Please Come Back, We Are Waiting

"Nathan, are you really going to withdraw from next month's captain continuation selection?"

In the airport office, Nathan stood face to face with the director of Astralis Airport.

The man lowered his gaze to the message on his phone. In his social media feed, the two people closest to him were nestled together with his four rivals, all smiling brightly at the camera.

For a long time, he remained silent.

Just as the director thought he had made a hasty decision in the heat of the moment, Nathan finally looked away.

His gaze was firm. "I'm sure."

The director sighed, knowing that Nathan had made up his mind, so he no longer tried to persuade him.

"The application will be approved in a week."

After saying that, the director confirmed a few more details.

Nathan left the office.

The moment he opened the door, he heard music coming from the hall outside, along with confetti scattered all over the floor.

It was a celebration for Willy’s first flight, organized by Olive and Seraphine.

They had booked the entire airport just to make him happy.

Nathan lowered his head, intending to bypass the scene, but unexpectedly, Willy grabbed his arm headon.

Lifting his gaze, he saw Willy grinning flatteringly, as if they were the twin brother.

"Nathan, come have some cake with us!"

Following Willy’s line of sight, he saw a luxurious fifteentier custom cake standing in the center of the hall.

People passing by looked on in admiration, their praises echoing in his ears.

"Willy is really lucky for having two heiresses showering him with affection like this."

"You wouldn’t believe how much that cake cost. I heard it was upwards of several tens of thousands!"

"But weren’t those two heiress childhood friends with Captain Sharlow? When did things change?"

Nathan knew that Willy wasn’t being kind. He was simply trying to use this opportunity to humiliate him.

His face was as cold as ice and his tone was devoid of any emotion. "No, I’m not free."

The smile on Willy's face immediately froze.

His hand lingered in midair and his expression turned wounded and dejected. "Nathan, I know you’ve never liked me and never thought much of me, so you don’t want to celebrate with me, right?"

Nathan continued to look at him without expression, his inner thoughts dripping with mockery.

With just a few words, Willy had managed to place all the blame on him.

What a big burden to carry.

"What's this? You didn’t get enough of performing in front of Olive and Seraphine and now you want to do it in front of me too?"

After saying that, Nathan couldn’t be bothered to continue the exchange and turned to leave.

Just as he was about to pass by the cake, someone suddenly shoved him hard from behind.

Nathan lost his balance and was sent crashing toward the cake.

With a loud crash, the towering fifteentier cake toppled over. Willy let out a muffled grunt as the entire cake fell on top of him.

He was buried under a mountain of cream.

Olive and Seraphine happened to witness the scene. Both of them rushed over in a panic, carefully helping Willy up.

Willy was in a complete mess and the sight of it made them both feel heartbroken.

Especially Olive, who had a temper. She pointed at Nathan and angrily scolded, "What do you think you're doing? Don’t you know today’s supposed to be a celebration for Willy? Why are you causing trouble?"

Seraphine, with her gentle personality, looked at Nathan, her eyes filled with reproach. "You're being too much. Willy had good intentions and yet you treat him like this."

Her tone was full of blame, as if it were all Nathan’s fault.

But he knew very well that there were no people around and the person who pushed him just now could only be Willy.

He did it on purpose.

Willy wiped the cream off his face and said in a trembling voice, "Olive, Seraphine, don't make things difficult for Nathan, he didn't do it on purpose."

Olive was visibly displeased when she saw him speaking up for Nathan. "He’s been nothing but trouble for you and yet you're still speaking for him?"

With a helpless sigh, she continued, "You’re just too kind, always avoiding conflict and never fighting for yourself. It makes you an easy target. But don’t worry, with Seraphine and me around, he won’t be able to hurt you again."

Olive shot a fierce glare at Nathan. Her eyes were full of warning.

Watching the three of them so closely aligned, Nathan felt as though he were a world away.

It was supposed to be him who had once been the one held so dearly by the two of them.

The Sharlow Family was a small, wealthy family in Astralis, located in the same district as the Thompson and Pangley family.

Nathan grew up alongside these two prestigious families. Because of his exceptional abilities, both Olive and Seraphine had secretly harbored feelings for him.

After Nathan was accepted into the Aerospace Academy, Olive and Seraphine followed him there. To stay close to him, they bought an apartment near the airport.

He had a congenital allergy and was particularly sensitive to starchy foods. Because of this, he had to be extra cautious about what he ate.

Olive and Seraphine spent a long time learning how to cook. Every day, they would wait for him to return from his flights, ready to prepare a meal for him.

Nathan repeatedly suggested that they leave and that he could manage on his own. But both of them, with teary eyes, begged him to let them stay.

Nathan had no choice but to relent, knowing that once they made a decision, it was hard for them to turn back.

He could only go along with their wishes.

People often said he was lucky. The Sharlow Family might not be considered a true aristocratic family, but with the backing of the Thompson and Pangley Family, their fortune was steadily growing.

The two heiresses had been his greatest support, shielding him from the world's troubles.

Nathan had lived in that warmth, believing it would last forever, until Willy appeared.

Willy was the true heir of the Sharlow Family. Years ago, a mistake by the nanny had led to him being switched at birth and raised elsewhere.

It was only recently that he finally returned home.

That was when Nathan learned the truth that he was never truly the young master of the Sharlow Family. In fact, he didn’t even know who his biological parents were.

On the day Willy returned, he arrived wearing a faded, secondhand shirt, carrying nothing but a wornout burlap sack, looking utterly alone and out of place like someone with no home to return to.

Nathan never resented Willy’s return.

On the contrary, he felt deeply guilty. After all, he had unknowingly taken someone else’s place for so many years. Even though he had earned his own living and never relied on the Sharlow Family’s wealth, he still felt indebted to Willy.

So, he personally brought Willy into the Sharlow Family.

He introduced him to Olive and Seraphine, guided him through high society and helped him integrate into their world.

Nathan genuinely hoped they could be like brothers. After all, the Sharlow Family had raised him and he felt a responsibility to repay their kindness.

But fate had other plans.

Before his very eyes, he watched as Olive and Seraphine grew increasingly fond of Willy.

Bit by bit, they pushed him aside until he was no longer the one standing by their side.

With just a few words, Willy could twist reality, turning truth into lies and right into wrong.

Olive and Seraphine had never hidden their feelings for him and the Sharlow Family did need a strong ally.

Countless times, the two had fought bitterly over him, hoping he would choose one of them to spend his life with.

Nathan had genuinely considered it. He had weighed his options, thinking that, eventually, he would choose the one most suited for marriage.

But now, he had made up his mind—he wouldn’t choose either of them.

Brushing the smeared cake and cream off his clothes, Nathan quietly stepped away from the commotion. Without a word, he left, vanishing into the night as he made his way home.

He entered the room and rummaged through to find a desk calendar. Each page of the calendar featured the daily lives of three cartoon characters.

It had been custommade by Olive and Seraphine.

Nathan turned to the page for a week from now, the day he would be leaving.

A circle was drawn around that date. He then realized that it was also the 20th anniversary of the day they met.

Nathan pulled at his lips, giving a selfdeprecating smile. It was the day they met, twenty years ago.

On this day, twenty years later, they parted ways. From that moment on, they would go their separate ways and no longer have any connections to each other.

They ultimately became strangers.

Nathan began to pack his things. He submitted the transfer report and had to buy his own apartment in Maple City.

When the time came, he would just move his luggage in.

While browsing singleroom apartments online, his phone suddenly vibrated. It was a notification for an update on Seraphine's social media account.

The post showed Willy, his face full of happiness, standing between the two women, holding a bouquet of white roses.

"May you sail through the winds and waves, my boy."

The bold confession was completely out of character for Seraphine. Nathan could immediately tell that it was Willy who had posted it.

What confused him even more was that Seraphine, who had a cleanliness obsession, never allowed anyone to touch her things, yet now, Willy was the exception.

Nathan knew exactly what Willy's intention was. He was showing off in front of him.

As expected, a private message popped up immediately after.

“Nathan, tonight, Olive and Seraphine aren't coming back. They insisted on staying with me to continue the celebration. Sorry about that. Please don't be mad."

If this had happened before, Nathan would have felt deeply hurt or would have confronted them.

Now, he felt no emotion at all.

He glanced indifferently at the message from Willy. In the end, he blocked him.

From this moment on, Olive and Seraphine were no longer part of his life

He chose a onebedroom apartment, paid the deposit and began packing his things.

The apartment was spacious, with four rooms. Nathan slept in the master bedroom, which was filled with the items Olive and Seraphine had bought for him.

From the smallest toothbrush holder to the bed he slept in and the clothes he wore, none of these things would be going with him.

As he sifted through his belongings, something caught his eye, a jewelry box. It was carefully wrapped and tucked away in the cabinet.

He opened it and found a finely crafted wristwatch inside. In an instant, Nathan remembered the story behind this watch.

It was one of a set of watches that Olive and Seraphine had made. His name was engraved on the watch. Each of the three of them had one.

However, Nathan had been so busy that he kept it safely stored, fearing it might get scratched or damaged.

The watch face was exquisitely detailed and because it had been well cared for, there wasn’t a single scratch on it.

Nathan carefully ran his fingers over the engravings on the watch. Since he was leaving, he knew he had to get rid of the things that weren’t his.

With that in mind, he was about to toss the watch into the pile of miscellaneous items. Just then, the door to the hallway creaked open.

Olive and Seraphine had returned and saw this scene.

Olive reacted first. She rushed over, trying to save the watch.

The watch flew through the air in a perfect arc before crashing into the pile of clutter, instantly shattering into pieces.

In that moment, Olive’s eyes welled up with tears. Her voice trembled as she asked, "What are you doing?"

Nathan’s expression remained emotionless. “It’s been sitting there too long. It’s broken.”

He walked over to the pile of broken pieces and there was still one intact watch face remaining.

Olive thought he was going to pick it up, but instead, Nathan forcefully slammed it down onto the ground again, making Olive utterly shock.

This time, there was no chance of repair.

“Even if it was broken, you could have fixed it. Why did you smash it like this?” Olive gathered the shattered pieces into her hands, her eyes already filled with tears.

Seraphine, standing beside her, also had redrimmed eyes.

Nathan felt a wave of mockery rise within him. Hadn't they already stopped caring about him?

Now, they were acting so sentimental over a watch. Did they still think there was a place for him in their hearts?

Nathan couldn't help but wonder how they would react if they knew he was leaving.

In the end, he coldly said, "It's just a watch. If it's broken, we can just buy a new one."

All three of them knew that a watch could be bought. But this one was unique and irreplaceable. Once it was broken, it could never be restored.

But at this point, there was nothing more to be done.

Olive sniffled and said, "But..."

Before she could continue, Seraphine interrupted gently, "It's fine. If it's broken, we can just replace it. It's a good opportunity. Willy doesn't have one either, so the four of us can get a new set made."

Seraphine spoke so naturally, as if Willy was already one of them.

Olive nodded in agreement.

But Nathan remained silent, his lips pressed tight.

Seeing his silence, both women ignored him, continuing their conversation as if he weren't even there. They began discussing the design and brand of the watch.

Suddenly, Olive furrowed her brows and asked, "What made you want to pack up today? And why are you taking a suitcase?"

Nathan then remembered the suitcase was still outside.

He casually made up a lie, "Things were too messy, so I’m just packing them up in the suitcase for now."

Nathan then felt a bit puzzled. Didn't Willy say they wouldn't be back? Why had they suddenly returned?

As if sensing his thoughts, Olive explained, "We just came back to grab the household registration book. We're taking Willy on a trip in a couple of days. You’ve been so busy lately. You can join us next time."

There wasn't a word of discussion or prior notice.

Nathan wasn’t angry, though. Instead, he let out a selfmocking smile. "Alright. It's fine. I actually need to go out these days too."

Olive furrowed her brows. Nathan had always been a bit reluctant about them spending time with Willy.

Olive found herself a little surprised. Why was Nathan being so generous today? He rarely liked going out, so why did he suddenly plan to leave these days?

Seraphine also felt something was off. The man in front of her seemed a bit different than usual.

Just as she was about to ask where he was going, a loud crash came from downstairs.

"Mr. Scott, what's going on?"

Hearing that it was Willy, both of them rushed downstairs without a second thought.

Willy's face was pale and he looked weak as he collapsed to the ground.

Olive and Seraphine were immediately on edge. "What happened?"

"I just thought you guys had been gone for a while, so I came looking for you. I got a bit of low blood sugar, but it's nothing serious."

Seraphine's usually calm face now showed a hint of concern. She quickly helped Willy to his feet and rushed him to the hospital.

Only when the car lights in the yard flickered on and the vehicle left the apartment building did Nathan finally slump wearily onto the sofa.

He pulled out his phone and dialed the airport manager's number.

"Mr. Bright, regarding my transfer, please hold off on announcing the notice for now."

Typically, when someone leaves early, the airport would issue a notice. But to avoid any complications, Nathan didn’t want anyone to know just yet.

Just as he ended the call, another one came through.

It was one of Nathan's apprentices who had called.

It turned out that the firstedition airplane model he had ordered this year was finally released.

Since his apprentice worked for an international company, the shipment had arrived quickly. The model would be delivered the next day.

After receiving the model, Nathan placed it in the display case. Just as he was about to close the glass door, he heard a voice behind him, filled with admiration.

"Nathan, is this entire wall your collection? It's amazing. I really envy you for having so much. I heard these are impossible to get, even if you have the money. Can I take a look?"

Nathan turned around, surprised to see Willy standing right behind him, not realizing when he had arrived.

Nathan looked at him warily, well aware that Willy's intentions were far from friendly. Though the Sharlow Family had taken him in, everything from his food to his clothing had been earned solely through his own efforts.

The model of the First Flight airplane was something that money alone couldn’t buy. He had gone to great lengths, begging several people to secure the chance to own one.

Now, Willy wanted to "look"? No, he likely wanted to claim it for himself.

Nathan’s expression hardened. “Who let you in? Leave.”

Without a moment’s hesitation, he moved to push Willy out.

Clearly taken aback by the abrupt dismissal, Willy’s face twisted in discomfort, as though he had swallowed something bitter.

The more Nathan tried to make him leave, the more determined Willy became to satisfy his curiosity.

Willy bypassed him, heading straight to the display cabinet, where he retrieved a model.

Nathan’s eyes widened in alarm. “Put it down!”

“Nathan, I’m just having a look, ah!”

Before either could react, the model slipped from his hands, crashing to the ground with a loud thud. In the chaos, Nathan pushed Willy, sending him tumbling to the ground.

The model shattered into pieces in an instant.

The sounds of their heated struggle quickly attracted Olive and Seraphine, who rushed downstairs to see what was happening.

Olive and Seraphine rushed up in panic, only to find the room in disarray with Willy lying on the floor.

Olive's face was filled with concern as she carefully checked to see if Willy was unharmed. However, she noticed a small cut on his fingertip from the model.

“You’re bleeding! We need to go to the hospital!”

Willy feigned indifference. “It’s nothing, just a small scratch. It doesn’t hurt.”

“You’re bleeding, how can it not hurt?” Olive exclaimed, her heart tightened as she gently pressed her lips to the wound, trying to soothe it.

The way Olive treated Willy, as if he were a priceless treasure, made Nathan feel disgusted.

On the other hand, Seraphine was furious and turned to him. “You just can’t stand seeing Willy happy, can you? It’s just a model. If he wants it, you should give it to him. Why are you fighting over it?”

She scolded him as though Nathan were a heinous criminal.

“This is mine, why should I give it to him?” Nathan retorted.

“Because you owe him,” Seraphine snapped back. “You’ve been living comfortably for decades, but Willy has been struggling outside. Don’t you feel any guilt?”

Nathan froze for a moment.

It hit him.

He was the fake son who had taken someone else's place, while Willy was the real heir who had been cast aside. But the mistake that had started it all wasn’t his fault. Over the years, he had tried his best to make up for it. So why should he feel guilty?

He didn’t owe anyone anything. Even though the Sharlow Family had raised him, he had brought them profits in return. As for his living expenses, he had earned everything with his own hard work. What was there to feel indebted about?

All the moral pressure they tried to put on him could go to hell.

“It wasn’t me who made him suffer,” Nathan said, his voice calm but firm. “And this model? Do you know how much effort I had to go through to get it? More than anyone else here.”

He had never lost his temper in front of them before.

This was the first time Olive was taken aback.

She certainly knew how much effort Nathan had put into getting that model. He had even begged the head of the distribution company, who had agreed to let him trade it for the flying champion trophy. Nathan had sacrificed sleep and health, participating in the competition at all costs, even suffering injuries along the way.

Thinking of this, Olive's anger subsided a little. "But you still shouldn't have pushed him. Fine, just apologize to Willy and let's leave it at that."

Nathan furrowed his brows in confusion, looking at her in disbelief. Clearly, it was Willy who had done something wrong, yet she was asking him to apologize? What kind of logic was this?

"Why should I?" he asked, his voice laced with frustration.

Seraphine's face turned cold as she responded, "Nathan, you know we have no patience for this. Hurry up and apologize to Willy."

She looked at him and her gaze briefly met Willy’s smug expression.

Nathan knew that he couldn’t win this argument. His clenched fist throbbed with pain and when he opened it, he realized that somehow, fragments of the model had pierced into his skin.

After Seraphine spoke, she quickly helped Olive support Willy downstairs to tend to his wound.

Nathan sighed and opened his hand. Ignoring the pain, he pulled the shards out of his skin. Just as he finished cleaning the wound, the person in charge called.

"Nathan, are you still participating in the final flight competition?"

Nathan paused for a moment before replying, "I won’t be participating in the next flight competition."

There was no point in continuing now, especially since he was about to leave.

Just as he finished speaking, he heard footsteps. Olive and Seraphine were returning downstairs.

"Why aren't you participating in the competition?"

It was wellknown that in the past, Nathan never missed a single competition.

Nathan immediately hung up the phone.

He forced himself to stay calm and said, "It's nothing, I'm just tired and don't want to participate."

The two women looked at him, puzzled.

Although their feelings for him were not as strong as before, they had been together for decades. If they knew he was leaving, they might try to stop him.

So, Nathan chose to hide the truth.

Seeing that there was nothing unusual about him, the two women didn't think much of it.

"Alright, if you're tired, take a rest. Give Willy a chance as well. His ability is no less than yours."

With that, they turned and left. This time, Nathan said nothing because he knew, saying anything would be pointless.

To take better care of Willy, they brought him home.

The next morning, as soon as Nathan opened the door, he was greeted by the smell of food filling the house.

He was puzzled. The three of them usually ate out. Why was someone cooking today?

When he went downstairs, he saw Olive and Seraphine sitting at the dining table. Willy, wearing an apron, walked out of the kitchen.

"Come on, it's time to eat. Today, I'm cooking," he said with a smile.

"No..." Nathan was about to refuse.

But Willy quickly interrupted, "Nathan, I've always felt there might be some misunderstanding between us. Why don't we have a meal and talk it out?"

Olive also chimed in, "Willy is so generous. If you keep refusing, isn't that a bit unreasonable?"

Seraphine, who was sitting nearby, shot him a cold warning glance.

Nathan realized that today, there was no way out of this meal. Reluctantly, he found a corner to sit down.

The food on the table looked delicious, its aroma filling the air. He added a piece of vegetables to his plate.

As soon as he put it in his mouth, he immediately felt something was off. The sticky, starchy taste filled his mouth.

He stood up abruptly.

He hunched over the trash can, vomiting uncontrollably.

The allergic reaction hit him quickly. Tiny red dots spread rapidly across his skin, as if thousands of ants were gnawing at him from the inside.

"Nathan, are you okay?"

A fake, concerned voice came from behind him. It was Willy, but before he could get closer, Nathan shoved him away.

Willy stumbled backward, crashing into the table and the array of delicious dishes tumbled to the floor with a loud crash.

A low grunt escaped him and immediately, Olive and Seraphine rushed forward, their attention focused on him.

At the same time, Nathan was nearly suffocating. He used all his strength to reach out for the antihistamine on the cabinet.

"Are you out of your mind? Willy did all this with good intentions and this is how you treat him?"

Just as he was about to grab the medicine, Olive shoved him hard.

Before Nathan could recover, he watched as the two of them helped Willy out to the hospital.

"Save me..."

The only response he received was the sound of the door slamming shut.

Nathan felt as though his heart had died. He never expected that his life would be so insignificant in their eyes.

It wasn’t until the nanny saw his face turn pale that she quickly gave him medicine. Only then did Nathan regain consciousness.

He took out his phone and made a call. "Can the report be submitted a few days earlier? I can’t wait any longer."

He feared that if he waited any longer, he might lose his life.

Just then, Olive returned. "Submit what? Where are you going?"

Nathan forced himself to remain calm and leisurely hung up the phone.

Olive frowned. "Who were you talking to?"

She then took Nathan’s phone and skillfully entered the password. She was taken aback when the phone vibrated, indicating an incorrect password.

Olive was momentarily stunned, unsure of what to do. The three of them shared the same password, which was the date they first met.

But now, Nathan had quietly changed it without saying a word. For some reason, Olive felt something was off.

Just as she was about to speak, Nathan expressionlessly took back his phone and interrupted her, saying, "It’s nothing. Just a report about the physical exam in a couple of days, something for the higherups."

At that moment, Seraphine also returned. She overheard their conversation and sneered, "So this was intentional, huh? You knew the physical exam was coming up and if someone fails, they’ll lose their flying privileges. You’re just trying to find ways to torment Willy. Nathan, how can your thoughts be so malicious?"

Upon hearing Seraphine’s words, a trace of confusion flashed in Nathan’s eyes.

When he realized the implication behind her words, a sudden chill swept over him.

She actually thought that he would harm Willy out of jealousy.

He felt both ridiculous and pitiful in that moment. After knowing each other for twenty years, he still couldn't earn a bit of trust.

"Malicious? Do you know what he put in the food? Starch. And I’m allergic to starch."

At his words, both of them were momentarily taken aback. Of course, they knew Nathan was allergic to starch.

There was once an incident where they accidentally bought him a starchbased sausage and he nearly ended up in the ICU.

After that incident, they never bought anything with starch again, always being extra careful. But now, he claimed that Willy had used starch in the food.

Both Olive and Seraphine furrowed their brows at the same time.

"Nathan, there’s a limit to lying. How could Willy possibly...?"

Nathan sneered. He knew they wouldn’t believe him. That’s why he hadn’t let the nanny throw away the food.

Carrying the leftover dishes, he walked up to the two of them. When they were at the table earlier, their attention had been on Willy and they hadn’t paid any attention to what was in the food.

Now, as he brought it closer, they immediately noticed something was off.

There really was starch in the food.

Olive’s face turned ashen. No one understood better than the two of them how serious Nathan’s allergic reactions could be.

But they had overlooked it.

Seraphine, who had been so aggressive just moments ago, now softened, a hint of guilt crossing her face.

"We didn’t know he would... Nathan, are you alright? Do you feel better now? We didn’t mean to cause harm. The situation happened so suddenly and Willy probably didn’t know you were allergic. He just wanted to make a good meal for everyone."

Making a good meal? Which "good person" would put starch in vegetables? If it’s not intentional, then what could it be?

Even now, she was still making excuses for Willy.

Nathan couldn’t be bothered to argue with her anymore. He gave a perfunctory hum, then turned and walked into his room.

No matter what he said, they would always side with Willy.

It was a waste of time to say anything more.

Olive and Seraphine knew they were in the wrong and didn’t dare to knock on his door to disturb him.

By the next day, when Nathan woke up, he didn’t see either of them around. However, the mess in the living room had been cleaned up.

On the table, there was a piece of his favorite green cake.

Nathan glanced at it, his face emotionless and casually tossed it into the trash.

Olive and Seraphine hadn’t been around all day. They were probably at Willy’s place.

But he didn’t care.

After tidying up the last of the things in his room, he rummaged through a few gifts the two of them had given him before, all from highend luxury brands.

Now that he was penniless, Nathan figured he might as well make use of these items. So, he listed everything on a secondhand website.

Due to their low price and high quality, the items sold quickly.

Just as he was about to package them for shipping, Olive stormed in, fuming with anger.

"Who is she?" Olive held up her phone, showing a chat history between him and a female customer.

Nathan’s heart tightened suddenly.

He had forgotten that their social media accounts were linked together. Any conversation he had with others could be seen by them.

At that moment, both Olive and Seraphine were furious. They had seen that his personal profile was filled with items for sale at low prices.

All of them were gifts they had given him in the past.

The chat history further made them uneasy. "He said he was leaving and that these things were useless, so he sold them to me at a low price."

The woman’s words sent a chill down their spines.

Nathan was leaving? Where was he going?

Olive couldn’t help but feel a pang of anxiety. Lately, she had been sensing that Nathan was drifting further and further away from them, becoming more distant.

At first, she had assumed it was just a case of overthinking, that the long time spent together had caused some insecurity.

She hadn’t taken it too seriously.

But the woman’s words now made both her and Seraphine feel uneasy.

"Yes, I’m the one selling these things," Nathan spoke after a moment of thought and then generously admitted it.

Since it had already been discovered, there was no point in hiding it.

Seraphine said in disbelief, "Why?"

These were items that Nathan usually took great care of, even keeping some of them in a special safe. How could he just decide to sell them?

"Is it because of what happened with Willy last time?"

Olive suddenly thought of something. She hastily moved forward, already sure of the answer and grabbed Nathan's sleeve.

"It was our mistake last time. Willy already said he didn’t do it on purpose. Is this how much you’re holding onto it?"

Of course, he was holding onto it.

Just thinking about their cold, indifferent stares and that suffocating feeling from that time made Nathan's scalp tingle and his stomach churned as if he were going to vomit.

He took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down. "No. I don’t care about what happened last time."

After all, his heart had already died. All emotions toward the two of them had vanished completely.

Of course, he didn’t say these things out loud. Knowing them as well as he did, if they had heard that, they would have flown into a rage. So, he chose to lie.

"It's just that I don’t like these gifts anymore. They're just taking up space. It’s better to sell them and make room at home."

Olive and Seraphine were unconvinced by his explanation.

Olive frowned and said, "Even if you don’t like them anymore, you could just leave them here. Each of these gifts was carefully chosen by Seraphine and me, based on your tastes. How could you suddenly not like them?"

Seraphine added, "Exactly. If you don’t like them, just leave them. We have plenty of space at home. But if you sell them, doesn’t that mean all our effort and intentions are wasted?"

"We won't allow you to sell them. Go and take down the links now." With that, the two of them were ready to contact the buyers.

Seeing this, Nathan knew that with their stubborn personalities, they wouldn’t listen to him.

At the same time, he couldn’t help but feel speechless. If he didn’t care anymore, why keep the gifts?

Finally, he spoke up, "Why don’t you just buy me new ones? After all, doesn’t Willy not have any of these either?"

Olive hesitated for a moment, a flash of surprise crossing her eyes.

After all, in the past, Nathan had never allowed them to buy anything for Willy. Now, he was suggesting sharing with Willy.

Olive was very pleased, her voice filled with excitement, "So you're willing to accept Willy now?"

Seeing her like this, Nathan knew she had already forgotten about what happened earlier, so he gave a sarcastic nod.

But then, Seraphine asked with a strange look on her face, "Nathan, is there something you're hiding from us?"

She couldn’t shake the feeling that Nathan had changed.

Maybe it was just her imagination, but Nathan’s gaze always seemed cold and distant, as if he were about to leave at any moment.

This feeling filled her with fear and anxiety.

"How could that be? From childhood to now, I’ve never lied to you. I’ve just realized that he and I are brothers and it's only right for me to be kind to him. Don’t you think so?"

Olive answered without hesitation, "Of course!"

She then said a few words to Seraphine, who finally felt relieved. Maybe she had been overthinking it. Nathan really did want to accept Willy. Such a life wasn’t so bad after all.

"Alright, I’ll continue packing. We’ll buy new ones later."

This time, neither of them argued further.

Everything was sold for 700 thousand dollars. This money was enough for Nathan to live without worries for the rest of his life.

He deactivated his social media accounts and took the money to a law firm. There, he met Zephyr, Seraphine's halfbrother, to help him return the money the Sharlow Family had spent on him over the years.

"You’re leaving Hepiron?" Zephyr was surprised when he found out from the message Nathan sent him.

Nathan had only told him, as Zephyr was his closest friend.

He had witnessed firsthand how Nathan and those two women had come to this point. Like Nathan, he had also watched as their affection for Willy grew stronger.

Nathan didn’t respond. Instead, he silently downed his drink, letting the bitterness spread across his tongue.

Seeing him like this, Zephyr felt uneasy. “I always thought you’d end up with either my sister or Olive. I never expected you to leave.”

What other choice did he have? The Sharlow Family had never been his home, nor had Olive or Seraphine.

He was just an outsider who had taken someone else’s place. Sooner or later, he had to leave.

Zephyr sighed in frustration. “You were so close to them, but ever since Willy showed up, it’s like he put a spell on my sister and Olive. How did they all suddenly start treating him so well? You were the one who…”

Before he could finish, Nathan shoved a glass of liquor into his hand, cutting him off.

“It’s all in the past,” Nathan said flatly. “Besides, I’m leaving soon.”

Just as his words fell, the door swung open and Willy appeared.

“Nathan, where are you going?” he asked with a bright smile. “Are you going on a trip? How about I come with you?”

Without waiting for an answer, he casually took a seat beside Nathan, as if they were the best of friends.

Nathan said nothing, choosing to ignore the blatant provocation.

But Zephyr had a fiery temper. He slammed the table hard and roared, “Get lost! Who the hell do you think you are? You really think you deserve to be here?”

"Don't think you can act all high and mighty just because the Sharlow Family is backing you. I could crush you anytime."

Willy was startled. He shrank back, stammering, "I... I didn’t mean it that way."

Zephyr had finally lost his patience. He raised his fist and punched him hard. "Trying to act? I’m not playing along with you!"

At that moment, Olive and Seraphine hurried over from a distance.

The two of them anxiously pushed Zephyr away and immediately shielded Willy behind them.

Olive gently cupped his face, softly comforting him.

Seraphine, however, was furious. She slapped Nathan hard.

The crisp sound of the slap echoed throughout the restaurant, immediately attracting the attention of people nearby.

"Seraphine, what are you doing? I was the one who hit him!" Zephyr stared in disbelief, his eyes wide.

The usually gentle and poised Seraphine had actually raised her hand against him. "Shut up! If it weren’t for him provoking you, would you have hit Willy?"

Zephyr wanted to say something, but was stopped by Nathan.

The slap mark on his face was bright red and quite shocking, yet the man remained expressionless.

Seraphine swallowed hard, the anger she felt earlier clouding her judgment. Her mind had gone blank in that moment and she acted impulsively. Now, the heat in her palm made her regret it deeply.

How could she have raised her hand against Nathan?

Just as she was about to explain, she suddenly heard Willy's voice from behind her.

"Seraphine, don't blame your brother. It's my fault, I’m not good enough. I just wanted to go on a trip with Nathan, but I didn’t expect him to refuse..."

As he spoke, his gaze dropped to the ground.

The sadness in Willy's eyes made Olive's heart ache.

"Alright, alright, go on a trip. Anywhere you want to go, even to outer space, I’ll buy you a rocket," she said, trying to cheer him up.

Seraphine quickly joined in, "Yes, anywhere you want, we’ll go with you. Don’t be upset."

They both tried to comfort him, one after the other.

Unseen by them, Willy gave Nathan a mocking smile.

Soon, the three of them sat down behind him, eagerly discussing potential travel destinations.

At just that moment, Nathan's phone rang. It was a call from the person in charge.

"Nathan, your transfer application will be approved the day after tomorrow. Are you sure you’re not participating in the test flight competition?"

"No, I’ll be leaving the day after tomorrow."

As soon as Nathan finished speaking, Olive, who had been standing behind him, grabbed his arm. "Where are you going tomorrow?"

Nathan hung up the phone and coldly replied, "It’s none of your business."

His indifferent tone shocked Olive. She felt that Nathan had changed a lot and he had grown distant from her. This sense of coldness left her feeling uncomfortable.

Seraphine quickly stepped forward. "Is it because I slapped you earlier? Nathan, I didn’t mean it. You know how hard Willy’s life has been. You’ve been occupying his position all these years. You should make it up to him…"

Nathan sneered. "Make it up? Was it my fault back then? Did I make him misreport? I was a victim too. Why should I be the one making amends?"

His words left both Olive and Seraphine stunned. They had always thought Willy was pitiful that he hadn’t had a good meal, nor good clothes.

He was clearly the son of a wealthy family, yet his life had been so difficult. By some twist of fate, they wanted to treat him better. But they never considered, what had Nathan done wrong? He was innocent.

Seraphine, feeling lost, hurried to explain, "Nathan, don’t be like this. You know we didn’t mean it. All this time, the person we’ve always loved is you."