He pulled into the spot right next to her car, quickly hopping out as she walked over. "You''re working with thispany now?" he asked.


    Scarlette''s expression tightened right away. "Didn''t I tell you to wait at home?"


    "I got bored," Nichs admitted, shing a sheepish smile. "I wanted to tag along. Come on, let''s grab dinner tonight-just us. It''s been forever since we did that."


    This was a bigpany-top ten in the Capital. Nichs knew exactly who ran the ce, even if their businesses had never crossed paths before.


    Without another word, he gently tugged Scarlette into his arms, resting his chin on her shoulder. "What do you think? We can catch the river view. You''ve been swampedtely-we barely get any time together."


    Since she''d finally solved a major problem that day and, more importantly, Nichs hadn''t made thingsplicated for her, Scarlette agreed.


    That evening, they headed to a private restaurant perched high above the city. The windows looked out over the river, and rumor had it you could see the best fireworks from here. It was the perfect date spot.


    Nichs couldn''t take his eyes off Scarlette. To him, she was perfect-every little thing about her.


    "Scarlette, I was thinking maybe we could—"


    He didn''t get to finish. Out of the corner of her eye, Scarlette saw the restaurant door swing open. Someone walked in.


    It was Carrie and her husband. It was their wedding anniversary, and they''d picked the same ce. The restaurant was known for being romantic-a favorite for couples.


    Scarlette''s face changed in a heartbeat, and she quickly looked down.


    There weren''t any private rooms, but the ce was ssy and quiet, everyone dressed up and speaking in low voices.


    Carrie and her husband passed by without even noticing Scarlette.


    But Nichs noticed something was off. He frowned. "You know Mrs. Wu, right? Isn''t yourpany supposed to start working with hers soon? Did she give you a hard time?"


    He''d told her before-if she ever needed help, he''d have her back, no matter what the project was.


    But Scarlette was fiercely independent. She''d left the Greenard family on her own and built her business from scratch, never leaning on her family''s name. Nichs, hurt by her distance, had even made things a little harder for her, but she''d still managed to keep herpany thriving and had good rtionships with her partners.


    Scarlette turned away, gazing out at the city lights. "Mrs. Wu''s a good person. She wouldn''t make trouble for me."


    "Then why''d you get all weird when you saw her? Scarlette, are you hiding something from me?"


    Before he could say more, she stuffed a piece of fruit in his mouth.


    He chewed quietly, letting it go for now.


    Scarlette kept ncing over at Carrie, hoping the night would pass without drama. But suddenly, the piano music changed, and someone appeared at their table holding an enormous bouquet of roses.  s


    "Scarlette, these are for you."


    They weren''t real roses-they were diamond-studded, sparkling so brightly they caught everyone''s attention.


    Scarlette stiffened, quickly turning back to the river view, pretending she hadn''t noticed.


    Nichs, oblivious, picked up the


    bouquet and set it on the table. "So, what think? Like it? If not, you could always sell them-this bunch would fetch a small fortune."  s


    His eyes were shining; it was the first time he''d ever given her something so extravagant in public.


    Usually, she''d turn down his gifts. But after how sweet she''d been to him the night before, he figured it was worth a shot.


    Scarlette just asked quietly, "When are we leaving?"


    Nichs looked a little disappointed, his eyes dropping as he hesitated. After a


    long pause, he finally asked, "Are you really hiding something from me?"


    Scarlette took a slow breath. She was nervous Carrie would spot her and get the wrong idea-especially since she''d met with Carrie and Morgan 1 that morning to talk abou the wedding. If rrie caughther out with another guy at a ce like this, it would be impossible to exin.  s


    Carrie was easy to get along with, but when it came to Morgan, she was strict.<fn6d96> Read full story at findnovel</fn6d96>


    Scarlette stood up, her voice soft. "Nick, I love it. Let''s head out-I need to talk to


    you."


    Whenever Scarlette spoke to him gently, Nichs never doubted her for a second. A little tenderness from her, and he forgot everything else.