Ariana felt embarrassed. She hadn't realized Holden would be on a video call in the living room. The drowsiness completely disappeared.

She asked, "Why didn't you head to the office?"

As he cradled her in his embrace, Holden went to the bedroom, explaining, “The office can manage without me for a day. An online meeting works just fine."

Then, looking down at Ariana with a smile, he added, “Plus, you were still asleep. I couldn't just leave you alone."

He gently knelt to help her slip on her shoes, mentioning, "I dropped Melon off at kindergarten early today and threw away the breakfast that had gone cold. Just let me know if you're craving something for lunch, and I'll have it delivered."

Holden's smile remained as he gazed at Ariana with warmth and affection.

Ariana, feeling somewhat timid under his loving stare, blushed and averted her eyes. “Oh, okay..."

Noticing her bashfulness, Holden chuckled, stood up, and kissed her cheek, sending Ariana's cheeks into a deeper shade of red. She mumbled, "Why are you doing this?"

Holden, amused by her reaction, teased, "Not quite used to my kiss? How about another one?"

With that, he tried to kiss her again. Ariana quickly avoided him, but he pulled her into his embrace, kissing her with passion.

Ariana sensed the mood turning increasingly affectionate. She gently nudged Holden away, saying, “I'm quite hungry and need to eat something. You should get back to your meeting." With that, she hurriedly pushed past Holden and scampered downstairs.

Watching her retreat, Holden's smile was tender and filled with affection.

After wrapping up his meeting, Holden devoted the rest of his day to spending time with Ariana. Despite the fact that they were both working, Ariana felt Holden's eyes on her now and then.

Once she wrapped up her tasks, it was time to fetch Melon from school. Ariana intended to do it alone, but Holden tagged along.

Feeling embarrassed, Ariana protested, “I can handle it by myself.”

Yet, Holden was already slipping on his shoes, his voice gentle but firm. "Let's go together."

Ariana sighed, realizing there was no good reason to stop him from coming along. Plus, Melon would probably be thrilled to see them both.

So she gave a nod of agreement.

Upon reaching the kindergarten, their striking appearances caught everyone's attention, creating a picturesque scene at the gate that didn't go unnoticed by the other parents, who began sneakily capturing the moment with their phones.

Just then, Melon emerged from the kindergarten, sporting his backpack.