Damon was reviewing documents in his office at Prospectus Technology when his personal phone suddenly rang.He answered, and Marie's booming voice came through. "Damon, come home for dinner tonight."Damon glanced at the pile of unfinished documents and immediately refused. "I'm busy.""No matter what, you must make time tonight. Otherwise, I'll go to your office and drag you home myself," Marie warned.Marie's commanding tone left Damon feeling helpless."There's too much to do today. I really can't make it," he said."No excuses. You must come back for dinner. Even with your busy schedule, you can always spare time for a meal," Marie insisted.Without giving Damon a chance to respond, Marie hung up.…By the time Nyla and Clark had moved Nyla's things back to the villa, it was already past 4:00 p.m.After taking a shower and changing clothes, they headed to the Sumner residence.As Clark pulled up to the entrance, Damon was about to walk in. Hearing the car, Damon turned a
Just a moment later, however, a trace of mockery flashed in Damon's eyes.Nyla had made it clear that she had no feelings for him. If he continued to pursue her, it would be nothing more than wishful thinking on his part."I got it," Damon replied.Marie had been about to persuade him further but was taken aback and looked at him with suspicion. She asked, "You're not planning anything bad, are you?"Damon stayed quiet.Seeing his silence, Marie frowned and was about to speak when footsteps echoed from the doorway."Madam Summer, Ms. Hulle has arrived."Everyone in the living room looked up to see a young woman in her 20s walk in.Erin Hulle, with her delicate features, was dressed in a light yellow spaghetti-strap dress. Her short hair grazed her collarbones. With her light makeup and elegant demeanor, she exuded a charm that was hard to ignore.Even Nyla, who had seen many beautiful women, couldn't help but be impressed by Erin's appearance.Marie's face lit up with a warm
Erin's smile stiffened slightly, but before she could say anything, Marie slammed her cutlery onto the table and chided, "Damon, is that how you serve food?!"She had wanted him to help Erin with the dishes to help them bond, but he nearly went so far as to place the whole plate in front of her. If word got out, it would surely offend the Hulles.Damon smiled at Marie. "Mom, if you know I'm bad at this, don't make me do it."Marie was fuming and about to explode, but Erin quickly intervened. "It's fine. I actually like fish, and it's more convenient this way. No need to keep troubling him to serve me."Seeing Erin's willingness to smooth things over, Marie beamed with satisfaction, growing even fonder of her."Erin, you're so considerate. This brat only knows how to make me angry. After dinner, take her home," she told Damon.Damon frowned, about to refuse, but Erin spoke first. "There's no need. I drove myself here."She could sense Damon's lack of interest in her, and forcing
If this were to get out, people might start saying she was being mistreated in the Sumners.Clark's smile deepened as he looked at Damon and said, word by word, "Uncle Damon, you probably don't know yet, but Nyla moved back today."Damon widened his eyes and turned his icy gaze to Nyla, who had remained silent.He wanted to ask her if she really intended to forgive Clark just like that, but he couldn't. He was only her husband's uncle. Beyond that, they had no other relationship. What right did he have to question her?Even though Nyla kept her head down, she could feel Damon's gaze on her. It sent a chill through her entire body, making her shiver involuntarily.After several seconds, Damon chuckled. "Well, that's good to hear."He looked away, a smile on his face, but his eyes were cold.Clark's gaze flashed with triumph. "Uncle Damon, you should focus on your own love life. I think Ms. Hulle and you are quite a match, don't you think, Nyla?"He turned to Nyla, seeking her op
Nyla stood still, sensing a dangerous vibe from Damon that made her instinctively want to flee."Uncle Damon, it's dark here, and it's not appropriate for us to be alone. I'll head back," she said, turning to leave.As she took a few steps, though, she heard footsteps behind her. Panicking, she tried to quicken her pace but stumbled and tripped.She lost her balance, but a strong hand grabbed her waist and pulled her back. Nyla fell into Damon's arms. She quickly pushed him away and stepped back.Damon narrowed his eyes, the menace in them intensifying as he remarked, "You use people and then discard them. You're quite skilled at that."Nyla bit her lip, feeling embarrassed. "Uncle Damon, thank you for just now, but we should keep our distance."Damon stepped closer, and Nyla instinctively tried to retreat but found herself against the door of the greenhouse. She had nowhere to go.When they were so close that they could hear each other's breathing, Damon looked down at her an
"Who's there?"In a split second, Damon pulled Nyla into the greenhouse and shut the door behind them.It was pitch black inside. He pushed her against the door, their bodies pressed tightly together. One hand rested on her waist, while the other gripped the doorknob, leaving no space between them.She could hear his steady heartbeat and whispered, "Can you let go..."Damon leaned in close to her ear, speaking so softly that only she could hear. "Someone's coming. If you don't want to be discovered, don't make a sound."Just then, footsteps approached the greenhouse door.Nyla's heart raced as the doorknob turned.After a few moments of trying and failing to open the door, the person outside sounded puzzled. "What's wrong with the door? Is it broken?"They lingered a bit longer, but finding nothing unusual, they mumbled something and left.Nyla finally exhaled in relief and asked, "Can you let go of me now?"Damon released her and was about to speak when Nyla's phone rang—it
Nyla was momentarily stunned before she looked down and said calmly, "Ms. Hulle, I'm afraid I can't help you. I'm not close to Uncle Damon.""You're family. How can you not be close? Ms. Nyla, you're not unwilling to help me, are you?" Erin asked, her gaze probing.During her last visit to the Sumner residence, Erin had noticed something strange about the way Damon looked at Nyla.After some reflection, she decided to investigate Nyla further and discovered that Nyla was now working at Prospectus Technology. Erin planned to assess Nyla's attitude toward Damon.Nyla excused herself, "Ms. Hulle, it's not that I don't want to help you. I really am not close to him. I have unfinished work in the lab, so I must go."With that, she stood up and left.Erin watched Nyla walk away, a cold glint in her eyes. It seemed Nyla wasn't going to be easy to deal with, so Erin would need to proceed with caution.…Back in the lab, Nyla continued her experiments.Time flew by, and she didn't real
As Clark started the car, he said, "I'm glad you like them. How about I pick you up from work every day from now on?""There's no need for that. I've bought myself a car, and you're busy with work," Nyla replied indifferently, causing Clark to drop the idea.Even though Nyla had moved back in, Clark felt she was even more distant from him now. This feeling troubled him, and he didn't know how to restore their previous closeness.The car grew quiet.Nyla turned to look out the window, lost in thought. In the past, she always had something to say when they were alone. Now, she didn't initiate any conversation.Clark sighed inwardly and decided to take things slowly.…As they neared the villa, Clark's phone rang from his pocket."Nyla, can you get my phone?" Clark asked.Nyla retrieved the phone and saw "Jordyn" flashing on the screen.Clark frowned and said, "No need to answer it."He had warned Jordyn not to contact him, but she ignored him. This made him both angry and a bi