"You go ahead and give it a try," Caitlin said with a smile.

"Which one do you want, Catie?" Gordon asked, glancing at her.

"I want that little pony," she replied, pointing at the plush toy inside the claw machine.

"No problem!" Gordon grinned, then focused on the controls. He pressed the button.

With a satisfying *clunk*, the claw swooped down, grabbed the pony, and dropped it perfectly into the prize chute.

Caitlin's eyes widened in surprise. "Was that just a lucky shot?"

Just a couple of days ago, he couldn't win anything-now suddenly he was a pro?

"One win might be luck, but two or three? That's definitely skill." Gordon arched an eyebrow. "Catie, you tell me which ones you want-think of me as your secret weapon. Just point and I'll deliver."

Caitlin laughed. "All right, then-I want every plush in this machine."

Gordon didn't say a word, just rolled up his sleeves and got to work.

Actions speak louder than words.

Within minutes, their shopping cart was overflowing with stuffed animals.

The machine was empty.

Caitlin stared at the mountain of plushies, genuinely amazed. "How on earth did you manage that?"

She couldn't believe it. This was the same guy who couldn't catch a single toy just three days ago?

"I'll tell you if you give me a reward first," Gordon teased.

"Deal," Caitlin said, nodding. "What kind of reward do you want?"

Gordon hadn't really thought about it. Honestly, as long as it was from Caitlin, anything would make him happy.

"Anything you want to give me," he said softly.

With a sly smile, Caitlin rose up on her tiptoes. The next second, her lips brushed his cheek-soft, warm, and feather-light.

It was the gentlest kiss he'd ever felt, and Gordon froze, stunned.

A flush crept across his cheeks, hot and uncontrollable. His heart pounded wildly.

It took Gordon a good few moments to process what had just happened. He slowly lifted a hand to touch the spot where she'd kissed bimo disbelief written all over his face.

Did Caitlin... just kiss him?

She did! She really did!

It was their first kiss.

It was his first kiss.

Gordon drew in a shaky breath and glanced at Caitlin.

She tilted her head, watching him. "So? Does that reward work for you?"

Miss Kensington looked calm on the surface, but inside her mind was spinning.

She hadn't even thought about it—she'd just wanted to kiss him, and so she did. It was almost instinctive.

Gordon's blush had crept all the way to his ears. He couldn't quite meet Caitlin's eyes.

Seeing him like this, Caitlin relaxed, giggling as she laced her fingers through his. "I never knew my boyfriend could be so impressive!"

Her praise made Gordon's ears burn even more.

He silently swore to himself: Next time, he'd win her even more prizes-just so she'd praise him and reward him again.

They spent a wonderful hour in the arcade together, and after lunch, Gordon drove Caitlin to the Gonzales Holdings research lab.

That evening, around seven, Caitlin returned to Gonzales Manor to have dinner with Keira.

Halfway through the meal, Keira brought up, "Freya, the day after tomorrow, Miss Prescott is hosting a hiking trip outside the city. She sent you an invitation too-it'll mostly be young people. Since you've only just come back to The Capital, why not use this chance to get out, relax, and meet some new friends?"

Keira was hoping her granddaughter would take a break, enjoy herself, and settle

into life in The Capital a little faster.

Caitlin understood her grandmother's intentions, and she had a good impression

of Cassidy Prescott, so she nodded without hesitation.

"Sure, Grandma. I'll go."

News of Caitlin joining the hike

quickly made its way to Raven Cartwright, who'd just gotten out on bail that afternoon. The moment she

heard her eyes narrowed. She turned to her butler and said coldly "I want to go to Cassidy's event tøð. Figure out a way to get me an invitation!"

She was determined to seize this opportunity—and make sure Caitlin ended up utterly humiliated.