Honey, You're a Billionaire?

Lizzie looked at Cyrus, eager to wrap things up for the night. "Cyrus, I wronged you. I'll handle the divorce agreement. If you don't want to see me anymore, we can let the lawyers deal with everything." Then, Lizzie turned and walked away.

The moment she turned, Ezra anxiously looked at Jonathan, as if urging him to not let her leave.

Carl had taken all the blame. While Ezra wasn't sure about everything, he was certain that a lot of things Carl claimed about what happened to his mother weren't true.

Lizzie was the one... Jonathan met Ezra's gaze, trying to ease his concern.

Once Lizzie had disappeared, Jonathan stood up and took Rose's hand. "What a shame. The birthday banquet is now ruined..."

In the lobby, there was a huge cake that they didn't get to cut. Jonathan glanced at the cake. He was saying it was "a shame", but his face showed no hint of disappointment. Instead, he smirked mockingly. Cyrus noticed Jonathan's gaze and looked over as well. He had personally selected the cake because it featured elements of the art Lizzie liked.

He even brought Ezra over, hoping for a family gathering to clear up the misunderstandings that Jonathan and Ezra had about Lizzie.

He even planned on announcing that he would be moving abroad with Lizzie. But... Infidelity... Betrayal...

The surprise he intended for Lizzie was totally reserved. He ended up being the one receiving a "surprise" from her.

And Jonathan... Cyrus frowned, staring at Jonathan. "You knew all along?"

Jonathan's brows furrowed. Knew what? That Lizzie and Carl betrayed him? Or Lizzie's true nature? Or other secrets about Lizzie?

Jonathan met Cyrus's gaze without hesitation. "Yes. I knew all along. Shouldn't you have realized it too?"

Cyrus's expression froze. Jonathan was reminding him of what Lizzie had revealed on the rooftop in the surveillance footage from the Xanth family's banquet.

Right. He should've known too. But he chose to ignore everything and trust Lizzie, only to have reality slap him in the face.

"Let's go home." Jonathan's gaze shifted to Rose; the coldness disappeared instantly, replaced by immense love and affection.

Home? Rose was taken aback. Before she could make sense of what she heard, Jonathan had taken her hand and guided her out. Eleanor stood up behind them. She wanted to say a few words to Rose but dismissed the thought.

At the exit, Rose and Jonathan's conversation echoed.

"Whose home?"

"Our home, of course."

"Since when did we have a home?"

"I'll show you tonight..."

Their voices faded as they walked further away. The warmth of the conversation contrasted with the eerie silence in the lobby.

It was silent in the lobby for a while. Finally, Eleanor spoke up.

"Cyrus, I don't care what happened between you and Lizzie, but that woman cannot stay in the Finch family any longer. Take care of it soon. As for what happened tonight, you..." Eleanor paused as she changed her mind. "Never mind. I'll inform the Xanth and Young families myself."

After that, she muttered, "So embarrassing", while using her cane to head upstairs.

The people in the lobby eventually dispersed.

Rose and Jonathan walked out of Finch Manor and got into the car, ready to leave. Suddenly, the backseat door opened, and someone came in. Through the rearview mirror, the three looked at each other. Jonathan's expression darkened.

"What are you doing here?"

Jonathan didn't even let Leonard drive them back. He wanted to be alone with Rose and enjoy their time together on the way home. But Ezra...

"I don't have a car. Cyrus picked me up, so now I have no one to drive me back." Ezra lowered his gaze, clearly determined to cling to Jonathan. Ezra had no choice but to ask Jonathan for a favor.

However, Jonathan didn't want to. "Get out."

The Finch family had plenty of cars and drivers. It was just a matter of giving the order. Ezra furrowed his brows, looking rather pitiful.

Upon seeing this, Rose's heart softened. "Don't ask him to leave. There's plenty of space. Let's drop off Ezzy first."

Ezzy... Hearing that nickname gave Ezra a flutter in his heart. Suddenly, he leaned in close to Rose and said, "So, my dear sister-in-law does care for me after all." Sister-in-law? Rose's face was instantly flushed. Through the rearview mirror, she could see that Ezra's face was very close to hers.

Ezra's smile was radiant, completely different from the serious expression he had in the lobby moments ago. That smile of his really made people want to...

"Sit tight!" Jonathan's cold voice sounded like a warning.

Ezra was way too close to Rose. And Rose... What was with that expression of hers?

Jonathan told Ezra to "sit tight", but he didn't even wait for him to get settled before starting the car and speeding away like an arrow.

Due to the sudden force, Ezra was jolted back into the seat, separating him from Rose.

Rose remained silent. Only after a while did she realize Jonathan's jealousy.

Ezra was taken aback. He wanted to complain but dismissed the thought after seeing Jonathan's annoyed face in the rearview mirror. He just silently rubbed his nose and shifted to the seat farthest from Rose, looking rather pitiful.

Ezra stayed quiet for a while, and only then Jonathan's expression started to relax.

Rose let out a quiet sigh of relief. Suddenly, a large hand grabbed hers and held on tightly the entire journey.

Jonathan would occasionally give

Rose a loving glance. They had finally announced their relationship He had so much to say to Rose, but with Ezra in the backseat, his gaze turned as sharp as blades every time he looked at him.

Ezra regretted asking for the ride. He would have chosen another way if he had known. He closed his eyes, trying to pretend he didn't exist, hoping Jonathan would ignore him too. Jonathan was speeding the entire way. He wanted to drop off Ezra as soon as possible so he could spend some alone time with Rose.

Finally, they arrived at Ezra's house.

"Get out."

Jonathan wasted no time in chasing Ezra away, but there wasn't any response from the back seat. Rose and Jonathan turned around, surprised to see Ezra sitting there with his eyes closed. "Get out of the car!" Jonathan repeated.

His voice seemed to have startled Ezra, but Ezra only frowned and shifted into a more comfortable position, still not opening his eyes.

It seemed... he had fallen asleep. He shifted again and continued sleeping.

Jonathan's face darkened. He unbuckled his seatbelt, ready to get Ezra out of the car himself. He didn't care if Ezra had to sleep on the floor. He was annoyed that Ezra was delaying him and Rose from going home.

But before he could do anything, Rose held him back.

Rose could tell what he was planning to do, but she thought it wasn't a good idea to simply throw Ezra out of the car.ConTEent bel0ngs to Nôv(e)lD/rama(.)Org .

She looked at Jonathan and suggested, "How about..."