Madeline woke up not long after Lariette's phone call to Ruediger ended. Still in the pajamas, she emerged from the bedroom, her face slightly damp.

"Morning, Sleeping Beauty," Lariette glanced at Madeline, her brows raising as she said teasingly, "I thought you'd wake up tonight."

Madeline smiled sheepishly. She quickly rushed to Lariette, and then acted coy as she hugged her friend who sat cross-legged on the couch.

The TV was still showing the red panda documentary. The adorable furry animals were playing among themselves in the lush greenery of the Eastern Himalayas.

"Hehehe~ Sorry, I got carried away," Madeline laughed, her cheeks flushed red, "Lari, my lovely dear friend Lari, you've ordered food, didn't you? I'm hungry."

Upon waking up, Madeline was shocked to see the clock. She didn't expect to sleep in until the afternoon. Her eyes flung open, and all drowsiness disappeared.

Madeline quickly checked her phone, finding several messages from her mother and the cafe manager. And also from Ruediger.

Fortunately, nothing was serious, except for the text sent by her cousin.

Lariette shot Madeline a look, earning more sheepish laughter from her friend. Nudging the latter's shoulder, she gestured to the kitchen with a tilt of her chin.

"I got you some bento for lunch. I've eaten mine. Shoo, go and get it yourself."

"Yay! Love you, Lari!"

Jumping off the couch, Madeline half-danced and half-walked to the kitchen. Lariette smiled in helplessness. She heard the former singing to a tune, and then the scent of coffee wafted in the air.

The documentary ended when Madeline returned, bringing the reheated bento and a cup of hot coffee. Lariette switched to another channel. The TV screen played a weekend drama.

Madeline placed the bento and cup on the coffee table. Like Lariette earlier, she sat cross-legged on the carpeted floor, her back leaning against the lower part of the couch.

Lariette's gaze fell on Madeline's long hair, loosely hanging over her shoulders. Without saying anything, she reached out both hands and began pulling with the latter's strawberry blond locks.

"Wanna eat hair-flavored tamagoyaki, huh?"

"Hehe~ You're the best, Lari."

Instead of watching the drama, Lariette ran her fingers through Madeline's silky strands. They emitted the familiar fragrance of her shampoo as her friend washed her hair using her hair products last night.

After braiding Madeline's hair, Lariette pulled it up, turning it into a bun. The hairdo was messy but enough to keep her friend from eating her own hair.

"Oh, Lari... I have something to tell you."

Madeline glanced up, looking at Lariette behind her, another sheepish smile curled on her lips. She paused from eating the last piece of karaage.

"What?" Lariette arched one brow, staring at Madeline suspiciously, "Did you wet the bed or something?"

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"Hey! I'm not three years old!"

Lariette chuckled when an angry Madeline began complaining. She even chomped the karaage. When she suddenly burped, the former's laughter became louder.

"Don't choke on your food," Lariette patted Madeline's back, and then changed to massage her shoulders, "What is it? You sound so mysterious."

Madeline coughed awkwardly, "Well, I'm sorry. I can't accompany you tonight. Something came up at the cafe."

"Eh? What was it?" Lariette blinked, never expecting to hear that, "I'm fine. You go and settle the problem. No need to worry about me."

"William hadn't explained much. I gonna rush to the cafe after washing up," Madeline paused, looking at Lariette with guilt, "Sorry. I've promised to accompany you until Rudy returns. Maybe I can come tomorrow."

"It's fine, really. It's not like I'm alone in this entire building," Lariette shook her head and even tried joking to ease Madeline's worries, "You're busy with the cafe. If you can come again, come. If you can't, don't force yourself."

Lariette was curious about this so-called trouble that suddenly sprang up. Hopefully, it didn't happen because of Vincent.

Who knew? He might act foolishly by trying to retaliate for what happened at the police station last night.

Madeline nodded twice, slight guilt washing over her heart. She felt bad because Lariette was genuinely concerned about her.

Well, she would just let her sneaky cousin do all the explaining.

After finishing her lunch, Madeline returned to Lariette's bedroom to wash up. She had already brought a change of clothes.

Even if she had forgotten, she could simply borrow her friend's clothes. Their sizes were almost similar, making it easier for them to swap outfits.

As Madeline showered, Lariette remained on the couch. Her mind wandered, thinking of what to do after her friend left.

'I haven't finished that novel. Let's just do that.'

Lariette started reading a new fantasy romance on one of the online novel apps. The novel titled My Duke Husband Buys Me a Lover was an intriguing read.

Despite the title, the story didn't involve cheating as she initially thought. The still underage female lead was forced to marry a duke twenty years of senior.

Instead of taking advantage of the naive maiden, the duke took the female lead under his wings, being a reliable guardian. The 'lover' in the title referred to the male lead, a prisoner of war.

Lariette had no intention of stepping out of the apartment today. She would just make a cup of tea before relaxing while reading the story. She needed to unwind after a busy week.

In half an hour, Madeline was ready to leave. Lariette walked the former to the door.

"Careful when driving," she said, reminding her friend, "I hope it's nothing serious. Call me if you need any help."

Lariette didn't know what kind of trouble the cafe suddenly faced, but she still wanted to extend any help Madeline might need. She really hoped it wasn't due to Vincent.

"Haha... okay," Madeline laughed awkwardly. She gave Lariette a quick hug, "I'll go now. I'll call you once I'm free. Later, Lari."

"Bye, thanks for yesterday."

Lariette stayed at the door, watching Madeline heading to the elevator. Once her friend disappeared at the intersection, she closed the door.

Glancing at the living room from the entryway, she couldn't help but think once again, the apartment turned quiet.