"Hello, Gael, nice to meet you," Tristan said as he stretched out his hand for a handshake.

"It’s an honor to meet you finally, Sir..." Stefan’s voice quivered slightly as he epted Tristan’s warm handshake, a mix of respect and unease clearly showing through his eyes.

"Gael, you can call me ’bro’ if you want, or just call me by my first name. No need to use ’Sir,’" Tristan said casually before greeting the others with slight nods.

Stefan nodded in response, feeling pressured to call this man brother. For now, he would avoid talking to him.

Tristan, always a man of few words, settled down beside Be. He listened to what his wife and her friend talked about while ying with her hair and gazing at the outside scenery.

...

"Wait, there are only two of you. Where is Leo? Why didn’t Leoe with one of you guys?" Be asked, looking at Stefan and Sam in turn.

She was confused about why Sam and Stefan traveled in different cars, but none had Leo in them. If one of them were with Leo, they could have stopped by Dana’s house beforeing here, right?

"I told you he picked up Dana," Stefan answered.

"I mean, it’s such a hassle using a different car. Why not just use one car and stop by Dana’s house?"

"Maybe Dana was shy about meeting Sam or me," Stefan answered nonchntly, crossing his arms in front of his chest and looking around the room. He was curious and wanted to meet Be’s son but didn’t see him.

Before Stefan could ask Be about her son, Sam suddenly said.

"Leo left the house earlier than us this morning, so maybe they had something to do beforeing here." Sam paused awkwardly, talking about this. "Well, boss, you should know what I’m trying to say..." he continued.

"Ha ha ha..." Stefanughed happily. "True... True... they are a new couple and need more intimate moments."

Sam and Be smile upon hearing Stefan’s words.

"Who is the new couple?" Harper’s voice suddenly rang from behind, surprising everyone in the room. Instantly, they turn toward Harper’s voice.

Be saw Harper enter the room, with Geoffrey following behind her.

"Harper, you finally arrived, huh?" she said, standing from her seat.

Be was genuinely surprised by Harper’s unusual appearance; She was wearing skinny jeans and a white blouse, with her long hair neatly tied. What surprised Be even more was seeing Harper in white sneakers.

After giving Harper a warm hug, Be whispered, "Did you deliberately dress like this to attract someone’s attention?" Suddenly, her eyes widened when she thought about something. "My goodness, Harper Reed, are you trying to attract my husband!?"

Harperughed before flicking Be’s forehead gently. "What the hell are you thinking, girl? Tsk...Tsk... You are so funny..."

Be rubbed her forehead while narrowing her eyes at Harper, protesting to her best friend with her gaze.

"I’m sorry, girl. Even though I know your husband is freaking handsome, you don’t need to worry... Because I never like married men." Harper chuckled, watching Be roll her eyes.

"By the way, how do you know I’m trying to attract someone?"

"You usually wear branded and morous stuff, but today, you look down-to-earth," Be said, scanning her from head to feet. "I rarely see you like this..."

"Girl, you know me so well..." Harper giggled while looking for someone. However, her expression showed disappointment when she didn’t find the person she was looking for, and she turned to Be, asking, "Why hasn’t everyone arrived yet?"

Harper thought everyone had arrived and she would be thest guest, but after checking around, she didn’t see Leo and Sean.

"Yeah, a few people haven’t arrived yet." Be shared the same expression as Harper. She started to worry that Sean wouldn’te.

"Damn! They ruined my n," Harper grumbled. Still, her words slowly faded as soon as her eyesnded on the handsome, tall man she was familiar with—she had seen his picture on the inte; he was Tristan Sinir.

Tristan was standing not far from her, absentmindedly looking at his cell phone, and didn’t notice that someone was looking at him.

Harper immediately turned her gaze back to Be, leaning closer to her.

"Girl! Now I know why you fell in love with your husband at first sight; it turns out he’s so hot—" she whispered. Seeing Tristan in person made Harper understand why Be couldn’t forget this man.

"Stop teasing me!" Be shook her head.

"Girl, hurry up and introduce me to your husband," Harper whispered again.

Be led Harper to Tristan and introduced her. However, she was taken aback when Tristan only nodded at Harper without offering a handshake, unlike his greeting to Stefan.

’Why is he sulking? Did he hear what we were talking about?’ Be wondered. She wanted to ask him but put aside her curiosity. Instead, she introduced Harper to Bryan and Dn.

After a brief and warm introduction, Be invited them all to move to the backyard, to the lunch party venue.

***

Even though the sun was shining brightly that afternoon, their table was set under a shady tree, sheltering them. The gentle breeze makes the atmosphere feel enjoyable.

They all sat in their respective chairs. Tristan sat at the head of the table; Dn and Bryan sat across from him. They are seriously discussing some of theirpany projects.

Meanwhile, Be sat next to Tristan while chatting with Harper. Stefan and Sam were seated before them, gossiping about Leo dating Dana.

Shortly after,

Be called Geoffrey, who was standing not far in the back.

"Geoffrey, could you ask Dax and Max to join us? And please ask the chef to start serving. We can start our lunch now," Be said. She decided to start their lunch even though Leo and Sean hadn’t arrived yet.

"Yes, ma’am..." Geoffrey nodded. But before he went inside, he remembered another guest. "What about your other friends?"

"Just ask someone to wait outside for them; if they arrive, bring them here," Be instructed. She didn’t know why Leo hadn’t arrived yet.

Be also didn’t know whether Sean woulde. Well, at least she had invited him.