Luna’s eyes filled with tears even as she laughed.

“Do you remember how awkward you were the first time we met?” she said between giggles.
“I still can’t believe how a six-foot-plus muscle machine stood there, desperately trying to find something to say. Going completely blank at my questions.” She laughed harder. “The ultimate business tycoon—the man who cracks multi-million-dollar deals with his clever words—suddenly reduced to the vocabulary of a toddler.”

She doubled over, clutching her stomach, wheezing for breath.

“Are you having fun?” Malcolm sulked, pouting like a child.
“Why on earth would you remember the most embarrassing moment of my life?”

“Oh, come on,” Luna said softly. “That was the most adorable thing about you.”
She grew quieter. “I was terrified I’d have to spend my life with the man the tabloids painted you to be. I was relieved to discover you were human too.”

Malcolm smiled faintly and placed his hand over hers on the tabletop, his thumb brushing her knuckles.

“Listen… about tomorrow’s announcement—”

“I want to remember everything before we go any further,” Luna interrupted.

“I need to know what I’m forgetting. There are questions I need answered. I don’t want to take you—take us—lightly. That wouldn’t be fair to either of us.”

“It’s okay,” Malcolm said gently, squeezing her hand. “Take all the time you need.”

Then, more quietly, “Just promise me one thing—that you’ll let me stay by your side.”

He searched her eyes, hopeful and afraid all at once.

“Malcolm…” Luna’s voice trembled. “I can’t promise I’ll stay forever. I don’t know what my memories will reveal.” Her words broke.

“Then let me stay until you find the answers,” he said without hesitation. “After that, you can decide.”

“And what if I don’t fully recover?” Luna shook her head.
“How will you live with this uncertainty? I’m… broken, Malcolm. Loving someone like me won’t be easy. I want you to be happy—to have a partner who deserves you, to live a good life.”

“But I don’t know what happiness is without you,” Malcolm said quietly.
“And I never planned on having anyone else. Without you…” He paused, struggling to breathe.

“Tia, even if you choose to leave, I won’t complain. And if you think you’re broken, let me gather the pieces. However little time I get with you will be my happiness—the kind I’ll live on for the rest of my life.”

“But it’s unfair,” Luna cried. “So unfair!”

“Not everyone dreams of a fair life,” Malcolm replied.

“For me, it’s enough to know that I loved and stayed with all I had. That’s fair enough.”

“Malcolm…”
Luna held his hands, pulling them close, resting her head against them. She had no words left—only tears.

Silence settled between them, heavy yet tender.

“Hey,” Malcolm said lightly, “don’t wipe your snot on my sleeves.”

Luna laughed through her tears.

“Why don’t we stick to your plan,” Malcolm said, smiling, “of living in the moment?”

Luna nodded. “You’ve just made a losing deal, Mr. Mandes.”

“I’m ready to take the risk,” he replied.

I never make losing deals, my love, he thought.
And you were—are—and always will be—mine and mine alone.

Later

The air around the dinner table was tight, almost brittle, as if one wrong word could shatter it. Cutlery lay untouched, plates cooling as two families sat across from one another, not to share a meal, but to decide the fate of one.

“That’s absolute nonsense,” Lazarus thundered, his palm slamming against the polished wood. The sharp sound echoed through the room. “You cannot postpone the wedding indefinitely.”

He leaned forward, his gaze hard. “We have to announce a date. This marriage isn’t just a family affair anymore. There’s a press conference before the party—what exactly do you expect us to tell them?”

“I agree with Lazarus,” Jacob said, his voice calmer but no less firm. He adjusted his glasses, worry etched deep into his brow. “At the very least, we need to give them a tentative timeline, if not a date. Cancelling the conference at the last moment would be counterproductive—for the business and for our family’s reputation.”

Lazarus exhaled, visibly reining himself in. His tone softened as he turned to them.
“Look, Malcolm… Tia. I understand your situation. Truly. But there are things in life that simply cannot wait.”

“Dad, we’re not ready,” Malcolm said, his jaw tight but his voice steady. “We need time. This is our life too—not just a business arrangement.”
The room fell silent for a moment, thick with unspoken tension.

“Arguments won’t get us anywhere,” Maria said gently, breaking the pause. “Why don’t we tell the press that we’re planning to set the wedding date sometime next year? That buys us time—without raising alarms.”

Jacob frowned, his fingers drumming lightly against the table. “But that could spark rumours. People might assume something has gone wrong between Malcolm and Tia. They may even start believing the merger won’t happen.”

Malcolm’s lips curved into a faint, calculated smile. “Then we make sure they see nothing but unity. There will be media spies watching us anyway—why not use that to our advantage? Let them spread positive rumours for a change.”

Lazarus studied him for a long moment before finally nodding.
“Alright,” he said. “It’s decided. Though personally, I would’ve liked to see you tie the knot sooner rather than later.”

Relief loosened the tightness in Luna’s chest. She finally spoke, her voice soft but sincere.
“Thank you… for understanding.”

The party had begun.
Crystal chandeliers glimmered overhead, scattering light across a sea of silk gowns and tailored suits. Conversations buzzed softly, then sharpened—eyes lifting, tracking, calculating. Guests watched with practiced interest, eagle-eyed and alert, as though instinctively aware that something important was about to unfold.

Among them, media spies hid in plain sight. A cufflink here, a pen there—ordinary objects masking lenses, recorders, intentions.

Every smile was measured. Every whisper carried weight.

Then they appeared.

A subtle hush rippled through the hall, conversations faltering mid-sentence. Heads turned. A few gasps slipped free before they could be stopped.

Luna and Malcolm stood together, impeccably dressed—flawless, composed—armoured as if stepping onto a battlefield rather than into a celebration. The lights caught them just right, framing them like a vision too striking to ignore. The stage was no longer just set—it was claimed.

“Are you ready?” Malcolm murmured, his voice meant only for her.

Luna nodded, fingers brushing against his arm—steady, intentional.

They moved forward, unhurried.
Whispers followed in their wake.

They look perfect.

So nothing’s wrong after all.

The merger is safe.

Cameras shifted. Lenses focused. Somewhere, a shutter clicked.

A mischievous curve played on Luna’s lips, subtle but deliberate.

Malcolm met the room with a calm, knowing gaze—two people fully aware of the storm they were about to control.

Partners.

For a fleeting moment, worry tried to rise in Luna’s chest, a familiar ache threatening to pull her back into doubt. She breathed through it, anchoring herself in the warmth of the lights, the low hum of voices, the steady presence beside her.

Live in the moment, she reminded herself—her newly found mantra.

And with that, she stepped forward—into the spotlight, into the lie they would make the world believe.

They moved through the room with practiced ease, from one influential figure to another, offering smiles, polite laughter, and reassurances. Everywhere they went, eyes followed. Conversations paused, glances lingered. Their presence alone seemed to confirm what words did not—everything is more than fine.

And then came the moment they had been anticipating the most.

From morning rehearsals to quiet repetitions before the conference, they had practiced it again and again—every step, every pause, every look. Still, as it approached, Luna felt her heartbeat quicken.

At Malcolm’s subtle cue, the music began.
He stepped forward, extending his hand.
“May I have this dance?”

Luna closed the distance between them, placing her hand in his palm. His touch was warm, steady.

“The pleasure is mine,” she replied.

The melody flowed through the hall—soft, familiar, almost intimate.

Shall I stay?
Would it be a sin?
If I can't help falling in love with you
For I can’t help falling in love with you.

They began to move.

Malcolm leaned down and pressed a gentle kiss to Luna’s forehead—not for the audience watching with bated breath, but for her. A quiet, unguarded gesture of love.

Luna hadn’t been prepared for it. Yet, strangely, she didn’t resist. It was so unmistakably Malcolm—tender, sincere, uncalculated.

She rested her head against his chest as they swayed, their movements perfectly in sync, as though they had always known this rhythm.

For a moment, the world fell away.
She let herself sink into the warmth of the music, the safety of his arms. She refused to let guilt intrude, refused to let the weight of everything waiting beyond this moment steal it from her.

Just let time stop, she wished. Just for a little while.

But time did not listen.

As the song carried on, Luna lifted her head.
And then—out of the corner of her eye—she saw him.

A face she had searched for in crowded streets and passing strangers. A face she had feared she might never see again. A face she was only beginning to believe belonged to memory alone.

There.

Watching.

Alive.

Her breath caught.

“Alex…” she whispered.

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