Nichs did not show any sign of surprise. It seemed that having a new joiner in the industry was no longer a secret, though he had not met him before. "Stay away from Ariana from now on," he said.


    He did not bother being polite to Leo. He merely said that to Leo before taking me to the car. It seemed that an illegitimate child like Leo was not worth his attention.


    I looked back to see Leo standing there with one hand in his pocket. Smiling a little, I wondered what he was thinking about.


    Suddenly, someone turned my head forward. Nichs leaned over to fasten my seatbelt. "Stop looking." he said. "I''m not looking anymore," I replied.


    Nichs started the car with a nk expression. "I thought you might be excited about having a new brother."


    Thanks to Nichs, I would feel ufortable now whenever I hear the word "excited". He should know more about that feeling than I do.


    After all, udia was not rted to him by blood either. Yet, he had doted on her for so many years.


    "Not at all," I responded halfheartedly.


    Nichs paused as his face darkened. "Just stay away from him. He''s got a difficult personality and isn''t easy to get along with.


    "Besides, Mom alreadypensated him with a piece ofnd back then. You being her adopted daughter doesn''t count for much."


    Mom? My heart ached as I recalled what Jasmine had said to him at the restaurant. My mother did not deserve to be called "Mom" by him.


    "Even though we''re together, we''ve been divorced for a while. Don''t say silly things that might anger her. Be careful, or she might visit you in your dreams for a chat."


    He suddenly pulled the car over to the side of the road and pulled me into his arms. The next moment, his lips were on mine.


    I could smell a faint trace of perfume on him, but it was not mine. I felt repulsed, but as I was trapped in his tight embrace, I could not escape his kiss.


    His hand-slipped under my shirt as he fooled around with me. After a while, he held me close while both of us were out of breath.


    "I don''t know if I''m punishing you or myself," he said.


    However, I could not be bothered to flirt with him. I merely rested on his shoulder to catch my


    breath.


    "Ms. Jones, if we weren''t married, would you find it exciting to be with a man like this in a car?" Nichs nibbled on my ear with eyes full of expectation.


    Back when we were close, he always liked to talk about things in bed that he would not normally say out loud. He had quite a few ideas, and most of them were rather inappropriate.


    "Calling you Ms. Jones feels a bit like role-ying. If we were in a courtroom..."Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g!


    I quickly covered his mouth with my hand to prevent him from saying anything more outrageous. "Shut up!


    Heughed as he removed my hand. "Looks like I''ll have to keep a closer eye on you from now on. I turn my back for a moment, and you''ve got a new man by your side.


    "Tell me. What did you do tonight? I was waiting for you to call me for dinner."


    Nichs''s expression was too serious. If I had not caught him having dinner with Jasmine, I might have actually believed his nonsense.


    Smirking, I reached out to y with his slightly disheveled hair. "I had two dinners tonight, so I didn''t have time to see you."


    Then, I cheerfully asked him, "What about you? Did you eat alone or with someone else?"


    The intimate atmosphere suddenly dissipated. Nichs chuckled. "Stop acting now. You already know, don''t you?"


    "What am I supposed to know?"


    "Did you think you were speaking quietly? Ariana, you''ve moaned beneath me so many times. I can recognize even the slightest sound you make."


    Nichs''s tips curled into a sneer. "I


    was waiting for you toe find me


    next door, but you didn''t seem to


    care at all that your man was having dinner with another woman.


    He emphasized each word, especially "your man".


    O.UMS


    I pretended to ignore Nichs''s sarcasm didn''t want to disturb your good time. But about Jasmine''s so-called ''final dinner, what if don''t


    I


    W to go? What if I want you


    to stay home with me?"


    I truly did not want Jasmine to have her way. And since we were being honest, there was no need to hide it anymore.


    Nichs, let me hear how you would make your choice this time,