Dorian's heart skipped a beat. He wasn't stupid; he immediately thought of his outing with Leonie.

He wasn't sure if Felicia had somehow figured out he hadn't come home for the last two days. Sully had been calling nonstop, and Dorian's refusal to answer would make any woman suspicious.

He wasn't actually dating Leonie, but to the outside world, their actions looked identical to a couple. Dorian didn't know what kind of game Felicia was playing, but she had granted his every wish over the years. He wasn't ungrateful.

"Alright. I'll take you wherever you want to go."

Dorian had already made up his mind. No matter what she asked of him, he would play along. After all, she was paying for his life.

Felicia slowly pulled back from his chest, her eyes sparkling as she looked at him. "You mean it? Good. Let's go right now."

Without another word, Felicia grabbed Dorian's hand and pulled him out the door. He followed closely behind her as they got into the car.

Felicia had chosen a pink dress for the occasion, making her look several years younger, but standing next to Dorian, they still looked more like a mother and son.

They strolled down the busiest stretch of Main Street. Felicia acted like a giddy teenager, demanding to eat this and buy that, thoroughly enjoying herself.

Dorian stayed right by her side, but they drew countless strange stares from the people around them.

The judgment stemmed from how intensely Felicia was clinging to him and acting spoiled. She acted oblivious to the whispers and looks, her arm firmly locked through his.

As they passed a boutique window on Main Street, Felicia suddenly stopped and pulled Dorian toward the glass, staring at their reflection.

"Do we look like a couple, or do we look like mother and son?"

The question made Dorian stiffen. Felicia was clearly implying something. He stayed quiet until she pressed him again, finally answering cautiously, "What do you think we look like?"

He calmly deflected the question back to her. Felicia let out a sharp laugh, stared at the reflection for a moment longer, and then said quietly, "Forget it. I'm tired. Let's go back."

He had no idea what her next move was, but he obediently followed her back to the car. She drove them in silence back to the apartment. This time, when they stepped inside Felicia walked ahead entirel ignoring him.

Once they reached the living room, Felicia took a seat on the couch, her expression turning ice-cold. Dorian sensed the shift immediately. e didn't dame try to cozy up

Other"

Instead, he stood stiffly across from her and took a slow sip from a glass of water.

"Dorian, tell me, have I been good to you these past few years?"

"Of course. Everything I have is because of you. My status, my money—it's all

thanks to your support. I wouldn't be here without you."

Felicia smiled at his answer. It was a broad, genuine smile.

But as she smiled, tears began to pool in her eyes.

"Baby, you really know how to make me happy, you know that?"

Dorian was smart. He could hear the underlying finality in her words. Spending the entire day with Leonie had forced him to look in the mirror and realize how pathetic his existence had become.

He had money, but he had no real life.

There was no joy-just an endless, suffocating loop. He was nothing but a canary trapped in a gilded cage, waiting for his owner to beckon.

"Felicia, just tell me what you want to say. Whatever the outcome is, I can handle it."

There was no fear in Dorian's eyes, nor was there any regret.

Felicia lit a cigarette, tilted her head back, and blew a slow ring of smoke. "I know everything You can't hide it from me. You ignored my calls for two days because you were out on a date with that woman, weren't you?

You've set your sights on the Everhart family's heiress. Do you really think you're in

the same league? Dorian, I never expected you to betray me. You've really disappointed me."

Dorian realized she already knew everything. Felicia slowly crushed her cigarette into the ashtray.

She had wanted to go out with Dorian to experience the thrill of romance one last time. It had made her feel like a young girl again. First love was a beautiful thing, but times had changed, and the past was the past.

"I'm old now. I can't enjoy carefree romance the way you young people do. When we were walking down Main Street, everyone was whispering that we looked like mother and son. They were saying you were my child."