Chapter 34

Elena slowly edged toward the car door.

Her mind was racing as she tried to figure out how to deal with the awkward situation.

She had said quite a few things about her father that probably hadn't been very pleasant to hear.

But when she finally worked up the courage to glance at Richard, she found a faint trace of amusement in his dark eyes.

The corner of his lips was barely lifted. There was no shock or displeasure on his face.

If anything, he looked entertained.

“You really let him have it, huh?”

Richard's voice was low, the slight lift in his tone making the teasing obvious.

Elena's face turned even redder. Her fingers nervously twisted the hem of her clothes.

“He started it… And everything I said was true.”

“I know.”

Richard tilted his head slightly, looking at her without asking who she'd been arguing with.

“Get in.”

The night they had first met, Elena had already smashed a water pitcher over Charlotte Whitmore's head. She had never intended to play the sweet, innocent girl—and she clearly wasn't capable of it anyway.

Richard didn't particularly care.

He had met plenty of elegant, perfectly mannered heiresses in his world. He had also met his fair share of vulgar people. Neither type had ever been worth much of his attention.

But this girl was different.

She looked delicate and almost demure, yet every now and then, she would suddenly show her claws.

That unexpected contrast was strangely compelling.

It stirred a faint, instinctive desire to see just how far those claws could reach.

“…Okay.”

The look in Richard's eyes made Elena feel strangely uneasy.

She quickly lowered her head and climbed into the car.

Meanwhile, Adrian had just finished his last class of the evening and was driving home when an email suddenly came through.

The sender was Prism Ventures, the lead investor in one of the major projects he was currently working on.

The email was written in extremely formal language, but its contents made Adrian's blood run cold.

“Following our internal compliance review and an assessment of the backgrounds of key personnel associated with the project, we have determined that Mr. Cole, one of the project's principal members, has serious concerns regarding his personal conduct and character.

“Effective immediately, we have decided to withdraw all investment from the project…”

They had pulled their investment.

Personal conduct and character?

Adrian's mind went blank for a moment.

What had he done?

He had spent more than six months preparing this project. It was far more important than the national competition he'd recently been removed from.

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If it successfully launched, it wouldn't just give his résumé a major boost. It would also give him access to resources and connections that could be invaluable to his future.

And now, everything had disappeared in the space of a few cold lines in an email.

What was wrong with his conduct?

Could this be Professor Caldwell again?

Was the investor somehow connected to him too?

Adrian's hands tightened around the steering wheel.

Or—

He had mentioned this project to Elena before.

Could she have reported him to the investors?

Elena had never been good at knowing when to speak and when to keep quiet. She acted on impulse, rarely thought things through, and had a habit of making things worse or offending people.

If she had deliberately tried to get back at him—spreading rumors, contacting the investors, or making things up about him—

It wasn't impossible.

He grabbed his work phone.

Elena had never known this number. She had asked him for it several times before, but he'd always refused to give it to her.

Right now, he didn't care.

He called her directly.

Meanwhile, in the back seat of the Rolls-Royce, Elena stared at the unfamiliar number flashing on her screen.

Normally, she didn't answer calls from numbers she didn't recognize. Nine times out of ten, they were spam—scams, advertisements, or sales calls.

But the atmosphere inside the car was already awkward enough, and she really didn't want to sit there making eye contact with the man beside her.

So she answered.

“Elena.”

Adrian's voice came through the phone, cold and accusatory.

“What exactly are you trying to do?”

Elena blinked.

“What are you talking about?”

“Don't play dumb.” Adrian's voice hardened. “Junhe Ventures just pulled its investment from my project today. So I'm asking you—did you tell them about what happened before?”

“What?”

“Do you even realize what you've done?” His voice grew sharper. “This isn't some petty argument. You went behind my back and tried to ruin my future! You can be stupid, but don't be stupid and malicious at the same time—”

Elena listened for a few seconds, completely baffled.

Then she finally cut him off.

“Are you out of your mind?”

She couldn't believe what she was hearing.

“Don't dump this on me. Your project got canceled today, so somehow that's my fault? What next? A tsunami hits tomorrow and that's on me too? Then the world ends the day after that and you'll say I did that as well?”

Adrian gritted his teeth.

“I haven't told many people about this! Other than the people on the project team, only you and my parents knew!”

Elena frowned.

Adrian really had mentioned something similar to the original Elena.

The problem was that she hadn't paid enough attention at the time. Whatever he'd told her, she couldn't remember enough of it now to be useful.

Beside her, Richard remained silent.

He appeared completely calm, but his attention stayed fixed on Elena.

He had noticed the slight frown that appeared when she answered the call. Then she'd said Adrian's name.

Her expression showed nothing but irritation and confusion.

Still, considering that Adrian had once been her boyfriend—and that their relationship had lasted for quite some time—it wasn't strange that she might still care about him.

Richard could understand that.

He simply didn't like it.

Elena had already willingly come to him. Her attention should be here, with him.

How could she waste it on someone as worthless as Adrian?

A dark sense of possessiveness stirred quietly beneath his calm exterior.

Just then, an electric scooter suddenly shot through the intersection ahead of them, completely ignoring the traffic light.

Mike's expression changed instantly.

He slammed on the brakes.

“Skreeech—!”

The tires screeched sharply against the asphalt.

Elena hadn't even had time to fasten her seat belt.

The sudden stop sent her body pitching forward.

An arm shot out from beside her and caught her firmly around the waist.

The next second, everything seemed to spin.

A powerful arm locked around her waist and pulled her backward with effortless strength.

She lost her balance completely.

Before she could even react, she was pulled straight onto Richard's thigh.

“Ah—!”

Her phone nearly flew out of her hand.

Elena froze.

Richard's arm was wrapped securely around her waist.

Through the thin fabric of her pants, she could feel the solid muscle of his thigh beneath her. His broad chest pressed against her back, and she could feel the steady beat of his heart.

Her face instantly went bright red.

Even the tips of her ears felt like they were burning.

She hurriedly tried to slide off his lap, but the arm around her waist didn't loosen.

Instead, his hold tightened slightly.

Elena pushed against his arm.

It was hard and immovable, like trying to push against a wall.

“Sorry, Chairman. That scooter came out of nowhere.”

Mike's low voice came from the front.

“Mm. Watch the road.”

Richard's voice remained completely calm.

Elena took a breath, about to say something, when Adrian's voice suddenly came through the phone again.

“Elena? Who was that?”

Adrian was driving too. It was rush hour, and the road around him was filled with honking cars.

The noise was so loud that he'd only caught the sound of another man's voice.

He hadn't been able to make out what the man said.

“Who are you with?”

“…”

Elena was just about to snap back at him when she suddenly felt a warm breath against her ear.

Richard had lowered his head.

Still holding her with one arm, he leaned closer, his lips hovering near the ear on the side away from the phone.

His warm breath brushed lightly across the sensitive curve of her ear.

Then he nibbled gently on it.