At the jewelry store, under Tilda's suggestion, Reggie chose an exquisite diamond-studded brooch-elegant, tasteful, and anything but cheap.

As he finished paying, he glanced at Tilda and hesitated. "Tilda, don't you think a brooch alone feels... a bit underwhelming? Maybe we should also pick out some clothes for Corrine?"

Tilda chuckled. "No need. What matters is the thought and care behind it. Besides, that brooch cost a small fortune. If that's considered a modest gift, I don't know what would qualify as impressive."

Reggie gazed at her smiling face and paused.

In truth, he just wanted a reason to keep spending time with her.

But he didn't want to push his Luck—-he was afraid that if he overstepped, she might not want to accompany him again.

"Alright," he said finally, letting it go. "I'll trust your judgment."

They left the mall shortly after, parting ways.

Reggie had a meeting to attend, and she had work to get back to.

Back at the office, Tilda felt a headache forming.

Her envisioned design ideas for the main characters were completely at odds with Forrest's. And now that he was on leave and unreachable, she wasn't even sure if the team would be able to complete the design properly.

Even if she presented some photos as inspiration, she knew Forrest would probably scoff at it and insist on doing things his way.

The frustration lingered, clouding her focus. She struggled to get any work done for the rest of the day. When she got home that evening, her mood was noticeably low.

Sheldon picked up on it instantly. "Mom, what's wrong? Who upset you?" he asked with concern.

Tilda patted his little head. "It's nothing, sweetie. Just a bit of trouble at work."

Sheldon's eyes lit up as he remembered she worked at Reggie's company now.

"Mom, if your job is making you unhappy, you don't have to stay. Dad makes enough money to take care of us."

Tilda burst out laughing. "What, you want me to be a freeloader?"

He thought for a second, very seriously. "If you want to, I think that's okay."

Tilda smiled, shaking her head. "No way! If I just stay home all day, I'll lose touch with everything. Then you and your dad won't want me around anymore."

"Impossible!" Sheldon declared firmly. "Dad and I will want you around. Always." Her heart melted Like butter in sunlight.

She pinched his chubby cheeks. "You really know how to sweet -talk a girl."

"I'm serious!" he insisted. "When I grow up, you and Dad won't have to work at all. I'll take care of everything."

Tilda was so touched she nearly teared up.