Chapter 5

But that night, he came to my villa.

Half-asleep, I rolled over and landed in a warm, solid embrace.

The familiar scent enveloped me, and I opened my eyes.

Nathan was lying beside me, resting his head on his hand, watching me. I had no idea how long he'd been there.

He said, "Before marriage, he can live however he wants, but once he's married, he'll be all in for his wife.

"I'm not that ungrateful."

Nathan let out a low chuckle.

I blinked, still half-asleep. "Mr. Hawthorne, are you not satisfied?"

"No, you did amazing. So, what kind of reward do you want?" he asked.

It was like a boss rewarding an employee, or a master pampering a pet.

Suddenly, a mischievous thought crossed my mind. I shot him a flirtatious glance, my soft fingertips brushing over his Adam's apple. "Want to stay the night?"

He swallowed hard.

His voice, once cold, now sounded rough and low, like a caged beast ready to burst out.

"No." He composed himself, got up, and placed a jewelry box on the bed.

Yet another pet-like reward. He really did treat me like a pampered kitten. I couldn't help but laugh.

"It's still early. Go back to sleep." He left a set of keys on the nightstand.

They were the keys to this villa.

When I bought this place, I deliberately handed him the keys and said, "From now on, this is our home."

Now, he just tossed them aside.

I watched his figure disappear, rolled over, and went back to sleep.

Nathan didn't even glance back as he got into the Maybach waiting downstairs.

But he didn't leave right away. Instead, he looked up at the window, barely any light shining through.

Fifteen minutes passed, but the lights never came on, and nobody came out after him.

"She's so heartless." Nathan loosened his tie, an odd frustration gnawing at him.

Lochlan, who was also acting as driver, shot Nathan a look through the rearview mirror.

"Why don't you just stay?" Lochlan suggested.

Nathan shot him a sideways glance. "Do you even know how tough it is to quit smoking?

"Take me to Lust."

It wasn't until I heard the car fade into the distance that I finally got up, pulled back the curtain, and watched the taillights disappear into the night.

Quitting smoking was tough, but getting over someone was even harder. Just like I tried to get over Nathan back then.

Nathan had already moved on to someone new.

I could tell the moment I saw him.

Lochlan said she was only eighteen, just like I was back then.

He'd sworn off anyone under twenty-two five years ago.

"Wow, the older he gets, the more shameless he becomes," I commented under my breath.

Lochlan was kind of speechless.

So was Nathan.

Turning to see Nathan, I was stunned.

Seriously, what an old jerk. He didn't even make a sound when he walked by.

Soaking up all that youthful energy, Nathan looked totally rejuvenated, like every cell in his body was refreshed.

He looked at me with that teasing smile.

I kept my cool, not missing a beat. "I was just talking about that old dog next door..."

Nathan was kind of speechless.

I swear I heard him grinding his teeth.

Thankfully, a stack of paperwork landed on his desk, and he was way too swamped to bother with my smart mouth.

It was only when he was signing off that he suddenly murmured under his breath, "You really don't care anymore?"

"What?" The HR director, Doris Thornton, was practically straining to hear, but still missed it.

Nathan let out a soft chuckle, like he'd caught on to someone's little game again.

"Nothing. So, who did you say was quitting?"

"Ms. Rocha," said Doris.

Nathan's hand paused for a moment as he signed.

"No idea how the news leaked, but now a bunch of headhunters are circling, and even our rival, the Foster Group, is trying to poach her. But I heard Ms. Rocha turned them all down," said Doris.

Nathan's lips curled with a hint of smugness. "Of course, she'd turn them down..."

He sounded so relaxed, like it was just common sense.

I lifted my hand to knock and then hesitated.

The Foster Group was a bigger deal than Summit Group.

He knew I could've climbed even higher, and he knew exactly what I'd sacrificed for him. But to him, it was just a given, because he was sure I'd do anything for him.

Doris asked, "Should we just throw money at her to make her stay?"

"Don't bother." Nathan didn't even blink. His answer was ice-cold and final.

I just smirked. Lucky for me, I'd stopped hoping for anything from him ages ago, so disappointment wasn't even on the table.

I knocked on the office door. "Mr. Hawthorne, I'm here to hand over my work."

Since I was leaving, I had to wrap up my projects and pass them on.

He didn't try to stop me, and I wasn't about to cling or demand answers.

Just like that, we both knew this was the end for us.

For some reason, Nathan's new date, Queenie Smith, found out about me, and I had to admit that it kind of got to me.

She was glammed up, sparkling with jewelry from head to toe.

She did a little twirl in front of me, chin held high. "Nathan is so good to me. He won't even touch me. I suppose some people are only fit to be his plaything."

Should I be mad about this?

No.

Not at all.

I just gave her a quick once-over and nodded. "Honestly, it's hard to see the appeal."

After ten years, I knew exactly what kind of woman could actually catch Nathan's eye.

This one? She's merely a comfort, safe and harmless as a naive little rabbit.

Touched a sore spot, and Queenie totally lost it.

Just then, Nathan walked over, and she threw herself into his arms. "Nathan, she... she... she's bullying me."

Nathan shot me a glare, and I just shrugged.

Nathan bundled her into the car and drove off.

I stood there, watching him leave.