Inside the Moonlight lounge, Richard nced at the shattered wine bottle on the floor and shook his head. "What a shame. That was some good wine."


    Dn leaned back, narrowing his eyes, lost in his own world.


    Richard poured himself a drink and then filled Nichs'' ss, who had been silent all this time. He couldn''t resist clinking his ss against Nichs''. "Come on, Nichs, why the long face at a dinner party?"


    Nichs gripped his ss tightly, his expression dark.


    As the youngest member of the group, Nichs was ruthless but still learning the ropes when it came to dealing with these seasoned veterans.


    Richard chuckled softly, his demeanor carefree. His shirt was slightly unbuttoned, revealing his toned chest.


    Nichs downed his drink and then said, "My sister''s been too quiettely."


    Richard burst outughing, "Worried she''s up to something big? Don''t you think you''re being a bit dramatic? She left Greenard Corporation on her own. If you didn''t want her getting any inheritance, you could''ve just sent her abroad or made her disappear without a trace. Your folks adopted her thinking they couldn''t have kids, right?"


    Nichs looked down, fingers gripping the ss tighter. "I never wanted to kick her out of Greenard Corporation; she chose to leave."


    Richard leaned in, waving a hand in front of Nichs'' face. "You alright? You made such a fuss back then. Everyone knew you couldn''t stand her. Scarlette''s smart enough to know when she''s not wanted. She''s got her own way of doing things."


    As he finished, he felt Nichs'' intense gaze, like that of a predator, fix on him. "What do you mean, Richard?"


    Richard raised a hand slightly, a yful grin on his lips. "What do I mean? My family''s pushing me to settle down. Maybe I should consider bing your brother-inw."


    Nichs mmed his ss down on the coffee table, shattering it into pieces. "No way!"


    Nichs looked up, repeating firmly, "No way."


    Richard opened his mouth to say more, but Dn cut in. "Richard, didn''t you notice?"


    Richard turned, puzzled. "Notice what?"


    Nichs was the youngest in their group; they usually cut him some ck. But Nichs was known for his decisive and authoritative nature. It was rare for Nichs to seriously emphasize anything in front of them.


    Richard genuinely didn''t catch what Dn was getting at.


    Dn poured himself a drink, his fingers tracing the rim of his ss. "Some things are best kept hidden, so well-hidden even you can fool yourself. That way, no one will ever find out."


    Nichs pressed his lips together, retorting, "I''m not like you."


    Richard nced at Dn, then at Nichs, and finally let out an "Oh," as realization struck. "So our youngest member has a secret crush, huh? Congrats! Who is it? Surely not Scarlette? Aren''t you two supposed to be arch-enemies?"


    Nichs stood up abruptly. At seventeen, he had started handling the Greenard family affairs, developing an intimidating presence. "It''s not her."


    Richard leaned back, narrowing his eyes. "Good thing it''s not her. Your family would never go for it. Besides, hasn''t Scarlette been seen with some guy recently? She''s older than Dn, and probably thinking about settling down herself."


    Nichs was at a loss for words, sinking back into the sofa in silence.


    Richard looked left and right, then quipped, "Lucky me, I''ll never fall for a woman. Too much hassle."


    Little did he know, that when someone who''s never been in love finally falls, it can be terrifying.


    ***


    ra woke up with a pounding headache but forced herself to go to work.


    She sat at her desk, feeling drowsy, but her mind was drifting to the mark on her inner thigh. It was so close to a sensitive area that she couldn''t help but wonder- could a mosquito really bite her there? How sharp would that mosquito''s proboscis have to be?


    Just as she stifled a yawn, someone ced a file in front of her. "ra, here''s the recent government coboration project. Please organize it."


    She quickly sipped her coffee and began sorting through the project.


    The project aimed to build arge, fairy-tale-themed amusement park on the outskirts of town. If sessful, it would be the nation''s hottest attraction.


    However, an old hospital stood in the way, housing a single patient. The director, Calix, refused to relocate, insisting on caring for this patient.


    ra propped her chin on her hand. Several of Ferguson Corporation''s top negotiators had visited. They offered to cover the high medical costs, transfer the patient to a major hospital, and even bring in foreign specialists, yet Calix remained unmoved.


    The project was urgently needed but was stalled.


    ra researched the hospital online. It was a private institution, solely owned by Calix, who seemed indifferent to wealth and power-making him difficult to persuade. Nheless, ra wanted to try.


    She took the project proposal and went to knock on Dn''s door.


    Dn was in a different-colored suit today. He set down his coffee when he saw


    her. "Did you sleep wellst night?"


    ra''s cheeks flushed instantly. Despite being drunk, she remembered the embarrassing incident of sitting on Dn''sp.


    She could still recall Dn''s expression. He was clearly ufortable and almost intolerant of her touch.


    In a way, her actions could be considered harassment. It was remarkable that Dn hadn''t gotten angry at all.


    He was undoubtedly the world''s most masterful man at managing emotions!