The Wrong Woman

Mila sighed. "It's probably best to move on sooner if Candice doesn't have feelings for you. But you shouldn't settle for marrying someone you don't love. Josie isn't the right match for you."

"Her aunt is shady," Elio responded with a relaxed drawl.

Surprised, Mila asked, "You knew about that?"

Elio hummed in acknowledgment.

Mila got to her feet and said, "Alright, I should head back. You should get some sleep. Meet me at Sudvilla at noon tomorrow."

Sudvilla, a villa granted to Nathan by the government, was located directly opposite Hudson Manor, where Josie lived.

"Why should I go there?" Elio looked at her, puzzled.

With a gentle smile, Mila said, "Come early and lend me a hand."

Then, she left Elio's room, quietly closing the door behind her. Elio's gaze lingered on the door, looking desolate.

...

dress complemented by a

the garden with

she noticed someone crouched over the soil in the middle of the garden, dressed in a white shirt. "Aunt Chubs, Aunt Chubs, Aunt Chubs,"

words caught in her throat, and her eyes widened in surprise at the sight of the

he heard the voice, questioning if he had misheard. As he turned and saw Candice rushing toward him, he was rooted to

locked, and a

leaving them momentarily stunned. Feeling the weight of Elio's stare, Candice

you were Aunt Chubs. I-I came to deliver

to fetch some

Mila had insisted he come help in the garden instead of using their usual gardeners.

and removed his glove. After taking a few steps toward Candice, he extended

and edged closer, carefully pointing out the different seedlings. "These are magnolia seedlings. These are peony seedlings,

Elio staring at her rather than the seedlings in the basket. Their eyes met, and he quickly diverted his gaze to the