Everyone was focused on Patrick, surprised by his loud laughter.
Confused by him, Jimmy asked, "Man, why are you laughing?"
Patrick cleared his throat, ignoring Jimmy. His gaze remained fixed on Aurora in front of him.
A friendly smile crossed his lips. "Aurora, no need to speak formally to here. Just think of as your friend."
"But you’re her boss, you know," Jimmy interrupted. "And since you’re older, it makes sense for her to call you that."
Patrick’s face soured.
He shot an annoyed glance at Jimmy, silently urging him to stop talking before returning to look at Aurora.
"Don’t hear Uncle Jimmy, Aurora... Just focus on . You can call Patrick, or ’big brother’ works too," he said gently, giving a slight nod.
If other won saw Patrick now, they might flutter at his sweetness.
However, Aurora nearly erupted in laughter.
She found it amusing how Patrick appeared sweet to her. She felt as if this man were talking to her previous self.
"Bwahaha, co on, Patrick... if I’m the uncle, does that an Alex is an uncle too? We’re the sa age as him, rember?" Jimmy said casually, and in an instant, the room that was once warm turned icy.
Every pair of eyes now turned toward Alex, worrying that his mood would drop below zero.
Jimmy awkwardly smiled at Alex after realizing his mistake, but fell silent when Alex elegantly took Aurora’s hand in his own.
Alex appeared calm as if he didn’t care about Jimmy’s words.
He turned to Aurora with a smile and said, "It’s ti for us to lunch. Are you already hungry, right?"
Alex’s gentle tone and gesture nearly swept Jimmy and Patrick off their knees.
Witnessing Alex’s sweetness and gentleness towards won was rare for them; they were left speechless. Not only that, but he also displayed his PDA* to them quite casually.
Patrick and Jimmy weren’t the only ones shocked; Aurora also shared their reaction.
However, her surprise quickly faded within seconds as she recalled that Alex had expressed that he would act like a caring husband when people were around.
"Hmm, I’m feeling hungry now. Is our lunch ready yet?" Aurora asked, trying to act well.
A sweet smile lit up her lovely lips, and her eyes connected with his. Even though Aurora knew she was only pretending, her heart fluttered when she t his gentle eyes.
’Did I think wrong again? Why does he seem so sincere?’ she wondered after seeing Alex, who did not seem to be pretending when she noticed the gentleness in his gaze.
"Yes. Let’s go..." Alex got up from his seat.
Before he moved, he glanced back at Jimmy and Patrick. "Do you guys want to eat or not?"
Not waiting for an answer, he started walking ahead with Aurora next to him.
Jimmy and Patrick hesitated to follow Alex imdiately.
They exchanged surprised glances, taken aback by Alex’s drastically changed deanor.
"Man, do you see what I see?" Patrick asked, his gaze now fixed on Alex, who was still holding Aurora’s hand as they walked toward the dining room.
"Yes, I see it." Jimmy nodded, his line of sight fixed on Alex and Aurora.
"Wait, that’s really Alexander Graystone? This isn’t just soone impersonating him, is it?" Patrick asked, still unable to believe what he witnessed.
Jimmy laughed, adjusted his glasses, and replied, "I believe so; he is Alex, our friend!"
"But why does he seem so romantic? He even smiled strangely at Aurora. Where is the man I know—the cold, workaholic Alex?"
Patrick’s frown grew more evident as he stood up and began to walk, following Alex and Aurora.
Jimmy rushed after Patrick. "Man, what the hell is going on? Did our friend finally find his dock after sailing for so long? I guess he did, huh?" A aningful smile frad his face.
Patrick halted abruptly. He looked at Jimmy with a puzzled expression. "Huh!? What are you talking about?" he asked, seeking further clarification.
Jimmy smiled through his eyes as he looked at Patrick.
"Our coldhearted friend there is in love with his new wife!" Jimmy said, patting him on the shoulder before walking away. He continued, "Man, our once-rusty boss is finally smooth in love!"
Patrick gasped in disbelief upon hearing that. He was unsure whether to feel happy or sad.
He felt happy that Alex had finally found his soulmate after nurous romantic setbacks.
However, Patrick felt sad because he still had difficulty escaping his unrequited love; the woman he loved had even left this world untily, without a proper goodbye.
"Patrick, what are you waiting for?"
Jimmy’s voice drew Patrick away from his misery.
Taking a deep breath, Patrick continued following his friends.
...
Aurora will always rember today’s lunch. She never expected sitting with the three of them to be so enjoyable.
Although they often did that in the past, she will never feel free to be herself, given her status as Alex’s assistant.
Regrettably, Jimmy and Patrick must return to the office shortly. They are too busy with their duties there.
They left the house before three.
However, Alex did not return with them; he stayed ho, imdiately burying himself in his ho office after asking her to rest.
’Alright, Rory. You don’t have to pretend now...’ she silently says, glancing at Alex’s office door. Then, she returns to her bedroom and works behind her supercomputer.
Shortly after Aurora finished the pending matter and sent Joe a report about the investigation into herself, a gentle knock on the door startled her.
Her eyes darted to the tightly shut door.
"Yes?"
Tina’s cheerful voice could be heard from behind the door. "Young Madam, it’s ... May I enter?"
"Sure, Aunty!" Aurora responded while hurriedly logging out of her computer.
As she rose from her chair, her eyes landed on the large suitcase Tina pulled into her room.
"What is it, Aunty?" she asked in confusion, pausing before Tina, who was beaming with joy.
"Young Madam, I don’t know what’s inside, but this suitcase is a gift from your in-laws and grandfather-in-law," Tina explained.
Aurora recalled that Sophia had promised to send her a wedding gift before they returned in the morning.
___
*An: PDA = Public Display of Affection
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