At 6:50 AM on the first workday of their bet, Wren Wynter arrived promptly at the flight clinic. She had just finished arranging the instruments for the routine pre-flight physicals when the door was pushed open.

Kaden Xavier, whom she hadn’t seen for a day, stood there in his immaculate uniform, the four bars on his epaulets catching the morning light with a steely glint.

He looked as tall and handsome as ever.

As he stepped through the door, Seraphina Sutton followed him inside. She was holding a flight case and panting slightly, as if she had jogged to catch up.

"Morning, Captain Xavier." The nurse on duty, Chandler, offered a greeting. Her gaze lingered on Kaden Xavier and Seraphina Sutton for a moment before she shot Wren Wynter a conspiratorial, gossipy smile.

Wren Wynter offered a small smile, pulled on a pair of examination gloves, and adopted a strictly professional tone. "Captain Xavier, please come over here for your pre-flight checkup."

The moment he saw her, his pupils contracted almost imperceptibly. But he quickly regained his composure and stood nonchalantly before the examination table.

Wren Wynter positioned herself in front of Kaden Xavier, instruments in hand, and unfastened the top two buttons of his uniform.

Her gaze unintentionally brushed across the dark gold embroidery on his collar, and her fingers trembled imperceptibly.

As was customary, every member of the flight crew had their initials embroidered on their uniform. She herself had hand-embroidered those very initials on Kaden Xavier’s uniform.

But now, the garment was tainted with the scent of Seraphina Sutton’s perfume.

At the thought, Wren Wynter wrapped the blood pressure cuff around the man’s firm forearm. She then pressed her stethoscope to Kaden Xavier’s chest, her tone detached. "I’m going to measure your heart rate and blood pressure now. Please keep your breathing even."

As she spoke, they stood so close that Kaden Xavier could almost feel the warmth of Wren Wynter’s fingers, mingled with the faint lemon scent that clung to her.

It was the scent of her usual body wash.

For some reason, he suddenly remembered Wren Wynter on her first day of work, several years ago.

He had been the first person she’d examined that day. She was so nervous she couldn’t even hold the sphygmomanometer steady. When she’d unbuttoned his shirt, she had blushed so deeply it seemed her cheeks would burst.

"H-heart rate normal, blood pressure normal...cleared for flight."

The young woman, new to the job, had stammered, so shy she couldn’t even bring herself to meet his eyes.

Back then, he had teased her with a smile.

"Is that it, Dr. Wynter? Are you sure you don’t want to double-check?"

She had shaken her head vigorously, her face crimson, but her bright eyes had been filled with a sweet smile.

Not like now. They were in the same position, at the same distance, yet she was so detached she might as well have been examining a machine.

"Heart rate normal, blood pressure normal. You’re cleared for flight."

Wren Wynter coolly stepped away from Kaden Xavier. Her foot hadn’t fully healed, and she walked with a limp.

Kaden Xavier frowned. His lips parted as if to speak, but ultimately, he said nothing. He let out a cold snort, picked up his flight case, and turned to leave without giving Wren Wynter another glance.

"Dr. Wynter, doesn’t Captain Xavier seem a little strange today? And also... don’t you think there’s something going on between him and Seraphina Sutton?"

Finally getting a moment for gossip, Chandler eagerly leaned in to whisper in Wren Wynter’s ear.

Wren closed her eyes for a moment, a faint smile playing on her lips. "It’s best if we in the medical office stay out of gossip about captains and flight attendants. Go call Seraphina Sutton in for her checkup. While you’re at it, grab me a few logbooks from next door."

Chandler nodded obediently and did as she was told. A moment later, Seraphina Sutton walked in quietly, her voice soft. "Dr. Wynter, thank you for helping me. I’m sorry for the trouble."

"It’s no trouble."

Wren Wynter quickly finished Seraphina Sutton’s routine checkup. As she was recording the data, she heard Seraphina speak up, her voice laced with worry.

"Dr. Wynter, could you give me something for nausea?" Seraphina Sutton lowered her voice, a bashful look on her face. "You know my condition... I’m afraid I’ll get sick on the plane again today, like I did yesterday. I don’t want to keep making Kaden worry..."

"The flight clinic doesn’t stock medication for pregnant women. If you need something, you should go to a hospital."

Wren Wynter’s gaze flickered for a moment to Seraphina Sutton’s still-flat abdomen. Deciding to adhere to her medical ethics, she issued a serious warning.

"Flying at high altitudes while pregnant is risky. I still advise you to report your condition honestly and be temporarily grounded. It’s the responsible thing to do for yourself and for your child."

"But my position is about to be made permanent. If I get grounded now, who knows how long I’ll have to wait for the next opportunity for promotion to chief purser."

Seraphina Sutton bit her lip, hesitated for a moment, then gave a bashful smile. "Dr. Wynter, I know you’re just concerned for me, but Kaden said he’d protect the baby and me. He’s already assigned me to the shortest flight routes, so I think it should be fine."

"...Suit yourself."

Wren Wynter wordlessly set down her pen. She was about to call in the next person when Seraphina Sutton suddenly grabbed her hand.

"Dr. Wynter, please don’t be angry with Kaden anymore. I know he seems cold and distant, so it’s natural to think he’s not very considerate. But he’s just cold on the outside and warm on the inside. You’ll understand once you get to know him better."

As she spoke, she unbuttoned her flight attendant uniform, revealing a small peace charm pinned to the inside. "See? Kaden gave this to me on my first flight. He’s actually very gentle and thoughtful, but he’s just not good at showing it. How about... when he gets back, I’ll have a word with him? I can ask him to pay more attention to you from now on."