Anneliese looked at Archer's face and smiled. 'He's shocked. Do I look that pretty or ugly?' she thought. "Hi," she said and gave a small wave.

"Um, ah, y-you look...beautiful..." he said, rubbing his neck.

"Thank you..." she remarked, blushing. "And you...you look dashing." He broke into a sweet chuckle. "Ah, do you prefer...handsome?" He shook his head with a smile on his face.

She was wearing a pink, floral, and eccentric dress; pink, lace heels; nude stockings; and a white, faux fur shawl. Her hair was in an elegant bun accessorized by a pink and white, floral headpiece. Lastly, a pink, crossbody bag hung on her shoulder, and her face wore a simple yet glamorous makeup look.

He was wearing a navy blue suit, making him look like the CEO of some hotshot company. She felt like she overdressed, but after seeing him, she didn't anymore.

"Well, I'm still here," her mother stated. "Hi, I'm Karen. What's your name?" She extended her hand to him.

He shook her hand and opened his mouth to speak, but Anneliese interrupted him. "Will! Well, it's William, but I call him Will."

"Anneliese, he can speak for himself," her mother remarked with narrowed eyes. Anneliese looked at Archer nervously, hoping he would get what she was doing.

Thankfully, he did. "Yes, I'm William Knott. Nice to meet you, Mrs. Mormont," he said, and Anneliese suppressed a smile.

"It's nice to meet you too, Will. I'll assume you'll take care of Anneliese and bring her back by nine."

"Uh, yes I will."

"Aha, I'm just kidding. Keep her out as long as you want. Just make sure to bring her back to me."

He chuckled, and she pouted. "Mother, we need to leave now. See you later," she said and pulled on his arm. He waved goodbye to her mother and left.

"Why William?" he asked.

"Why not? Do you think she caught on to the Knott?" She chuckled.

"Hm, maybe." He smiled at her then resumed watching the road as he drove.

"Um, where are we going?"

"You'll see when we get there." There was a bit of playfulness in his tone.

. . .

"You can't see anything, right?" he asked, leading her by hand.

"Nothing," she answered.

"You sure you have your eyes closed?" He looked at her face.

"Yes!" She laughed. "I don't want to ruin your surprise." Suddenly, they came to a stop, and he let go of her hand. "Are we there already?" He didn't answer. "May I open my eyes? Archer?" She could only hear the crickets of grasshoppers. "Ar-"

"You may open them now," he finally said. She slowly opened her eyes and was taken aback by the scene before her. He was standing next to a chair stylishly under a big gazebo decorated by fairy lights, one hand on the cresting rail of one of the chairs and the other in the pocket of his pants. A glamorous dinner was set out for them. He gave a soft smile as he watched her stare at him, her mouth agape.

"Uh, Archer. What's all this?" asked Anneliese as she walked into the gazebo.

"It's our dinner," he answered with a smile.

"Did you set the whole thing?"

"Hah...yes." He rubbed the back of his neck shyly.

"I didn't know you had a romantic side to you."

"I didn't either." They both chuckled. "Shall we start dining?" asked Archer.

She smiled sweetly at him. "We shall," she answered. He pulled the chair out for her, and she happily took a seat.

"I hope you'll like what I got for us. I didn't know what you liked."

"Anything is fine." He took off the silver covers of the dishes to reveal steak topped with shrimps and mushrooms and steamed vegetables along with mashed potato on the side. "Did you make this too?"

"Ah, no. I asked my aunt. It's been some time since I talked to her, so when I asked, she cooked with no hesitation. Steak is her specialty."

"Well, now that you said that, I can't wait to dig in." She grabbed her fork and knife and started to cut into the steak, making all the tasty juices flow out.

'I think I should tell her now,' thought Archer. "Anneliese..."

"Yes?" She looked up at him as she chewed. "Oh, this is really good!" she exclaimed.

"Haha, yeah. Um, listen. The files I found in Mr. Mormont's safe wasn't only about the funds and sponsors. There was also evidence of embezzlement and money laundering, but they were all under his name. I don't think your mother knows," stated Archer.

"Why do you think my mother doesn't know? Just because her name isn't on the documents?"

"No, it's because I've heard many things about her from Mr. Raymond. I don't believe she is the type of person to go along with those crimes silently."

"Why? She destroyed all my father's hard work for Gabriel."

"Anneliese..." His brows knitted together.

"I know what you're thinking. I shouldn't hate my mother or judge her other actions because of one thing she did in the past, but I thought I knew her too, yet she did what she did. However, I'm not saying I don't believe that there's a 50% chance she doesn't know about what Gabriel has done," said Anneliese as she stabbed her mash potato.

"I presented the evidence to the police this morning. They'll do an investigation and arrest Mr. Mormont soon after they get a warrant."

"Okay...can we talk about something else?" she asked with a faint smile, and he nodded. Suddenly, she noticed what he was wearing, and she smiled unconsciously as she brought a cauliflower to her mouth. "You're wearing the tie I gave you?"

His face turned red. "Yes, I thought tonight would be the right time to wear it." They stared at each other for a while, getting lost in the moment. "Uh, we should hurry up before the food gets ice cold."

. . .

A few days later, Mormont Enterprises was searched by the police, and Gabriel was incarcerated and questioned. Karen was also questioned for being an accomplice. There was evidence that she had helped him in making some transfers for him; however, she claimed that she did not know that they were pertaining to money laundering. In fact, she did not know about any of the illegal activities he had done, for she never included herself in his work other than helping him when he was on business trips.

The only thing she was an accomplice to was selling NR Corporation's funds and sponsors to Mormont Enterprises, but the statute of limitations for that crime had already expired, and it was not a very serious matter since she had ownership to half of the company. Anneliese was waiting for her mother in the police station with Archer while she was being questioned. She didn't know what to say when her mother came out and stood in front of her. "Anneliese, I didn't know what Gabriel was doing," her mother stated.

"What did the police say?"

"...They're fining me five thousand dollars for unknowingly being a part of the act."

"So they're letting you off with a slap to the wrist."

"It's five thousand dollars, dear."

"I'm sure you can pay it off."

"Anneliese, do you hate me?"

"I don't know. Maybe? Have you ever thought about how I would feel if I found out that you divorced father and banished him from my life just so you could be with Gabriel? I mean, I understand you were in love, but you could've settled it more humanely."

"So you do hate me..." her mother said sadly.

"No," said Anneliese, and her mother's face lit up, "but that doesn't mean I'm ready to forgive you."

"Okay, I understand." She looked at Archer. "Please take care of my daughter, Will."

"My name is actually Archer, Mrs. Mormont," said Archer.

"What?" her mother looked confused.

"His real name is Archer Marx, not William. I came up with a fake name because I was afraid you'd recognize him since he worked at Mormont Enterprises," said Anneliese.

"Oh..." Her mother didn't know what to say.

"As for father, my biological one, I've been writing letters to him for the past few weeks. I'm planning on reuniting with him since I was deprived of our family time for sixteen years."

"Oh, I see...Well, I'm assuming I won't see you for some time then..."

"Yeah, I'll see you around, mother." Anneliese grabbed Archer's arm and left the police station.

Once in the parking lot, she stopped in her tracks, and he felt her hand tremble. "Are you okay?" he asked her. She turned around to reveal teary eyes and a frown on her face. She shook her head, and he pulled her into a hug. "You're going to be alright, Anneliese...You did well..." He rubbed her back for comfort as he whispered those words to her.

He released her from the hug and wiped her tears. "Thank you, Archer, for being here for me." She gave a sad smile and sniffled.

"I'll always have your back, Anne..." He petted her head slowly. Suddenly, a small, white speck landed onto her head. A few seconds later, several other white specks followed. She noticed and looked up at the sky. She opened her hand to let them fall into her palm. "It's snowing," stated Archer.

"The first snow..." whispered Anneliese, and they smiled softly at each other.

. . .

People bustled out of the courtroom. Among them were Anneliese, Archer, Clarissa, Nathaniel, and Karen. Gabriel was tried and found guilty for embezzlement and money laundering. His prison sentence added up to ten years, and he was fined five hundred thousand dollars in total. "Thank you, father, for coming here today," said Anneliese.

"It's no problem, Anneliese. This also concerned me," her father remarked. "I can't believe you didn't tell me about any of this."

"I wanted it to be a surprise."

"What kind of surprise is this?"

She chuckled. Behind her father was her mother walking towards them. "Nathaniel..." Karen called out. Nathaniel turned around and watched her, not knowing what to say. "I'm sorry, Nathan. I'm sorry on behalf of Gabriel too. I was not in my right mind when it all happened. I hope you can forgive me even after all these years."

"I forgive you, Karen. I know what kind of person you are. You must've been shrouded by other things that brought you to do what you did, so I don't blame you," said Nathaniel.

"Thank you so much." Her eyes teared up. "Please take care of Anneliese for me." She bowed and left after looking at her one last time. Before she left, her mother got a glimpse of the necklace sitting on Anneliese's neck, and she smiled a little. She now knew that even though everything had been revealed and despite the fact that her daughter was deeply disappointed in her, she still loved them very much. She felt relieved knowing that Anneliese still cared and that she will be okay in the care of the people who love her as much as she does.

"Well, that was sad," Clarissa commented, and they all looked at her. "What? Anyway, everything has been solved, and we can all celebrate!"

"Yeah, how about I treat you guys to lunch?" asked Anneliese's father.

"Great! Let's go!" exclaimed Clarissa.

Several more days later, Anneliese went to Nathaniel's apartment to celebrate New Year's Eve. She had already gotten more comfortable to being with her father and talking to him. They caught up on a lot of other stuff that had happened to them in the last sixteen years. His family was also very welcoming. "Hi, Anneliese! I've been longing to meet you ever since your dad told me about you!" exclaimed Nicole.

"I'm so glad I get to meet you too, mother," said Anneliese.

"Oh, mother is too formal. Just call me mom!" Nicole smiled widely at her.

"Okay...mom." She returned the smile, and her mom gave her a bear hug. It startled her, but she felt like she belonged because of it. She was finally part of a whole, happy family.

"Tyler, stop playing games in your room and come out! Your sister is here for New Year, and you're staying in your room!" his mom chided. He came out after a while with a hand in one pocket and the other rubbing the back of his neck shyly. "I'm sorry, dear. Tyler is usually never like this. Please excuse his rudeness."

"No, it's alright. He's probably just not used to me being his sister. I mean, we're not biological siblings," she remarked.

"Don't you dare say that, Anneliese. You are my daughter, so even if my son doesn't like it, he'll have to get used to it no matter what," said Nathaniel.

"Thank you, dad."

"Dad?" He looked surprised.

"What? Is it weird? I thought I should call you dad since I'm calling Nicole 'mom'," Anneliese stated.

"No, no, no! I love it!" He gave a bear hug to her as well, making her chuckle. "By the way, when are your friends coming?"

"They should be here soon." Just as she said that, the doorbell rang.

"Speak of the devils," her mom remarked. Her dad opened the door, and the two entered bearing gifts.

"Oh my God! Just a few more hours until New Year!" exclaimed Clarissa. "Time to party!"

"Archer?!" Nicole called out in surprise.

"Aunt Nicole?" He looked just as surprised.

"Wait, Aunt Nicole?" Anneliese looked at her mom confused.

"Archer is my nephew," her mom said.

"So you guys are related?!" Nathaniel asked, bewildered, and gave his daughter a worried glance.

"Well, not biologically. My sister-in-law adopted Archer when he was five. After she died, my older brother took care of him," answered Nicole, and the two let out a sigh of relief.

"Oh, okay that clears things up. Now, can we party?" asked Clarissa. Everybody laughed at her impatience.

After dinner, Anneliese went out to the back balcony. Archer followed her soon after. "What are you doing out here? It's cold," said Archer.

"Yes, it is, but I just wanted to get some fresh air. What about you? What are you doing out here?" she asked.

"I followed you," he answered and looked out at the lit city in front of them.

"So, my mom is your aunt, huh?"

"Yeah."

"How was living with her brother? She didn't seem too happy when she was talking about him."

"Well, he treated me horribly. After my foster mom died, he started drinking and bossing me around. He didn't really care for me since I was adopted."

"Oh, I'm so sorry, Archer." She frowned.

"It's fine. It's all in the past." Silence took over for a while, but he broke it. "What do you think about me, Anne?" His voice was calm and soothing like it always was.

She looked at him in surprise. She hesitated before answering. "Um, this is sudden, but I find you very comforting, caring, compassionate, loving, helpful, and a lot of other things that I can keep listing. Erm, you're...also...very attractive..." she mumbled the last part and coughed.

He smiled softly and held her hand. "I think those qualities describe you as well. You're a wonderful woman, and I'm extremely lucky to have you as my friend. However, I can't seem to keep these overpowering feelings from flooding my heart whenever I'm with you. I like you, Anne. Do you feel the same way?"

"Archer..."

"Wait, let me just say that if you don't feel the same way, don't feel bad. I will respect your feelings, so please be honest with me."

She stared into his glassy, blue eyes. They seemed so loving and sincere, making her heart jump. "You're an amazing guy, Archer. I don't deserve you and your love and support."

"So you don't feel the same way?"

"No, dummy. I like you too," she replied and flicked his forehead. She chuckled as he rubbed the spot. He stopped rubbing his forehead and looked at her lovingly, his hand caressing her face. Their faces slowly inched towards each other, their mouths letting out clouds of warmth from each breath in the ice-cold weather. Her heart raced as she closed her eyes.

Inside the apartment, Tyler looked out at the balcony from the kitchen and saw the two about to kiss. He panicked and quickly rushed outside. He slid the glass door open and exclaimed, "Come in to eat some fruits!" The two got startled and backed away from each other, their faces hot from the heat that was radiating between them. "Sorry, did I interrupt something?"

"No! It's alright, Tyler." She smiled at him, and he blushed then left.

She turned around to look at Archer, who was covering part of his face with one hand, and giggled. "We should go in now," she said. As she started leaving, he grabbed her arm and pulled her into a kiss. Her eyes went wide in surprise, but she returned it. Her hand slid up to hold his shoulder while the other circled his neck, and his arms wrapped around her waist. They indulged in the sweetness of the kiss as the fireworks set off to indicate the start of a new year.

By the sliding door, Nicole, Nathaniel, and Clarissa peeked at both of them with smirks on their faces. Their lips parted from each other slowly, and he kissed her forehead. Then, they noticed that they had an audience; their faces went red like a tomato. "You guys are acting like perverts, you know," Anneliese stated.

"I know," Clarissa remarked, and they burst out into laughter. "What? Is it that funny?" She smiled.

"Come in and have some fruits you two lovebirds," said Nicole. The rest of the night was lively and the most fun Anneliese had ever had in her life. Her dad had finally gifted her the tea set he had promised along with a music box, which portrayed a happy family.

'I think the final letter I have left for my dad doesn't need to be written down because he probably already knows what's going to be inside it.'

Dear dad,

          Thank you for reappearing in my life. Thank you for making me a part of your family again. Thank you for being my dad. I love you with all my heart.

Love,
your daughter, Anneliese