Chapter 3

I turned around, my eyes locking onto his deep, dark gaze.

He was wearing a flawlessly tailored black suit, his tie knotted with absolute precision. The man practically radiated an icy, untouchable aura of self-control.

“Mr. Lane.”

I offered him a gentle smile and took a step forward, closing the distance between us. As the hem of my red dress brushed against his suit trousers, I felt his entire body tense up.

“I heard that my father has been bringing up my name to you quite a bit lately, Mr. Lane?” I tilted my head back to look him directly in the eyes and teased him casually.

Louis looked down at me, his gaze dark and unreadable.

“It seems you’re not particularly thrilled about that, Miss Hill.”

“Why wouldn’t I be?” I let out a soft laugh.

Holding my champagne glass, I let my fingertips brush against his cufflink as if by accident.

“I just think my father’s sales pitch is a bit outdated. Since we’re talking about a potential partnership, why don’t we just cut straight to the chase?”

Louis’s gaze fell to my fingertips, and he replied in a deeper voice, “How direct do you want to be, Miss Hill?”

“For example…”

I leaned in closer, my warm breath brushing against his cheek.

“We leave my father out of this and negotiate directly between ourselves. You act as my fiancé in name, helping me swallow Hill Group whole. Once the deal is done, all of Hill Group’s overseas distribution channels will belong entirely to Lane Corporation.”

I expected him to weigh the pros and cons, or perhaps even mock me for overestimating myself. After all, to the outside world, I was just a brainless heiress who had run away from home for some poor guy.

However, Louis merely took off his glasses and began wiping the lenses in a calm, unhurried manner.

“Natalie.” He called me by my name, his voice low and raspy. “Do you have any idea who you’re negotiating with?”

With our faces inches apart, I stared into his eyes and said, “With the notorious tycoon of the business world.”

I reached out, my fingertips sliding slowly upward until they rested right against the knot of his tie.

“Would you take the bet, Mr. Lane?”

Louis hesitated for a moment before suddenly grabbing my wrist. His grip was incredibly tight, his dark eyes looking as though they were about to swallow me whole.

“Natalie Hill,” he warned, using my full name. “Do you even know what you’re doing? What about that boyfriend of yours?”

Without a care in the world, I leaned against his chest. I even went as far as to wrap my arms around his neck.

“His contract is about to expire,” I whispered right next to his ear. “Would you like to inspect the goods in advance, Mr. Lane?”

Louis’s breath hitched instantly. The hand resting on my waist tensed, and his gaze turned fiercely possessive.

Just as I thought he was either going to push me away or lean down to kiss me, the yacht’s party lights caught his face. I saw it clear as day. The notorious tycoon of the business world had ears so red they looked like they were burning.

I froze for a second, barely holding back a laugh. As it turned out, beneath that untouchable, icy exterior lay a surprisingly innocent soul.

Just as I was about to tease him some more, Louis suddenly let go of me. He pulled off his suit jacket and put it around my shoulders, bundling me up tightly.

“Miss Hill, you’re drunk,” he said, his voice raspy as he tried to hold himself back. “I’ll have someone drive you home.”

Watching him leave in a hurry, I pulled his warm jacket tighter around myself. The smile in my eyes only deepened.

I said to myself, “Louis, you aren’t getting away.”

Later that evening, Jacob sent me a message telling me to pick him up from Twilight Bar. By the time I arrived, the private booth was a haze of smoke and alcohol.

Jacob was leaning back on the sofa. Sitting right next to him was Ruby, who had a glass of wine in her hand as she delicately fed it to his lips.

“Jake, do you really have to waste a whole year dealing with that heiress?”

Ruby’s voice wasn’t particularly loud, but it was just loud enough for me to hear from the doorway.

Jacob didn’t push her away. He simply looked up and said nonchalantly, “When you take a man’s money, you do what he asks.”

The moment they noticed me standing at the door, the booth fell silent.

Ruby feigned surprise, shrinking back into Jacob’s chest. “Miss Hill, please don’t misunderstand. I was just joking around with Jake…”

Jacob frowned, looking at me with his usual disapproving glare.

“What are you doing here? Didn’t I tell you to wait downstairs?”

I looked at him. If this had happened in the past, my eyes would have been red with tears as I demanded answers. Now, watching him play his little part, I could only sneer to myself.

“It’s raining outside. It’s a little cold,” I replied flatly, suppressing the mockery in my eyes.

“If you’re cold, put on more layers. If you can’t even handle this little bit of hardship, how do you expect to survive in the future?”

With a cold face, Jacob stood up, took off his jacket, and draped it over Ruby’s shoulders.

“Ruby can’t handle the cold. Take a cab back yourself. I’m driving her home.”

Holding Ruby close, he brushed past me without a moment of hesitation. As I stood there watching them leave, I couldn’t even bring myself to feel angry.

Just then, my phone buzzed. It was a message from Louis, containing an image of a transfer agreement for the core shares of Hill Group with a line of text.

[It’s raining. Do you need me to pick you up?]

Looking at the screen, the corners of my mouth curled into a smile.

[Sure, my fiancé.]