Chapter 1

My quick, decisive answer left Yvette stunned for a moment.

For a long moment, she could not seem to process what I had said. Her eyes, already hazy from the alcohol, grew even darker.

Under the swaying lights of the private room, she looked almost vulnerable. However, it was only for a moment. Her gaze soon turned cold as ice.

“Do you even know what you just said?”

I was half-reclining on the couch, my expression completely unmoved. “Yeah.”

This was not the first time she had joked about something like this.

Every time, I would pout and play it off, never letting her finish what she was trying to say.

Sometimes, I would even force a kiss on her so she would not have the time, or the heart, to think about how to break up with me.

It worked every time.

I knew exactly how much my body tempted her. Still, I did not want to force her anymore.

Perhaps sensing that something was different about me, Yvette walked over and sat beside me.

She placed her hand over mine. It was warm and gentle. It was something I used to love more than anything.

Now, I simply pulled my hand away under the pretense of taking another drink.

Yvette frowned sharply. “Lucas, you…”

The door to the private room suddenly flew open. She instinctively stepped back, putting some distance between us.

My aunt, Diana, walked in from outside. “Eve, I just saw your ex-boyfriend outside. He got drunk and started fighting someone.”

Yvette shot to her feet and did not forget to tell me, “Call the police!”

I did not move. I just continued drinking.

Diana gave me a light smack on the arm. “Hurry up and call them. Otherwise, Eve is going to get bullied.”

I swallowed another mouthful of liquor and smiled indifferently. “This is Eve’s territory. Who’s going to lay a hand on her?”

Diana had always wondered why I insisted on calling Yvette’s nickname. It was because I used to think calling her that way would make us feel closer.

Whenever I called Yvette that way, she would always make a point of explaining that I called every unmarried woman their names.

I knew what she was trying to warn me about.

Our relationship could never see the light of day. If it could not be brought into the open, then so be it.

Diana was still worried, though, and followed her outside. I had no choice but to follow.

Diana teased me, “Still worried about her?”

I shook my head. “She doesn’t need me to worry about her. I’m worried you’ll get hurt.”

The hallway was quiet. Yvette had heard me.

She suddenly looked up at me, something unreadable flashing through her eyes.

However, I was only looking at the man she was supporting — Edmund Harrington.

I heard that they had broken up because their families thought they were too mismatched.

They had both been devastated when they parted. Even now, Edmund was still the man in Yvette’s heart.

The usually decisive and unflappable Yvette was visibly flustered when she saw him injured.

“Diana, what do we do?”

Diana called the police and an ambulance. Once everything was arranged, she smiled and said, “Yvette, if you can’t let him go, why don’t you two just get back together? You’re the CEO now. All those concerns you used to have…”

Yvette raised her voice, cutting her off, “You’re reading too much into it. He and I aren’t what you think.”

She racked her brain for an explanation. “This is my place. If he gets hurt here, won’t that make me look bad?”

As she explained herself, she looked at both Diana and me. Still, I knew who she was really watching. She was watching for my reaction.

I forced a faint smile. “Ms. Yvette, the ambulance is here. You should go take care of things.”

The moment Yvette heard what I called her, her eyes widened.

“What did you just call me?”

“Ms. Yvette, Mr. Edmund looks like he’s in a lot of pain.”

Just one sentence was enough to pull her attention back to Edmund.

She helped him toward the door, but she still could not resist saying, “I thought we agreed to drop the honorifics for anyone who wasn’t married? Don’t call me that again.”