Two Belgian waffles sat on white plates atop the island countertop, each graced with a dollop of butter, whipped cream and a scattering of blueberries. Anne carried them over to the breakfast area, picking up a square card off the table as Hans stared at his cellphone. He'd been reading something intently for the past twenty minutes, occasionally tapping the screen as if writing some urgent message. Anna sat at the seat across from him and helped herself to a forkful of delicious waffle, the tart blueberry a pleasant contrast from the buttery dough.

The silver card had a matte finish with the words, "You're Invited!", written glamorously on the front. Two elegant snowflakes watermarked the background. Hans continued to stare at his phone while she shuffled more waffle into her mouth and read the details for a Welcome Home reception for…Kristoff Bjorgman! Seeing the name, the redhead's eyes suddenly scanned the rest of the invitation with more interest. Wintra, LTD. was to host the event. Anna's brow furrowed at the company name. She didn't recognize it. But she recalled Kristoff's ice maker company as one of the topics from the awful dinner at Pompilios.

Putting aside that cringe-worthy memory, Anna set the invitation down and looked over at Hans. "Hey. Would it be all right with you if I tag along for this?" She slid the card across the table.

She barely got a distracted, "Hm?" out of him as he continued scrolling on his phone.

"So I can network… for work, or maybe even my writing?"

Hans blinked and glanced down at the invitation. He snatched it up at once and gave her a look. "Absolutely not! I can't have you embarrassing me." He glowered at her as he set the card off to the side and finally took a bite out of his waffle. His face lit up as he began to chew, but then his cellphone rang. "Gene! What's up?"

Anna rolled her eyes and resumed her own meal as Hans took the call. There was a slight pause in which she could hear the manager's voice all tiny and agitated from the other end of the phone.

"…and? I went shopping. That's hardly a tabloid headline."

Anna snorted. She could just see the story now: Hans Westergaard Buys Vacuum Cleaner. She wolfed down the last of her waffle and slid out of her seat to bring her dirty dish to the sink.

"Oh… it was her father's birthday."

Anna's ears perked up. She started up the faucet to rinse her plate.

So, that's what it was. Hans was spotted somewhere with a woman and the press was going nuts now. How riveting!

It was a good thing that no one had seen her with him the time he took her dress shopping. She frowned to recall how that seemingly generous outing had been completely self-serving for Hans.

"These people…" Hans muttered on inaudibly as he stood up. He glanced once at her before leaving the kitchen, pointing to several shirts hanging off the back of the couch in the nearby living room. "Those need to be taken to the dry cleaners." Then, he walked off, listening intently to Gene.

"Maybe I am. Look, I can't have them mucking up the surprise…" His voice grew fainter as he reached the stairs, heading up. He'd left for privacy, Anna realized as she stared at the shirts on the couch. She was almost indignant that he thought she was eavesdropping…

…except that she had been listening.

"Well…" she huffed, turning the water off and giving the plate a gentle shake to rid it of excess water before she popped it into the dishwasher. She almost went to retrieve the shirts when that invitation caught her eye again. Hans had left it behind.

Anna's eyes narrowed as she opened the card to peek once more at the event details. How exactly would she embarrass him? She huffed. She could just…pretend she didn't know him.

That, she decided, was what she would do! He'd given her a week to find another place. Now that she thought about it, a week was not enough time. She didn't know anyone. Her only family had stolen everything from her. First, she had to find work. Then she had to save up for a deposit. She scoffed, realizing that Hans had not thought this through.

"More likely, he doesn't know the real world works. Must be nice having others do everything for you…"

She pulled her phone out to take a quick photo of the reception details. If the invitation disappeared, Hans would know what she was up to. This way, she could just show up without his intervention. By that point, he wouldn't be able to get rid of her without making a scene.

But first, she had a little investigating to do. Her throat grew tight as she swiped her thumb across her phone screen and stared at the last address she'd saved a photo of.

Azalea Lane was a small street among many with two-story brick townhouses in the southeast section of the city. It overlooked the same fjord Anna lived on. There was a narrow park across a two-lane highway with a beachfront on the water and grassy picnic space stretched out between young trees. It would be a nice place to live, Anna thought darkly as she came to number twenty-eight. She climbed the steps leading up to the front porch, the iron fry pan in one hand. She hadn't thought out everything she would say to her cousin, but she wouldn't hold back just because they were family.

She buzzed the doorbell, but no one answered. Next, she tried knocking. She waited a minute before knocking again.

Could they be hiding inside?

She huffed and scooted over to the window on the right, then brought her hands up to the glass to try and peer inside. She could make out a dim living room, but that was it. As she turned to face the street again, she thought about her options. She could wait for them here or in the park.

Anna let out a sigh of resignation as she walked back down to the street. Better to just try another time, another day. She turned left and started along the sidewalk, realizing that she didn't even want to see Rapunzel. She wanted to tear both her and Eugene apart, that was true. But to face the people who had betrayed her was a painful prospect. There was nothing they could say or do to make it up to her.

Her throat tightened up as she turned a corner, suddenly eager to just go home. She'd forgotten how uncomfortable it was to be out in public. Though she was alone, she carried so many ugly feelings with her that she was sure passersby could see them.

Someone came around the corner and knocked directly into her. A cry rang out as a paper bag of groceries went flying—tomatoes, flatbread, onions, meat, yogurt and more erupted from the brown bag and fell in a scatter upon the sidewalk. A bottle of sparkling water rolled up and knocked against Anna's feet. She squatted down to pick the bottle up, midway through offering an apology when she glanced up to find Rapunzel and Eugene struggling to gather their dropped groceries.

Eugene was the first to recognize her. He tried to nudge Rapunzel to attention while she struggled to hold onto all the produce at once. "Uh… Punz, honey…"

"Ugh, fine. We're close enough, run and grab one of the canvas…" The blonde trailed off, her frightened green eyes wide and locked onto Anna, who stood with a white-knuckled grip on the bottle of fizzy water. The frying pan twitched menacingly in her other hand.

Anna's trembled hand shook the bottle, the water inside violently foaming up against the plastic. The blonde glanced back and forth between the beverage and Anna's dark stare.

"Run, run, run, run, run!" Eugene yelped, hoisting Rapunzel up by her elbow. The groceries were suddenly forgotten as they tore off in the opposite direction. Rapunzel glanced back with worry as Anna stared after them.

"Did they actually just…?" She shook her head. A heartbeat later, she let out a vehement cry and sprinted after them, propelled into motion by all the rage she wanted to unleash upon the pair.

"How could you do this to me?!" she shouted after them. Strangers on foot and in their cars gaped at the pursuit on the sidewalk. Anna shook the frying pan after them as they turned another corner. Eugene barely avoided a fire hydrant with Rapunzel crashing into him as he stumbled to carefully move around it. Anna caught up with them briefly then, untwisting the cap of the sparkling water and letting the carbonated contents shoot out at both.

Squealing and now drenched, Rapunzel grabbed at Eugene and yanked him to cross at an intersection. But Anna was not far behind, still yelling all their trespasses against her for everyone in earshot. She chased them down an alleyway, where they ran into a graffiti dead-end and turned around reluctantly. At last, they were forced to face her.

Rapunzel grabbed for Eugene and collapsed to the ground abruptly, her hands going to her belly as she groaned. Anna froze in place, startled by the fall.

"Honey! Punz! Baby?" All at once, Eugene was at his girlfriend's side, taking her face into his hands and looking down where she held her stomach.

Anna stalked up to them, reining in her fury long enough to see that something was wrong. She squatted down next to Eugene and reached out to touch Rapunzel's hand.

"Punz… what's wrong?"

Her cousin whimpered as she met Anna's eyes. Her hair stuck to her face, still damp from the sparkling water.

"The truth is… I'm nine weeks pregnant."

Anna used a teaspoon to mix the lemonade powder into a tall glass of ice water. She stirred gently, gazing into the space of Rapunzel's small kitchen. A counter bar top separated her from the open great room adjoined to the small dining room. Eugene was on one knee at Rapunzel's side as she stretched out on the loveseat. Anna recognized some of the furniture from her parents' house, but her anger had pretty much fizzled out the moment the couple revealed their predicament.

She would not forget what they had done. But in the wake of their joy and anxiety over welcoming a little person into the world, Anna just couldn't find it in herself to berate them.

The ice lightly clinked up against the glass as she walked out and passed the lemonade to Eugene, who then carefully handed it to his girlfriend. Anna observed the two of them. The love they had for one another was clear as day. It shone through their eyes. Anna even felt a twinge of longing for what they had. But strangely, she… somehow, she was still happy for them.

"Why didn't you just ask me for money…?"

The peaceful moment was fractured by the single question. Eugene sank into a cross-legged sitting position with his back to the loveseat as Rapunzel sat up to sip her lemonade. She grimaced—from the sweetness of the drink or from having to respond, Anna couldn't tell. Her hair was still a little damp, but her top already looked dry.

"Anna, I just… I panicked. None of this was planned, and I just… started freaking out. My head was all over the place." The blonde clung to her glass as she spoke up. "I'm ashamed."

"I owe you an apology as well. I wasn't thinking clearly either," Eugene spoke up. "Punz had just started looking into getting her associate degree, and… my old job wasn't gonna cut it."

Anna glanced back and forth between the two of them. It was all just so…anticlimactic.

"I'm really, really not happy with what you did. But… I understand having a baby is expensive."

She cringed at the way both of their faces lit up as if she had absolved them from their sin. A wave of irritation surged within her, but she took a deep breath and counted to ten in one very awkward silence. The couple both began to sputter their gratitude for her graciousness, and Anna held one hand up.

"Eugene. You need to find a job with appropriate pay and benefits. Punz…" Once again, she struggled with her anger. "Did you sell everything?"

Rapunzel brought one hand up over her heart as though the question had struck her there. "Anna, I… put most of it in storage. Whatever you don't see here…"

With that, a little faith in her cousin was restored. The trust was still broken, but perhaps not irreparable.

Rapunzel's eyes narrowed before they flickered to Eugene, then back to Anna. "How did you find us? The frying pan…"

Anna panicked. The less these two knew about her involvement with Hans, the better.

"I'm staying with a friend, and I arranged for the post office to forward all mail addressed to me. You guys ah… used my old address."

"So, that's why it never showed up here…" Eugene mumbled from the floor.

Anna couldn't suppress a snigger. Rapunzel was soon giggling along with her.

"What?" Eugene looked back and forth between them. His wounded expression only made the two women laugh harder.

Anna's phone buzzed in her back pocket. She pulled it out to find a message from Hans.

Where are you?

Before she even had the chance to reply, she saw he was typing up a follow-up. The mobile vibrated again in her hands as the second message popped up.

Seriously need you to take those shirts to the dry cleaners. I need them by tomorrow.

She'd thought the usual turn around for dry cleaning was a few business days.

Unless they make an exception for His Highness, she thought.

"Of course they would..."

Rapunzel and Eugene heard the comment and turned toward her in confusion.

"Of course we would what?" Rapunzel asked with worry.

"Ah, n-nothing!" Anna chuckled darkly. She'd have to run back home to pick up the shirts. There would still be plenty of time for her to get ready for the party, which didn't start until 9pm. Evidently it was doubling as a New Year's Eve party, and there was going to be a big countdown to midnight. She hated to admit it to herself, but that was another reason she really wanted to go.

"I've got to get going, I've got… job applications."

She had almost let slip she was going to a New Year's party. But then she thought the better of it.

Rapunzel wriggled up out of her seat and hopped up to give Anna a hug. Eugene too stood up to join in, the two of them murmuring more apologies and words of thanks. Two seconds in, Anna tried to yank herself free, the sudden outpour of remorse too much for her.

"Okay, okay, guys. Guys? Okay. All right. That's enough. You two. It's…all right."

"We're so proud of you, Anna!" Rapunzel sniffed.

"Proud, huh?" She smiled with a shake of her head as she briefly hugged them back.

Honestly, she couldn't imagine either as a parent. But there would be no shortage of love for the child.

Several hours later, Anna walked from the bus stop at St. Andrew's Church after looking up directions to the party venue. She was surprised to note the location was another point along Odin's Fjord.

Nothing quite prepared her for the upscale neighborhood of St. Andrew's. Apart from the church and a quaint post office behind it, each residential block consisted of walled off estates. She could only make out glimpses of turrets and balconies, but enough to tell that no two mansions were the same. Little white lights twinkled in garlands hanging atop the walls. Some of the estates were even decorated with colorful light displays. She thought of her own house and wondered if Hans would decorate it next year.

Wait, what?

Why on earth would she think about him still being in her house that far into the future? She scowled and picked up her pace. She was already thirty minutes past the event start time.

After a final check on her mobile map, Anna came to a large property whose gates were open to several incoming and outgoing limos. She squeezed her way in alongside one vehicle without any hassle from the gate man on the other side. But then for all he knew, she could have come from another estate on the block.

Anna paused to assess the cobblestone paver driveway ahead. Drivers pulled up to let guests out beneath the coach gate at the front of a two-story Tudor home. She kept her chin up to blend in as she walked the thankfully short length of the cobbled path to the open entrance. Miraculously enough, no one stopped her or asked for any proof of an invitation.

Several couples and groups passed her by, all following the wait staff directing guests through a long arched hallway that passed through the center of the house. Anna followed along, turning left to pass through a gourmet kitchen and formal dining room with several glass doors opening out to a wide terrace and courtyard, which even had a lit in-ground pool. She tried to keep her mouth from hanging open as she followed other guests outside, amazed by the various refreshment tables set up throughout the yard. The fjord sat at the very edge of a long backyard, but it was too dark to tell if there was a private beach.

Every hedge within the courtyard was decorated with small white lights which, combined with various lamp posts with yet more small lights dangling between them, made for a charming scene which Anna was all too happy to wander into. The suits and evening gowns surrounding her did make her feel a tad underdressed. But even the olive dress Hans had bought for her was more formal than anything else she owned.

Thinking of His Highness again, she paused where she stood and did a quick glance around to make sure he was not in sight. She relaxed at the absence of the auburn-haired man, then meandered over to the nearest drinks table. There she asked a stoic-faced girl with a blond top-knot for a glass of lemonade. No sooner did she take a carefree sip and turn than she spotted Hans's profile among a group of three dark suits talking animatedly a mere five feet away from the table. She quickly darted toward a group of people to her right and shimmied around them, glancing as if to look for someone, though always casting her gaze back toward Hans. He did not break from his conversation, luckily for her. She let out a small sigh.

"Are you all right, young lady?"

Anna almost choked on her lemonade. To her left, an older gentleman with a bushy white mustache looked her over with some concern.

"Oh, yes! I just…"

"Saw someone you don't want to bump into?" Anna's eyes widened as the man laughed. "Well, perhaps I can distract you. What do you do, and how do you know young Bjorgman?"

Oh boy…

At first, Hans felt confident. He and Ariel were some of the earlier guests. Upon arriving, he had immediately gone up to her for a hug. She looked like an angel in her silver sequins dress and dazzling earrings. No more was said about Glowerhaven as Ariel finally decided to ask him all about the shoot in Osaka. Hans was happy to talk about work as that left him less likely to accidentally ruin the surprise for later that night.

When the questions about his trip dwindled, Hans opted to leave her and mingle for the next couple of hours rather than remain attached at the hip. He intentionally mentioned wanting her thoughts about a 'certain matter' but insisted on asking later. Then, he made as if he'd just spotted someone he had not expected to see and excused himself to go talk to them.

He knew some of the guests personally and others by reputation. Many were dry business tycoons that had little in common with him. Then there were a few marketing representatives from Kristoff's company, models, lawyers, artists, influences and of course publicity. He was practiced in recognizing reporters and carefully avoided them. Thankfully only one of them tried to approach him. The rest seemed to be at the event strictly for Wintra, LTD and its president.

The other guests and wait staff kept noting the absence of a drink in his hands. But even if he hadn't been working up to a proposal that night, one smooth and silky Whiskey Old Fashioned was enough for him. He was constantly under the public eye. Gene's call that morning had reminded him of the fact. He smirked to think of the explosive headlines his New Year's proposal would make.

"…never considered Northuldra House. I thought they only accepted works from published authors?"

Hans's brow lifted as a familiar voice caught his ear.

Tell me that's not her…

"Is that right? Hm… I have a cousin Mattias who's an editor there. Maybe I can talk to him for you. Tell me more about the book, Miss Frost."

But there was no mistaking the outrageously animated voice that suddenly sped off into a rollercoasting synopsis. Hans peered through the crowd until his eyes locked onto the zestful, freckly woman he specifically told was not welcome to this event.

"Hans Westergaard! A pleasure to see you here!" A male reporter had come up from his right, but Hans only had eyes for the redhead he intended to drag off the premises. "Could I have a five-minute interview?"

He turned on his most charming smile in apology as he briefly glanced at the reporter. "Afraid not, friend. Please focus on Kristoff Bjorgman. He's the man of honor tonight." He clapped the man on the back and walked off as the man was about to protest. Then, he made a beeline for Anna.

Much to his annoyance, she looked up and spotted him before he could get close.

"Thank you, Mr. Mosby!" she squeaked, already inching back nervously. Hans gave her a fiery glare as he watched her glance back to check for the clearest path of escape behind her. "I will be… right back, if you'll just excuse me… for one minute!" Then, she was off. Hans appreciated that she had the decency not to run, which would draw attention. But the ludicrous chase was grating all the same.

He pursued her with mild amusement as she wove around waiters and tables, rudely bumping into guests when she wasn't careful enough walking backwards. She flashed him a pleading look as they made their way farther and farther away from the mansion. But this moved him not one iota when he finally trapped her with a measly hedge between them.

"I distinctly remember telling you not to come here..."

Hans watched her chew her lip as she worked up to her excuse.

"Look… just pretend you don't know me. I just want to get out of your hair. The gentleman I was just talking to—"

"Mr. Mosby? Chairman of the Liefler Motor Corp? Has a job for you, does he?"

"—yes, him! Well, we were about to exchange contact—"

"No, Anna. There will be no exchanging. You need to leave."

She huffed at him. "What's your deal? You don't have to be involved. You're not my agent."

That made Hans scoff. The girl's insolence was truly staggering. Did she not understand that she didn't belong here?

He let out a long sigh and impatiently beckoned her to join him on his side of the hedge. The girl looked like she would rather jump in the fjord than go to him. But she reluctantly trudged over.

"Let me just exchange numbers with Mr. Mosby and—"

"Anna."

She scowled as he cut her off. Here he had carefully practiced his proposal for Ariel. He'd waited until—he checked his watch and cursed. They'd be starting the countdown to midnight any minute now. He squared his jaw, about to make an offer of his own when he heard his name as part of a nearby outburst.

"I am sick and tired of watching you play Hans like a fiddle!"

Hans blinked and turned his head. Had he heard that right? He blinked again. Kristoff had cornered Ariel near one of the lamp posts.

"What?" Anna asked. But he ignored her, desperate to hear the conversation between his friend and the woman he loved.

"I don't understand why you're being like this… Hans is an adult, the same as you and me. Sure, he'll miss me, but—"

"He's in love with you. Didn't you see it at the dinner? You just play ignorant because you like the attention. It's cruel, Ariel. Why don't you do him a favor and cut him loose?"

Anna, meanwhile, was utterly oblivious to his efforts to eavesdrop. She had her hands up to her mouth to project her volume as she called up to him.

"Hello? Earth to Westergaard!"

Meanwhile, he sensed a crowd forming behind them. Voices murmured his name and inquiries about the woman he had with him.

"…his date?"

"I don't recognize her, do you?"

"Were they hoping for privacy over here? This is a party…"

"She's cute, if unrefined."

Anna blinked and looked past him, her jaw dropping as camera flashes began to go off.

"The countdown!" someone yelled from back at the mansion.

"The countdown," Anna repeated, glancing up at him.

He looked over again. Kristoff met his gaze. An odd emotion crossed over his face. Ariel turned too, but Hans quickly looked back down at Anna.

The whole thing was utterly humiliating. He couldn't let them know he'd overheard. He'd rather die than let them know.

"TEN!"

"Hey, you don't look so good," Anna said. She looked genuinely concerned.

He reached into his coat pocket.

"NINE!"

Anna glanced down at the case he pulled out. Her brow furrowed.

"EIGHT!"

He opened the box quickly. If he timed it right, he could still make the headlines. He glanced away quickly to make sure Kristoff and Ariel were watching.

"SEVEN!"

Good. They had approached the crowd of reporters that had formed around him and Anna.

"SIX!"

He stowed the ring case back in his coat and grabbed Anna by the hand. In one smooth swoop, he pulled her to him. Then, he dipped her backward and lowered his lips to hers in an abrupt and deep, long kiss.

Anna's lips were sweet and sour. Lemonade, he realized.

She tensed up and froze long enough for him to slide the engagement ring onto her finger while the countdown carried on. The crowd behind them went mad with cheers, applause and camera flashes.

"THREE!"

He gently broke the kiss and lifted her to stand upright again. He gazed softly into her eyes which seemed to say, 'Are you insane?'.

Now, he thought. He locked fingers with Anna and raised both their hands to show off her ring.

"TWO!"

"She said yes!" he shouted out as he turned to face the crowd.

"ONE!"

The night sky exploded with celebratory fireworks at the stroke of midnight, and as far as the crowd knew, Hans Westergaard was engaged to Anna Frost.

A/N: I am FINALLY able to work on this again. Thank you for waiting, and thank you for reading! I so looked forward to writing this chapter.

I'm still pretty busy, but I hope to be able to update once a month from this point. Thanks so much!