Chapter 11

It was sunny earlier this morning, but now the sky had turned dark, as if a massive black cloth had been draped across it.

Thunder rumbled, lightning streaked across the sky, and the rain came pouring down.

The gates of the mansion opened from the inside. Marcus stepped out, holding an umbrella.

Joel hurried out of the car and asked respectfully, "When will my sister come out?"

"Mr. Montgomery accidentally damaged the design draft. Ms. Youngblood is upstairs reworking it. Please be patient, Mr. Youngblood," Marcus explained.

Without giving Joel a chance to respond, he quickly turned and left.

Joel checked his watch. Elena had been inside for over an hour now. What was taking Nicholas so long?

Fearing something might have happened to Elena, he caught up with Marcus. "My sister's afraid of thunder. I'd like to go up and keep her company."

Marcus turned around. "The mansion has excellent soundproofing. She can't hear what's going on outside. There's no need to worry, Mr. Youngblood."

With that, the gates slowly closed.

Drenched in the rain, the villa looked like a dragon with its mouth wide open. As Joel looked at it, he lacked the courage to charge in.

They'd fought hard to secure the Aster Avenue deal. There was no room for mistakes now.

…

Upstairs, in the study, Nicholas sat on the couch, swirling a glass of red wine in his hand.

Marcus knocked and entered. "Mr. Montgomery, I've informed Joel as you instructed. He must wait, no matter how long it takes."

Nicholas waved him off, and Marcus left.

Once the door was closed, Nicholas stood up and walked toward Elena. He casually leaned on the desk and asked, "How many years have you been at this?"

Elena knew what he was asking about. Without looking up, she replied, "Since I was a child."

"You think you're a natural-born genius, don't you?"

"Well, I am," Elena replied without a hint of modesty. Her hands never paused in their work. "I've been drawing since I can remember."

Nicholas had never met a woman quite like this—a goody two-shoes when quiet but sharp-tongued the moment she spoke.

He raised his glass and finished the wine in one go before casually placing the empty glass on the desk. "Your father was a genius in architecture, and Salvatore Group was a leader in the field.

"It's not surprising that you can draw since you were a child. But without years of hard work, it's hard to truly master the craft."

Elena was just joking earlier. She majored in architectural design in college.

Thanks to Edgar's influence, she picked things up quickly and had a natural talent for design. Once given a concept, she could design a piece in no time.

"You ran a background check on me?" Elena asked.

There was a quiet pause in the room, the only sound being the soft scratch of her pencil against paper.

Nicholas' gaze shifted to the hair clip in her hair. His eyes darkened. "Not just you. Everyone who works with me needs a background check."

Elena was still shocked by how cautious he was when she suddenly felt the pressure on her head ease. Her long hair tumbled down like a waterfall.

In Nicholas' hand was the newly bought hair clip. "This isn't your style."

"Give it back." Elena turned, trying to grab it back.

She had just lost one hair clip. If she lost another tonight, who knew what Remus would do to her?

Nicholas leaned in closer and whispered in her ear, "I prefer your look yesterday."

Elena shivered under the warmth of his breath but looked at him with a playful smile. "Oh, really? I thought you weren't interested in women. Even if I were to undress in front of you, I assumed you'd stay indifferent."

"Want to test it?" Nicholas grabbed her hand, pulling her up from the chair. Before she knew it, she had fallen against him.

It wasn't even noon, but the sky outside was dark as dusk from the weather.

Inside the study, though, it was as bright as day. The lights cast a glow on Elena's soft skin.

As Nicholas' gaze locked onto her lips, his eyes darkened.

They had been in the same position that night. She had lain on top of him in a similar bodycon dress. Her body was so soft, like it had no bones.

He had kissed her passionately for what felt like an eternity, almost losing control.

Now, Elena was just as tempting.

Nicholas cupped her chin and kissed her again.

He had never been affected by women.

The loss of control that night had been influenced by the effects of the drug, but there was something about Elena's presence that pulled him in, like an addictive drug he couldn't escape.

Elena, noticing the dazed look in his eyes, moved her lips and whispered in his ear, "Don't you need the design draft anymore, Mr. Montgomery?"

Her soft, flirtatious voice stirred something in him.

But Nicholas didn't let go. Instead, he cupped the back of her head for a deeper kiss. "You can draw it later."

However, Elena pulled away and pushed him slightly. "Joel has been waiting for a while. He must be growing anxious."

Nicholas, losing interest, released her and stood up. "Congratulations. You're now in charge of the Aster Avenue project."

"What do you mean?" Elena asked, confused.

But before she could get an answer, Nicholas had already left the study.

A moment later, Marcus appeared at the door. "Ms. Youngblood, Mr. Montgomery asked me to escort you downstairs."

…

Once Elena got in the car, she heard Joel speaking to Nicholas on the phone.

"Elena may be good at drawing design drafts, but she's unfamiliar with the project. Assigning her full responsibility may not be wise, Mr. Montgomery."

It was then that Elena realized what Nicholas had meant by his last comment. He had decided to hand her the Aster Avenue project.

It was like a slap in the face to Joel. After all, his plan to use the project to solidify his position had just fallen apart.

She didn't hear what Nicholas said on the other end, but Joel's face darkened as he hung up.

He tossed the phone aside. When he turned to Elena, suspicion was clear in his eyes. "Did you say something to Mr. Montgomery? Why would he suddenly give you the project?"

Elena, wiping rainwater from her hands with a handkerchief, replied, "Joel, you think too highly of me. I only know how to design. Negotiating isn't my forte."

Joel's chest tightened with frustration.

She had spent more than three hours with Nicholas inside there. Now, she still smelled faintly of him.

Joel lost control and grabbed her neck. "Don't try to seduce him. You're mine."

"Joel, it hurts."

Tears welled up in Elena's eyes, making her look helpless and vulnerable.

Seeing her face grow pale, Joel panicked and immediately released her. "I'm sorry, Elena. I just care too much about you. I didn't mean to hurt you."

Elena pushed him away and looked at him coldly. "I've been drawing for over three hours. I'm tired. Please take me home."

Joel noticed the ink stains on her hands and paused.

Had he been overthinking? Was she really just working on the design upstairs?

…

On the second-floor balcony, a tall figure stood, watching everything below with a keen eye.

"Mr. Montgomery, it seems that Ms. Youngblood's relationship with Joel is more than just siblings."

What kind of brother would grab his sister by the neck and hold her so intimately after he'd calmed down?

Marcus had seen enough to tell that something was off.

Nicholas flicked the ash off his cigarette and replied in a tone that revealed no emotion, "Look into their relationship. And I want to know why the Salvatore family suddenly went bankrupt back then."