"You… why are you back?"

Joanna Bridges stepped out in her pajamas and froze when she saw her brother‑in‑law standing there.

The shock hit her so hard she instinctively crossed her arms over her chest. The pajamas had a lining, sure, but she wasn’t wearing anything underneath.

Richard Rowland had been buried in a rush project lately, working overtime almost every night. Joanna figured he wouldn’t be home early today either, so she’d let her guard down—only to bump right into him.

Richard chuckled and shook his head. "Your sister called. Dodo’s fever spiked again, so I took leave and rushed back. Can’t leave her dealing with all that alone."

Joanna nodded. "Dodo’s been diagnosed with mycoplasma pneumonia. Five days in the hospital already. I stay with her during the day, and my sister takes the nights."

"Thanks for taking care of her, Yingying," Richard said as he started loosening his tie.

Joanna’s heart tightened. The thought of going to pour him a glass of water vanished immediately.

"It’s not a big deal. I’m just helping out. My sister’s the one who’s really exhausted." As she spoke, she tried to slip back toward her room.

But Richard walked toward her. "Yingying, wait a sec."

"What is it?" Joanna forced a small smile, her voice a little shaky.

Out of nowhere, Richard grabbed her by the waist and lifted her up.

"Richard—don’t! Please!" Joanna jolted, scalp tingling with fear.

Richard set her down again and sighed. "You’ve gotten so skinny. Girls need to eat more, or you won’t grow."

Joanna’s mind went blank. The feeling on her waist lingered—uncomfortable, wrong, hard to shake off.

Richard reached out and brushed her cheek lightly. "Alright, I should get to the hospital. Your sister must be exhausted."

He said it casually, then went to grab his things and hurried out, like nothing had happened at all.

Joanna dashed back into her room and locked the door. Her heart was still pounding like crazy.

She shot a message to her bestie right away, dumping everything that had just happened.

“Yingying, I swear your brother‑in‑law is acting weird around you,” Heather York replied.

Joanna Bridges widened her eyes and nodded hard. “I feel the same, but he hasn’t really done anything… you know… over the line.”

“Oh my god, girl, he literally had his arm around your waist. How is that ‘nothing’? That’s straight‑up flirty behavior.”

“The point is, he made you uncomfortable. That alone means he crossed the line.”

Joanna didn’t say anything. She just bit her lip.

She had been living with her sister’s family since she was ten. Twelve years now.

Richard Rowland had always been nice, always liked joking around with her, always calling, “Yingying, come here, give me a hug.”

Back then she wasn’t that clueless. She even mentioned it to her sister, but her sister kept saying Richard just saw her as his own kid.

Once Joanna hit puberty, Richard stopped letting her sit on his lap, but he’d still pinch her cheeks sometimes, pat her head, or—like today—wrap an arm around her waist under the excuse of “checking her weight.”

It always felt off, and Joanna had complained to her sister more than once, but her sister simply shrugged it off.

“Anyway, I don’t know the full picture,” Heather said. “You’ve gotta judge it yourself.”

“Don’t be bummed, okay? I can introduce you to someone. My neighbor’s kid—super handsome, totally single. Wanna give it a shot?”

Joanna hesitated. She hadn’t dated anyone at her age yet. Maybe trying wouldn’t hurt.

“Sure, let’s meet him.”

The next day, arranged by Heather, they met at a Starbucks.

Joanna dressed up a little—light blue dress, high ponytail, fresh and clean like some college freshman.

From a distance, she spotted a man sitting by the window, a pen clipped to his shirt pocket. She walked over.

“Hi, are you the one Heather introduced?” she asked.

Harrison Thornton looked up at her, a flicker of confusion passing through his dark eyes. “You know Heather?”

"Yeah, I’m Heather York’s good friend. My name is Joanna Bridges. She asked me to come… is it okay if I sit here?"

Harrison Thornton gave a small nod, though his brows tightened a bit. Had Heather known he was flying back just to settle the marriage thing before she sent someone to meet him?

Joanna sat down, hands awkwardly pressed against her thighs, sneaking glances at the man across from her every few seconds.

This was totally different from what Heather had hyped up. He didn’t look like some sunshine-type heartthrob, nor some artsy soft boy. Instead, he radiated that “don’t come near me” vibe. And honestly… he looked a little older than she expected.

But his face? Yeah, no complaints. The sort of handsome that makes your eyes stick.

Harrison noticed the girl’s constant staring, plus the way she kept nibbling her lip like she was struggling with something. Not satisfied with him? That raised one of his eyebrows.

Great. Someone actually thought Harrison Thornton wasn’t good enough?

That was a first.

"Joanna." Harrison called her name, voice cool and clipped.

Joanna instantly snapped back, giving a tiny, nervous "Mm" because his aura was seriously overwhelming.

"Your age?"

"Twenty-two," she answered obediently.

"Fresh graduate?"

Joanna nodded. "Just passed the interview at Thornton Group."

Harrison’s eyes flickered. "Thornton Group?"

Another nod from her.

Harrison lowered his gaze, idly rolling the silver ring on his finger. "Getting into Thornton Group as a fresh grad is pretty impressive."

Hearing the praise, Joanna couldn’t help lifting her face, eyes lighting up like stars. She was obviously thrilled, even though she pretended to keep it cool. "Thanks… for the compliment."

Harrison gave a faint laugh. Just then, his phone buzzed on the table—Grandfather calling.

He frowned and hung up without hesitation.

The phone buzzed again. He declined it without even blinking.

Joanna Bridges could tell something was up and hurried to say, “If you’ve got something urgent, you can go ahead.”

Harrison Thornton lifted his eyes, landing them on her face.

Her skin was smooth, her features soft and pretty, carrying this clean, almost innocent vibe.

And honestly… she did look a little like that person.

For Harrison, marriage was basically just to appease the elders. Whoever fit the role was fine. And the girl sitting across from him wasn’t a bad choice at all.

Thinking of this, he suddenly asked, “Joanna, what do you think of me?”

Joanna’s heart jumped so hard she almost choked. She did not expect him to be this direct. Yep, older men really didn’t bother beating around the bush.

Her fair cheeks flushed pink as she answered in a tiny voice, “I think… you seem really nice.”

Inside, she was secretly sighing. Not only was he insanely handsome, but everything about the way he spoke and acted screamed refined gentleman. Peak perfection.

Of course, she only dared to say that in her head.

Harrison gave a small nod. “My family has been pushing me to get married. If you think this works, we can go get the certificate.”

Joanna’s jaw almost hit the table. “W-wait, isn’t this way too fast? This is literally our first meeting!”

Harrison’s lips curved. “Life is dating, marriage, kids. We’re just skipping the first part.”

He tapped the table lightly. “Time doesn’t wait. If you’re willing, call me.”

He pulled out a fountain pen and wrote a string of numbers on a napkin, the strokes sharp and steady—clearly someone who’d practiced calligraphy.

Then he waved the server over, paid the bill, and left without another word.

Joanna sat there, stunned.

It took her a good while before she carefully folded the napkin and tucked it away, then rode her little electric scooter back to her sister’s place.

The moment she opened the door, she froze.

Richard Rowland walked out of the bathroom wearing nothing but a tiny pair of briefs.

“Oh my god!”

Joanna shrieked and spun around, slapping her hands over her eyes.

Richard jerked in surprise too, scrambling back into the bathroom.

He didn’t fully close the door, and while tugging on his clothes, he muttered awkwardly, “Sorry, Joanna. I thought you wouldn’t be home right now.”

“My bad, I shouldn’t have barged in.”

Joanna blurted out an apology and fled to her room like she was escaping a crime scene.

A moment later, someone knocked. Her heart was still thumping wildly. She asked in a tiny voice, “Richard… what is it?”

Richard called from the hallway, “Passed by the milk tea place and grabbed you a jasmine milk green.”

“No need, I’m trying to lose weight. No milk tea.”

“It’s already bought. I don’t even like this flavor. Only you and Meredith drink it. Come on, be good and open the door.”

“Just leave it on the table. I’ll drink it later.” “Joanna, drink it now, okay? It won’t taste good if it sits too long. Open the door, yeah?” His tone was soft, coaxing her like she was a kid.

Joanna hesitated, then sighed and went to unlock the door.

The moment she cracked it open, Richard lunged forward and wrapped her in a tight hug, his breath quick and shaky. “Joanna, you have no idea how much I like you.”