âLet him in.â
âYes, Mr. Evan.â
Levant entered the living room. With a glimmer in her eyes, Nicole ran towards him. âLevant, I havenât seen you in a while, and I really miss you.â
ââ¦â
Levant looked at her, confused.
Is Nicole talking to me? Did she really say she missed me?
This statement astonished him more than winning the lottery.
âLevant, whatâs the matter? Did you come here to see me?â
Levant returned to his senses and said, âYes! I came here to see you. How are you?â
Nicole nodded vigorously. She gave Levant a warm welcome and showed him to his seat. She then asked the maid to serve him tea, all the while completely ignoring Evanâs existence.
Levant was pleased to receive such hospitality from Nicole. Although he did not understand the change in Nicoleâs attitude toward him, he was truly enjoying every second of this treatment.
Evan watched their interactions coldly. He was really starting to entertain the idea of marching over and grabbing Levant by the collar to kick him out of the Imperial Garden.
âNicole, if you have the time, do visit the winery. They included new delicacies to their menu, so you should head over to give them a taste and see if you like them.â
âShe doesnât like the food at Levant Winery!â
Evan blurted out before Nicole could respond. He stalked up next to Nicole and looked down on Levant with his piercing gaze, emitting an air of a kingâs aura.
Levant, who was sitting in Evanâs direct line of gaze, suddenly felt oppressed. Nicoleâs warm hospitality was certainly a sharp contrast to Evanâs cold attitude.
He found himself wandering between fire and ice. There was Nicole, whose smile was as warm as the spring breeze, but there was also Evan, whose glare was as cold as ice.
They have always been in harmony with each other. They have never been at odds like they are right now. What happened? Could it be that they are really going through a rough patch? If thatâs the case, isnât this the perfect chance for me to mess up their relationship and get between them?
Levant watched their actions keenly while silently celebrating this discovery. âNicole, would you like to go?â He asked again.
âOf course! Letâs go now!â Nicole exclaimed, shooting a glare at Evan while she spoke.
Evanâs face instantly paled. He came to a sudden realization that Nicoleâs contrived acts were aimed at his annoyance only.
What is she trying to do?
He studied Nicole carefully and noticed that she was looking at him with utter disgust. His heart clenched like someone had just stabbed him with a knife.
He could not understand Nicoleâs sudden hatred toward him. He furrowed his eyebrows slightly, lost in thought.
âI didnât have breakfast, and I do feel a little hungry right now. Letâs go,â Nicole urged.
Levant was overjoyed. He turned to Evan and asked calmly, âMr. Seet, you donât have a problem with that, do you?â
Evanâs face darkened, and the anger in his deep-set eyes was eminent.
Nicole did not dare to look at him. She knew she was contrived! But being contrived was the only way to make Evan hate her and eventually leave her.
âNo. Let me grab a change of clothes then, we can go together.â
Levant was speechless.
He really did not want the manâs company!
Nicole stood up all of a sudden and bellowed at Evan, âWhy bother! You treat me like your prisoner and keep me under your close surveillance every single day! Iâm sick of this! I donât want to see your face! Levant, letâs go!â
ââ¦â
Nicoleâs rave, filled with bellowing anger, came as a shock to both Evan and Levant.
How could Nicole talk to Evan like that? Was there really trouble in paradise?
While Levant was lost in his own world, he could hear Nicole calling out to him, âHurry up already!â
He came to his senses and followed Nicole out of the living room. He wanted to look back at Evan, but he didnât dare to. Even without having to look, he knew that the man left behind would surely be staring daggers at him, wishing to butcher him with his glare.
It was only after they left the Imperial Garden and got in Levantâs car that Nicole shed her pretense. Levant took the initiative to strike up a conversation with her, to which she responded wearily, and all her enthusiasm from before had vanished.
The only thing she could think about was how crushed Evan must have been by her attitude a while ago.
Witnessing a complete change in her attitude, Levant finally understood the situation. Nicoleâs enthusiasm towards him just now had been a show to spite Evan!