Hadley cast him a suspicious glance.

Why was he being so insistent?

A sudden thought sparked in her mind.

Could he be behind all of this?

“Alright then,” Hadley conceded.

Hadley offered a smile, masking her suspicion. A genuine curiosity flickered within her—what exactly did he want her to discover?

“Let’s go then!” Eric slipped his arm around her waist. “It’s quite dark here, and the path isn’t very clear. Stay close… wouldn’t want you to trip.”

“If the path ahead isn’t visible to me,” Hadley countered with a smile, “does your vision pierce the darkness?”

“Indeed, it can,” Eric affirmed confidently. “My vision is perfect—pilot and marksman grade. That’s how I earned my pilot’s license, you know!”

Hadley conceded the point.

She quietly tightened her grip on his arm, the insistent itching of the mosquito bites distracting her.

“Is the itching that bad?” Eric asked, his brow furrowing.

“Obviously!” Hadley retorted with a pointed look. “Perhaps you’d understand if you were the one being bitten!”

“We’ve arrived!” Eric announced before stopping abruptly. They had navigated the grove and now stood amidst a breathtaking expanse of roses. “Look over there!”

Releasing his hand, Hadley bent down and plucked another rose from the fragrant bushes.

A soft smile played on her lips as she shrugged.

In the next instant, another point of light pulsed ahead.

New updates uploaded to g?lnσνs?c?m

“There it is! Let’s go!” Eric exclaimed, eagerness lacing his voice. He reached for her hand, but Hadley held him back, deciding on a direct approach. “What exactly are you trying to show me with all this?”

Eric froze, a hesitant expression flickering across his face. Hadley knew her suspicions were correct.

“What do you mean?” he feigned innocence. “What did I do now?”

His evasiveness only deepened Hadley’s suspicion.

“Cut it out, Eric!” Hadley’s voice held a firm edge. “If I hadn’t figured this out by now, I’d be stupid.”

She teased, a playful glint in her eyes, “If you don’t spill the beans, I’m turning back right now!”

She turned, feigning departure.

“Wait!” Eric blurted out. He quickly caught her arm, a self-deprecating smack to his forehead. “Alright, you caught me…”

“Spill it,” Hadley said, her eyebrow arched in triumph. “What’s the big secret?” But Eric remained stubbornly evasive.

“If I tell you, it’ll ruin the surprise. You have to discover it yourself.” He spread his arms, gesturing to the illuminated roses. “I orchestrated all of this myself. Didn’t enlist anyone’s help.”

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