When Conan went downstairs, he found Ninian watering the plants in the garden.

She wore a black professional suit and tilted the watering can forward. There was a faint smile on her lips.

Conan seldom saw her in such formal wear. He always preferred it if she wore dresses, because when she wore a dress and had her long hair let down, she looked like “that person.”

Of course, Ninian did not know about this.

He walked over and asked, “Where’s breakfast?”

When she heard his voice, Ninian put down the watering can, and her smile vanished.

“I didn’t make it.”

“Why didn’t you? You know that I want to eat breakfast cooked by you once I wake up.” Conan frowned. He had a feeling that Ninian was acting strangely today.

“I have to meet a client soon, and I don’t have time to make it for you. Have the servant make it.”

Ninian turned around to leave, but Conan stopped her.

“You’re going in this suit?”

“What’s wrong with it?”

Ninian looked at him. She knew that Conan did not like it.

But she did not care anymore. She only cared about what she liked.

She did not like wearing dresses. She always did think that she should dress more formally while at work, but Conan liked her in dresses and in makeup that gave her a refined look. He liked her looking like a doll.

She was no longer going to listen to him.

“What’s wrong?”

Once he noticed that something was off with Ninian, Conan spoke to her gently. “You don’t like that I got engaged, do you? You must know that this is what my parents want. I didn’t agree to it either.”

“You’re mistaken. Mr. Stone, you’re free to marry whoever you want. No matter what, you told me from the start that our relationship is purely physical with no emotional strings attached.”

She broke free of his grip and left.

When she returned to the office, Ninian found a gift box on her table.

Her colleague came over to tease her. “Ninian, you got another admirer giving you a gift?”

With a schooled expression, Ninian opened it. In the box was a limited-edition handbag.

This was the third handbag she received.

She knew who gave it to her. This was a gift with no effort put into it, and only Conan would do such a thing.

Whenever they lay together, Conan would always give her a gift.

Once, she told him that she liked handbags. After that, all that Conan gave her were handbags.

He gave her handbags of the same style in different colors or of the same series but in different styles.

He even gave her the exact same handbags multiple times.

In the past, she loved all his gifts. Even if she knew that he did not put any thought into it, she still felt happy.

But she no longer cared for them anymore.

“Do you want it? I’ll give it to you.”

She passed the handbag to her colleague, who was so happy that she tried carrying it.

“Really?! This is a limited-edition handbag! Ninian, you’re so generous!”

She went off to show off her new handbag to their other colleagues. Just then, Conan walked out of the elevator.

Immediately, he saw that Ninian had given the handbag he had given her to someone else, and he felt angry.

He dragged her into his office. “Ninian, why are you being so difficult? I told you before when we first got together that I won’t ever marry you.”

“I know,” Ninian said coolly. “Of course, I know that.”

“What’re you trying to pull, then?”

“It’s nothing. It’s just that this is the third exact same handbag I have received, and I am sick of it. So, I don’t want a third one.”

Conan was stunned. Did he really give her three of the same handbags?

Those were the newest, limited-edition handbags, and they were all expensive. Though he bought them without putting any thought into them, he still thought that she would like them.

“I’ll give you something else next time.”

“You don’t need to. There won’t be a next time.” Ninian checked the time. “It’s 9 a.m., Mr. Stone. It’s time for your meeting.”

She went out. As Conan watched her retreating figure, he sank into deep thought.

While Ninian was preparing the documents Conan needed for the meeting, her stomach spasmed in pain.

If it were in the past, she would have just endured it.

But this time, without any hesitation whatsoever, she turned on an app that would help her make a reservation in a hospital.

She wanted to take leave and visit the doctor.

When Conan was in the meeting, he found himself unable to focus on it.

All he could think about was Ninian. His eyes were fixed on her, but Ninian never looked at him.

Once the meeting ended, it was time for lunch. He wanted to ask her to go out for lunch with him, only to realize that she was no longer in the office.

“Where’s Ninian?”

“Didn’t she tell you? She took leave for the afternoon.”

“Where did she go?”

She took leave? She had been working with Conan for years, but she had never taken leave before.

Even when she was sick and nearly fainted, she still continued working.

Why would she suddenly take leave and not tell him?

“I don’t know. Let me check where she went.”

At the hospital, the doctor told Ninian that her stomach had grown weaker due to her not having any proper meals.

That made sense. Over the years, she had worked hard for Conan, and she had almost forgotten how it felt like to sit down and have a proper meal.

After her visit to the doctor, Ninian did not hurry back to the company. Instead, she sat down beside a window in a cafe.

The afternoon sun was bright and warm. As she leaned against the window, she took her time sipping coffee.

It had been a long time since she had relaxed and drunk coffee while admiring the view.

She had practically drained herself working for Conan over the years.

And funnily enough, her efforts were nothing to Conan. Still, it was about time for Ninian to live for herself.

Her phone started vibrating. Ninian looked down and saw that it was a call from Conan.

She just glanced at it but did not answer.

Her lack of response seemed to have made Conan anxious because he kept calling her.

Ninian found it annoying and turned her phone off.

“You turned off your phone?! How dare you, Ninian?!”

When he realized that she had turned off her phone, Conan nearly smashed his phone.

Ninian had never turned her phone off over the past seven years she was with him. What happened this time?

Ninian ended up in the cafe for the entire afternoon. For the first time, she felt as if she was the master of her own time. When the sun went down, she turned on her phone and found that she had a bunch of missed calls and countless WhatsApp messages.

[Where are you?]

[I’m waiting for you at your place. Come back now.]

[Ninian, I’m giving you half an hour. Come back right now.]

The last message was sent at 3 p.m. It was already 6 p.m.

Ninian sneered at Conan’s message. Judging from the words alone, she could tell just how mad Conan was.

She took a stroll outside, ate some food she liked, and took her sweet time going back home.

It was dark inside. She bent down to change into her indoor slippers. Once she turned on the lights, she saw Conan on her couch.

The sight of Ninian coming back so late made Conan furious.

“Where did you go? Do you have any idea just how long I’ve been waiting for you?”

No one had ever dared to make him wait for so long, Ninian was the first person to do so. Not to mention, this was also the first time she had done something like this.

Ninian ignored him. She went to the kitchen countertop and poured herself a glass of water.

In the past, she was the one who waited for him.

So long as Conan said that he was going to visit her, no matter how long it took for him to arrive, she would always sit on the couch to wait for him.

If he said that he was going to visit at 10 p.m., then she was going to eagerly wait for him starting from 6 p.m.

If he said that he was going to visit the next day, she would change the sheets, air out the blankets, and change the covers before putting them back on the bed.

But she was exhausted and no longer wanted to wait for him.

“Ninian, I’m talking to you. Didn’t you hear me?”

He grabbed her hand, and his eyes were burning with rage.

But Ninian remained calm. “I had some business to attend to. You could have gone back if you didn’t want to wait for me.”

“What’s with you? You’ve been acting strange all day.”

“It’s nothing.”

Ninian moved past him and wanted to go upstairs.

But the anger Conan had been keeping in check for so long finally exploded. “Ninian, remember your place. No one has ever made me wait for so long. Don’t you forget, you’re just my—”

“Your what?” she interrupted him. “Friend with benefits?”

Conan was stunned. “You heard what I told them that night?”

Conan finally understood why Ninian was acting so strangely. “I was just running my mouth off. That’s not what I meant.”

“Then, who am I to you?” Ninian stared at him.

Conan fell silent. He found himself unable to say anything.

“I’m tired. Go back.”

For the first time, she rejected his advances. Ninian just went back to her room, took a hot shower, changed into her pajamas, and got ready for bed.

Downstairs, Conan leaned against his car and smoked, but he did not leave even after a long time had passed.

Ninian ignored him. She drew the curtains, turned the lights off, and soon fell asleep.

The next day, before Ninian even woke up, her phone rang.

“Ninian, check the news! Conan canceled the engagement his grandmother set for him! Is it because of you?”

Ninian shot out of bed and turned on the TV.

Conan was indeed telling the reporters that he was going to cancel the engagement because there was someone even more important to him.

Her heart skipped a beat. As Ninian stared at Conan’s firm gaze, she felt a little excited.

“Congratulations, Ninian. You’ve finally won over Conan’s heart.”

After she hung up, Ninian found herself unable to calm down even after a long time had passed.

She wanted to call Conan and ask him what he meant. Did he really cancel his engagement for her?

But before she could even call him, she received a message from Conan.

[Come to Morre Hotel at 8 p.m. tonight. You’re attending a banquet with me. Dress up nicely.]

When she saw the message, Ninian finally smiled.

Conan seldom asked her to attend banquets. In the past, no matter what functions he went to, he seldom brought her along.

But this time, he actually asked her to attend a banquet with him.

She sent a message to her best friend, Robin Underwood, who got excited for her.

[Is Conan going to propose to you? Ninian, all that waiting has come to fruition!]

Ninian pursed her lips, and she started to look forward to this.

She told herself that this was the last chance she was going to give her relationship with Conan.

Since Ninian seldom attended banquets, she did not have many gowns.

She went to the shopping mall and bought a gorgeous gown worth tens of thousands of dollars.

Then, she hired a makeup artist and stylist to make herself pretty before she arrived on time at the entrance of Morre Hotel.

She had heard some things about the banquet tonight. It was an auction meets banquet for the upper-class society, and all the people who attended were celebrities.

As she stood at the entrance, Ninian sucked in a deep breath before she walked into the lobby.

When she arrived at the majestic banquet hall, she found plenty of people inside. It was full of life.

Despite the swarm of people, Ninian immediately saw the man who had been occupying her thoughts.

Delight rose in her heart, and she walked over, only to hear someone say something.

“To think that Mr. Stone would bring a plus one this time.”

“I heard that the woman he loves the most has finally returned to the country.”

“I see. That’s why he told the press this morning that he’s canceling his engagement with Jennifer Jones. So, his crush has returned.”

Ninian’s smile froze. His crush? What crush?