My Husband Is An International Idol

Chapter 66: A Day Like A Family

Miracles happened.

At least, that was what River insisted.

For the first time in months, everyone shared the same day off. Pulse had no schedules, the Sterling cousins were free, Emily and Mary had nothing planned, and even Robin had been ordered by Matthew St. Claire to take a proper break.

"It feels illegal," Robin muttered over breakfast. "I don’t know what to do with free time."

Nathan laughed.

"You should sleep."

"I already did."

"For how long?"

"Twelve hours."

The dining room burst into laughter.

Long before everyone else woke up, however, one person was already busy. Wearing a simple white sweater beneath an apron, Liliana quietly walked into the mansion’s enormous kitchen. The chefs immediately rushed over, already knowing exactly what she was about to do.

"Miss Sterling!"

One of them smiled helplessly.

"You don’t have to cook."

Liliana returned the smile.

"I know."

"Then why are you here?"

"Because everyone finally has a day off."

She tied her apron around her waist.

"I wanted to make breakfast."

The chefs exchanged defeated looks. They had learned long ago that once Liliana decided to cook for everyone, convincing her otherwise was impossible.

Eventually...

They surrendered.

Again.

An hour later, the aroma of freshly baked bread drifted throughout the mansion. Bacon sizzled on the stove while stacks of fluffy pancakes, vegetable omelets, homemade sandwiches, soup, rice, fresh fruit, pastries, coffee, and juice covered the enormous dining table. It looked less like breakfast and more like the buffet of a luxury hotel.

Amanda entered the dining room first.

Then stopped.

The head chef immediately bowed.

"Madam..."

"We sincerely apologize."

Amanda blinked in confusion.

"For what?"

"We couldn’t stop Miss Sterling."

"We wanted to prepare breakfast ourselves."

Before Amanda could answer, Liliana walked out of the kitchen carrying another tray.

She smiled sheepishly.

"I insisted."

Amanda laughed softly before walking over and gently squeezing her shoulder.

"I should’ve known."

She looked around the beautifully prepared table before smiling warmly.

"You know..."

"This house hasn’t felt this warm in years."

Liliana’s cheeks immediately turned pink.

One by one, everyone gathered around the table, and almost every person reacted the same way—with complete disbelief.

River’s eyes widened.

"Is this breakfast or a hotel buffet?"

Nathan nodded enthusiastically.

"I suddenly don’t want to leave this mansion."

Emily took a bite of the pancakes before dramatically placing a hand over her heart.

"Lily."

Liliana looked up.

"Yes?"

"If you ever leave Chris..."

Chris immediately looked horrified.

Emily continued as though nothing had happened.

"...please marry me instead."

The entire dining room erupted with laughter.

Chris pointed at her in protest.

"Absolutely not."

"Too late."

Emily calmly reached for another pancake.

"I’ve already chosen."

Liliana laughed so hard she nearly dropped her fork.

Breakfast disappeared surprisingly quickly. Even the security personnel received full plates because, as always, Liliana refused to let anyone work on an empty stomach. One of the older bodyguards accepted his meal with a grateful smile, watching her hand out food to every person in the room without forgetting anyone.

"You really treat everyone like family."

Liliana answered so naturally that she didn’t even have to think about it.

"Because you are."

The older bodyguard quietly smiled.

For some reason...

She always made people feel at home.

After breakfast, everyone migrated to the living room, only to discover that none of them actually knew what to do with an entire day of freedom. The room fell strangely quiet until River finally looked around in confusion.

"So..."

"What do we do?"

Nathan shrugged.

"I forgot how free time works."

Emily suddenly jumped to her feet.

"I have an idea."

Immediately, everyone became suspicious.

Especially Robin.

"No."

Emily ignored him completely.

"We’re going out."

Nicole’s eyes lit up.

"Where?"

Emily counted on her fingers.

"First, the amusement park."

Everyone nodded.

"Then a picnic."

More enthusiastic nods followed.

"And..."

A mischievous grin spread across her face.

"A bar tonight."

The room exploded with excitement.

River practically launched himself off the sofa.

"I’m in!"

Aaron nodded with a small smile.

"Sounds fun."

Leo stretched comfortably.

"I finally get to relax."

Mary closed her planner and placed it aside.

"For one day..."

She smiled.

"I’ll pretend I’m not everyone’s manager."

Robin sighed dramatically.

"I’ve already lost this argument, haven’t I?"

Everyone answered in perfect unison.

"Yes."

Two hours later, a convoy of black vehicles pulled into one of the largest amusement parks in the city. Security personnel quietly spread throughout the area before the group stepped out, but fans had already recognized Pulse. Excited screams echoed through the park as phones filled the air, yet the security team handled everything professionally, allowing fans to take photographs from a safe distance without anyone being pushed or crowded.

Once inside, the group looked surprisingly ordinary. River immediately dragged Nicole toward the tallest roller coaster despite her obvious protests, Aaron quietly won stuffed animals for Rose at nearly every game booth, Leo somehow ended up carrying everyone’s shopping bags, Nathan and Nicolo became fiercely competitive inside the arcade, Emily laughed so hard she nearly dropped her cotton candy, and Mary simply walked behind them with a content smile, enjoying the rare sight of everyone relaxing without worrying about schedules.

Meanwhile, Chris and Liliana strolled quietly side by side. Ever since the livestream, something inside Chris had changed. He was tired of pretending they were simply close friends, tired of acting as though the woman beside him wasn’t already his wife. Watching Liliana smile while River and Nicole argued over ice cream, he reached for her hand without even thinking.

Their fingers intertwined naturally.

Comfortably.

As though they had always belonged together.

Liliana looked at him in surprise.

"Chris..."

He smiled softly.

"I know."

"We’re outside."

She glanced around.

Fans were everywhere.

So were cameras.

Chris gently squeezed her hand.

Then quietly admitted,

"I’m tired of pretending."

Liliana looked at him for several long seconds.

Then...

She smiled.

And held his hand just a little tighter.

The reaction around them was immediate.

"Oh my God!"

"They’re holding hands!"

"Take a picture!"

Camera shutters echoed in every direction, and within minutes, photographs of the two of them flooded social media.

By lunchtime, the group moved to a nearby park where large trees provided shade for several picnic blankets. Instead of ordering expensive food, Liliana opened several picnic baskets she had secretly prepared before sunrise, causing everyone to stare at her in disbelief.

"You packed lunch?"

Nathan asked.

Liliana nodded innocently.

"Of course."

She began handing out neatly prepared lunch boxes one by one—to Chris, Leo, River, Aaron, Nathan, Nicole, Rose, Emily, Mary, Nicolo, Robin, and even every member of the security team. Between bites, she quietly refilled drinks, sliced fruit, passed sandwiches around, reminded River to eat vegetables, and gently forced Robin to sit down instead of checking work emails.

They were simple gestures.

Nothing extravagant.

Nothing meant for attention.

Yet somehow...

They transformed the entire afternoon.

It no longer felt like celebrities spending a day together.

It felt like family.

Nearby fans watched quietly from a respectful distance.

One young woman slowly lowered her phone.

"I understand now."

Her friend looked at her curiously.

"Understand what?"

She smiled as Liliana handed another lunch box to one of the bodyguards.

"Why everyone around her protects her."

Another fan nodded.

"She takes care of everyone."

"It doesn’t look forced."

"It feels..."

She searched for the perfect word before smiling.

"...like home."

Photographs from the picnic quickly spread across the internet. They weren’t pictures of luxury brands, expensive fashion, or celebrity status. Instead, they showed Liliana quietly serving food, laughing with everyone, making sure no one was forgotten, and treating every person around her with the same kindness.

For the first time in a long while...

The comments weren’t about rumors.

They weren’t about scandals.

They weren’t even about Chris holding her hand.

Instead, thousands of people wrote the very same thing.

"She doesn’t just fit into the St. Claire family..."

"She makes everyone around her feel like family."