Early the next morning, Stephen left the room while Yvonne was still sound asleep, hugging the blanket in her arms.

He walked out of the room and instructed the maids not to disturb her slumber. Then he asked one of them to call Ariel to a guest room.

A short while later, Ariel knocked on the door to the room. Her face was brightly lit up in joy, with the corners of her eyes crinkling as she smiled.

"Come in."

She quickly opened the door and strolled over to Stephen, asking, "Stephen, why did you ask for me?"

"Yvonne told me that you spoke to her last night." Not wanting to waste time with her, Stephen got straight to the point. "I'd always thought you were a sensible person, Ms. Clarke, so I'd never wanted to do this. But it seems like I need to make some things clear."

Just the way he called her "Ms. Clarke" was enough to wound Ariel's heart.

She looked at Stephen in disbelief and asked, "Must we be so distant with each other? I mean, we used to—"

"The past is behind us." St