too late for a second chance novel (Lila and Dorian)

Jasmine shook her head helplessly at Lila's nonsensical reasoning but couldn't suppress a soft chuckle when her gaze shifted to Kieran, fully focused on driving.

Her eyes drifted to the wedding ring on Lila's left hand. "That's a unique ring. Compared to it, the bracelet I bought feels a bit plain."

She reached into her bag and pulled out a red velvet box. Opening it, she revealed a pink-toned bracelet.noveldrama

The diamonds, in a soft blush shade reminiscent of peach blossoms, sparkled faintly even without direct light, like tiny stars scattered across a night sky.

"It's beautiful!" Lila exclaimed.

She reached out and touched the bracelet. The diamonds had a warm, natural texture that hinted at their quality-clearly made of high-grade diamond.

Jasmine smiled faintly, her gaze naturally falling to the gold bracelet adorning Lila's wrist.

"I thought I put in enough effort, but compared to Kieran, I guess I still fell short."

The gold bracelet was one Jasmine had seen years ago at an auction. An exquisite artifact from the 17th century, it was crafted from pure, flawless material. The starting bid alone had been 50 million.

She had no idea how much Kieran had ultimately paid for it, but it must have been substantial.

Lila, oblivious to Jasmine's subtle gaze, didn't catch her meaning right away.

Without a second thought, she casually pushed up her sleeve and slipped off the gold bracelet.

Jasmine glanced at Kieran. His fingers tapped the steering wheel twice, the small gesture made Jasmine laugh quietly to herself.

She had long suspected that Kieran treated Lila differently.

At first, she hadn't given it much thought, but after Nicole mentioned a few things, the pieces had started to fall into place.

Still, from what Nicole had said, Lila didn't seem to have realized it yet.

Watching Kieran quietly tolerate the situation was a rare sight, and Jasmine couldn't help but find it amusing.

Lila held up her arm, the diamond bracelet dangling from her fingers. "Aunt Jasmine, could you help me put this on?"

She was unknowingly trading a bracelet worth tens of thousands for one valued in the tens of millions.

Kieran's eyes flickered to her through the rearview mirror but remained impassive, his expression giving nothing away.

Jasmine, too, didn't say a word. These two would figure it out in their time.

She reached over and helped Lila put on the bracelet. From the front passenger seat, Bryce turned around to glance at them.

"Compared to that, I guess my gift seems a little underwhelming now," he joked lightly.

"No way!" Lila looked up at him, her face lighting up with a sweet smile. "I like everything Bryce gives me."

Kieran's fingers tapped the steering wheel again.

He was starting to reconsider his approach. Was he doing something wrong?

The answer, of course, was no. But

just as he was about to say something, the car pulled into the Morgan residence. Instead, he spoke up. "Let's head inside first. You can look at the gifts later."

Lila, unusually energetic today, protested immediately. "Uncle Kieran, wait! Let me see what Bryce brought first."

Jasmine patted Lila on the head. "I'll go ahead and grab some things from the car. Take your time."

Then, she called out to Kieran, "Kieran, there are two more things in the trunk. Help me bring them in, will you?"

With that, she stepped out of the

vehicle. She didn't notice how net

paused briefly, unbuckling his atbelt as he cast a sidelong glance at Lila.

"Lila," he said gently. "Can we look at it later?"

The cold air outside seeped into the car, and Bryce chuckled lightly. "Why don't I

keep it a mystery for now? We'll look at it inside, okay?"

"Alright. I'll help Aunt Jasmine with the things first," Lila agreed, hopping out of the car without hesitation.

Kieran stayed quiet for a moment, watching her.

By the time they started unloading the car, the people inside the house had already heard them arrive and were coming out to greet them.

"Aunt Jasmine! Bryce!" Noah was the first to go outside. "I'll grab the stuff!"

Kieran's eyes shifted to Noah, whose energy was that of a mischievous puppy, and then to Bryce, who stood there as the picture of calm composure.

The difference between the two was striking.

It wasn't surprising that Lila seemed to like Bryce more.

But Kieran suspected that Lila's fondness for Bryce wasn't purely sibling-like.

Carrying a few bags, Kieran trailed behind the group. His eyes drifted to Lila's back as she chatted cheerfully

with Jasmine, then turned todaugh

at something Bryce had said.

Kieran couldn't help but think back to the first time he'd realized Lila was starting

to experience her first crush.