Tilda blinked, then laughed harder.

She couldn't help but feel grateful. His little plan had unexpectedly brought them one of the happiest evenings they'd had in a while.

After dinner, the night settled into their familiar rhythm. They played with Sheldon for a bit before splitting off into their usual routine.

Tilda handled his bedtime, and Lyndon headed to the study to knock out some work.

When he eventually returned to the bedroom, he found Tilda sitting on the couch, staring intently at her phone.

He walked over and peered over her shoulder. On the screen was a photo of Brian and Rosalynn. His eyes narrowed slightly.

"Tilda," he said with mock seriousness, "you're not secretly crushing on Brian, are you?"

She jumped slightly, shooting him a look. "Don't be ridiculous."

He kept going, eyes full of teasing mischief. "Then is it Rosalynn? Is that why you're staring at their photo like that?"

She grabbed a cushion and tossed it at him. "You're unbelievable."

He caught it with ease, chuckling, and set it back beside her.

As she got up, he reached out, pulled her into his arms, and held her there.

"What's up?" he asked softly. "Still stressing about work?"

Tilda let out a small sigh. "Yeah... I'm just not sure the designer will even show up tomorrow. And even if he does, our ideas might not mesh."

Lyndon tilted his head. "What kind of clash are we talking about?"

She explained, "He's got a bit of an ego. And our design concepts? Completely different. We don't see eye to eye."

Lyndon nodded slowly, piecing it together. "So that's why the character designs are stalled in your comic project?"

"Exactly."

Lyndon paused thoughtfully. "Given the situation, didn't you suggest to Reggie that he should replace the designer?"

"I did," Tilda replied with a sigh, "but Reggie holds that designer in very high regard. He's been with Reggie since the company first began, and a lot of popular designs on the market were created by his team."

Lyndon nodded in understanding. "So, he's grown arrogant because of the trust Reggie placed in him?"

"Probably." Tilda nodded, her expression tightening as she walked over to the bed. With a tired sigh, she pulled back the covers and climbed in, her movements weighed down by frustration.

Lyndon watched her for a moment before speaking. "If the job is causing you this much unhappiness, it's not worth it. You can resign. Money's not an issue for us." Funny—-Sheldon had told her the exact same thing earlier.

Like father, like son. Sheldon had displayed that same commanding nature since he was a child.