"So, you're not waiting for me in the living room anymore?" Ceres arched a perfectly shaped brow at Zeus, who was lounging far too comfortably on her bed, looking completely at home.
She was in the middle of getting dressed, slipping into the silver gown he had asked her to wear for a party he invited her to.
"The view is much better here," Zeus replied smoothly, his gaze never straying from her. "And did you forget? Your dad already allowed me to be in here."
Ceres rolled her eyes, remembering that it was only the night before, the night they officially became a couple.
Her father, Romos, had no choice but to accept the inevitable, especially after the long, excruciating 'interrogation' where he and her mother had asked all sorts of personal questions about her and Zeus.
Like how far they had gone.
And, of course, Zeus, with his infuriatingly shameless confidence, had answered every single one of them, honestly and proudly.
Ceres could still feel the heat rising to her cheeks just thinking about it.
In the end, Romos had relented, allowing Zeus to enter her room freely. After all, what was the point of stopping him? The only request he made was that Zeus never change the way he cared for Ceres, no matter how deep their relationship became.
And, of course, until she was officially wed, there would be no living together. She would remain in Monteverde Mansion.
"Whose party are we attending, anyway?" Ceres asked from inside her walk-in closet as she started applying her makeup. "I haven't heard anything about a party from our friends."
Zeus had moved to stand by the closet's doorframe now, already dressed in formal attire, save for his suit jacket, which he had discarded earlier when he made himself comfortable on her bed.
"A friend of mine from the Navy is proposing to his girlfriend tonight. He invited me," Zeus answered casually.
Ceres continued dabbing blush onto her cheeks, her eyes narrowing slightly at his reflection in the vanity mirror. "And they're okay with you bringing a plus-one they don't even know?"
"Of course."
She sighed, capping her lipstick. "I swear, Zeus, if I end up feeling out of place at this party, I'm stabbing you in the eye. You'll be too busy catching up with your old Navy friends, and I'll just be standing there like an idiot."
Zeus chuckled, pushing off the doorframe and walking toward her. "Love, that's not going to happen. You won't be out of place." His lips curled into a smirk as he leaned down, brushing a kiss against her bare shoulder. "And you know you're my priority. You're the only one I'll be talking to all night."
Ceres scoffed, adjusting her earrings. "Right. And then I'll have even more people hating me for stealing all your attention."
She did the final touches on her makeup before walking over to the jewelry section of her closet, scanning the collection for a necklace that would complement her silver gown.
That was when Zeus's eyes landed on something unexpected.
The 'Starlight' necklace.
The one he had gifted her two years ago on her twentieth birthday.
It was displayed inside her glass jewelry cabinet, along with every other piece of jewelry he had given her over the years.
A delicate white gold chain, simple in its elegance, until the pendant. A 20-carat blue diamond.
Fourteen million dollars.
Twenty carats for her twentieth birthday.
He had never seen her wear it, not once. And for the longest time, he had assumed she hadn't thought much of it. That may be, like all the other extravagant gifts he had showered her with, this one didn't matter.
But seeing it displayed there now, carefully placed alongside the rest of the jewelry he had commissioned specifically for her, made something tighten in his chest.
He never bought her jewelry from just any store.
Each piece was designed with her in mind. Every detail was painstakingly planned, down to the last gemstone.
And now, he realized, she had kept them all.
Zeus's gaze softened as he reached into the glass cabinet and pointed at the particular piece. "This one, love."
Ceres, who was in the middle of putting on her earrings, glanced at the necklace.
She paused, considering her options. She had planned to wear a coordinated set, earrings, a necklace, and bangles to complement her gown.
But after a moment, she nodded.
Without hesitation, Zeus took the necklace from its display and carefully clasped it around her neck.
Once it was secured, he leaned in, pressing a lingering kiss to the side of her neck before wrapping his arms around her from behind.
"Thank you."
Ceres frowned slightly, looking at him through the mirror. "For what?"
Zeus met her gaze, his voice softer now. "For keeping my gifts."
A slow, teasing smile tugged at Ceres's lips. "Are you being sentimental?" she asked, amused.
Zeus only smirked, but before he could answer, she continued.
"And of course, I'd keep them. Truth be told, you're the only one among the men who pursued me that actually has taste."
Zeus raised a brow.
Ceres shrugged. "The rest of them? As long as it has a luxury brand logo, they think it's enough. As if I can't buy those things myself with my own money."
Zeus let out a low chuckle, tightening his hold around her waist.
But then, his amusement faded slightly. His lips brushed against her temple before he murmured, "But I've never seen you wear any of them." There was a slight edge to his tone, a quiet complaint.
Ceres turned in his arms, arching a brow. "Obviously."
She lifted a hand and traced his jawline with a single finger. "Did you forget? Until eight months ago, I was still engaged to Ryzel."
Her lips curled into a knowing smirk. "What did you expect? That I'd wear another man's gifts to an event where I was standing next to my fiancé? Do you think I'm that awful of a person?"
Zeus exhaled, not answering. He knew she had a point.
Ceres slid her arms around his neck, pulling him closer.
"But if you must know..." she murmured, tilting her head. "If only you hadn't been so obvious about giving me these gifts; if you had been a little more discreet, then yes, I would have worn them."
Zeus's eyes flickered.
Ceres smirked, her fingers playing with the nape of his hair. "Do you know how difficult it was to match my dresses with the jewelry Ryzel gave me? Most of the time, they were just generic pieces, bought straight from the store, with no thought put into them. It was painfully obvious he didn't even care."
Zeus didn't say anything, but the satisfied glint in his eyes said enough.
Because unlike Ryzel, he did care.
"So? Are you happy now?" Ceres teased, smirking as she placed her hands on her hips. "You've had your little sentimental moment. Now stop sulking, we need to leave."
She reached up and removed the earrings she had put on earlier, placing them carefully back into their case.
Zeus frowned. "Why did you take those off?"
Ceres turned to him with a playful smile. "Because I want everyone at that party to know that my boyfriend gave me this necklace. And they should be jealous."
Zeus let out a deep chuckle.
"Now, out," Ceres ordered, pushing him lightly toward the door. "Let me finish getting ready."
Zeus raised his hands in surrender, stepping back with a dramatic bow. "Yes, your highness." Then he smirked. "But take your time, love."
She rolled her eyes.
As he walked out, Ceres muttered under her breath, "Take my time? Does he think this is my party for me to make a grand entrance?"
Shaking her head, she continued fixing her hair and finalizing her look.
She decided against adding any more jewelry. Just like she told Zeus, she wanted to make sure everyone noticed the necklace. Wearing anything else would only take attention away from it.
Once she finished, she sprayed on a light, elegant fragrance and slipped into a pair of four-inch stiletto heels. Grabbing the matching clutch bag that complemented her silver gown, she finally stepped out of the closet.
But as soon as she did, she realized Zeus was no longer sitting on her bed.
Instead, she heard his voice coming from the veranda.
Curious, she walked toward him, her heels clicking softly against the floor.
"Yes, we're on our way," Zeus was saying into his phone.
But the moment he saw her approaching, he immediately ended the call, without saying anything else.
Ceres narrowed her eyes. "Why are you being secretive?"
Ceres crossed her arms, tilting her head slightly, eyes narrowing. She was sure he still had more to say to whoever was on the other end of that call. But the moment he noticed her, he had immediately ended the conversation.
"You're being suspicious."
She leveled him with a sharp gaze, watching for the slightest hint of guilt.
Zeus smirked, completely unfazed. "Of course not."
He took a step closer, hands casually slipping into his pockets. "Tell me, love. What exactly do you think I could be doing to make you suspicious?"
Ceres placed her hands on her hips, her expression playful yet firm.
"Mr. Falcon, if you're going to cheat, make sure the woman is at least prettier than me and better in every way." She raised a brow, lips curling into a smirk. "That way, I won't have to ask, 'why?' But let me warn you now, if she's ugly, I'm tying you both together and tossing you off a cliff."
Zeus let out a low chuckle, shaking his head.
"Love, I will never do that to you."
His expression softened as he reached for her hand, pressing it against his chest, right over his heart.
"This beats only for you." His voice dropped into something more intimate, more sincere. "And after waiting four years just to have you, do you really think I'd even look at another woman? I'm not stupid."
The intensity in his eyes made something in Ceres falter.
She had only been teasing, but seeing how seriously he took her words made her feel a little guilty.
But before she could say anything, Zeus continued.
"The day my heart stops beating for you will be the day it literally stops beating. So please, don't ever think I'd betray you."
Ceres rolled her eyes, trying to shake off the odd warmth settling in her chest. "Is that so?" She raised a brow. "Because a few months ago, Dee told me she saw you taking a woman to a hotel."
Her tone was light, but her gaze was sharp, watching for any reaction. "And don't lie."
Zeus exhaled, his grip on her hand tightening slightly.
"They were never important, love." Zeus's voice was steady, unwavering. "And yes, I may have slept with other women before, but you know that never happened again after our first night together."
He met her gaze head-on, unflinching.
"And I know it's not exactly the most honorable thing to admit, but I used those women because, back then, I couldn't have the only woman I truly ever wanted."
Zeus pulled Ceres into his arms, pressing their foreheads together. "And for touching them, I will spend every single day making it up to you until we grow old."
Ceres tilted her head, an amused smirk playing on her lips. "Why are you making it up to me?" she questioned. "Shouldn't you be making it up to them? You used them and discarded them afterward."
She wasn't actually mad.
Because she understood him.
It didn't matter to her how many women he had been with before. Even if, one day, a woman came out of nowhere claiming to have had his child, she would understand. They weren't together back then.
Even she never imagined that her feelings for Zeus would change the way they had.
But now that they were official?
If Zeus ever cheated on her, if another woman was foolish enough to try and take him from her, she would claw her face off without hesitation.
Zeus chuckled at her words, his hands tightening around her waist. "They didn't matter to me, love." His voice was calm, assured. "In fact, I don't even remember their faces or names."
Ceres rolled her eyes, but she still rose on her toes and pressed a light kiss against his lips.
"I believe you."
She smiled before adding, "And I know there will always be women chasing after you. So if you ever make the mistake of entertaining one of them, you better hide her well because if I find her, I'm scratching her face off."
Zeus laughed, his eyes brimming with love and adoration.
"I will never cheat on you. I will never choose another woman over you." His expression turned playful. "But just in case I ever find myself in trouble, I'll make sure to call you so you can handle it personally."
His eyebrows waggled suggestively, a smirk tugging at his lips. But behind his teasing, his eyes shone with absolute sincerity.
Then, without another word, he kissed her, deep and full of love, as if sealing his promise with his lips.
When they finally pulled apart, Ceres shook her head with a scoff.
"You're so dramatic."
Zeus only grinned.
"Let's go before we're late," she added, turning toward the door. "It'd be embarrassing to keep your friend waiting."