As a doctor, Axell prioritized health, normally avoiding smoking.

Yet now, he retrieved a cigarette from the console, lighting it. But halfway through, he stubbed it out, turning to Jessie. "Do you still stay in touch with each other?" he asked, his tone strained.

Jessie's eyes stung with discomfort.

She had anticipated Albert's influence on their future, but she hadn't expected the awkwardness to arise so soon. Avoiding Axell's gaze, she turned her face aside. "No," she replied curtly. "Didn't I refuse to tutor his child?"

As soon as she finished speaking, Axell abruptly turned her face toward him, claiming her lips in a fierce kiss.