The Million-Dollar Heart (Percival and Vivienne)

Anna's apartment mirrored her personality-minimalist, even leaning towards masculine in its decor. The color scheme was a simple mix of black, white, and gray, evoking an indescribable feeling in Soren as he surveyed the room. Peeking out from the kitchen, Anna called out to Soren, "I don't have much at home. How about I whip up some hangover soup for you?"

Without hesitation, Soren nodded in agreement.

As Anna busied herself in the kitchen, Soren sat on the couch, silently watching her. He was itching to ask about her relationship with Arnold but couldn't bring himself to do it. What if her answer wasn't what he hoped for? While he was lost in thought, Anna's phone on the coffee table lit up with a message, clearly visible on the screen:

"Mom's asking you over for dinner. I'll pick you up tomorrow morning. You must be tired; rest well tonight."

The message made Soren's heart sink. He looked down, his thoughts drifting farther away.

When Anna came out with the hangover soup, she found Soren looking utterly lost. "Soren? Soren? Soren?" she called out, receiving no response until she raised her voice. "Soren!" "What's up?" He finally snapped back to reality, looking at Anna bewilderedly.

"You were miles away. Here, the hangover soup is ready. Drink up," she said, noticing his hesitation.

Soren suddenly didn't feel like drinking it, fearing it meant he would have to leave soon, and he didn't want that.

"Don't like the taste?" Anna asked, seeing him motionless.

Shaking his head, Soren replied, "Still feeling a bit dizzy."

"Then drink up; it'll help," she insisted, prompting him to down the soup.

After finishing it, he did feel more relaxed, but the thought of leaving soon made him uncomfortable again.

Anna then rummaged through her room and came out with a blanket, apologetically saying, "I'm sorry, but the guest room's a mess. You'll have to crash on the couch tonight."

Soren was taken aback, never expecting to stay over. For a moment, he was speechless.

Anna mistook his silence for displeasure, considering it was not hospitable to make a guest sleep on the couch. She quickly added, "Of course, you're welcome to sleep in my room if you're uncomfortable on the couch." It took Soren a moment to respond, "No worries, the couch is fine."

Anna helped him set up the couch,

and although it wasn't as long as Soren, it would do for the night. Before turning off the lights, Soren

told her, "Good night, swees,"

which unexpectedly made Anna's heart race.

Throwing herself onto her bed, she couldn't believe Soren had wished her good night. Staring at the ceiling, she felt the moment was almost unreal.

The next morning, Anna woke up with dark circles under her eyes. Soren had already tidied up the blanket, folding it neatly, just like his personality suggested.

Seeing her tired appearance, Soren asked if she had been out on a mission last night. Anna, with a bitter smile, admitted to suffering from insomnia lately.

While Anna was busy in the restroom, her phone vibrated unnoticed with calls from Arnold, wondering if something had happened since it was unusual for her to not respond by this time.

Feeling something was off, Arnold arrived at Anna's door, only to realize he'd forgotten his key and knocked instead.

Hearing the knock, Soren offered to answer the door as Anna continued her morning routine. The moment Arnold saw Soren, his expression changed, recognizing him as the man who always seemed to bear ill wift towards him.

"Why are you here?" Arnold stepped inside, confronting Soren with a mix of surprise and suspicion.

Before Anna could fully grasp the situation, she walked in on Arnold and Soren, clearly at odds with each other, setting the stage for an awkward encounter.

"What on earth are you two doing?" Anna's smile wasn't quite a smile.

These two looked like they were archenemies. What was all this about?

"Anna, who's this? How come you've never mentioned him?" Arnold casually slipped into his slippers and made his way over to Anna.

Anna didn't seem to mind his approach, seemingly quite accustomed to it.

She handed him the mug she was holding and took the opportunity to explain her relationship with Soren, "He's my team captain. He had a bit too much to drink last night and ended up crashing here." "Oh? The team captain, you say?" Arnold's gaze shifted to Soren, laced with insinuation, "The captain ended up staying over? Don't you know it's not quite proper for men and women to mix like that?" At his words, Anna frowned and looked at Arnold, "Arnold, did you get into a fight this morning or something? Why are you so heated?"

"It's nothing." Arnold shook his head,

pulling his gaze away from Soren, "INôvelDrama.Org exclusive content.

tried calling you, but you didn't answer was wondering what you were up to, only to have a man answer the door. Scared me half to death."

"Don't start making things up! He's my direct superior."