Can’t Win Me Back by Ginger Sue

"Did you mean that?"
Cyrus jumped. He turned around immediately. He hadn't realized that Lauren was behind him. She was hugging a brown fluffy
teddy tightly and looking at him sheepishly.
Lauren looked adorable to him at that moment.
Cyrus's gaze became slightly deeper. He laughed light-heartedly and answered in a warm tone, "Of course I meant it. Did you
paint this?"
"Yeah, I did." Lauren nodded.
"You must have put a lot of thought and emotions into it. It took quite a bit of effort, didn't it?"
"Mm... That's alright. The most important thing is that Landon likes it."
Lauren's eyes lit up at the mention of Landon. She smiled sweetly, and her face blushed pink.
"Landon treats me very well. There is not much I can give him, so I just did this painting as a gift. I'm glad that he likes it."
Cyrus' heart skipped a beat.
Throughout all these years of being a police officer, he was always immersed in the dark side of the world. Every day, he fought
fiercely with countless abominable devils.
It had been a very long time since he had seen such pure eyes.
The woman in front of him was just like the clear moonlight. Inconspicuously, she had lit up his dull and gloomy heart.

Lauren noticed that he had his gaze fixed on her. She blinked and looked at him with a confused look on her face. "Mr. Cyrus?"
Cyrus snapped out of his thoughts. The corner of his lip curled upward.
He said, "I remember the time from Lyla's birthday party when you addressed Lyse as Alyssa. So, there's no need to bother with
formalities. Call me Cyrus, just like Alyssa does."
"Cyrus?" Lauren was compliant. She addressed him exactly how he asked her to.
Cyrus smiled with his dashing eyes. He was about to reply when a cold voice sounded.
"Mr. Cyrus, Ms. Lauren is Mr. Landon's partner. It isn't appropriate for you to be so close with her in private."
Angelina watched Cyrus with a gloomy look in her eyes. She walked briskly to Lauren's side, giving off an attitude of
assertiveness as if she was defending Landon's rights.
Cyrus remained calm. He smiled slightly and responded, "What did I do that was so indecent that warrants such defensiveness
from you?
"Why? Does being with Landon mean that she doesn't have the right to interact with others normally? Are you saying that any
man who talks to her will have to die? Is he overly paranoid, or is his selfesteem just so low?"
"You!" Angelina gnashed her teeth as she glared at Cyrus. If he weren't Alyssa's elder brother, she would have already given him
a tight slap on the face!
"Angie..." Lauren tugged at Angelina's shirt and shook her head anxiously.
Lauren might not be very articulate and look simple-minded, but she often understood the ways of the world.

Cyrus was Alyssa's brother. It was because of this connection that he would stop to chat with her. She was aware of that.
If they were to have bad blood just because of a tiny matter like this, it would put Alyssa in a tough position, and that would be
bad.
Cyrus caught a glimpse of Lauren's nervous expression. In the end, he smiled nonchalantly and strutted past Angelina.
"No one can steal whatever that is meant to be his. So, what's the use of being overprotective? You're wasting your time being
concerned. After all, us Taylors are cultured people."
To their great surprise, Winston chose the latter after being given the option to leave or stay for dinner. He decided to stay
despite having had an intense argument with Alyssa.
After a recent argument, they were now sharing a meal. Only the Taylors were capable of making 180- degree turns like this.
Nonetheless, Jasper was now scared out of his mind. He had to whip up a meal under Winston's watchful eyes. He had never
been so freaked out in his entire life. His heart was in his mouth!
Winston sat in the living room, exuding regality to intimidate Jasper. Jasper felt like he was welcoming royalty.
"Lyse, I only have a few simple dishes in my repertoire. Plus, they're not that great." Jasper stood stiffly in the kitchen, feeling
worried. "Would those make him throw up?"
Alyssa snorted. "You're exaggerating."