Chapter 71
Chapter 71
The Elusive Professor My body trembled in fear, and I nuzzled into Aaron’s arms to hide my face. He kissed the corner of my
lips before chuckling to himself.
I looked at him with a dumbfounded expression, and it took a few seconds before I realized I’d been
tricked. “Aaron,” | gasped. “Did you just lie to me?”
Aaron raised his eyebrows. “It worked, didn’t it?”
I gritted my teeth and squeezed three little words. “You’re so childish!”
Right when the credits rolled, Aaron and I were quick to exit the building. I didn’t want to bump into
Vincent and Emily.
Just when we stepped into the parking lot, I received Vincent’s reply.
Vxncnt: Sorry babe, I just got off work!
Vxncnt: I’m on my way to pick you up right now
I smiled sarcastically.
Right.
When was his job to spend time with Emily? Was she the one paying him now?
lazily texted back.
itsOlive: dont bother. i can take a cab home.
As soon as I hit send, Aaron offered to take me to dinner, but I declined.
“Vincent’s going straight home, so he’ll be there in a few minutes. I don’t have enough time to eat with
you. Would you mind giving me a ride back to my place though?”
“Not at all.” Aaron gave me a lopsided grin, started the car, and took me straight to my apartment
building.
With a quick goodbye, he sped off just after I stepped out. I wasn’t even inside my home for a minute
when Vincent suddenly came in.
I didn’t expect him to be home that quickly… Did he see me get out of Aaron’s car?
Just as that thought crossed my mind, Vincent asked me, “Have you seen Aaron lately?”
I giggled and looked at him in mock confusion. “I’ve hardly seen you lately. When would I have time to
hang out with him?”
“Don’t worry about it then. I just thought I saw his car drive by earlier.”
Of course. Aaron’s black sports car wasn’t exactly subtle. I’d have to remind him not to drive something
so fancy next time…
Wait.
Next time?
Was I already looking forward to the next time I’d see him?
“I haven’t seen him.” I shrugged. “It was probably someone else’s car you saw.”
Vincent furrowed his brow for a moment. “Yeah, you’re probably right…”
I immediately noticed his distracted tone. Worried he was still suspicious, I tried to change the subject
by asking, “So did you watch the movie without me?”
“N–no. Why?” Vincent’s voice grew nervous.
“No reason. I heard it was actually pretty good. We should go see it sometime.”
“Oh. Well…”
His visible anxiety made me relax. If he was busy covering his own tracks, he wouldn’t think to question
what I’ve been up
to.
The next day, I arrived at the lab and found everyone else gathered at the table in the breakroom. It
was covered with an assortment of dishes. Exclusive content © by Nô(v)el/Dr/ama.Org.
I tiptoed over and asked curiously, “Is it someone’s birthday? What’s all this?”
“No, Mr. Morris ordered catering.” Nick slurred around a mouthful of food. “Yours is over there.”
“Aaron did this? Why?” I unwrapped the takeout bag with my name on it. “Is it an early Christmas
present?”
“Who knows what goes on inside rich people’s brains?” Nick shrugged with a piece of sushi in his
hand. He popped it in his mouth and walked over to me. “Open yours already. I wanna see.”
“Why? Did we all get different food?”
As soon as I lifted the styrofoam lid, I breathed a contented sigh.
“Damn. Did you offend him when you went to his office? We all got sushi…”
The sandwich in the box looked plain enough, but the sight made my heart pound.
“Lemme try it though.” Nick reached for my food. “There’s probably caviar in it…”
I glared and yanked the sandwich away from him.
“It’s just a normal sandwich.” I shrugged and took a bite. The bacon was a little overdone and the egg
was still runny, but even though it looked sloppily made, it was one of the best meals I’ve ever had…
The handwritten card inside the to–go box made me feel even giddier.
“Enjoy. -Chef A”
He’d made this just for me.
“Don’t feel bad, Olive. I’ll go get you some leftover sushi. Do you like tuna?” Nick patted me on the
shoulder.
“No, no. This is fine.”
Nick huffed. “I didn’t expect someone as handsome as Mr. Morris to be this petty. You’re the only one
he sent a lame sandwich to! A body like that is wasted on a man like him.”
Nick was upset on my behalf. “I bet his dick is as shriveled up as his heart.”
“That’s enough, Nick.” I nudged him and smiled. “Don’t talk about our investor like that.”
“I mean it!” He gave me a look. “Just because I’m in a relationship doesn’t mean I have to stop
appreciating other men… Oh! Speaking of which, I saw a guy in a gray suit this morning, and he looked
just like George Clooney. I called him ‘daddy‘ to his face! I couldn’t help it!”
“You mean that guy right here?” I pointed to the door.
Julian was standing in the doorway talking to a man in a gray
suit.
The moment the handsome stranger turned around, Nick and
I muttered in unison:
“Holy shit.”