Under Julian Lancaster’s puzzled gaze, Nina Sinclair reluctantly opened the car door and got in.
As the car drove away, Nina felt a kind of awkwardness in the enclosed space with Julian that they never had before.
"Shall we get something to eat?" Julian asked softly.
Nina was silent for a while, then nodded, "Okay."
Perhaps it’s best to discuss after dinner.
The courage she had gathered seemed to pour out like floodwater at that moment.
Julian took Nina to The Flavor Crucible.
Last time, when Nina had a minor dispute with Rebecca Lowell, the servers at The Flavor Crucible already recognized her as a black cardholder. Upon seeing her, they quickly and courteously welcomed her and Julian inside.
In the private room, Julian pulled out a chair for Nina.
Today, Julian was wearing a simple white shirt, and Nina just realized that it seemed to be the one she had bought for him.
They sat down one after the other.
The top two buttons of his shirt were undone, revealing his delicate collarbone. He appeared casually and lazily elegant, just as he did when he tried on clothes, making her unable to help but stare for a while.
For a moment, she wondered if it was her good taste in picking clothes or if Julian’s appearance was simply too outstanding.
For the remainder of the time, Julian didn’t speak, which somewhat calmed Nina’s anxious heart.
With her mind preoccupied, she had little appetite and barely touched the delicious food she had enjoyed last time.
Julian glanced at her. "Nina."
Hearing his deep, magnetic voice, Nina instinctively tensed up, going into full alert mode.
Julian knew that Nina appeared this way likely because she was anxious about his earlier request to date him.
His eyes darkened slightly, "Have you thought it over?"
Nina contemplated how to broach the subject with Julian.
After hesitating for a long time, Nina finally summoned the courage and said, "Julian, there’s something very important I need to tell you."
Facing Nina’s internal struggle, Julian seemed much more at ease, pouring her a cup of tea as if encouraging her to take her time.
"Cough, here’s the thing, I... I..."
Nina’s face flushed red, and though the words were on the tip of her tongue, she couldn’t say them aloud. She was actually scared.
Afraid of seeing Julian angry or seeing disdain in his eyes.
These past few days, her dreams seemed all too real, and each time she woke up, she was left with endless melancholy.
Julian’s eyes darkened, showing a shadow.
Nina didn’t need to say anything; he already knew she was hesitating or perhaps unwilling to accept his request to date.
But regardless, he had decided it had to be Nina Sinclair.
At that moment, Nina finally spoke, "I think we are not quite right for each other!" Tʜe source of this ᴄontent ɪs NovᴇlFɪre.nᴇt
After saying that, her heart felt incredibly heavy, and she didn’t even dare to look at Julian again. If she could, she would dig a hole and bury herself in it.
Seeing the defeat on Nina’s face, as if she was giving up something important with great distress, Julian surprisingly wasn’t angry.
He said softly, "Because the new product launch is starting, and you’re busy with work, you don’t want romance to affect your job?"
"..." This excuse was unusually reasonable.
Ah! That’s not right!
Nina coughed lightly and said, "No, because I..."
Yet she couldn’t get the words out, gently rubbing her forehead as she felt incredibly uncomfortable.
Julian gazed deeply at Nina, then continued, "If that’s your concern, we could keep the relationship private."
"If you don’t want things to progress too quickly, you can continue living in Ethan Sherman’s house. I won’t force you into anything."
After saying this, Julian looked at Nina softly, "Is there anything else troubling you now?"