Suddenly, the room was charged with a romantic atmosphere.

Kira's eyes sparkled with love as she embraced him again and closed her eyes.

Driven by the moment, Horace gazed at her lips and gradually Leaned in, It was a warm and tender moment.

Though Horace was accustomed to such moments, right then, he felt like an anxious young man, his heart racing with anticipation.

Just as he was about to close his eyes and cherish the moment, his phone rang, breaking the spell.

Jolted back to reality, Horace jumped off the sofa and stood away, taking out his phone with a tense gesture.

Kira opened her eyes, sat up, and noticed something was off with Horace. “Who are you talking to?" she asked.

Horace turned away, inhaled deeply to steady himself, and picked up the call. "Hello? Rita?"

Kira remained silent.

"Yeah, I'm at the office already... Don't worry. It's nothing major... I'll be back soon... Alright..."

From the brief conversation, Kira inferred that Horace came to meet her with the excuse of handling trouble at work.

After he ended the call, Horace faced Kira, his expression now cold and distant. "Kira, I have to go back," he said briskly.

"Horace..." Kira began, a plea in her voice.

But before Kira could say more, Horace swiftly opened the door and exited, looking as though he was fleeing from something.

Kira watched the door slam shut and clenched her fists in anger, her nails digging painfully into her palms. It was so close! She had been so close to a breakthrough! "Rita!" she hissed under her breath, vowing not to let Rita go easily.

Horace spent more than half an hour on the rooftop, trying to clear his mind, before he returned to his hotel room.

Rita rolled over, her eyes half-closed, and mumbled, "Hey, you're back. Did you manage to handle everything?"

"Yeah," Horace replied curtly. Without showing any emotion, he took off his clothes and slipped into bed.

Rita noticed a slight smell of alcohol as he settled in. Clutching the sheets a bit tighter, she scooted closer to him and said in a casual tone, "Collen seems to get on well with Sabrina. I'm thinking about having him help us out. Maybe he could invite Sabrina over for dinner to smooth things over."

Horace gave a nod of approval. "Sounds like a plan.”