Chapter 100

That face was so breathtaking it couldn’t possibly be real.

Nathan’s piercing gaze locked onto her. "You’re back?"

Evelyn avoided his eyes, striding in with the contract in hand. "You seem to have an abundance of free time, Mr. Goldmann."

"I heard you wasted half the day at Taylor Jewelry before meeting Madam Nora?"

"Do you have me under surveillance or something?" Evelyn glanced down at her outfit, half-convinced he did.

Nathan’s lips curved into a smirk as he slowly rose from his chair and closed the distance between them. "Why didn’t you mention you’re affiliated with the ckgold Group?"

A fledgling company negotiating with Taylor might be dismissed outright—no reputation, no leverage. But under the ckgold banner? That carried weight.

Nathan wouldn’t even blink at Taylor’s outrageous demands.

Evelyn tossed the contract onto the desk and leaned against it. "Why should I drop your name?"

Nathan braced a hand on the desk, caging her in. "Why can’t you just flaunt me for once?"

Was she embarrassed to be associated with Nathan Goldmann?

She pressed a finger to his shoulder, pushing him back. "It’s not about flaunting you. You’re just… distracting."

Nathan caught her wrist. A shiver ran down her spine as she tried to pull away, but his grip was unyielding.

When his gaze dropped to her lips, Evelyn reacted instantly, slapping a hand over his mouth as he leaned in.

"We’re in the office!"

His eyes darkened, amusement flickering in their depths.

The heat of his breath against her palm sent another jolt through her. She yanked her hand back, glaring. "You’re impossible!"

This infuriating man—

"Say that again?" Nathan’s smirk widened as her cheeks flushed.

Evelyn snatched a stack of documents from the desk and swatted him with them. "Arrogant, insufferable, shameless!"

The papers barely fazed him. He chuckled, watching her like an amused predator cornering a furious kitten.

"Mr. Goldmann—"

Oliver stepped in, narrowly dodging a flying document.

He caught it midair, bewildered. "Did I interrupt something?"

Nathan shot him a look. "What is it?"

"Your father has returned from Bassburgh. He expects you to be prepared."

Evelyn froze, the contract slipping from her fingers. Nathan’s father—the patriarch of the Goldmann family?

"Understood," Nathan replied.

Once Oliver left, he turned back to Evelyn. "Dinner with my father tonight."

"No." The refusal was instant. Meeting his father would solidify everything—no turning back.

"No?" His voice dropped dangerously.

"Absolutely not."

Nathan seized her wrist, yanking her against him. His mouth crashed onto hers before she could protest.

"Mm—you—!"

She shoved at his chest, but he only deepened the kiss, stealing her breath.

"Ask me again?" He nipped her lower lip, a silent threat.

Evelyn stayed stubbornly silent.

That evening, at the Grand Imperial’s exclusive restaurant.

Luxury dripped from every corner—crystal chandeliers, gold-trimmed walls, the finest in Bassburgh.

From 650 feet above the city, the skyline glittered like scattered diamonds. A view reserved for the elite.