Chapter 2212
Vivian’s gaze locked onto Calvin, her eyes widening like a kid pressed up against a candy shop window.
“Well, look who’s back. Calvin, you haven’t lost an ounce of charm,” she sighed, sounding half awed, half overwhelmed.
Madeline turned, one brow lifting. “Careful, or Zachary will hear about the way you stare at other men.”
“Please. He’s home every day, holding that baby like it might float away. He doesn’t have time to worry about me,” Vivian replied, still visibly starstruck.
Ever since Zachary became a father, something in him had changed. He rarely left the Sinclair residence unless a hospital emergency demanded it.
Patient to a fault, he hovered near the nanny, correcting even the smallest mistake, terrified the baby might suffer in someone else’s arms.
Vivian, for her part, couldn’t have been happier. A responsible father meant she could finally breathe.
Madeline let out a long, helpless sigh.
After greeting a few more familiar faces, Calvin crossed the room and slipped smoothly into an empty seat.
Vivian waved Cecilia over, patting the chair beside her with barely contained excitement.
Lowering her voice to a conspiratorial whisper, she asked, “Ceci, have you noticed? We haven’t seen Calvin in forever, and somehow he’s even more… masculine.”
Cecilia let out a soft, involuntary giggle, light as wind chimes.
“You really need to rein in that habit of yours,” she teased, shaking her head.
Vivian took a sip of water, rested her chin in her palm, and sighed. “Seriously, how did you ever find the willpower to turn him down?”
“Because we’re just friends. Only friends,” Cecilia replied automatically, her tone gentle but firm.
Vivian’s expression practically said, Sure—and I’m the queen of Azania.
“If I had a stunning male best friend like that…” she muttered under her breath.
Cecilia let the comment fade, unwilling to feed Vivian’s imagination.
Soon, the orchestra shifted keys, signaling the start of the ceremony. Every head turned toward the softly lit stage.
The lights dimmed to velvet darkness. The groom stood alone beneath a single spotlight. Moments later, Charlotte appeared on her father’s arm, her veil shimmering as she walked down the aisle.
No one dared break the silence. Only after vows were spoken and rings exchanged did quiet conversations bloom again, like flowers after rain.
Vivian let out a low whistle. “I always knew Sven was more than he seemed. Tonight just proves it.”
Cecilia had once suspected the same, though she’d never chased the thought to its end. She kept it to herself.
A little later, Charlotte made her rounds to toast the guests, stopping at their table with flushed cheeks and shining eyes.
By the time the formalities wrapped up, exhaustion hung on her like an oversized cloak.
She had planned to join the group’s after-party, but fatigue—and the reality that this was her wedding night—pulled her toward quieter promises.
The hallway lamps cast a warm, buttery glow across the polished floor as Cecilia turned to her. “Lottie, stay here with Sven and get some rest. The rest of us will sneak out for a little adventure.”
Charlotte’s shoulders drooped, but she managed a brave smile. “Fine—but promise you’ll look out for each other.”
“We will. Cross my heart.” Cecilia tapped her chest for emphasis.
With that, she gave a playful salute, spun on her heel, and disappeared down the corridor, her whispered goodbye lingering in the air.
Moments later, Cecilia gathered Vivian, Madeline, and Lucille, then headed over to Calvin.
Outside, Vivian studied Calvin’s tall, disciplined frame as if she’d just made an entertaining discovery. “Mr. Reese, you don’t mind if we tag along, do you?”
The corner of Calvin’s mouth lifted in a restrained smile. “Not at all.”
The group drifted into the neon-washed street, their laughter forming a bright pocket within the city’s noise.
Vivian kept chatting, careful not to interrupt Cecilia and Calvin.
She understood that those two longtime friends had years of unspoken stories waiting to surface.
So she, Madeline, and Lucille peeled off to admire the window displays, leaving Cecilia to fall into step beside Calvin.
Night had settled fully over the street, turning the pedestrian mall into a swirl of lights, music, and mingling scents.
As they moved with the crowd, Calvin instinctively positioned himself between Cecilia and the jostling bodies, a steady shield that kept stray elbows and swinging shopping bags from brushing her sleeve.
When the crowd finally thinned, Calvin lowered his voice. “Nathaniel didn’t come with you?”
“He had to work,” Cecilia said, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “Besides, Lottie and Sven aren’t exactly close to him.”
“Fair enough,” Calvin replied, accepting it with a nod.
His gaze shifted to the bright glow of an arcade nearby. “Want to play a game? Walking in circles out here is getting old.”
The moment Cecilia spotted the flashing signs, her eyes lit up. “Absolutely.”
She turned and waved Vivian and the others over. Together, they slipped beneath the arcade’s pulsing lights.