Fred accepted it. "As long as it’s a gift from you, I’d like it."

"Don’t you want to open it?" she asked with a smile.

"I'll open it after I get back to Lanford," he replied. He observed the presents in the cabinet again and saw one bearing Morris' name.

After a moment's hesitation, he asked, "Are you giving Morris a present too?"

"Of course, he’s my friend!" Jacqueline said matter-of-factly.

Fred’s expression dimmed slightly. He knew that the people who received Christmas presents from her were all people who were very important to her.

Most of them were her family members. Very few friends would receive Christmas presents from her. Was Morris one of them now?

"Jackie, you have many friends, but promise me that I'll always be your most important friend, okay?" Fred earnestly requested.

Jacqueline looked at him in confusion.

Fred's heart sank. "What’s wrong? Is my request strange? I just—"

Before he could finish, she interrupted, "Fred, that’s such a strange thing to ask! Of