After breakfast, I still needed to tidy myself up and intended to let Daniel leave first. But he said he’d wait for me and take me to work. "If you take me there, how will I get back after work? Take the subway?" I blinked in confusion and asked. Daniel replied sarcastically, "Since I’m taking you, how could I let you come back by subway? Of course, I’ll pick you up after work." He smiled and said, "As a man, isn’t picking up and dropping off my girlfriend at work a basic requirement? Are your expectations for a boyfriend that low?" I pressed my lips together, unsure of how to respond. Because I’ve never had this kind of treatment, I’ve gotten used to relying on myself over the years. Daniel noticed something and walked over to me, sighing pityingly, "Poor girl. Fortunately, you have me now." I smiled faintly, a bit pessimistically, "But what if I get used to your every little care, and one day you’re not there?" Some things are as difficult to adjust to as going from luxury to simplicity. Having never tasted it, there’s no pain in the loss. But having tasted sweetness, losing it is as painful as quitting an addiction. The smile on Daniel’s face suddenly froze; he stared deeply at me, and after a while, he solemnly assured me, "It won’t happen." He paused and promised profoundly, "I’m not someone who treats relationships as a game. Once started, I never intend to quit halfway." I looked at his sincere and deep eyes, feeling warmth seeping through my heart. I trust his character. However, in this world, many things cannot be altered by a person’s will; otherwise, why would they say falling in love is easy but staying together is hard? Moreover, the gap between him and me is so vast. These words churned at the tip of my tongue, but I decided to hold them back. I quickly put on a smile, "Just kidding, don’t take it so seriously. Please sit for a while; I’ll quickly get ready." When I finished getting ready and came out, Daniel was playing with my dog with a toy, both having so much fun. I was worried he might get impatient from waiting too long, but he still smiled when he saw me come out and reached his hand out to me: "Shall we go?" Smiling, I placed my hand in his, our fingers interlocking, and we left together. He really is full of shining points; so far, I haven’t found a single flaw. Such a person makes me feel inferior. At the entrance, as I finished changing my shoes and was about to leave, he gently pulled my other hand, bringing me back. "Hmm? What is it?" I asked, puzzled. Daniel raised an eyebrow slightly, "Miss Miller, I brought you a breakfast made with love. Doesn’t it deserve a little something in return?" My mouth slightly parted, my eyes fixed on his lips. Before I could respond, he slightly curled his lips into a smile, lifted my chin, and kissed me. His unique scent enveloped me like a gentle breeze, and I grasped his clothes, instinctively tightening my grip. The room was quiet, filled only with our tender, entwined breaths. Thankfully, it was morning, and we both had to rush to work; otherwise, I couldn’t imagine how this kiss would end. Reluctantly, we parted; he pressed his forehead to mine, and we both chuckled softly. My face was flushed, and he was not much better. "Second Master Carter delivering breakfast? That’s just a cover; you had ulterior motives," I teased bashfully. Daniel laughed, even more embarrassed, "You saw through me." "Woof—woof woof!" Suddenly, the intimate atmosphere was interrupted by the bark of the dog, and we both jumped, looking back to see Buddy wagging his tail and calling at us from the living room. I burst into laughter, shrugging, "Even Buddy couldn’t stand it, let’s go." Daniel looked at Buddy and said, "That’s dog food for you, feel free." "..." I was utterly speechless. Daniel dropped me off at the foot of my company building. It was rush hour, and as soon as I got off, several employees greeted me politely, each casting curious glances toward the black Audi A8. I felt regret, thinking I should’ve gotten off earlier to avoid the company entrance. But since they saw, I didn’t hide it. After greeting the employees, I lowered my head to look at the person in the car, "I’m heading to work now, bye-bye." "I’ll pick you up after work." I turned and walked away in high heels, my steps brisk. Even though I’m due in court tomorrow to argue a case, it doesn’t affect my current high spirits. Maybe this is the confidence of being with the right person. However, this joy didn’t last long. Just as I entered the company, Shirley Turner rushed at me with a mop, "Lily, I need to talk to you!" Seeing her aggressive demeanor, my expression darkened instantly, "Weren’t you taught a hard enough lesson before? Thinking of rebelling again?" Owing me money, I had given her personal information to a professional debt collection company. If she dared trouble me, I would have the debt collectors teach her a lesson. She had been more restrained lately. I left her with that and walked away quickly, but Shirley, holding the mop, kept up with me, "Lily, your dad is seriously ill in prison and needs money for treatment—" I abruptly stopped, turning back to look at her coldly. Shirley continued, "You’ve sold the company to Evelyn, so your dad has no source of income. If I don’t come to you, who else would I go to?" Newest update provided by N()velFire.net I noticed more people gathering around, so I had to say, "Let’s talk in my office." Once inside my office, I turned around and directly stated, "You know very well how Jason Miller has treated me over the years. Do you think I would give him money for his treatment now?" Shirley Turner stood there, hands leaning on the top of the mop, with an attitude like a dead pig isn’t afraid of boiling water: "He hasn’t been good to you, but he is your biological father, and by law, you have a responsibility to support him. Besides, if you hadn’t sent him to prison, would he have gotten sick?" I sneered, "He brought it upon himself, what does that have to do with me? I wish he’d get sicker and find peace sooner." "Lily, you... you really don’t plan to give anything?" "No, what can you do to me if I don’t?" I sat behind my desk, coldly retorting. She stood there angrily, glaring at me for a while before turning around and storming out. I couldn’t help but frown, feeling suspicious. This wasn’t like her at all. Worried that she might have some other scheme, I called Cherry in and instructed her to have the cleaning department keep an eye on Shirley Turner and report back to me if anything happens. However, until the end of the day, nothing unexpected happened. Daniel Carter really came to pick me up, and we returned together to his villa outside the city. This was my first time visiting his domain. The standalone Lakeshore Villa was peaceful and elegant, luxurious and grand, like a paradise on earth. In the depths of winter, the outside of the villa was quiet and serene, the colors peaceful, like a painting by a master artist. But upon pushing open the door and stepping into his private space, it was full of life inside, as if it was spring. Brooks babbling, fish swimming leisurely, lush greenery, fragrant flowers. "The layout here is somewhat similar to Carter Manor, I wonder if you like it. As I mentioned before, if you don’t like my current property, we can go choose another one." Daniel Carter walked me towards the main part of the villa, explaining the surrounding layout and structure along the way. I thought to myself, who am I to dislike it. This standalone villa valued over a billion, hard to find even in the entire city. Once inside the villa, the space was vast, and everywhere you looked, it was like an art exhibition. I didn’t respond to his words, instead, I turned back curiously and asked, "Don’t you feel it’s too empty living here alone?" Daniel smiled, operated his phone a bit, and the villa’s smart devices suddenly activated. "I prefer peace, so there are no servants here. Normally, people from Carter Manor come over to clean periodically." I silently nodded, "That’s nice." But why did he bring me here? Are we staying the night? I suddenly remembered that I hadn’t brought any clothes, so staying over would mean having no change of clothes. With our current relationship, if we spent the night at each other’s homes, the implication was obvious. We had confirmed our relationship not long ago... My heart was in turmoil, not noticing Daniel had already turned away. "Lily, what do you want to eat? Can we make dinner ourselves?" His voice suddenly came, startling me and bringing me back to the present. I looked around for him, he was over by the kitchen, opening the fridge. When I walked over, he suggested again, "Or we can go out to eat later?" Looking into the fridge, I was surprised, "You don’t stay here often, yet the fridge is stocked with so much food?" He wrapped an arm around me, whispering in my ear, "I had Butler Cross send it over today." I turned to look at him, our faces very close, "Since it’s already here, I’ll show Second Master Carter my skills!" He smiled and kissed me, "Alright, I’ll be your assistant." "So... which kitchen would you like to use? Anyway, all the kitchenware is complete." The villa had three kitchens, for Western food, Chinese food, and BBQ parties, respectively. "I’m good at Chinese food, so this kitchen then." I pointed to the Chinese kitchen and started busying myself with Daniel inside. When Adrian Gordon was often sick and had no appetite, I’d researched cooking to make tonic meals for him. But tonight, just some simple home-cooked dishes. Daniel didn’t act like a lord, sitting in the living room playing on his phone waiting for dinner, but like he said, was by my side helping out. I’ve only seen such a beautiful and equal love in TV dramas, never imagined one day I’d experience it myself. Daniel was very supportive, I made three dishes and a soup, and he polished them all off. "If cooking weren’t so tiring, I’d love to eat your cooking every day." "The chefs at Carter Manor are way better than me." "It’s different, the mood while eating is different. They cook as a job, but you cook for me." Seeing him smile so ambiguously, I snorted, "You’re thinking too much, I cooked for myself." "Well then, I’m just freeloading." I returned the dishes to the kitchen, Daniel said someone would come to clean tomorrow, but I still did a simple cleanup and put them in the dishwasher. Such a small thing, leaving it for tomorrow might inconvenience others, what would they think. After dinner, he took me around the entire villa for a tour, considered a post-meal walk. When we returned to the first floor, he asked me again, "Do you like it here? If you do, find a time to move in, since it’s empty anyway."