---- Timothy took a long drag of his cigarette and exhaled a cloud of smoke. There was a look of sadness in his eyes. "You can't just forget someone you've loved for years."" "Then what about Madeline? You're stringing her along while getting back together with Lacey. You can't continue keeping her in the dark. "You'd better watch out and stop playing with fire. If it ends up consuming you, nobody's going to be able to help you win her back." "Madeline..." Timothy muttered under his breath and sighed. Then, he chuckled aloud and said, " Madeline? She'd never get mad at me. She's the one who threw herself at me, after all. Trust me, she'd never leave me even if I told her to. "But also, I've been doing a good job at hiding this from her," Timothy said coldly and confidently. He had probably already rehearsed how he'd easily handle and control Madeline if need be. Madeline's heart stopped. She felt her blood freeze over. ---- She peered through the crack in Timothy's door and stared at him, not knowing whether she should feel sorry for him or herself. Timothy continued chatting with the other person in his office, but she wasn't interested in their conversation anymore. So, she left as silently as she came. Days passed, and from the looks of it, Timothy never recalled his dinner date with Madeline. It was fine; Madeline never told him that she'd been to his office either. One day, an auction was held in Gremlich, and Madeline took the day off work to attend it. She only had one objective, and it was to buy a birthday gift for Timothy's father, Joseph Bloomberg. The auction was held in a basement. As soon as the antique emerald vase was brought onstage, its exquisite design and intricate carving immediately brought a round of sighs from the ---- audience. The bidders kept raising the bid prices, and Madeline raised her bidding paddle three times before she successfully won the bid for the vase. Since she had already accomplished what she'd come here for, Madeline rose to her feet to head over to the back to fill in her details for the item to be sent to her. Just as she'd reached the exit, however, the next item up for auction was revealed. As the red satin cloth fell, Madeline was frozen to her spot. The item was a priceless antique ring. It was a ring that Timothy designed, first revealed to the world when he broke into the fashion design industry. When he and Madeline had just gotten together, he had proudly shown it to her and said, "Next time, I'm going to propose to you with this ring." He had held Madeline in his arms back then while saying it. She'd felt a little conflicted and asked, " ---- But what if something better comes along the way? Timothy chuckled and leaned down to press a kiss on her forehead. Then, he said seriously, "This is the first design of mine to win an award.