Ethan was watching Flora with a nervous intensity, worried she''d say no. They weren''t exactly close, and he knew he didn''t have the same charm as Kruz.


    Flora raised an eyebrow, amused by the youthful energy of the group. "Still into team games, huh? That''s pretty cool."


    Ethan gave a quick rundown of the game, "Cyber Legion," where teams had to create their own firewalls and defend against attacks from others. It was simr to typical cybersecuritypetitions-the team that breached the opponent''s firewall first would win. Ethan''s team wasn''t doing so hot, oftening inst. There was a big all-serverpetition tonight, and if they lost again, the system might automatically disband their team.


    "Flora..."


    After Kruz stopped talking, she kept her eyes on Flora, nervously twisting the hem of her shirt. Flora''s silence made her heart sink.


    She had kind of expected this. They weren''t exactly friends. It wouldn''t be surprising if Flora said no.


    Unlike Kruz, who would probably make a scene and cling to Flora''s legs until she agreed, Ethan wasn''t one to push.


    "Well, never mind then..."


    Ethan''s voice faltered, resignation in his tone.


    Without Flora''s help, they''d have to figure it out on their own.


    "Really giving up?" Flora asked with a smirk, looking at Ethan, who was practically staring at the floor. "Did I ever say I wouldn''t help?" Ethan''s head snapped up, surprise and joy lighting up his face.


    "Flora..."


    Did she just say yes?


    Flora ced a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "When does thepetition start?"


    "Day after tomorrow, 8 PM!"


    The evening after tomorrow...


    Flora thought for a moment and asked, "Can we wrap it up in an hour?"


    "Yes, absolutely!"


    Ethan nodded vigorously.


    "Alright then." Flora agreed without a second thought.


    Ethan was taken aback by Flora''s quick agreement, feeling warmth spread through him. He looked up at her, beaming. "Flora, you''re amazing!"


    ...


    Connor, Ethan, and Amanda noticed


    a change after Ethan and Flora went upstairs, Ethan became noticeably attached to Flora, even choosing to sit by her at meals and calling her name with warmth. FindNovel


    Amanda was quietly impressed, wondering what Flora had done to win Ethan over so easily. "Flora, try this. Not sure if it''s your thing."


    Amanda offered Flora a piece of


    sweet and sour pork with the servingks. It was her signature dish and knowing Flora enjoyed it, she''d made it herself.


    As a mother-inw, cooking for her daughter-inw on their first meeting seemed just right.


    Connor saw Amanda''s determination and didn''t say no.


    "It''s delicious, thank you, Aunt."


    Flora tasted it. It wasn''t exactly like Connor''s cooking, but it was still quite good.


    She noticed Amanda''s eyes on Connor as he served her food and gave him a gentle nudge with her elbow.All text ? N?velD(r)a''ma.Org.


    Connor turned his head, and Flora gave him a wink.


    Connor sighed softly.


    Amanda was eating when suddenly, an arm reached over and ced a piece of fish on her te.


    She looked up, stunned.


    Connor was serving her!


    He was actually serving her!


    Earlier, she''d felt a bit envious watching Connor serve Flora since he''d never done that for her before. But she hadn''t dared to hope for much.


    Now, having Connor sit at the same table and eat with her was already beyond her expectations.


    Was he serving her because she had served Flora earlier?