performance tonight. Can I take you to lunch tomorrow?"

A small smile appeared. "It'll have to be brunch. I have rehearsals at one."

"No problem," he agreed.

Noah's face turned practically green with envy. Jeremy barely suppressed his laughter. This was too much fun!

"Great! Text me in the morning, and we'll figure out a time and place," she replied before waving goodbye and thanking him for coming.

She immediately turned back to her friend, talking to him as if he hadn't just been rejected. Noah was clearly trying to maintain composure for Violet's sake.

These two were quite entertaining. Jeremy was interested in Violet, but he might be even more interested in watching this drama unfold. Plus, he had to admit, taking something a Singleton cared about was appealing.

He'd already considered Violet Hale as girlfriend material. She was beautiful, intelligent, and had a dazzling smile.

Getting closer to Aaron and his seemingly perfect family would be a bonus. Jeremy had always wished for a family like the Hales. Violet was the only woman he'd ever truly found interesting, but the added benefits of getting close to her were too significant to ignore.

There was nothing wrong with taking advantage of a win-win situation. He'd always excelled at finding them.

(The final promotional sentences have been removed as they are irrelevant to the editing of the text.)