In the afternoon, within Burke International, Colt stood hesitantly at the door of the CEO''s office before finally knocking. "Come in."


    James was carefully trimming a bouquet of roses as Colt stood opposite him, seemingly struggling to find the right words.


    James seemed to be in a good mood today. He nced at Colt and asked, "What is it?"


    "Mr. Burke, Ms. Sophie and Colby''s engagement has been set, and it happens to coincide with your event. What do you think..."


    Colt tentatively watched James'' expression, but James'' face remained as unreadable as ever.


    "As long as the venues don''t sh, it''s fine. I don''t want Nichole to be bothered by it."


    After finishing with the roses, James turned to Colt and asked, "Have you booked the restaurant I mentioned?"


    "...Yes, it''s all arranged."


    "Good, make sure you personally pick Nichole up and take her there."


    "Yes, Mr. Burke."


    Colt remained stationary, watching as James meticulously groomed himself. He couldn''t help but ask, "Mr. Burke, Ms. Sophie and Colby are getting engaged. You..."


    James replied indifferently, "My marriage to her was nothing more than a business alliance. The Costello Corporation announcing their engagement date now is simply a provocation, but their arrogance won''tst long."


    "Mr. Burke, I didn''t mean..."


    "What did you mean, then?"


    Hesitating, Colt asked, "Ms. Sophie is getting engaged. Do you really feel nothing?"


    "Sophie was once obsessed with


    bing Ms. Burke, seeking


    nothing but the power of the Burke family. Now that she''s turned to Colby why should I have any feelings for such a woman? Besides, there was never any real emotion between us."


    James'' cold words took Colt by surprise.


    He had considered other possibilities, such as James pretending to have amnesia to confuse his enemies while he went alone to Duskhaven to rescue Ms. Sophie. However, over the past few days, James seemed to only remember Nichole and remained as indifferent to Sophie as ever.


    So much had happened over the year, but Bea didn''t want James to have any feelings for Ms. Sophie, so she quickly glossed over the marriage in front of James. James was back to his old self, his demeanor always steady, as if even the apocalypse couldn''t ruffle him while he sat in his office and carried on with his work. James, feeling impatient under Colt''s gaze, frowned slightly and said, "Aren''t you going to get moving?"


    "Yes, Mr. Burke."


    Colt exited the office.


    James held the roses in his hands, but the reflection in his eyes was no longer one of affection but rather one of indifference.


    In the evening, taking advantage of the quiet, Tricia drove Sophie to the police station.


    Reece''s arrest had caused quite a


    stir, but thanks to Tricia''s efforts to suppress the news quickly, not


    many were aware of the details, and many treated it as a


    misunderstanding. This content belongs to N?/velDra/ma.Org .


    After all, Reece had always had a good reputation, with no history of brawling or violence.


    Upon seeing Sophie, an officer


    immediately served her a cup of hot


    coffee, saying, "Ms. Sophie, we''re so sorry for the inconvenience. Our


    chief isn''t here today, but he instructed us to amodate any request you might have!"


    "Officer Derick sure knows how to hide at the critical moment."


    The officerughed awkwardly, stuck between offending Burke International and the future Mrs. Costello of Costello Corporation. The wise choice was obviously toy low.