Chapter 684

Naylor hadn’t even finished speaking when Katrina spun around and clamped a hand over his mouth, unable to listen for another second.

She glared at him, mortified and exasperated. If looks could kill, he’d have dropped dead on the spot. Did he have no idea how to spare a woman’s dignity, especially with a third person in the car? Did everything have to be blurted out?

Naylor just chuckled at her flustered expression, gently pried her hand away, and explained, “Hanley’s been with me for about five or six years now. He’s my most trusted assistant—he knows pretty much everything about me, so there’s nothing to hide.”

He paused, then added, “Oh, right, I forgot to introduce you. He’s Hanley. I’ll send you his number later. If you ever can’t reach me, you can always contact him.”

Katrina pulled her hand back, grumbling under her breath, “Who says I want to get in touch with you?”

Naylor, all too familiar with how women say one thing and mean another, shot her a sidelong glance and smiled wordlessly.

The Bentley rolled to a stop outside Naylor’s place—Laurel Lake Manor, the most exclusive address in Neo Haven, nestled by the lakeside near the city’s business district, with sweeping views of the water and lush, rolling hills.

Katrina had heard about these luxury homes—the cheapest one cost over ten million. She couldn’t help but gape inwardly.

Ivy had filled her in a little on the Wilson family. Naylor’s parents were both university professors, highly respected in the medical world, with a whole generation of students to their name.

She’d known the Wilsons were well-off, but not billionaire-level. Or was all this Naylor’s own doing? Did he have a wildly successful business she didn’t know about?

A giant question mark hovered in her mind, but she was too embarrassed to ask.

Of course, Naylor caught every flicker of her reaction.

Once inside the elevator, he pressed his thumb to the fingerprint scanner, then turned to explain, “This place is mine. My parents have nothing to do with it. Still, I wouldn’t be where I am without the head start they gave me.”

Katrina didn’t reply. Instead, her thoughts drifted to his long romantic history, and she blurted, “With your background, how did any of your exes ever let you go?”

Naylor grinned. “They didn’t know I was this wealthy.”

“What?” Katrina stared at him in disbelief.

He shrugged. “You’re the first girlfriend I’ve ever brought here.”

Katrina’s confusion only deepened. After a two-second pause, she blurted out, “Wait—are you telling me you take every girlfriend to a different house just to dodge ex-girlfriend drama?”

So every breakup came with a change of address—like some kind of romantic guerrilla warfare.

Naylor shot her a look that was equal parts amused and exasperated. “Did you always have this much imagination, or is it just a lawyer thing?”

Katrina huffed, “I’m not even a lawyer yet.”

“You will be. Sooner or later.”

But Katrina wasn’t done. “You still haven’t answered me. Do you really switch homes with every relationship, or are you just making up stories to keep me happy?”

She wasn’t buying for one second that she was the first girlfriend to step foot in his ridiculously expensive home.

Naylor explained, “No, I haven’t moved for every relationship. But you really are the first woman—other than my mother, obviously—to come here.”

He paused, then added, “Here’s why: You’re close to Ivy, and Ivy is Jamison’s wife. Jamison knows everything about me. If I tried to hide anything and you found out, you’d think I was lying and playing with your feelings. I didn’t want that.”

Katrina listened, her expression hard to read. “So, all your exes never knew how rich you were, or where you actually lived? Isn’t that basically leading them on?”

“No, I never lied to them,” Naylor said. “I just didn’t go out of my way to explain my business or assets. I don’t think that’s a crime. Even among wealthy couples, people rarely lay out every last detail before marriage. So I never felt the need to spell everything out for a girlfriend.”

He also had a practical reason: if a breakup was coming, things stayed cleaner this way. No one tried to cash in on his fortune at the last minute.

Still, he’d never been stingy. While they were together, any bags, clothes, shoes, or jewelry his girlfriend wanted, he bought without a second thought. And when things ended, a generous breakup “severance” was basically standard—often a hundred grand, just for closure.

No woman had ever left him feeling shortchanged. In fact, some even stayed friends with him, and when they crossed paths in business, they’d chat and maybe discuss a deal or two.

“I still haven’t told you everything,” Naylor said, leading her out of the elevator and into his apartment. “But if you really want to know, just ask me. No need to go digging around with Ivy and the others.”

The penthouse elevator opened right into his living room.

Katrina trailed after him, stunned by everything she’d just heard.

He was clever—almost deviously so. Maybe even a bit of a player. But he was so forthright about it, so unapologetic, that she couldn’t find a single thing to call him out on.

She realized she might actually be out of her depth here. In this game of love, she could very well end up losing everything.

“Ms. Lester, are we done with the questions? Because if we are, I’d like to get to something a little more… important.” As soon as they stepped inside, Naylor’s entire demeanor changed. He turned around, pulled Katrina into his arms, and leaned in for a kiss, the faint scent of whiskey on his breath.

Katrina jumped, suddenly tense. Her words came out in a flustered rush: “Wait—just… wait a second!”