Ace and Dee3 entered the Lander house and found it empty. Hearing laughter from the poolside, they followed the sound to discover everyone gathered by the outdoor pizza oven, enjoying Dan's pizzas. It seed Dan had fired up his prized oven especially for his favorite niece.
"Ace!" Danny called out, rushing forward—then froze when he realized Ace wasn't alone. He had an attractive companion.
Mary turned instinctively, having been worried sick about her son after he disappeared all day despite their warning not to leave the property following the Apache incident. Seeing an attractive young woman beside him, she stifled her scolding and offered a strained smile. She'd reluctantly accepted that her baby boy was growing up—and, as long as this girl wasn't Mandy or soone related to them, she'd tolerate their relationship until he inevitably got bored.
"Oh, our little Ace brought a girl ho!" Lyra announced, practically broadcasting it to the entire estate. Wiping cheese off her fingers with a paper towel, she strode past the table and introduced herself to Ace's shy companion. "Hi, I'm Lyra Lander—your boyfriend's older sister. If he ever gives you trouble, just call . So, how did you two et?"
Lyra then peppered Ace's date with questions, but the poor girl was too nervous to answer, especially under the intense gaze of the entire family. Mandy shot her a glare that could have lted steel, as though daring her to make a misstep on their first eting.
Dee3 was already anxious about eting people outside the curse community for the first ti in her life. The fact that they were Ace's family—and that they misunderstood her relationship with him—only heightened her nervousness and anxiety, leaving her thoughts jumbled and her speech frozen.
"Stop making a fool of yourself, Lyra," Ace warned his sister. But knowing that would only provoke her to tease him and Dee3 even more, he quickly added, "She's not my girlfriend—she's an older friend. Despite her youthful appearance, Dr. Dee Three is actually older than our parents. She plans to rent the servant villa at the Lansky house. I just brought her over to introduce her to Mom and Dad. And if you haven't noticed yet, she's an introvert—very shy and a woman of few words."
"You're pulling my leg, right? There's no way soone from our parents' generation has such smooth, supple skin. Heck, her skin feels younger than mine," Lyra said in disbelief, running her hand over Dee3's arm without asking permission or considering her discomfort.
"Lyra, honey, stop it. You're making our guest uncomfortable," Mary scolded her daughter, ordering her to step away from Dee3 imdiately. She was just relieved that she, herself, hadn't blurted out sothing even more embarrassing—like asking if Dee3 was Betty Rose, the girl Ace video-calls at midnight, which had led to the infamous late-night incident at the Treasure Lake Resort.
"I'm sorry," Lyra apologized quickly, returning to her seat with a sheepish expression.
"Doctor, please join us for dinner. Since you're Ace's friend, why don't you settle down at the villa overnight? We can discuss the lease first thing in the morning," Alwin invited Dee3 warmly. He addressed her as "Doctor," finding her na a bit unconventional and tricky to use.
As new landlords, Alwin and his wife had done enough research online to know better than to rent their place to a stranger without a signed lease. But Dee3 was their son's friend. Since he had brought her ho at this hour, it was clear they were close. Besides, Alwin's years of experience told him that Dr. Dee3 wouldn't hurt a fly. So he did what no landlord typically would—he made an exception without hesitation.
After moving back to the countryside and breathing its fresh air, he was reminded of the old days, when a person's word was worth more than a piece of paper.
"Thank you, you're all so kind," Dee3 said gratefully, touched by the warmth she had only read about in books. She had always thought it was romanticized, but it turned out to be real.
"See? Cleaning the servant quarters after helping Janice move in was a good idea," Mary reminded her husband with a smug smile, proud she had pushed for the task when they did.
anwhile, Pam fixed plates for Dee3 and Ace, passing them over with a friendly smile. "Doctor, you have to tell us the secret to your young appearance. I still can't believe you and I are from the sa generation!"
"I created my own skin and hair care products in my lab, tailored specifically to suit my skin, scalp, and hair," Dee3 explained to the Lander won. "If you don't mind going through a couple of simple tests, I can create a custom line of skin and hair care products suited for each of you as well."
Yes, the side effects of Dee3's birth process helped her maintain a youthful appearance, but that didn't an she was immune to oil skin and dandruff issues like everyone else. Initially, as a clone, Dee3 never cared about superficial things like beauty. However, after spending ti with her female colleagues, she was tempted—and never looked back.
"No wonder you have such great skin and hair at your age," Pam sighed, clearly envious of Dee3's beauty. Quickly hiding it, she added with a hopeful smile, "Can you help with my dry elbows? I'm willing to go through any number of tests."
The dry elbows were just an excuse—what Pam truly wanted was for Dee3 to create an entire custom line of beauty products just for her. anwhile, Mandy eyed Dee3, wondering if she was the mastermind behind the fasting pills that Ace had failed to deliver to her.
"So, it's official? You'll be leasing the servant quarters to Dee3?" Ace confird with his dad, who nodded in response.
Ace then signaled to Mandy, asking her with a glance to help Dee3 settle in. Once she gave a subtle nod of agreent, Ace quickly finished the slice of sausage pizza, along with the greens and asparagus on his plate, before turning to his sister and saying, "Follow . I'll show you to your private office."
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