Luana glanced at her watch a little longer this time.

The sunlight up there began to fade as the hours ticked by, just as the short hand on Luana's round watch pointed to four. Rey was planning a picnic like he said this morning, but not a real picnic but just spending time in a shady city park.


Buying fast food and favorite drinks, the two agreed to enjoy the breeze of the park which was quite crowded with visitors that day. Until now they were in the car driven by Rey, Luana had glanced at her husband.

"Rey."

Taking his eyes off the road that lay ahead, Rey still held the steering wheel tightly.


"Hmm?"

Luana paused for a few seconds, just before the woman opened her lips slowly.


"That... actually, today Pedro returned to Heidelberg."

The beautiful melodious voice filled the entire car, as Rey now made the decision to slow down. Turning his head towards Luana, he looked at her intently.

"He's back?" he asked reassuringly. "Isn't he going to stay in Munich?"

Luana shook her head faintly, fingers linked on her lap. It was half-hearted to tell Rey about this, because Luana knew that the relationship between Rey and Pedro never really seemed to be good.

Starting from the meeting in Heidelberg at that time, until the two of them were reunited in the magnificent building of Der Beste, the two of them did not seem to accept each other's presence. Luana's departure with Pedro and Valerie yesterday afternoon finally made Luana aware of Pedro's plans to return to the beautiful city of Heidelberg.

"He said it when we went out yesterday afternoon," Luana began to explain. "I don't know what prompted that decision, but it seems he's really going home this time."

"Going home?"

Luana sighed softly. "I mean, he won't be returning to Munich anytime soon, having decided to settle in Heidelberg."

Suddenly Rey remembered how Jovi had explained about Pedro some time ago, that the Viscout family was indeed one of the most prominent noble families in Heidelberg. Regardless of how Pedro behaved, he was still one of the successors of the highly regarded Viscout business empire.

"Ah, is that so?" Rey chose to pull the car over, with the pace starting to completely stop. "So, do you want to see him?"

The car was parked on the side of the road, with both pairs of eyes locked.

"Can we?" Luana bit her lip in hesitation. "Do you want to see Pedro to the airport? I think Valerie is the only one taking him away this time."

Rey didn't need to think further, because the pleading glint in Luana's eyes had already penetrated his heart. For the life of him, he couldn't ignore that, no matter the fact that his and Pedro's relationship had never gone well.

Letting the silence linger for a few seconds, Rey finally nodded with a twinkle in her eye.

"Of course we can," she replied quickly. "What time is the flight?"

Luana unconsciously developed a smile on both corners of her lips, then answered no less quickly. "Just over five o'clock. Maybe we can meet him if we head to the airport now?"

Giving her the same smile, Rey raised a hand to gently rub his wife's cheek.

"Alright," he said then. "Try calling him, ask him which gate he'll be at."

Nodding in agreement, Luana had pulled out her phone just as Rey stepped back on the gas down below. The sound of the car's engine could be heard again after it had stopped earlier, with Rey now speeding the car faster than the average speed.

At least he was going to take Luana to see that man --Pedro Viscout, before the two would never see each other again.

***

"Promise to come back to Heidelberg, Val." Pedro stirred gently at the cup of espresso on the table, with Valerie sitting right in the front seat. "Have you considered what I said back then?"

Valerie scooped up her hair to re-tie the knot, completing her braid in one fell swoop.

"I don't want to make any promises," she said lightly. Her eyes glanced briefly at her half-empty drink, but she didn't draw it closer. "Do you really want to marry me?"

Pedro knew Valerie always spoke her mind, especially to him. That's why even the talk of marriage never felt sacred or serious between them.

"Didn't little Valerie Genneth plan to marry a Pedro Viscout?" Pedro retorted. "You were the one who asked me to marry you when we were in sixth grade, remember?"

Valerie's laughter filled the air, leaving a melodious sound that drifted softly through the café in the airport hallway. The fleet that the fighter would take to her city was scheduled to leave in about an hour, and that was where they were when they decided to bide their time.

"I don't remember," Valerie half-lied. "I must have been unconscious when I told you that."

This time it was Pedro's laughter that hung on, leaving the good looks that could no longer be separated from the man. The jet-black T-shirt wrapped around his sturdy body seemed to fit perfectly, with the jeans jacket that the man was still draped over the base of the chair.

"You've got plenty of time to remember, Val," Pedro finally said. Raising the glass to sip the espresso, the fighter smiled slightly. "I meant it when I said I'd rather marry you than another woman. At least, well, living with your best friend might be easier than with a stranger."

Valerie stared at the man intently, letting her irises observe how Pedro's facial sculpture really looked perfect. Little Pedro was not this handsome, but look at how one of Viscout's successors had transformed into a grown man who was also... seductive.

"Alright," Valerie finally said. "I'll consider it once more."

Pulling out her glass and slipping the dropper between her lips, Valerie almost made the liquid in the glass reach the bottom. Just as she raised her head again, her eyes caught a silhouette that made her squint.

"Luana?" she half-whispered. Highlighting the arrival of two people holding hands behind Pedro's back, Valerie squinted even more. "Pedro, look. That's Luana, right?"

Hearing Luana's name in the air, Pedro reflexively turned his body to check what Valerie was staring at back there. And just then, the beads of the four main characters in this novel collided with each other, followed by Luana smiling and waving.

"Pedro!"