All Chapters of I Hired My Neighbor to Be My Girlfriend, Then Fell in Love: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

Everly Hart stared at her banking app until the number stopped making sense, which didn't take long, because two hundred and thirteen dollars only has so many ways of looking small.She closed the app, then opened it again, as if refreshing the screen might change what was staring back at her. It didn't. Four days until rent was due, and the arithmetic hadn't improved since the last time she'd checked an hour ago. She pushed the laptop away and pressed the heels of her hands against her eyes, listening to the muffled sound of her upstairs neighbor's television bleeding through the ceiling, some late-night talk show laughing at a joke she couldn't hear.She'd applied to nine jobs that week. Six had auto-rejected within the hour. Two hadn't answered at all. The ninth had sent back a polite paragraph about how impressed they were with her resume and how, unfortunately, the position had already been filled internally, which was corporate for we never actually needed to post this job.The

Saturday arrived faster than Everly was ready for, and by six thirty she'd changed outfits three times, finally settling on a deep green dress that felt like a compromise between trying too hard and not trying at all.Her phone buzzed as she was zipping up her boots. A text from Nathaniel, sent seven minutes ago. *Coming over early. We need to get our story straight before we walk in there.*She'd barely finished reading it when a knock landed at her door, softer than the urgent one from four nights ago but carrying its own kind of tension. She opened it to find him already dressed for the evening, charcoal suit, no tie, looking considerably more composed than the last time she'd seen him and considerably more nervous underneath it."You look like you're about to walk into a job interview," she said, stepping aside to let him in."That's essentially what tonight is." He walked past her, running a hand through his hair in a gesture she was starting to recognize as his tell. "Except the

Rossi's smelled like garlic bread and candle wax, and Everly felt distinctly out of place in her nicest jeans compared to the effortless way Nathaniel wore his blazer, like fine dining was just another Tuesday for him. He'd texted her that morning, no preamble, just *seven o'clock, wear something comfortable, this one's not for an audience.*She'd told herself the flutter in her stomach reading that text was about the free meal."You've really never been here?" Nathaniel asked, sliding into the booth across from her. "This is a crime. Best gnocchi in the city.""I don't exactly have a gnocchi budget, Nathaniel."Something flickered across his face, there and gone, and he reached for the menu without comment. "Tonight's on me. Actually on me, not the fake-relationship expense account.""Careful. Keep being generous and I'll start thinking you like me.""Would that be so terrible?" he asked, and though his tone stayed light, his eyes didn't quite match it.Everly busied herself with the

Priya was already waiting outside the building when Everly stepped out the next morning, leaning against a black sedan with her arms crossed and an expression that gave nothing away."You came," Priya said, pushing off the car. "I half expected Nathaniel to show up instead and try to smooth this over for you.""I don't need him fighting my battles." Everly pulled her coat tighter against the morning chill, though the cold in her chest had little to do with the weather. "You said you wanted to talk. So talk."Priya studied her for a long moment, and Everly braced herself for accusations, for threats, for something sharp and cutting. Instead, Priya's shoulders dropped, some of the polished armor from Saturday's dinner sliding away entirely."I'm not here to blackmail you, if that's what you're bracing for," Priya said. "I just needed to know the truth before I let my parents keep pushing an engagement that clearly isn't wanted by either side."Everly blinked, caught off guard by the shi

Everly felt the weight of Cynthia's question settle over the small circle of nearby guests, several of whom had gone quiet enough to make it clear they were listening. She kept her expression easy, drawing on every ounce of composure she'd built over the last week of rehearsed dinners."We tend to keep our personal life personal," Everly said, meeting Cynthia's gaze directly. "That's not evasiveness, Ms. Yao, that's just preference. I imagine a board member values discretion as much as anyone."Something flickered behind Cynthia's eyes, not quite satisfaction, but a small note of respect for the parry. "Discretion is admirable. Convenient timing is a separate question, though. A serious relationship surfacing right as succession conversations are heating up invites a certain amount of scrutiny. I'm sure you understand.""I understand people will read into things however they choose," Nathaniel said, his voice carrying an edge of steel Everly hadn't heard from him before, protective in