She nearly facepalmed.

Which staff member bought those apples? Dock their pay.

Zachary finally looked up. "You''re the only one who''s ever given me an apple."

Sarah blinked. “Seriously? You''ve never celebrated Christmas before?"

"Every Christmas, tons of people try to send me gifts. I always have my assistant return them—unopened. I''ve never epted a single one."

"That''s... kind of sad."

If Mia were standing here, she''d probably roll her eyes and say, "Sad? My Christmas apples probably ended up in some dog''s food bowl."

Zachary looked at her. "Sasa, I''m really happy today."

"You''ve only been here for five minutes," Sarah replied, wary. "Wait! Don''t say some cheesy pickup line!"

Steven wandered over just in time. "Zachary, tell her the ones I wrote for you! Way better than any cringey sweet talk.”

Scarlett jumped in too, hyping him up. "Yeah! Steven is the king of romantic lines." Sarah rubbed her forehead. There''s no saving her.

"I wasn''t going to say anything cheesy," Zachary said. "I just meant I''m genuinely happy to see you."

The chatter around them dimmed. At the entrance, a man walked in, carrying someone on his back.

Zachary''s expression shifted the moment he saw them. He stepped forward and took Mia from the man''s arms himself.

As he gently set her down, he noticed she was limping.

"What happened to your foot?" he asked.

"I tripped on a rock earlier. He carried me back," Mia said, ncing at the man.

Zachary turned to look at him. Compared to everyone else in their finely tailored clothes, this man stood out—simple, understated, but confident.

"Thank you," Zachary said. "I appreciate it.”

"No trouble at all, Mr. Reynolds," the man replied politely.

Zachary''s eyes narrowed just slightly. "You know who I am?"

"Mr. Zachary Reynolds from East Coast? You''re on TV all the time. I''d be

surprised if I didn''t recognize you," the man said with a calm smile.

Mia quickly tugged on Zachary''s sleeve. "Don''t grill him like a suspect, okay? He''s a good guy."

Wait. Who?

Scarlett''s eyes lit up. She stared at the man, trying to make out his face beneath the sses and mask. Then she froze.fnf4fb Original content can be found at Find1Novel/fnf4fb

"Lucas Lansworth?" she whispered.

Mia quickly gestured for her to keep quiet. "Scarlett, it''s really him. I didn''t recognize him at first either, but I looked him up-his photos are everywhere. But he can''t reveal

So please don''t tell

himself here,

anyone, okay? And try not to freak

out."  s

Scarlett nodded wildly. "Of course! My lips are sealed!"

Steven wandered over, overhearing just enough to feel left out. He threw an arm around Scarlett and muttered jealously. He doesn''t even look that good. I''m at least thre? times more handsome."  s

Mia burst outughing. She gave Scarlett a look, then said cheerfully, "Come on, let''s go, Sarah''s busy, with, the event, and my brother with keep herpany... right?"  s

Scarlett immediately caught the cue. "Let''s check out the other side of the hall,”

she said, dragging Steven along with her.

Sarah, of course, saw right through Mia''s little setup. But with so many people watching, she couldn''t just slip away.

Click.

A soft crunch came from beside her.

She turned—and saw Zachary taking a bite of the apple she had given him.

"Stop eating that," she blurted out.

Zachary froze mid-bite. "Why? An apple a day keeps the doctor away."