Chapter 262: The River Shimmered under the Moonlight

The river shimmered under the moonlight, its surface fractured by ripples that scattered the neon reflections from skyscrapers along the banks. Clara Whitmore's heels clicked rhythmically against the cobblestones as the city's clamor faded behind her.

Elias Mercer walked beside her, maintaining a comfortable distance. Their silence held an unspoken familiarity, like old friends who needed no forced conversation.

"Shall we go to the bridge?" Clara suddenly stopped, tilting her face toward the arched structure spanning the river. A breeze tousled her hair, and she instinctively smoothed the stray strands.

Elias followed her gaze. "It's quite far."

"Getting tired already, Professor Mercer?" She teased with a playful blink.

"How about a race?" He raised an eyebrow, amused at his own childish suggestion. A man in his thirties, acting like a college student.

"Deal!" Her eyes sparkled with sudden enthusiasm. "Loser buys ice cream."

Sloane Bennett would surely mock her for such modest stakes. Bargaining with the Mercer Group heir for mere frozen dessert.

"Three, two, one—"

Clara shot forward like an arrow. Elias kept pace three steps behind, never rushing.

When she reached the bridge's midpoint, breathless, Elias appeared leisurely at the entrance.

"I won!" She lifted her chin triumphantly, eyes gleaming like captured starlight.

Elias approached a convenience store and opened the freezer. "Flavor?"

"Strawberry, please."

They sat side by side on a riverside bench, enjoying their post-race cool-down. Clara gazed at the light-polluted sky with a sigh. "Hard to see stars these days."

"As a child, I never really looked at them properly," she mused, propping her chin on one hand.

The model student, the exemplary daughter—Clara had been everyone's golden child. Daniel Whitmore, though busy with work, spoiled his little princess. Her mother Helen gave her free rein, caring only for her happiness and health.

"...Mom was terrifyingly good at finding hidden cash. Even the emergency bills Dad stashed in shoeboxes." The memory curved Clara's lips, streetlights softening her features in a golden halo.

Elias watched her, his own smile forming unconsciously. In that moment, he willingly drowned in this warmth, with no desire to surface.