The Romeros couldn't hold Claudia back anymore, and Sterling would never let her be trapped. He had taken very good care of her. She was radiant now—bold, lively, full of laughter. A far cry from the girl she'd been seven years ago, stuck in that storm, lost and dimmed. Suddenly, a server nearby stumbled—someone must've twisted an ankle—and a tray of drinks flew straight toward Claudia, who was sitting on the couch. Frederick instinctively moved to shield her. But in the next second, Claudia had already been pulled into someone else's arms. Sterling's back was soaked, but he didn't even look at himself. His brow furrowed immediately as he checked her over. "Did it spill on you?" Claudia blinked, caught off guard, she hadn't even processed what happened yet. "I'm fine." It was just a splash of wine, no big deal. If anything, Sterling got hit worse. He'd leaned in so close, the glass must've spilled more on him than her. "Your shirt's soaked. Go change," she said. Sterling took her hand. "Come with me." Claudia laughed, gently shaking his hand. "Alright, alright. I'll go." Sterling didn't care they were in public, he leaned in and kissed her cheek. "Thanks, baby." A chorus of young guests nearby erupted with playful shrieks. "Ugh, not again! They're always feeding us couple content!" They joked and teased, saying Sterling and Claudia were too sweet to be around.Normally, they were all terrified of Sterling, he was the kind of guy people crossed the room to avoid. But moments like this? They felt brave enough to poke fun. Sterling smirked, then turned to Frederick, who was still standing close. "Excuse me. Mind giving us a little space?" Frederick stepped aside without a word, his expression unreadable. Sterling had been there for barely a minute, and he was already stealing Claudia away again. Some guests sighed with envy. Others whispered, half-joking, "Man, Sterling's possessiveness is next level." The subtle tension between the two men went completely unnoticed by the crowd. Everyone except Emma, who's tucked away in the corner had her eyes spinning like crazy. She glanced over at Frederick, who had been the first to react when Claudia was in danger. Now, he stood there frozen, still staring at the hand he'd reached out too late. Emma's jaw dropped. Oh my god. Had she just stumbled onto another secret? Sterling changed quickly. The only problem? He refused to let Claudia leave. Wearing her soft, sky-blue evening gown, Claudia was pinned helplessly on Sterling's lap—her breath uneven, eyes hazy, lips kiss-swollen and glistening. "Stop, we won't be able to show our faces later," she gasped, poking at his very interested friend. "Mm." Sterling let out a low grunt. He knew they had to stop. If this went any further, he'd have to change again. But the thought of some other guy eyeing his treasure out there? Yeah, that irritated him. Still, he wasn't about to spell it out and do his love rival any favors. So instead, he just sulked. "Baby, you love me the most, right?" he murmured, burying his face in her neck like a spoiled child. "Of course," Claudia said without hesitation, she'd never been shy about showing her love. Sterling kissed her skin. "Then should we get married?" Claudia stroked his ear, raising a brow. "Where's this coming from?" Weren't they supposed to take things slow? They'd agreed to savor every stage—dating, love, marriage. Right now, they were still deep in the honeymoon phase. Sterling grumbled, "I'm scared, baby. You're too popular. One day someone's gonna steal you away." He took her hand and gave it a playful little bite, then kissed it again. His teasing made Claudia's heart curl in her chest. She laughed out loud. "Who could possibly steal you from me?" She wrapped her arms around his neck and, with a grin, leaned in to bite gently at his throat, then kissed him again, sweet and lingering. "Still, if you want to get married, I'm down," she said with a smile. There's no such thing as the perfect time, only the time they both chose.