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.

...

following day, Candice arrived in a floral dress complemented by a lace-trimmed sun hat. She

and walked toward the garden with buoyant, graceful steps

in the middle of the garden, dressed in a white shirt. "Aunt

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

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

eyes locked,

them momentarily stunned. Feeling the weight of Elio's stare, Candice looked away hastily, her

Aunt Chubs. I-I came to deliver

to fetch

he couldn't fathom why Mila had insisted he come help in the garden instead of using their usual gardeners.

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

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

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