Tempted Trapped and Too Late to Run

Chapter 168

Inside the Moonlight lounge, Richard glanced at the shattered wine bottle on the floor and shook his head. "What

a shame. That was sgood wine."

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

Richard poured himself a drink and then filled Nicholas' glass, who had been silent all this time. He couldn't resist

clinking his glass against Nicholas'. "Con, Nicholas, why the long face at a dinner party?"

Nicholas gripped his glass tightly, his expression dark.

As the youngest member of the group, Nicholas was ruthless but still learning the ropes when it cto dealing

with these seasoned veterans.

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

Nicholas downed his drink and then said, "My sister's been too quiet lately."

Richard burst out laughing, "Worried she's up to something big? Don't you think you're being a bit tic? 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?"

Nicholas looked down, fingers gripping the glass tighter. "I never wanted to kick her out of Greenard Corporation;

she chose to leave."

Richard leaned in, waving a hand in front of Nicholas' 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 Nicholas' intense gaze, like that of a predator, fix on him. "What do you mean, Richard?"

Richard raised a hand slightly, a playful grin on his lips. "What do | mean? My family's pushingto settle down.

Maybe | should consider becoming your brother-in-law."

Nicholas slammed his glass down on the coffee table, shattering it into pieces. "No way!"

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

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

Richard turned, puzzled. "Notice what?"

Nicholas was the youngest in their group; they usually cut him sslack. But Nicholas was known for his

decisive and authoritative nature. It was rare for Nicholas to seriously emphasize anything in front of them.

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

Dylan poured himself a drink, his fingers tracing the rim of his glass. "Sthings are best kept hidden, so well-

hidden even you can fool yourself. That way, no one will ever find out."

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

Richard glanced at Dylan, then at Nicholas, 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?"

Nicholas 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 sguy recently? She's older than Dylan, and probably thinking about settling

down herself."

Nicholas 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.

ork

Clara 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 placed a file in front of her. "Clara, here's the recent government

collaboration project. Please organize it."

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

The project aimed to build a large, fairy-tale-themed amusement park on the outskirts of town. If successful, it

would becthe 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.

Clara 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.

Clara 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. Nonetheless, Clara wanted to try.

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

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

her. "Did you sleep well last night?"

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

Dylan's lap.

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

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

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