Isabelle fell into a deep sleep. The next day, when she woke up, it was close to 11 am.

The first thing she did was reach for her phone—she had four unread texts from Alexander.

[Breakfast is in the cooler box.]

[I placed the keys on the dining table.]

[If you need anything, you can call this number.]

This one also contained a string of numbers.

[If you can't find anything or don't know anything, you can ask me.]

~*~

Alexander didn't have much work the entire afternoon. When it was finally time for a meeting, he had even fallen into a daze. The night before had seemed like a dream, it was so surreal.

After enduring through the meeting, he returned to his office and reached for his phone to write Isabelle a text. [Are you awake?]

Isabelle was prepared to have the breakfast he bought. There were dough fritters in her hands, so she sent a voice message instead. She replied in a murmur, "I'm awake."

[What are you doing?]

Isabelle sent him a photo.

Alexander glanced at the familiar dining area and the breakfast he had bought earlier, his heart finally assured.

He wasn't dreaming, Isabelle and James had really divorced. She was single and living in his house....

In an instance, mixed emotions clouded his mind. He had never dared to think of entering her heart, but now, he seemed to see the light to his long wait, but he still couldn't help feeling insecure.

She was the woman he had been loving for thirteen years, one he gave up on only when he realized that she was in love with James. Now, that she no longer had anything to do with his brother, Alexander finally had the opportunity he had been waiting for. He was prepared to use his entire life to get her.

No one could know how much courage was needed to advance friendship into a relationship as any mistake would send one straight down to the dumps.

It was a gamble, and Alexander didn't have any confidence at all. Regardless, he was not willing to easily give up on her.

He had been waiting for thirteen years... Only after thirteen long years did he finally have this opportunity.

A lifetime was a long time. Even if he couldn't get her in a year, he could try for another one, or even three, or four years... Or even the next thirteen years...

~*~

"Mr. Smith, who are you talking to?"

"She's a girl."

"..." The meeting room went into silence, everyone digesting his words.

After Alexander had replied, he lifted his head to add, "I'm chasing her."

Best screen actor who had never been in a scandal was actually chasing a girl... The entire room went into a frenzy, losing the mood for a meeting in an instance. The other directors continued to ask questions, encouraged by Alexander's response.

"What kind of girl is she to be able to attract Mr Smith?"

"Mr. Smith, do you even need to chase her? I'm sure she's interested?"

Another female employee added enviously, "That girl must be pretty!"

Alexander's mood lifted, he had never expected such reactions from his staff. He had wanted to avoid the topic to return back to business, but in that instance, he seemed to have thought of something. "How do you chase a girl?"

"When I chased my girlfriend, I spent a huge sum, spending a few thousands per month."

"I chased my wife in university, we were classmates at that time. Just to get to know her, I treated my entire class a month's worth of milk tea... After that, I had to eat instant noodles for the next few months..."

"I gave mine a fresh flower every day. When I suddenly stopped, my wife came after me..."

Alexander sat in his chair, taking in everyone's advice seriously. In the end, he even knocked on his assistant's laptop, signaling him to make a record.

Just like that, a meeting on the new business deal became a reminisce of how everyone had chased girls.

~*~

Isabelle was watching a romance drama where the female lead was dumped by her husband. She met with the rich male lead and the two of them fell in love after their encounters, in the end. When they were prepared to get married, the male lead's family strongly opposed her because of her past.

Before the advertisement, Isabelle didn't think too much of the drama, but after when she saw how resolutely the male lead's mother opposed the female lead, she suddenly recalled that even though she didn't get a marriage license, she was considered a divorcee to everyone... Would Alexander despise her...

No matter how successful and confident a person was, in the face of their deepest love, they would still magnify their own flaws, worried the other party would mind.

Worry started to form in Isabelle's mind, and the more she thought, the more uneasy she became. In the end, she couldn't help lamenting to Alexander, who sat beside her, "Oh god, I'm a divorcee just like the female lead, so will I be despised like her as well? But I'm still young! Alexander, do you think I won't be able to get married?"

When he heard her complain, he glanced at the screen to stare at the female lead who was in tears as she broke up with the male lead. He lowered his head to look back at his laptop, saying faintly, "If no one wants you, I'll marry you."

Even though Isabelle knew that he was just trying to comfort her, her heart skipped a beat. Staring intently at the screen, she took a moment to calm herself before smiling brightly. "Sure, when the time comes, I'm sure everyone will be envious of me."

Alexander paused, his fingers turning stiff. He struggled to calm himself before turning to look at Isabelle.

Her profile shone under the light, her long lashes slightly curled, her dark eyes staring straight at the screen, blinking occasionally.

When Isabelle stopped hearing his typing, she turned over curiously, colliding with his gaze.

Alexander's beautiful eyes were deep and bright, with a hint of a mysterious glint. In just an instance, Isabelle was mesmerized.

Just like that, the room narrowed in on them, and they could only see the other in their eyes.

~*~

Maybe Isabelle was too tired or maybe she was too sleepy, but when it ended, she rested her head on his chest, falling into a deep sleep.

But Alexander was wide awake, his eyes open as he gazed at Isabelle, who was nestled in his arms, his heart agitated.

After a long while, he finally managed to fall asleep. The next morning, the moment he opened his eyes, he looked down at Isabelle, who was still in his arms. Even though she was still fast asleep, everything felt surreal. He reached out to caress her face, and it felt warm beneath his fingers. Only then did he believe that the night before was not a dream.

In the past, when they acted as a couple, when he saw her in his arms still asleep in the morning, it wasn't that he didn't feel happy or touched, but now, everything was different. He felt a strong wave of emotion hit him, and he was even a little moved.

Thirteen years, soon to be fourteen.... From the initial lack of capability to love her to the forbidden deep love to finally being able to tell her he loved her. He had to endure over five thousand nights... His net worth grew from below three digits to over ten digits... He could finally love her.

~*~

Isabelle stirred the porridge as she gazed at the cards, her mind in a mess.

As she ate in confusion, her phone suddenly rang. Glancing over, she saw that it was from Alexander.

Isabelle hesitated slightly before picking up the video call.

Alexander spoke without much emotion, but his voice wasn't as cold as usual. "You're awake?"

Isabelle swallowed the porridge in her mouth. "Mmh, why?"

"Nothing, I just wanted to know if you're awake." Alexander paused before adding, "I'll be going to the western suburbs later on to play golf."

Was he reporting his schedule? Why was he telling her about it?

Isabelle secretly complained in her heart. Lifting her head, she looked out the window at the bright sun. "The sun's really strong today, won't it be hot?"

"It's an indoor golf course."

"Oh," she replied before taking a bite of bread. Just then, she heard knocks on the door coming from the phone. The next moment, Alexander responded, "Come in." His face came back on the screen once again. "I'll get busy now."

"Mmh, bye."

When Isabelle hung up, she pinched the bread as her mind wandered off.

After friends have sex, there are usually three scenarios—they pretend nothing happened and continue being friends, they become a couple, or lastly, they never meet again.

Isabelle was quite sure that Alexander wouldn't choose the last option so it was either the first or the second one...

But was it the friend or girlfriend one? Even though the two choices were only a word apart, the status was worlds apart!

Isabelle bit hard into the bread, remembering that Alexander had sought her permission the night before. "Izzy, can I continue?"

He was seeking her permission... So why did he leave her a bank card and why did he call to report his whereabouts...

Was he trying to test out being a couple?

Joy started to seep through her heart before it suddenly turned to worry... But he had a girl he had been loving for thirteen years... Now that he was interested in her, what if one day they grew apart?

While Isabelle was fretting over her emotions, she finished her breakfast. Just then, she seemed to have figured her status: semi-girlfriend, a little closer than a friend but a little less than a real girlfriend.

Even though she always wanted to be with him, she had never dared to think of hat actually happening, so now that he was her semi-boyfriend, she was content... Maybe, if everything worked out, they would really get together...

The positiveness lifted Isabelle's spirits instantly, and heading upstairs, she changed into a pretty set of clothes. Grabbing the bank card from her semi-boyfriend, she left for the mall nearby.

On her way, she received three calls from Alexander: one to tell her that he had finished playing golf, another to inform her of his meeting at 3 pm, and the last one to tell her not to wait for him as he would come back a little late tonight.

It was four in the afternoon. Isabelle was tired from all the walking, so she found a cafe to take a rest. That was when she received her fourth call.

Right after, her phone rang. Isabelle thought it was Alexander at first, so she pulled out her phone and picked up the call. When she was going to say Alexander's name, she actually saw Sophia's name flash on the screen, and awkwardly changed "Alexander" for "Sis".

Sophia had no intention of talking nonsense. As soon as she opened her mouth to speak, she was swift and decisive. "Izzy, did you see the news just now?"

Isabelle bit her straw, making noises as she sucked her milk tea. With a blank expression on her face, she asked, "What news?"

"About Williams Enterprises," said Sophia, straight to the point. She took the opportunity to lecture Isabelle. "Izzy... In any case, you're a part of the Davis family. Could you please spend some time in your day to focus on business news? Do you know what's happening with our Davis Enterprise stocks? Are you really planning to rely on the entertainment industry for the rest of your life? Have you never thought about working at Davis Enterprises..."

Isabelle knew that there was no end to Sophia's topic, so she quickly swallowed the tapioca in her mouth, and sweetly said, "Sis, Sis, I know. I'll put things right, but first, get to the point. What happened with the Williams family?"

"The Williams family..." Sophia's tone instantly became serious. "The project Aunt Williams recently spent several billions on fell through. They don't want to cooperate with her anymore, and so that large sum of money was squandered just like that.

"Then, there were problems with the food at the Williams Enterprises which led to a dramatic fall in stock prices... In such a short afternoon, thirty percent of the Williams Enterprise assets just dissipated in a puff of smoke... Not only that, but now, someone bought a large amount of shares from the Williams Enterprise..."

"How could this happen?" A hint of anxiousness covered what was left of the sweet expression on Isabelle's face at the thought of being semi-boyfriend/girlfriend with Alexander. "Hasn't business recently been going just fine at Williams Enterprises?"

"Business was going great, but at the moment, someone must be trying to sabotage the Williams family behind the scenes. Most importantly, nobody knows who might be against them. All in all, things don't look good for the Williams family right now."

"Sis... I scare easily, don't frighten me. What do you mean by 'things don't look good'?"

"It means that Williams Enterprises might change its CEO."

"Change CEO?" Isabelle pursed her bottom lip. "You mean to say that there's a possibility Williams Enterprises might belong to someone else?"

Though Isabelle didn't want it confirmed by Sophia, but most of the time, things don't always turn out the way you want it.

Her sister stated, " Yes, and Izzy, though you and James got a divorce, our two families still have a good relationship. I just gave the Williams family a call. I'm calling you now to tell you to give them a call."

Knowing that Williams Enterprises were in trouble, Isabelle naturally would give James a call.

It took a long while for him to answer the phone. It seemed like he was very busy. There were muted voices of people in a meeting, the sound of the door opening and shutting, and finally James's drained voice, "Izzy, what's up?"

"James, Sophie just called. She told me that somethings happened at Williams Enterprises. How are you right now?"

"I'm all right." It seemed like James had just lit up a cigarette, since Isabelle could hear the sound of him blowing out air through the phone. As she was about to comfort him, a voice came through. "Young Chief Williams, the stocks have dropped again..."

"Izzy, I have to cut this short. I'm a little busy with something right now. I'll give you a call back later," James said incredibly fast and then immediately hung up.

After listening to the beeping sounds from the phone for a long time, Isabelle pulled it from her ear and opened an internet browser. She entered Williams Enterprises into the search engine to find news of their troubles and their falling stock value. She also found a few articles by financial analysts critiquing the Williams Enterprise.

~*~

Alexander went over his meeting notes from yesterday about getting a girlfriend.

The assistant didn't disturb Alexander and silently turned around to leave. Just as he opened the door, he was suddenly called to stop. "Wait."

"Mr. Smith, what are your orders?"

Alexander threw a document on the desk and said, "Based on these photos, make the necessary preparations for me."

The assistant walked over and picked up the document. It looked like a candlelit dinner with some kind of florescent lights. It was requested for the lights to form the words: "Izzy, can I chase you?","Izzy, I've loved you for thirteen years", "Will you be my girlfriend, Izzy?".

As the assistant sneaked a glance, he couldn't help but compliment, "How romantic! Mr. Smith..."

Then, he incidentally read the words on Alexander's mind, "I am only happy when I'm with you... Izzy, will you..."

When Alexander wrote those words, they really came from his heart. He didn't feel a certain way about them, but at that moment, when the assistant read them out, he felt a little restless. It was the same feeling a young person would have when he got close to the girl he liked.

Alexander's entire body felt agitated with embarrassment. His pale white face had a layer of light red. He cleared his throat in annoyance, and said in an extremely dark tone, "Get out!"

The assistant was so frightened, he swiftly stopped talking and didn't dare take a deep breath. With the documents in his arms, he ran for the open door. However, once again, before he could even reach it, Alexander asked with a degree of uncertainty, "If I confess, what do you think the odds are that she'll actually agree?"