In the car, I felt uneasy. There was so much I wanted to ask Alex, but I didn''t know


    where to start.


    "If you have something to say, just say it." Alex suddenly spoke, breaking the silence. "Do you think I falsely used Lucas?"


    I shook my head. "I know you never lie. If what you said wasn''t true, Lucas would''ve defended himself."


    "It''s not that big of a deal," Alex said as he turned the steering wheel, guiding the car in another direction. "He''s young. Making mistakes is inevitable."


    I frowned. "You''re right, but... this isn''t the way to my ce."


    He only nced at me. "You''re staying at my ce tonight."


    "At... At your ce?" I was dumbfounded. "Why? That''s... That''s not appropriate. I''m not going."


    "Can''t you see how heavy the rain is?" His voice held a hint of disbelief.


    It was only then that I noticed the windshield. The rain had turned it into a curtain


    of water, and the wipers were working furiously to no avail. But that still wasn''t a reason for me to stay with him. I resisted the idea.


    "I live in a vi," he said casually. "Unlike your ce, which is so cramped you can barely turn around."


    His tone was rxed, but I still felt deeply offended.


    "Are you an elephant or something?" I shot back, looking at him in disbelief. "Besides, I''m just renting. You''re the actual owner of that ce."


    He fell silent.


    When he finally pulled into the garage and parked the car, he unbuckled his seatbelt. "You''re just as sharp-tongued as you were when you were a kid."


    "And you''re just the same," I retorted as he walked over to open the door for me. "Your words are so poisonous that if you licked your own lips, you''d need to go straight to the ER."


    He let out a low chuckle and reached out. "The car is high. Be careful—"


    Before he could finish, I had already slipped and fallen straight into his arms.


    I had underestimated the height of the car. I tumbled forward andnded right against his chest.


    His reflexes were quick, and he caught me effortlessly. I found myself pressed against him, my senses overwhelmed by his warmth and the faint scent of his cologne. For a moment, I waspletely entranced. I didn''t move away.


    And he didn''t push me away either.


    Outside, the rain poured relentlessly. But inside the garage, I let myself indulge in the warmth of his embrace, even if only for a fleeting moment. Even though I knew this didn''t belong to me, I couldn''t stop myself from sinking into it.


    Slowly, I lifted my head. At that exact moment, he lowered his gaze to meet mine. Our eyes locked.


    My heart skipped a beat. His deep, dark eyes seemed to hold an entire universe. It was vast and endless, drawing me in.


    He lowered his head even further, his pale lips inching closer and closer to mine.


    Maybe it was the rush of emotions or maybe it was the lingering alcohol in my system, but for some reason, I closed my eyes.


    I felt his breath getting closer. My heartbeat was so loud I thought it might burst from my chest.


    The sudden shrill of a phone shattered the moment. I snapped back to reality and immediately pushed him away.


    I didn''t dare turn back to look at him. Silence stretched between us until he finally


    answered the call. "Dad, it''ste. What''s so important?"


    On the other end of the line, Mr. Hastings Senior sounded amused. "Did you sign the contract? Serena did great today. You should encourage her more instead of always bullying her."


    "I got it," he replied in a voice tinged with annoyance.