Tous les chapitres de : Chapitre 301 - Chapitre 310

Jealousy was an emotion that had only flickered briefly in Gideon's childhood. After that, he'd stopped envying Connor for having a whole family.He never imagined that the jealousy would roar back, with such force, as he approached 30. For the first time in Gideon's calm, uneventful life, his world had been upended.From a young age, Gideon had passively endured countless unanswered questions. Why didn't he have parents or a family when everyone else did?Why did his own younger brother look at him with pure hatred the first time they met? Connor had smashed the handmade gift Gideon had spent days crafting, calling him a bastard, saying he didn't deserve to be his brother.Gideon had understood it all later, but back then, he was just a child. Children were naturally full of questions about the world, but he hadn't had anyone to ask. So, he had swallowed all his confusion.Perhaps his habit of silently bearing everything had gradually shaped who he was. Over time, nothing truly s

Gideon thought about how ironic it was that plenty of people liked him, but the one he liked didn't like him back. He said, "But I don't like any of them.""…Yeah, I can tell. That's just who you are." Phoebe suddenly felt a little embarrassed. Everyone knew how aloof and detached Gideon was. For a second there, she had actually been vain enough to think that he'd asked her to be his girlfriend because he actually liked her.She couldn't be further off the mark!"I've never been in a relationship, and I've been single my whole life. People around me assume I'm into guys. The truth is, I'm straight. I just haven't met anyone I liked. Connor's already started and ended a whole marriage. My mother's only going to push harder now," Gideon said.Phoebe stayed quiet, but she couldn't shake the feeling that she'd stumbled into some prime gossip about herself. Still, Gideon was 28, and he'd never dated anyone… A man who was that disciplined in this day and age was a rare commodity.Gideon

Phoebe's heart skipped a beat after making the promise. For a few seconds, she felt dazed. It was as if she'd inexplicably tied herself to Gideon in a two-year, unbreakable agreement. It was just a verbal one, but this partnership felt even more binding than a legal marriage!That was how she felt about it, anyway. She wondered if Gideon felt the same.She couldn't help glancing at him. He was leaning back in the driver's seat, looking completely relaxed.Her eyes drifted again to his thin dress shirt and slightly tousled hair. He'd looked like that even before fighting Connor, but it didn't diminish his appeal or his commanding presence as a CEO one bit.They were in the confined space of a car, so Phoebe's open staring soon caught Gideon's attention. He turned to look at her.Getting caught staring was awkward. Normally, she wouldn't have reacted much because he was the boss and she was his secretary. But now that they were pretending to be a couple, the atmosphere suddenly felt

"I think that's the only way that this will make sense." Phoebe tossed the ball back into Gideon's court. She was in a pretty good mood, seeing him stumped like this. It was a rare sight, after all.With everything he had going for him, he couldn't have a shortage of people interested in him. The fact that he'd stayed single until 28 only proved how picky and proud he was—no one had ever caught his eye.Asking a man who had never been in love to invent a convincing reason for falling in love with her out of nowhere wasn't an easy feat."Mr. Blackwood, take your time thinking it over. I have plenty of reasons for choosing you. Aside from using you, it could also be because you're incredibly good-looking. Just your face alone would convince plenty of people. Plus, there's also your power and influence."There's so much for me to gain from being with you, but you? You don't lack anything. The only possible reason you'd be with me is that you like me. You need to think of something sol

After a moment, Phoebe set the puzzle back down on the counter and started her morning routine. Once she finished washing, she stepped out—and then paused. A few seconds later, she turned around, opened the cabinet, and tucked the puzzle inside.Out of sight, out of mind.She was well aware of how charming Gideon could be. He never tried to show off, but everything he did was effortlessly captivating. Throwing in the fake-boyfriend act and the occasional ambiguous things he said made it very easy to overthink.Fortunately, she had been in a real relationship before, so a small flutter of the heart from a look or a few words didn’t mean much to her. In truth, it wouldn't be easy for her to fall for someone, just like it wasn't for him.As Phoebe's mind settled, she reminded herself that this partnership was mutually beneficial. Neither of them owed the other anything. From now on, she could comfortably ride on Gideon's powerful coattails.Of course, even with him backing her, she h