Chapter 313

He flashed a grin, his little canine teeth showing, looking completely innocent and proud of himself.

Vivian had never met anyone quite like him before. In the business world, she’d come across all sorts of trust-fund kids who burned through cash like it was nothing—party animals, playboys, and…

But Nathan was the definition of laid-back, just coasting through life and picking up some easy money whenever he felt like it.

“We’re almost home. Sit up,” Vivian said, giving him a nudge.

Nathan groggily opened his eyes, saw it was Vivian, and leaned in closer, his breath brushing right against her face.

“Vivian, you’re so pretty. I really wanna kiss you,” he slurred, sounding both drunk and playful.

They were so close, their breaths mixing together. Vivian’s eyes flew wide open, her heart suddenly racing.

She leaned back in shock. "You—"

Nathan shook his head, a little unsteady. “Nope, I can’t kiss you.”

Vivian didn’t even know why she blurted out, “Why not?”

His answer instantly killed whatever little spark she’d just felt.

“Because being in a relationship costs way too much, and I’m not about to let my money go to you,” he said.

Vivian’s face went completely blank as she shoved him away, her voice flat. “We’re here. Get out.”

I’ve seriously never met anyone so stingy in my life, Vivian thought, rolling her eyes. Let him stay broke for all I care.

Nathan said, “Seriously, you don’t believe me? Let me do the math for you. If I were dating someone, I’d have to buy her flowers every day, take her out to eat, get her jewelry, bags, dresses, and take her on trips.

“Whatever other girls have, my girlfriend has to have too. That means I’d have to hustle just to keep up. Honestly, sounds like a bad deal. But if it’s you, maybe it wouldn’t be such a loss after all.”

Vivian felt her heart race all over again, her cheeks turning red as she blurted out, “Why?”

Nathan grinned cheekily. “Because you’re so pretty. Looks can feed you, right? Then I could have you for every meal.”

Vivian was speechless. She gave him a hard kick, shoving him toward the door. “Get your ass out of the car."

Nathan yelped in pain, rubbing his kicked calf as he got out of the car.

Then he leaned against the car window, grinning cheekily. “Vivian, if you ever need a bed warmer, I’m up for the job—just for you. And hey, I’m still a virgin. Isn’t that a steal?”

Vivian was so embarrassed she wanted to disappear. He really will do anything for money, she thought, utterly speechless.

“Drive,” she snapped.

“At once, Miss Vivian,” the driver said.

Nathan choked on the exhaust as the car sped away, but he was still hollering after her, “Don’t forget to call me. No one else can do it better than me. I can learn on the job and serve you at the same time.”

Every word made Vivian’s heart pound out of her chest, her cheeks burning hot. She took a deep breath, trying to steady her wildly beating heart, and shot a text to Sienna.

Sienna, I just dropped a friend off. I’m pretty tired, so I’m not going back to the party. I’ll be at home waiting for you.

Sienna had just left the ballroom when she saw Vivian’s message. Okay.

She replied to the message and handed her phone to Lana. Before her hand was even down, someone behind her gently took it.

Julian wrapped her hand in his, his grip soft. If she wanted to pull away, she easily could.

But Sienna didn’t. She just walked next to him like nothing happened, while Julian’s heart pounded out of control; he couldn’t take his eyes off her for a second.

Turns out, once one crossed that line with someone, there was no going back. One either drifted apart, or things got even more intense.

Sienna almost wanted to tease him and ask if he could turn down the volume on his heartbeat, but she knew that was impossible.

When one really liked someone, both one’s mind and body go haywire, dopamine, adrenaline, the whole package, no wonder he couldn’t calm down.

Hand in hand, they walked out of the ballroom. Even when they took off their masks, Julian still didn’t let go.

The atmosphere was warm and a little flirty, but then a sudden shriek broke the mood. “Oh my god. What are you two doing?"