Chapter 1

When I agreed, Noah froze.

He clearly hadn't expected me to answer so readily.

The lights in the private room flickered. He wore a loose black T-shirt that showed off his sexy collarbone, but his eyes were clear, showing no sign of drunkenness.

I sat up straight, and when I looked at him, the corner of my mouth held its usual faint smile, except the smile didn't reach my eyes.

Noah abandoned his earlier languid manner. His brows furrowed and his expression turned unusually serious. "Emma, did you hear what I just said?"

I nodded. "I heard you, Noah."

In the past, if he had said something like that, I would have pretended to be angry, cut him off, and told him not to say such things.

But now, my expression remained indifferent, completely unmoved, as if I'd heard something trivial.

"Emma, you..."

Before he could finish, Daniel, who had gone out for air, walked back in.

Daniel and Noah had been friends since childhood. Because my father and Daniel's father were Noah's father's Beta, we'd known each other since we were young.

At this moment, when Daniel saw Noah, he broke into a playful smile. "Noah, guess who I just saw outside?"

Without waiting for an answer, Daniel continued, "I saw Sofia. She seems drunk, and some guys with bad intentions were dragging her toward the back alley..."

Before he finished speaking, Noah jumped up and rushed out of the private room.

Soon after, there were sounds of commotion and shattering glass from outside.

I sat in my seat, calmly peeling an orange from the fruit plate. Noah liked eating fruit but hated peeling it, so I always carefully peeled it and placed it in his palm.

Whenever Daniel saw this, he would tease, "You're so good to Noah. I've never seen you treat me this well. Don't tell me you like him?"

Several times, I almost revealed my relationship with Noah.

But he would always put his arm around my shoulder and speak first. "Maybe to Emma, I'm more like a real brother than you. A sister caring for her brother—you got a problem with that?"

Gradually, I understood what he meant. He didn't want others to know about our relationship, so I stopped talking about it.

Now, Daniel stood at the door watching. When he turned back and saw me still eating fruit, he raised an eyebrow and teased, "Emma, Noah's fighting with someone. Aren't you going to help?"

I swallowed the last piece of orange in my mouth and shook my head. "That's their business. Why would I get involved?"

Hearing this, Daniel clicked his tongue but said nothing more and walked out to help.

I sat in the private room for a long time, until the noise outside died down, then got up and walked out.

As soon as I stepped out of the room, I immediately saw the woman Noah was holding tightly in his arms.

That was his first love, and also his obsession he couldn't let go of—Sofia.

Sofia was also Noah's fated mate. When they were dating, their love was passionate. Everyone around them thought they would end up together, but in the end, Sofia broke up with Noah.

At that time, Noah got drunk and leaned sadly on my shoulder. The person I'd secretly loved for so long was so close to me. In that moment, I heard my own heartbeat drumming like thunder.

And now, Sofia, who had just been rescued by Noah, was drunk and leaning softly against him like she had no bones. The corners of her eyes were red, crying like rain on pear blossoms.

Not only did Noah not push her away, he held her tightly. His bright black eyes showed some anger, along with heartache he himself hadn't noticed.

Seeing this, Daniel came over and lowered his voice, raising his eyebrow. "Emma, looking at Noah's attitude, do you think he's going to get back together with Sofia?"

His voice was neither loud nor soft, but enough for Noah to hear.

Hearing this, Noah suddenly looked up. When he saw me standing not far away, a trace of guilt flashed in his eyes, barely noticeable. He explained, "I haven't thought about getting back together with her. She's just drunk, and I'm helping her out."

I smiled and shook my head, my gaze falling on Sofia's pitifully vulnerable face. "Noah, I understand. Sofia seems really drunk. You should take her home first."

Noah seemed dissatisfied with how I addressed him and frowned slightly, but he didn't refuse my suggestion.

As he left with Sofia, he didn't forget to remind Daniel, "You guys should head back early too. Don't wander around outside."