049b% /b

    I sighed, a little helpless. “Why did you go all out with the preparations? Were you scheming about tonight all along?”

    Nathan lowered his voice. “Sorry, but if I’d told you ahead of time, you probably would’ve shot down the whole idea. I had

    to sneak around and get it done.”

    I felt sorry seeing how hard he tried to please me, and a little guilty too. “You don’t have to apologize. I get it, and ! really appreciate everything. Thank you.”

    Seeing I wasn’t ming him anymore, Nathan looked relieved and happy again.

    By the time we were done, it was already seven o’clock. Nathan drove me to an exclusive venue, its architecture radiating

    distinctly British charm–almost ethereal in the darkness.

    Nathan didn’t take my hand; instead, he simply escorted me inside with gentlemanly grace.

    The ce was filled with the rich aroma of wine, and the air buzzed with murmured conversations. There were prototypes and design specs scattered around, with groups of people everywhere, chatting andworking.

    As soon as we arrived, someone struck up a conversation with Nathan, and he introduced me right away.

    All the growth I’d gone throughtely meant I didn’t feel insecure anymore. My Englysian had gotten so much better, and I was open to hearing new perspectives without any fear.

    Nathan was clearly distracted. Even though this was his field, he actually tripped over his words a few times. Whenever he nced at me, he looked a bit flustered, and that blush on his face made him look like he’d just stepped out of a romance

    novel.

    All I could do was avoid meeting his eyes–every nce felt like I was flirting with disaster, like I was about to turn into a

    heartbreaker.

    Suddenly, there was amotion up ahead, like someone really important had just walked in. A bunch of people rushed over to greet them.

    Nathan, being tall, nced toward the entrance, and his face went a little stiff.

    The next second, he leaned in and whispered, “Remember Uncle Ryan?”

    A chill ran down my spine at his words.

    Nathan thought I only knew Edward casually, not well enough to be close. After all, I used to be with Ryan.

    “Yeah, I remember,” I said, my voice kind of caught in my throat, sounding awkward and off.

    Nathan got all serious and started breaking it down. “The Jennings family’s got deep pockets, and everyone’s after their investment. Edward popping up here out of nowhere? He must be here because he’s got his eye ion /ithe ifuture /iof tech. Tonight’s crowd is basically the top tech leaders from all over the world.”

    Hearing that, it hit me–Edward’s here for business, in and simple.

    I jumped in, “Didn’t he invest in yourpany too? Maybe you should go say hi?”

    Nathan nodded. “Yeah, for sure, but he’s swamped with people right now. I’ll swing by when it’s less crowded. You hungry? Let’s go get something to eat first.”

    I hadpletely lost my appetite. I felt so on edge, like there were needles pricking at my back, and all I wanted was bto /bbget /bout of there as fast as possible.

    “You go ahead and get something to eat. I need to use the restroom,” I said softly.

    Nathan nodded. “Sure, just head down the hallway to the left.”

    “Okay.” Lifting the hem of my dress, I hurried away.

    I felt like I was trying to break free from fate’s script, determined to fight back against whatever destiny had nned for ollime. /li/ol

    Once I slipped into the restroom, I finally let out a quiet sigh of relief. Pulling out my phone, I started nning how I’d tell Nathan I needed to leave early.

    But what kind of excuse should Ie up

    with?

    Maybe I could say ine caught a cold, and as her roommate, I had to bring her some medicine?

    That’s it. This excuse is foolproof.

    I started typing out the message, but then I thought about how much effort Nathan had put into tonight, just to get me here. The jewelry I was wearing alone was probably worth seven figures.

    ‘If I just bailed on him like this, it really wouldn’t be fair to him,‘ I thought.

    My thoughts were a mess, and with my head down, I ended up walking straight into someone.

    My phone slipped from my hand, but before I could react, a big hand snatched it out of the air and held it out to me. “Sorry, didn’t mean to startle you.”

    bAD /b

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