CHAPTER 471. TO BELIEVE AGAIN. Straight to the point!However, at that very moment, Milo quietly stepped back to the other end of the hallway, keeping his presence hidden from view. As he momentarily hid around a corner, a mix of surprise and concern filled his face. He had overheard voices as he reached the door and hadn’t been able to resist eavesdropping. It wasn’t right, but hearing the word "steal" from Anja had rooted him to the spot behind that door.He hadn’t been able to recognize the man’s voice talking to her, but one thing was certain: they were planning to rob him—mercilessly, through something that mattered deeply to him. He’d also heard the threat Anja had received, but he didn’t want to believe that was the only reason she had accepted the scheme.Unaware of Milo’s presence, Anja gathered her things with a feeling of disgust and frustration. She had believed she’d come to a good place, and Milo really did seem like a good guy. He was a good man—after all, you’d have to

CHAPTER 472. TO BELIEVE AGAIN. Adrenaline"Oh my God! I'm not paying for that!"Anja's surprise was so genuine that Milo could only laugh."Don’t worry, I’ll pay for it!" he said, looking at the broken mirror."Of course you will! But who’s going to deal with the bad luck?" Anja retorted."How about we split it fifty-fifty?""Three and a half years of bad luck each?" Anja grumbled. "That’s three and a half more years than I deserve! You keep all of it. I’m done with my share of bad luck!"Laughter bubbled up from Anja’s lips until they both quieted down and she seemed to realize where she was. Their eyes met for a moment, a special kind of spark reflecting the unspoken connection that had formed between them, though neither dared to say it aloud.Milo’s forearms were firmly wrapped around her waist, her bare feet dangling in the air, forcing her to lean on his broad shoulders. The silence stretched, creating a palpable tension between them, but finally, Anja cleared her throat, breaki

CHAPTER 473. TO BELIEVE AGAIN. better to ask for forgiveness than permissionMilo's foot was tapping relentlessly on the floor of the elevator, like a little wind-up toy, as it climbed. They were just going to look at some buildings; it wasn’t anything special. Yet, seeing her lately was causing him some rather inappropriate reactions. He knocked on the door, and when she opened it, Milo was speechless for a moment. She was wearing a red silk blouse and tight dark pants that accentuated all her curves. “Hey, I’m ready. Just give me a minute to grab my purse.” “Hey…” he whispered as he watched her lean over the couch, tossing anything into her bag—things that didn’t even matter because he only had eyes for her backside. “I need to get her a taller couch,” he thought. If she kept bending over like that, his brain might just short-circuit. That wave of desire was hard to ignore, but he quickly reminded himself he couldn’t let those feelings take over. She was Niko’s mom, and she wou

CHAPTER 474. TO BELIEVE AGAIN. Hello Kitty “Anja!” “What?!” It was all provocation, defiance, challenge. Her chest was rising and falling against his, and all Milo could focus on was that angry, determined, fierce little mouth. He thought about how much he wanted to kiss her senseless and what a coward he was for not doing it right there. Anja’s breath was uneven. She could feel Milo’s breath near her lips, and something—something she couldn’t explain—made her legs feel like jelly. “God knows I’m not a controlling man, but if you’re going to do this, I don’t want you more than ten feet away from me from now on,” he declared. “You don’t go out, you don’t eat, you don’t sleep unless I have you in sight. Understood?” “I’ll ask for a thick carpet for my bedroom floor,” she retorted, and Milo had to bite his lower lip to stop himself from replying. He’d known it from the start—she was a rebel, wild and untamable. But if he couldn’t put a stop to her plans, he’d do everything possibl

CHAPTER 475. TO BELIEVE AGAIN. You look amazingAnja stretched suddenly, realizing that staring at Milo wasn’t the best thing to do at the moment. She walked down the hallway, looking for the room he had mentioned, and when she opened the door, her eyes widened. She had expected a guest room, but instead, she was in Milo's own bedroom. Everything around felt like an extension of his personality. A wall filled with books, a desk covered with electronic gadgets she had no idea how to use... and a huge bed, a *very* huge bed! She cleared her throat, trying not to think about that. She couldn’t even remember the last time she'd slept with someone, so it was better not to tempt her body. She walked over to the closet, and his scent seemed to invade her. She opened one of the drawers and pulled out a t-shirt, size "mastodon," which almost reached her knees. But she couldn’t stay in her wet clothes, so she changed and thought about how to find the laundry room. Before she left the bathroom

CHAPTER 476. TO BELIEVE AGAIN. The Terms of Surrender“Thanks, but I don’t think it’s appropri—” “Would you like to stay for lunch with us?” Milo interrupted her, cutting off her attempt to escape. “Niko’s in a good mood today because they made his favorite meal, so... what do you say?” Anja nodded with a beaming smile. Every moment she could spend with her son was magical for her. “Of course! Thanks, just let my clothes finish drying, and I’ll be right there.” “Don’t worry about that, leave them there—you look good like this,” Milo said nonchalantly. “If you’re feeling modest, there are some new shorts and underwear in one of the drawers. You can use them, just... don’t smell them.” Anja opened her mouth, ready to retort, but he quickly escaped the room. Grumbling, she went to the drawer and indeed saw some underwear that would almost fit her like bike shorts. She grabbed one and was tempted to bring it to her nose. “They’re new; they won’t smell like him. Don’t be silly... But

CHAPTER 477 TO BELIEVE AGAIN. New HomeAnja felt her heart pounding. It was fine to get nervous from time to time when she only saw him for a few minutes a day, but something told her things would get worse once they were living under the same roof.“Milo, I can’t move in with you. It’s not right. You have your privacy, and it wouldn’t be fair for me to invade it…”“What are you talking about, Anja? My privacy is the last thing you need to worry about. You’ve already gotten yourself into the whole Hamish Randall situation to figure out who’s robbing me, and we agreed that if you’re doing this, I’m not going to let you out of my sight. A deal’s a deal. Or are you going to back out on me?”“Hey!” she complained, but Milo’s expression was determined. “I don’t want to be a burden.”Milo nearly rolled his eyes. “How could you even think that? Have you forgotten that I crossed multiple borders to find you? You’re not a burden, and besides, Niko also needs to get used to you. It would be rea

CHAPTER 478 TO BELIEVE AGAIN. Don’t You Like It?Milo felt like he was in the best restaurant in the world, enjoying the company of his makeshift family, but he made it clear, repeatedly, that he wouldn’t eat that horrible-looking dessert.After dinner, they decided to watch a movie together in the living room. Milo lit the fireplace and arranged the sofa so all three could lay down to watch… every episode of *Chilly Willy*.“Get used to it,” Milo whispered over Niko’s head, who was snuggled between Anja and him. “We don’t own the TV anymore.”“Don’t worry,” she whispered back, “when he falls asleep, we’ll watch a horror movie.”Milo made a face like a scared child, and Anja covered her mouth to avoid laughing since Niko was already nodding off. Half an hour later, the boy was sound asleep on his mom’s chest, breathing peacefully.“Can I carry him to bed?” Anja asked, and Milo nodded sweetly, but five minutes later, she hadn’t moved.“Aren’t you going to put him to bed?”“I can’t get

CHAPTER 479. TO BELIEVE AGAIN. Watch out!" Anja crossed her arms and gave Milo a serious look. "That’s not cheating! You promised! You said you’d try my dessert if you liked the movie, and since we both know you’re going to like it, I think it’s time you keep your word," she declared with utmost seriousness. Milo shivered a bit, clearly uncomfortable with the idea, but had no choice but to follow her to the kitchen, looking resigned. He stared at the plate in Anja's hands after she took it out of the fridge and frowned. "But Anja, the dessert looks really... bad," Milo protested, trying to find an excuse to avoid tasting it. Anja let out a mischievous laugh, waving a clean napkin in front of Milo’s face. "Don't worry. Out of sight, out of mind, right?" she teased, folding the napkin and bringing it closer to him. "If you close your eyes, you won't know what it looks like. Just focus on the taste," she suggested with a wink. Reluctantly, Milo closed his eyes and let her place th

CHAPTER 480. TO BELIEVE AGAIN. SparksAfter what felt like a blink, they decided to head to the company office building. But before leaving, the little one ran to Milo and wrapped his arms around his neck, giving him a kiss on the cheek. "Have a great morning, buddy. I’ll come pick you up in a few hours." Niko still didn’t fully understand the concept of time, but the certainty that his dad would always be there for him was all he needed. To their surprise, he also raised his little arms toward Anja, and she hugged him tightly, giving him a kiss. "See you later, my love. We’ll be back soon." Niko ran off, and Milo put an arm around Anja’s shoulders. "Don’t cry... don’t... just count to ten..." She pouted but really tried not to cry, as emotional as she was. They got into the truck and arrived at the office building. Milo took Anja to the main office after his to introduce her to Denzel Cage, the company’s operational CEO. "Mr. Keller, a pleasure to have you here," the man said