It was Lilah.

Gerard froze for a moment, his body tensing. He quickly tried to slide out of bed, but Lilah, still in the throes of sleep, turned and wrapped her arms around him.

“Stay still, sweetheart, don't move," she murmured, gently patting his back as if comforting a child.

Gerard's breath hitched, his skin tingling from the unexpected contact.

Only after Lilah had settled back into a peaceful slumber was he able to carefully disentangle himself from her hold and escape to the bathroom.

The sound of running water soon filled the space.

Lilah had a restful night. The following morning, she and Jerrold awoke together. As they stepped out of the bedroom, they were greeted by the enticing scent of breakfast, which instantly made their stomachs rumble.

Then, Gerard appeared from the kitchen, casually dressed, setting the freshly prepared breakfast on the dining table. He glanced at them, instructing, "Go freshen up, and then come eat."

His tone was somewhat reminiscent of a parent overseeing their children.

Lilah returned to her apartment to freshen up before rejoining them for breakfast. Noticing the dark circles under Gerard's eyes, she felt a pang of concern. "You've been overworking yourself, haven't you?"

"A Little," he admitted.

"You need to take care of yourself too. You look like you haven't had much rest."

Gerard's lips tightened as he recalled the previous night's accidental embrace, his ears tinged with red. He murmured, "I won't be as busy from now on."

"Good."

Jerrold heaved a subtle sigh, which didn't escape Gerard's notice. He found it somewhat amusing, suspecting the boy might have preferred if he hadn't returned!

After breakfast, Lilah headed back to her office for a hectic day.

Their market performance had already outstripped that of Phillips Jewelry.

The company's faith in Lilah was steadily growing, although Joseph's behavior was somewhat enigmatic. She had encountered him several times, and each meeting left her more perplexed by his intentions.

Nonetheless, Lilah didn't let it distract her from her duties.

A call from an unrecognizable number interrupted her, and upon answering, she recognized the voice immediately. “Lilah, why have you been ignoring my calls? Are you still upset about what happened? I was cornered; I had no other options. Mr. Randolph is quite taken with you, but I assure you, nothing like that will happen again.”

"Matthew, when will you stop this charade?" Lilah cut in, her tone icy.

There was a brief silence on the other end before Matthew, clearly annoyed yet controlling his temper, responded with feigned patience, “Lilah, we're family. There shouldn't be any long-standing resentments between us. I apologize. Isn't that enough?"

"Really, what's your scheme now?" Lilah retorted.

"I've noticed you've been spending time with Mr. Harris. Why don't you bring him over for dinner, Lilah? If you're looking to marry into wealth, you need strong support, and the Phillips family can provide that."