Chapter 154: Almost Perfect

After checking with Elias, the young stylist went back into the living room to ask Serena to come out.

Strictly speaking, whether Elias was satisfied did not matter.

Serena’s opinion was the one that counted.

Elias was genuinely tempted to say, I’m not satisfied, just to see what these people would do. Would they panic? Would they start over from scratch? Would someone quietly resign on the spot?

But leaving Lucien Hart aside, the cut really was good.

He was satisfied.

Besides, he was currently in the middle of a proud little romance act with Serena. If he got difficult now, it would ruin the part.

[System Theta: When did you add proud little romance act to your character settings?]

Elias answered calmly, "Stubborn. Refusing to admit defeat. Acting like your mouth is harder than your heart. Isn’t that all part of the proud half?"

[System Theta: ...]

"In stories, that kind of character usually gets yelled at by readers if they stay too proud for too long," Elias continued. "Right now, I’m entering the sweet half. Is there a problem?"

[System Theta: No!]

"Good."

At that moment, Serena walked slowly out of the living room.

She looked at Elias.

For a moment, she seemed unable to move.

The young man’s dark hair looked soft after the cut, with a few loose strands falling over his forehead in a way that kept the clean innocence of his face while adding something sharper. A little more vivid. A little harder to look away from.

But his eyes were still too gentle.

They made him seem like something soft packed under a false shell, like a cloud pressed into shape. No matter how much volume it gained, one touch would prove that the hardness on the outside had always been a lie.

Underneath it was water.

Elias thought, with complete certainty, that he must look exactly like Lucien Hart right now.

Otherwise, why would Serena be looking at him with such tenderness?

He had not forgotten what he said before.

So he looked at her and said, "You lied."

Three simple words snapped Serena back to herself.

Her lashes lowered slightly.

Too different.

He was really too different.

For one brief second, when she had first seen him, Serena had almost believed Lucien Hart was standing in front of her.

But a fake was still a fake.

It was like moonlight reflected on water. The image looked perfect until the smallest ripple broke it apart.

Even so, Serena’s gaze stayed unbearably soft.

She smiled. "How did I lie?"

"You said you would stay with me." Elias’s lips pushed into the faintest pout.

The complaint in his voice was too obvious to miss. It carried the careless arrogance of someone who knew he was favored and had begun to push for more.

This was not a version of him she had seen before.

Once a person was loved, they always learned to ask for extra inches. No one was an exception.

Serena walked closer.

She lifted a hand and lightly pinched the tip of his nose, the gesture natural and indulgent.

"How are you acting like a child, too?"

The word too brought Giselle into the space without naming her.

It should have damaged the moment.

Elias seemed not to hear the hidden meaning. Or maybe he did hear it and simply felt nothing for Giselle as a woman.

He only caught Serena’s wrist lightly and said under his breath, "You lied."

"Fine."

Looking at him like this, Serena did not mind letting him get a little more spoiled.

She gave the styling team an easy wave, dismissing them for the moment. Then the hand pinching his nose slid down and lifted his face by the chin.

Elias was forced to tilt his head up and meet her eyes.

He knew what was coming.

Still, he did not resist. He did not struggle. His gaze only shifted away once, faintly unsteady from embarrassment.

After watching him for a long moment, Serena lowered her head and kissed him.

Elias closed his eyes on instinct.

The light garden scent in the air disappeared at once. All that remained was Serena’s presence pressing close. In the past, she had always felt aggressive and forceful, but now she was gentle, like the first melt of snow at the edge of spring.

Elias gradually sank into it.

He did not know that Serena was sinking in, too.

They had only been apart for a short while, yet she had missed him badly enough for it to interfere with her day.

Her work had slowed. She had blamed poor rest, because that was a clean enough excuse for everyone else.

Only Serena herself knew what had really dragged at her focus.

When the kiss ended, they separated slowly.

Elias’s face was flushed all over.

Serena raised a hand and gently wiped the damp corner of his mouth.

"You’re drooling."

Elias immediately got annoyed. He raised his fist and tapped her once, the movement so natural it nearly looked practiced.

"That was obviously because you..."

"Because I what?" Serena’s red lips curved, the smile bright and wicked.

Elias could not finish the sentence.

He was about to pretend to be angry when Serena stepped closer again. She lifted both hands and wrapped her arms around his narrow waist as if it belonged there, then lowered her voice beside his ear.

"Did you miss me these past few days?"

A clear flash of panic crossed Elias’s eyes.

He tried to dodge it for a second. Then, as if realizing something, he forced himself to meet Serena’s gaze and gave a soft little huff.

"Who would miss you?"

Serena smiled.

That expression meant he had.

If it was real, she would not mind spoiling him until he forgot where the ceiling was.

So you had better be real.

Serena let him go.

She patted his back lightly and smiled. "Go inside."

Elias walked back into the living room, replaying every small movement Serena had made.

Too gentle.

Far too gentle.

What kind of trick was she planning now?

He did not trust Liora, but he did trust his own face and his ability to train a dog. Liora must have behaved herself during this period. So this was Serena’s own suspicion at work. She still did not trust him and wanted to test him again.

Fine.

Let her.

Inside, Elias hummed with pleasure.

The timing was about right anyway.

Before they went upstairs, Elias already knew the team would be handling clothes next. A styling team did not come all this way just to cut hair and call it finished.

A little while later, Elias looked at himself in the mirror.

The white suit fit him closely, tailored so cleanly it looked like it had been waiting for his body. On someone else, the clothes might have been too formal or too bright. On him, they did not look wrong at all.

Without his glasses, his face could hold down anything they put on him.

The young stylist looked at him with sincere admiration.

"You’re beautiful."

Elias lowered his eyes shyly. "Thank you."

Inside, he was wondering where Serena had gotten his measurements.

Surely she had not measured him in bed.

Did she have that kind of skill, too?

Then his thoughts drifted to something more important.

After he wore this suit, would Serena give it to him?

She probably would.

She was not that stingy.

When the time came, he could secretly take it out and sell it. A suit like this might easily bring in a few hundred thousand.

[System Theta: ...]

These people definitely had no idea what was going on in its host’s head.

When Elias was brought back in front of Serena again, he looked completely transformed.

He no longer looked like a boy someone had taken in out of pity.

He looked like a young heir raised inside private schools, old money, and rooms where ordinary people lowered their voices without knowing why.

Serena smiled. "How does it feel?"

Elias looked uneasy.

Even the way he walked had turned careful, as if he was afraid of wrinkling something expensive.

"I... I feel a little strange."

Serena was not surprised.

His bones still carried low birth. Something humble. Something lesser.

If this were Lucien, he would never have shown that kind of awkwardness.

Even so, Serena gave a small nod.

"It suits you."

Elias’s face turned a little red.

"Really?"

Serena’s eyes curved with a smile.

"You look like a pampered young heir."