Se-Ri's POV
He took my hand and led us toward the man.
"Dad," he said.
I froze for half a second.
Dad?
Of course. The same surname. The same stillness. How hadn't I connected it?
Markus Wu turned slowly to face us.
Leo began, "Dad, this is—"
But his father interrupted, gaze already sharp and assessing.
"Miss Se-Ri Singh."
I stepped forward to shake his hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Wu."
He nodded, his grip firm, expression as neutral as a closed ledger. "Serenité is performing well."
We exchanged a few more words — brief, polite, deliberate. The kind of conversation that left room for everything unsaid.
After a few more careful introductions and surface-level chats, Leo and I slipped out early — into the hush of the evening, into the silence of the car. The air outside buzzed with leftover laughter and glass clinks, but inside the car, it felt quiet. Controlled.
Halfway through the ride, Leo glanced at me.
"It seems my father likes you," he said. "It's very rare for him to remember someone's name."
I turned slightly. "Good to know I'm an anomaly."
"You did well. You surprise me every time."
He hesitated. "I thought you'd be angry. But you were… calm. Cool."
I shrugged. "I was surprised, yes. But not angry."
Then I tilted my head. "Though… I was thinking."
He raised an eyebrow. "About?"
"You're his son by his first wife, right?"
He nodded once.
"Which means…" I narrowed my eyes. "Your mother is Jennifer Tang. The Jennifer Tang."
He blinked. "How do you—?"
"Oh, please. She was a celebrity. Supermodel. Occasional scandal magnet. I've read Vogue before."
"Also," I added, "I heard she had a rather... dramatic divorce."
Then I caught myself. "Oops. Sorry."
Leo smiled — small, dry. "I'm used to your talk now."
I smiled back. "Good."
We reached the gate of my villa.
He stepped out, walked around, and opened my door like it was instinct. I was about to say goodnight when he rested a hand on the window frame, leaned slightly closer.
"Come hiking with me next week."
I raised a brow. "You hike?"
"I do," he said. "Because you like it."
"Liar."
He smirked. "Just you and me. Your kind of date."
I pretended to sigh. "Fine. Okay."
"Let me go now," I added.
But he didn't move. Not yet.
There was something in his eyes — something unfinished. Something he wanted to say but didn't.
And then, finally, he stepped back.
"Goodnight, Se-Ri," he said.
The usual half-smile on his lips. But his eyes… they weren't certain.
Not at all.