The room was spacious, yet the two of them, one tall and one short, were crowded together by the door.

The villa’s built-in climate control system ensured the temperature was neither too cold nor too hot.

But Zoe Pierce felt that Miles Sherman’s palms were sweaty.

They were hot and damp, sticking to her skin.

The spot he touched was now flushed with his warmth.

Her curled lashes fluttered like a butterfly’s wings. In her uniquely soft, feminine voice, she said, "Okay."

The gift would stay with her for another four months.

Miles Sherman took a step back.

His palm left her skin, pressing against the nearby door instead. Then, he put some real distance between himself and Zoe Pierce.

He tugged at the collar of his short-sleeved T-shirt, fanning himself a couple of times.

Zoe Pierce swallowed hard, her gaze darting away.

Miles Sherman caught her averting his gaze and paused.

"You go down first. I’m going to take a shower, then I’ll be down," he said.

Zoe Pierce gave a soft "mhm" and opened the door to head downstairs.

They weren’t naive kids anymore.

She could see why he was uncomfortable.

The kiss hadn’t been without effect on her, either. Her ears were already burning.

Downstairs, it was no surprise to see Aaron Xavier and the others still there.

They all saw her come down alone.

They didn’t ask, and she didn’t say what Miles Sherman was doing.

If she did, they would all understand what had happened upstairs.

She sat down on a chair, and Aaron Xavier was quick to say, "You’re not allowed to touch anything, Zoe Pierce."

"This is all our job. You just sit there and watch us."

Zoe Pierce put down the balloon she had just picked up.

That left her with nothing to do.

Watching them bustle about for her sake gave her an indescribable feeling.

Nathan Lockwood’s gaze swept over the kitchen, and he found a task for her. "Zoe, could you make us some flower tea?"

"I saw some dried flowers on the shelf."

Zoe Pierce immediately got up and went to the kitchen.

Sure enough, there were some dried chrysanthemums on a kitchen shelf.

She put the chrysanthemums and red dates into hot water, brought it to a boil, and then let it cool to a drinkable temperature.

In just ten minutes, the flower tea was ready.

The villa didn’t have any fancy, intricate cups, but as it happened, Zoe Pierce did.

They were part of a collection she’d had stored in her Space Button for a long time.

They were finally coming in handy.

Carrying the tea, she walked to the dining table.

Chase Shaw had already cleared a space for her where she had been sitting earlier.

Zoe Pierce stood before the table and poured the flower tea into the cups.

She had just poured the first cup when she heard footsteps on the stairs.

She looked up. It was Miles Sherman.

He had changed his clothes, and his short hair looked completely dry.

He glanced at Zoe Pierce, then sat back down in his spot and went back to working on the streamers.

Zoe Pierce poured tea for each of them.

She served Aaron Xavier first, but he just grumbled playfully, "Zoe Pierce, where do you see a free hand?"

Zoe Pierce glanced down. Both of his hands were busy folding something that looked like a flower petal.

"You’re the only person I’ve ever done this for in my entire life." Aaron Xavier never missed a chance to point out how special Zoe Pierce was to him.

He looked up, his lips pulling back into a wide, toothy grin. "So, how about you feed me?"

Zoe Pierce: "..."

She was a little speechless but raised the cup in her hand anyway. Standing by Aaron Xavier’s side, she held the cup to his lips.

Aaron Xavier drank it all in one go from the cup she held for him.

Then he said, "This must be the first time I’ve ever had flower tea, too."

It wasn’t something on his usual menu.

He tilted his head back and grinned at Zoe Pierce again. "It’s especially good when you’re the one feeding me."

Zoe Pierce placed the cup back on the tray.

In reality, it would have taken him less than five seconds to put down what he was doing and drink the tea himself.

Aaron Xavier was doing it on purpose, but Zoe Pierce, cherishing the pleasant atmosphere, decided to indulge him a little.

But Zoe Pierce didn’t expect that when it was Chase Shaw’s turn, he didn’t reach for the cup either.

His eyes flicked to Aaron Xavier, then back to her, and finally to the teacup.

Just as before, Zoe Pierce picked up the teacup and brought it to the Alpha’s lips.

Chase Shaw drank from it in that position. 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

He even lifted his hand to help guide hers, making it easier for her to feed him.

When it was Nathan Lockwood’s turn, she saw his amused look and didn’t even bother resisting. Resigned, she fed him just as she had Aaron Xavier and Chase Shaw.

When she got to Miles Sherman, he didn’t ask to be fed, but Zoe Pierce fed him anyway.

The simple act of drinking tea had somehow turned into an act of flirtation.

Fortunately, after the tea was served, Aaron Xavier didn’t stir up any more trouble.

Zoe Pierce sat with them until it was almost twelve o’clock.

The living room was decorated step by step, with hanging balloons, streamers tied into bouquets, and decorations taped to the walls.

If they weren’t all stuck here, Nathan Lockwood and the others would never have been the ones to do this sort of thing.

There were servants and robots for that.

"Zoe Pierce, this is the best we could do. For your birthday next year, we’ll definitely give you a proper celebration," Aaron Xavier said, still a little regretful.

They didn’t have even the most basic thing: fresh flowers.

So they had to make flower-bud shapes out of streamers instead.

It was still a bit crude, in the end.

But Zoe Pierce was already very content, especially after seeing Chase Shaw standing there, putting up decorations, while Nathan Lockwood pointed out the right spots from behind him.

It wasn’t exactly a dramatic, heart-stopping scene.

But it was more than enough to make her smile.

"It’s already wonderful," Zoe Pierce said with a smile.

Nathan Lockwood glanced at the time. "Let’s wait a little longer before you go up."

It was already approaching midnight.

Zoe Pierce knew what they were thinking.

They wanted to be the first to wish her a happy birthday.

As the final countdown began, Aaron Xavier had already taken a gift box out of his Space Button.

They had all been prepared long ago.

They had gone to great lengths to keep them a secret from her.

As the clock struck midnight, ushering in her birthday, the distinct voices of the four men, some soft, some deep, reached her.

"Happy birthday."

"Happy birthday, Zoe."

"Zoe, happy birthday."

"Happy birthday, Zoe."

Four gifts had been placed beside her.

Zoe Pierce smiled faintly, her voice soft but clear. "Thank you."

"Get some sleep. We have all day tomorrow."

Zoe Pierce met their eyes, nodded gently, placed the gifts in her Space Button, and went upstairs.

She sat on her bed, a rare bout of insomnia keeping her awake.

Her mind felt blank. The faces of the four men filled her thoughts, yet she couldn’t grasp what she was feeling.

After a moment’s thought, she decided to sit up in bed and open her gifts.

Nathan Lockwood’s gift box was the smallest.

She opened it first and saw a device the size of a beetle.

You couldn’t wear jewelry after enlisting.

So Nathan Lockwood had given her a body-monitoring device, approved for use by The Military. You just had to press it onto your arm, and it would provide a clear data analysis of her physical condition.

It was a high-precision device. Zoe Pierce had seen the price before.

It was worth nearly seven figures.