Chapter 402: See Through

Chapter 402: Chapter 402: See Through

Boss Hart might not know, but how could she miss it? Those men’s eyes were like tracking devices.

The moment Boss Hart appeared, their gazes would automatically lock onto her, blind to everyone else.

Frost Shaw and Roman Rowe were the most obvious of the bunch. The others weren’t so brazen, still in the phase of sneaking glances, but based on her understanding of men...

...they probably wouldn’t be able to hold back for much longer.

’So... why should I even bother getting involved?!’

Suddenly, an image of Sue Sutton shielding her flashed through her mind.

Cynthia Whittaker shook her head. ’What am I thinking? There’s no way she’d show up.’

Lily Hart saw she was spacing out and patted her on the head. "What’s on your mind? You’re not satisfied with any of them?"

"No~" Cynthia Whittaker laughed and said directly, "But don’t they all have their hearts set on someone?"

"Huh?" Lily Hart was dumbfounded. She knew Frost Shaw and Roman Rowe had someone they liked, but the others had crushes too?

’Who is it? Do I know all of them?’

No, wait. Lily Hart seemed to recall something. They were always staring at her.

Of course, she couldn’t rule out that it was because she was attractive. But they also always tried to get close to her and seemed to treat her differently than other girls.

Whenever Frost Shaw acted a little more intimately with her, the others would glare as if they wanted to commit murder.

’Thinking about it now... could it be that they all like me?’

She used to just think of them as handsome window dressing, but now that she thought about it... Sss, this feeling wasn’t half bad.

’Might as well keep it in the family~’

’Still, I figured it out way too late!’

Cynthia Whittaker wanted to explain further, but seeing that Lily seemed to have figured it out, she obediently kept her mouth shut and watched a dazed Lily Hart walk out of the hot pot restaurant.

Lily Hart walked out of the hot pot restaurant and gazed up at the sky at a forty-five-degree angle.

She quickly came to terms with the situation. ’I’m beautiful and kind-hearted, and I hold the keys to the lottery shop. Is there any reason for them *not* to like me?’

Chuckling to herself, Lily Hart headed to the next shop with a spring in her step.

’Time to check on the hotel.’

The hotel lobby was nearly empty. Not many people were checking in, so it wasn’t as busy as her other businesses.

Lily Hart walked into the hotel, and her eyebrow shot up when she saw Leo Colby sitting behind the reception desk. She went over to him.

"Hiii~ Busy?" Lily Hart asked cheerfully, leaning with one hand on the reception desk.

Leo Colby looked up, his eyes lighting up involuntarily. "Not busy."

His tone was as composed as ever, but Lily, now privy to the inside scoop, could detect a hint of delight.

’He’s happy I’m here,’ Lily Hart thought, certain of it.

She used to think the guy was into Rose Rhodes and had even secretly shipped them as a couple.

Now she felt like a student taking an open-book exam, already holding the answer key.

She could figure out all their subtle gestures and hidden feelings with just a little bit of thought.

Take now, for instance. Leo Colby was staring at the computer with his hands on the keyboard, pretending to be completely focused.

But he was watching Lily Hart out of the corner of his eye, taking in her every little movement.

Lily, who had suddenly seen through it all, thought: ’It’s kind of satisfying to see through it all, but it also ruins a lot of the surprise.’

She tried to hypnotize herself. ’Forget it, forget it, forget it. I’m just getting ahead of myself, just being conceited.’

When she opened her eyes again, she met Leo Colby’s curious gaze. She couldn’t help but let out a small laugh.

Leo Colby froze for a second, then feigned calmness and looked away. But her radiant smile from just a moment ago kept replaying in his mind.

His hands unconsciously tightened on the keyboard as he racked his brain for something to say.

"Boss Hart, making the rounds again?" After a long pause, Leo Colby finally came up with something.

"Mhm, came to see how you all are doing." As she said this, Lily Hart stared intently at Leo Colby.

Sure enough, she saw his flustered, evasive eyes, but his expression remained blank. He was clearly just putting on a serious front.

Lily Hart stopped teasing him and straightened up. "With us changing bases so often lately, how has business been?"

Leo Colby let out a sigh of relief and slowly loosened his grip on the keyboard. "It’s been pretty stable. We still get ten to twenty people checking in each day."

"That’s not bad. As long as there’s business, that’s what matters. Of all the places I’ve been to so far, yours is the quietest," Lily Hart said, making it up on the spot.

In reality, she hadn’t even finished her rounds.

But it also happened to be true.

Leo Colby blurted out, "If you like the quiet, you should come and hang out more often."

He regretted it the moment he said it, but on the surface, he remained perfectly composed. His disguise was flawless—he even met her gaze without flinching.

Lily Hart smiled and agreed. "Sure. Well, I’m off. I still have to get to the next place."

Once Lily Hart was completely out of the hotel, Leo Colby’s ramrod-straight back suddenly slumped.

He let out a long sigh. Although he was older than the others and had been through more...

...when it came to this sort of thing, he had very little experience. He couldn’t help but feel a pang of frustration. ’Lily Hart is so sharp. Did she figure it out?’

’If she has, will she call me out on it? Or will things stay the same?’

He didn’t know, but he could accept either outcome.

Lily Hart stood at the hotel entrance, wondering where to go next. Her gaze landed on the bathhouse.

’That’s the one!’

’I know what’s on Owen Warren’s mind,’ she thought. ’He just wants to devour me, plain and simple. No other feelings involved.’

Lily Hart snorted internally. ’Once you become my employee, you can forget about ever turning the tables on me.’

Humming a tune, she cheerfully walked into the bathhouse, intending to go straight to the cashier’s desk.

But she ran into Owen Warren right behind the door. The moment she met his teasing gaze, Lily Hart involuntarily crossed her arms over her chest.

"What do you think you’re doing, just standing there?" Lily Hart snapped.

She could be perfectly pleasant to everyone else, but not the moment she laid eyes on Owen Warren.

"Waiting for you, of course!" Owen Warren said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. He mimicked her, crossing his arms over his chest.

Owen Warren had been standing there for a while. He knew she was making her rounds to each shop and that it would be his turn sooner or later.

"Oh~? Waiting for me for what?" Lily Hart raised an eyebrow, her question deliberately coy.

Owen Warren grabbed her hand and shoved up her sleeve, revealing her pale forearm.

Staring at that soft, pale skin was like looking at a delicacy. His Adam’s apple bobbed twice, and he desperately wanted to lower his head and take a bite.

But he held back, pushing his tongue against the inside of his cheek.

Seeing this, Lily Hart took the initiative and offered her arm, moving it even closer to his twitching mouth.

Owen Warren took a deep breath. The scent of her flesh that was uniquely Lily’s filled his nostrils, and his eyes gradually turned scarlet.

He was putting immense pressure on himself. ’This is Lily. This is Lily.’

’I’m already Tenth Rank. I’m the most badass zombie in the whole world. I don’t need to eat anymore.’

But his heart was still pounding. THUMP THUMP THUMP. His heart screamed ’Eat!,’ but his brain screamed ’Don’t!’

He blinked a couple of times. In the end, reason won out, and his eyes returned to their normal human color.

He desperately wanted to strike a pose of someone resolutely turning down a meal.

But this damn hand of his... it was like it was glued to Lily Hart’s arm. It just wouldn’t let go.

In the end, Owen Warren pinched her slender wrist between two fingers.

He leaned in, took a deep sniff, and then gave the protruding bone of her wrist a couple of light licks.

Lily Hart thought he looked like an addict getting a fix.

A tingling, numbing itch spread out from her wrist. Lily Hart shook his hand off and wiped the spot.

"Ew! You...!" Lily Hart fumed.