’This question again.’Naomi looked at him. “Do I need a reason?”Francisco smiled. “Do you know me well enough? How can you admire me if you don’t know me? Are you not afraid that I might be a bad person?”Naomi looked down and slowly said, “I know you’re not.”Francisco ran his finger over her lips. “How did you come to that conclusion? Do you feel safe when you’re around me?”She frowned, a little confused. “You’re so innocent.” Francisco stared at her. “You’re not careful enough with men. If it were other men, do you think you could be safe staying with a guy?”Naomi pressed her lips together. “But you're not them.”“I’m not, but it was because I suppressed my feelings.” He let go and sat up with his back facing her. “You need to be more careful with men.”He stood up and walked to where the fire was to pick up his jacket and put it on, then looked out at the sky. “The sun is up. Let’s head back.”Naomi looked down. If he weren’t going to be with her, why did he kiss her
“Yes.” Naomi smiled and nodded before taking the seat opposite Mr. Roswald.He studied her and smiled. “What a surprise. I didn’t expect you to be so… elegant, Ms. Xavier. I thought…”“You thought what?”Mr. Roswalrd chuckled and continued. “After all, you don't look much like your mother described.”Naomi nodded. Something crossed Mr. Roswald, and he picked up the menu. “Do you want to eat something? Feel free to order anything you want.”She was stumped for a moment before replying with a smile, “No, thank you. I’ve already eaten. I came here only because you said you wanted to see me.”“I see. So, would you like something to drink?” Mr. Roswald asked again.Unable to turn down his offer, Naomi ordered a cup of coffee.While he was having his meal, he asked about her work. Since Naomi worked in Soul as well, she was familiar with it. After they had finished talking, Mr. Roswald seemed rather satisfied with her as he said, "It truly surprises me that you're very serious in you
Mr. Roswald stretched his hand and caressed the back of her hand.Naomi was stunned and frowned while he continued. “I'm sure it'll work out anyway. I need a decent and wise wife like you, Ms. Xavier.”Naomi suddenly pulled her hand out and said, “I’m sorry, but I already have someone I like.”Mr. Roswald’s expression changed, and he pulled her hand away. “You have a man you like? So? What's the big deal? Are you guys dating? Are you married? If your parents know about your relationship, will they approve of it?”Naomi was startled. She tried to pull her hand out of his grip but to no avail. Her face turned grim as she warned, “Mr. Roswald, please let go of my hand.”“Ms. Xavier, I really like you. I liked you from the first moment I saw you.“ Mr. Roswald pulled her hand and landed a kiss on it, causing goosebumps to erupt over her skin.Naomi felt disgusted and pulled her hand out of his grip. She rose to her feet and said, “Please mind your manners, Mr. Roswald!”The rest of t
Naomi was momentarily stunned. Her eyelashes were trembling as she said, “I have no idea either. I don’t know what our relationship is right now. Besides, you don't take our relationship seriously, do you?“Although I've never been in a relationship before, I know kissing between men and women represents the intimacy of a relationship. But we're not that kind of relationship. Well, maybe for you, we are not.”Francisco did not know whether he should be laughing or be angry right now. He stood as stiff as a ramrod in front of her and asked, “So, you think that the thing between us is just a game for me?”“Is there a difference?” Naomi’s eyes turned red, looking just like a rabbit that had just gotten bullied. “Yes, it is.” Francisco placed his hand on the wall beside her as he leaned closer. “If this were just a game for me, I wouldn’t kiss you. I’d just have s*x with you.”Naomi was so terrified that she froze in place. She looked at him fixedly as he went even closer to her. A d
When Naomi did not reply, Francisco cocked his head to look at her. “You don’t want to go on a date with me?”“Of course, I want to go on a date with you…” Naomi froze for a moment and asked, “Are we in a relationship now?”Francisco tightened his grip and pulled her closer into his arms. “Really? This is the question you have for me? You really are more ignorant than I thought you were.”Naomi looked at him, and a smile appeared on her face.The next day, at Soul…“Thank you for yesterday, Naomi. My mom told me that guy called her and said we were not suitable. He even apologized to my mom, and my mom was shocked,” Lucy said, expressing her gratitude to Naomi.Naomi replied with a smile on her face, “It’s fine. I should thank you instead.”“Thank me?” Lucy was confused. “Why are you thanking me?”Naomi lowered her head. She had been feeling different since yesterday.Looking at the smile on Naomi’s face, Lucy said, “Look at you, grinning like a Chesire cat. You aren’t in love
Naomi pressed her lips thin.Anthony looked at the box of snacks in her hand and frowned deeply. “Nelly, is that… Francisco?”Naomi’s heart skipped a beat, and she became nervous. However, she did not dare to hide it from her father and confessed everything. “Yeah. I’m sorry, Dad. I should’ve told you earlier.”“When did it start?”“Yesterday…”“That’s not what I’m asking. I want to know when you two started seeing each other.” Anthony frowned.“About a month ago…” she replied. “Dad, you told me that you won't interfere with my relationship. I like him very much.”Anthony took a deep breath and said seriously, “Yes, I did tell you before that I wouldn’t interfere with your relationship, but it depends on who you’re seeing. Nelly, Francisco isn’t suitable for you.”“Dad, I know he has a bad reputation, but I don’t care about his past,” Naomi replied. This was the first time she went against her father.Upon realizing how much his daughter liked Francisco, Anthony’s face turned
Nolan took a bowl, fetched himself some soup, and laughed out loud. “I don’t expect you to cook anymore. You’re the one who’s going to make money and feed me.”Maisie took the soup bowl and chuckled. “It’s very expensive to feed a CEO.”Nolan was about to say something when his cell phone rang. He narrowed his eyes and answered the call when he saw the caller ID. “What’s the matter?”The other party said something to him through the call, and he responded with a light hum. “I’ll be there tonight.”When the call ended, Maisie looked at him. “What’s wrong?”Nolan’s lips curled slightly. “There’s a gathering tonight, and your classmate will also be there.”Maisie knew who he was talking about and clicked her tongue. “My classmate? Isn’t he your cousin too?”Nolan became even more amused. “He’s also your cousin.”As night fell, the city became decorated with lights. The VIP Room #1 of the hotel’s restaurant was filled with well-known figures in the field. As the Cliffords expanded
“It turns out to be Mr. Clifford. I’ve heard so much about you.” Anthony raised his glass and proposed a toast.Jackie raised his glass and said with a smile, “I’ve also heard a lot about you, Mr. Topaz. Especially about your overseas collaboration in the Persian Gulf project.”Anthony was astounded and smiled. “The success of the Persian Gulf project is the joint effort between the other investors and me. They’re the ones who should get most of the credits when compared to me.”Jackie slowly finished the red wine. “Mr. Topaz, you’re being too modest.”“By the way, do you know my daughter?” Anthony took a glance at Naomi. He had seen Jackie talking to his daughter a few seconds ago.Jackie paused for a second. “Is this young lady your daughter?”He responded, “Yes, my daughter rarely attends such occasions, so I’ve been bringing her along to get her to adapt to them recently.”“I see.” Jackie explained calmly, “We just met at the dinner banquet the other day.”Listening to the