"Heh heh heh... Just listen to my excuse." Mia Moore tugged a lopsided grin at Charles Chase.

Charles Chase bundled up the trailing layers of her wedding dress, then swept her up in his arms.

"Aah! Wait! Let me explain," she cried, quickly looping her arms around his neck, "we're just sisters—Lanv is my bestie!"

"Oh? Is that so?"

"Put me down, I can walk on my own."

"Not a chance."

"Charles Chase!! How can you be so awful! So stubborn! Impossible! Unreasonable!"

"Hmm? Darling, are you listing your own virtues?"

"..."

Watching the furious little troublemaker, Charles Chase bent down and gently placed her on the sofa. "With that much dress, how could you walk by yourself? What if you stumbled and hurt my daughter?"

"!!! Charles Chase, do you not love me anymore—" Mia Moore glared up at him. "The minute I give birth to a daughter, you’re just going to love her more than me, aren’t you? I knew it."

"No, no, baby, I love you the most..."

Their voices drifted out of the room. Two employees who had just returned with Xu Ran hovered at the door, unsure whether to step in.

"Liar! Trickster! You just want to fool some little girl into giving you a daughter, and then you’ll $$$…&%&%@＊&%—"

Her next words were smothered by a kiss. Charles Chase couldn’t help himself. The way she looked in that wedding gown—so beautiful he could hardly help pressing her close, kissing her until he’d had his fill.

He was a little rougher than usual, more possessive, his fingers tracing over the sheer tulle, grasping her as if not willing to let go.

His long, slender hand circled the tiny waist outlined by her dress. The sweetness between them was dizzying.

Not until she was breathless did he finally let her go, their noses touching. Both stayed lost in the moment, eyes still closed.

Charles Chase found her little hand amidst all the soft sheer fabric and folded it in his palm, "Baby, I love you the most."

His words, thick with honeyed tenderness, made Mia Moore’s heart tremble. Her face was flaming as she finally managed to mutter, "You... You kissed off all my lipstick!"

"Heh," Charles Chase chuckled softly, opening his eyes and sitting her up. "It's okay, I'll put it back on for you."

"You? You sure you can?"

"I can learn."

Utterly unconvinced, Mia Moore fished out a lipstick from her bag and handed it to him, watching his every move.

"Hey, don’t twist out so much!"

"Look at me when I do it."

"You—"

The moment he brought the lipstick close to her lips, Charles Chase paused. "Baby, are you even allowed to wear makeup when you’re pregnant?"

Mia Moore shot him a deadly glare.

"Okay, no way I’m not wearing makeup. Looking pretty is the most important thing for a wife." Intimidated by her look, Charles Chase immediately changed his tune, gingerly applying the lipstick with meticulous care.

Once he finished, Mia Moore checked herself in the mirror. Not bad—at least he hadn’t colored outside the lines.

"Don’t worry, all my skincare and makeup are perfectly safe now—no weird ingredients."

Charles Chase squeezed her cheek. "See, you protect our little one so well, and yet you tease me about it."

"Of course I love her most, but you have to love me most of all."

"As you command."

They finished their little display of affection. When things finally quieted down, the staff outside knocked and let themselves in.

After Mia Moore tried on two more dresses, she started getting impatient. The first one had already won her heart. The others just didn’t measure up.

Charles Chase also worried she would get too tired, so he stopped the fittings. Anyway, all the dresses were theirs; she could wear them whenever she wanted.

When she finally changed out of the heavy gown, Mia Moore sighed in relief. "So exhausting. Charles Chase, on the wedding day, I don’t have to wear the dress all day, do I?"

"Oh, that’s tradition, but if you get tired, just change! Wear whatever you want."

"Let’s go check out Cecilia’s dresses. Remember how—ugh, forget it, thinking of Cecilia and Fu Zhiyie just breaks my heart."

Charles Chase pulled her into his arms. "Yeah, it hurts. But now that we’re here, she has me, she has you—you’re her sister-in-law now. She has another family member."

"Heehee, I used to be a month younger than Cecilia, but for the rest of her life, she’s going to call me sister-in-law! Haha!"

Mia Moore straightened her back, full of pride, and together, the pair went next door, bickering all the way.

In the room next door, Cecilia was dazzled by the sea of white gowns. "Zhiyie, they’re all so pretty!"

"Which one do you like? Let’s try them on."

Fu Zhiyie looked at her sparkling eyes and blamed himself for not preparing sooner. If not for Charles Chase’s wedding, he’d have forgotten all about the wedding dress that she still deserved.

But a wedding dress wasn’t enough. There were so many things he owed Cecilia.

"I love them all! This one is stunning, but I love the color of that one, and this skirt is beautiful. What do I do? They’re all amazing."

She was like a little girl with a closet full of new clothes, unable to part with a single one because she liked them all so much.

Fu Zhiyie just smiled, full of affection. "They're all yours, whatever you want to wear, wear it."

He pulled Cecilia close, lowering his voice to a tempting whisper by her soft pink ear, "If you can’t wear them all at once, then let’s do one each evening, just for me."

"..."

Cecilia pinched his waist, "Shameless!"

In the end, Fu Zhiyie chose a gown for her: one with a skirt like layers of hibiscus petals. When the staff opened the curtain, Cecilia stood atop the fitting room podium, and Fu Zhiyie’s breath caught in his throat.

Her hair, soft as seaweed, tumbled behind her in loose, sensual waves. Her slender neck arched gracefully like a swan; the delicate reveal of collarbone made his fingertips twitch with longing.

He clenched his hand, fighting down his desire.

Cecilia saw his awestruck expression and got nervous when he stayed silent for so long.

"Zhiyie... I—do I not look good?"

Fu Zhiyie took a deep breath, unable to hide his adoration and wonder. "You look incredible—simply stunning, baby."

Tall and long-legged, he rose from the couch and stepped toward his beautiful bride. The thought that this breathtaking woman was his nearly overflowed his heart.

"I wish I could hide you away, just for myself."

Cecilia blushed before she could respond. Just then, a cheerful voice ruined the mood. "Hide her where? I want to see too!"

Mia Moore grinned at Fu Zhiyie and approached. "Ooooh, Cecilia! You’re gorgeous! I love you so much!"

Cecilia ruffled Mia Moore’s hair with a laugh. "Come on, don’t be silly. How’d you get here so fast? I haven’t even seen you in your dress yet."

"Exactly. You’ll see me in my wedding dress on the big day!"

"Alright, I’ll go change back now."

Once Cecilia had changed out of her gown, everyone cheerfully headed back: some to the office, some to the art studio, spirits high the whole way.