Richard: “……”
Richard looked at the young woman standing before him, finding the situation increasingly amusing.
Elena felt a little awkward. She turned her phone around and held the screen out for him to see.
“I really only have a few dollars left. I almost couldn’t even afford the subway.”
She hadn’t brought her transit card today, either.
As she silently complained about the original Elena—who had somehow managed to spend her money until her balance was down to single digits—another thought suddenly occurred to her.
The original Elena had probably planned to ask Adrian for money whenever she ran out.
“At this hour, the subway may not be very convenient,” Richard finally said. “And this place isn’t particularly close to the station. I can arrange for someone to drive you home. Or back to the university?”
Elena’s eyes immediately lit up.
“Then I’ll have to trouble you!”
“It’s no trouble.” Richard interrupted her. “Besides—”
Before he could finish, Elena’s stomach suddenly growled.
Elena: “……”
Her face turned bright red in an instant.
The flush spread from her cheeks to her ears and then down her neck, quickly staining her skin with a vivid crimson. It was even more pronounced than when Richard had caught her by the pool earlier.
Elena wanted nothing more than to find a hole in the floor and crawl into it.
Tonight wasn’t some grand seduction.
It was turning into a night of one embarrassing moment after another.
The original Elena had only eaten a few bites of vegetables at dinner so she could look good in her dress for the party. After everything she had been through tonight, this reaction was hardly surprising.
Keeping her head lowered, Elena didn’t dare look at Richard’s expression.
“…Sorry. Please continue.”
A very soft laugh, so faint she could barely hear it, seemed to come from beside her.
Elena wondered if she had imagined it.
Her cheeks still burning, she cautiously lifted her head and looked at the man standing so close to her.
Richard raised an eyebrow slightly.
In those deep, dark eyes, there seemed to be the faintest ripple—so subtle that it was almost impossible to tell whether it was really there.
“But…” Richard said, a faint, unreadable smile touching his lips. “At the very least, I should let you eat something before you leave.”
Elena stared at him blankly.
Richard shifted his gaze away from the girl’s flushed face and toward the chief assistant standing not far away.
“Have the kitchen prepare some late-night food.”
He paused, then looked back at Elena.
“What do you like to eat? Any dietary restrictions?”
Elena shook her head.
“Anything is fine.”
Richard glanced at her.
“I asked what you like.”
His voice wasn’t loud, but it carried an unmistakable weight of authority, pressing down heavily enough that Elena’s heart skipped a beat.
She didn’t dare give him another vague answer.
“Just… ordinary Chinese food is fine. Something a little sour, and maybe a little spicy. I don’t have any particular dietary restrictions. I just don’t really like ginger.”
She hesitated before adding softly,
“I just thought you probably usually eat Western food, so I’m fine with that too.”
Her voice grew quieter and quieter as she spoke.
At her answer, Richard raised his chin almost imperceptibly.
The assistant suppressed the astonishment in his eyes, turned around, and quickly walked away.
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“Sit.”
Richard gestured toward the armchair beside him.
Elena obediently walked over and quietly sat down.
The sofa was soft and spacious, almost swallowing her whole, yet Elena still sat perfectly upright, her hands folded neatly over her knees—a textbook posture shaped by years of rigorous dance training.
The living room soon returned to its highly efficient working atmosphere.
The assistants and technical staff spoke quietly among themselves. Every so often, someone would step forward and hand Richard a tablet or a document for review.
“Sir, regarding the abnormal trading activity on the London Metal Exchange, after activating the secondary protocol, we’ve preliminarily traced it to an account linked to a cryptocurrency exchange in Switzerland…”
“As for the ESG report for the lithium mining project, the McKinsey team has taken over the report. They expect to submit the revised draft by ten tomorrow morning. They’ve placed particular emphasis on community sustainability and water-resource management…”
“Singapore has sent over three proposals for optimizing the tax structure. Legal and Finance have completed their preliminary assessment…”
Richard listened, occasionally giving a brief instruction.
“Keep tracking the account. Find the ultimate beneficial owner.”
“For the community section of the ESG report, add specific measures and a budget for protecting the local cultural heritage.”
His decisions were swift and decisive, his voice calm and measured, leaving no room for hesitation or negotiation.
Every instruction went straight to the heart of the issue, as though the complicated web of international business, financial risks, and legal-compliance matters already had a clear roadmap in his mind.
Under the warm light, the sharp lines of Richard’s handsome profile looked cold and focused. An invisible aura of absolute control seemed to spread through the room, carrying the quiet authority of someone accustomed to moving entire industries with a single decision.
This was what true power looked like.
Elena thought vaguely to herself.
He wasn’t discussing deals worth a few million or even a few tens of millions.
He was talking about enormous strategies capable of influencing entire industries and redirecting the flow of international capital and resources.
Elena remained quietly seated, her gaze lowered as she idly played with her phone, which was still on silent mode. She did her best to make herself as unobtrusive as possible.
She had no idea how much time passed.
Eventually, the butler quietly appeared and reported in a low voice,
“Sir, the late-night meal is ready.”
Richard closed his laptop and stood.
“Miss Hayes?”
The oppressive intensity of his work aura had eased slightly, but the calm authority and effortless dignity of someone accustomed to being in control remained unmistakable.
Elena immediately stood as well.
“…Yes.”
The private dining room was more intimate and inviting than the main living area.
Under the warm, golden lights, a large solid-wood dining table had already been prepared with an assortment of exquisitely presented dishes.
A chilled seafood platter sat at the center, accompanied by freshly shucked oysters served over crushed ice, their shells arranged with meticulous precision.
Beside them was a generous serving of Oscietra caviar, presented in a polished silver caviar server with delicate blinis, crème fraîche, and finely chopped chives.
There was also a beautifully plated lobster dish, the meat tender and sweet, finished with a light citrus beurre blanc.
A thick-cut Wagyu tenderloin had been sliced into neat portions, its surface perfectly seared and served with a refined red-wine reduction.
A delicate sea bass fillet rested on a bed of asparagus and baby vegetables, accompanied by a light lemon-butter sauce.
Even the simplest side dishes had been prepared with extraordinary care.
The portions were elegant rather than excessive, but the entire table gave off an unmistakable sense of luxury.
Elena stared at the spread for a moment.
She had only asked for something ordinary.
Apparently, in the world of the Sterling family, “ordinary” had an entirely different definition.
The tableware was no less extravagant. The plates were crafted from exquisite fine porcelain, their rims adorned with intricate hand-painted gold detailing. Beside them rested a complete set of antique-style cutlery made of solid gold, each handle engraved with delicate classical patterns.
Under the warm chandelier light, the golden utensils gave off a subdued, aristocratic glow. Nothing about them looked gaudy or overly ornate. Instead, they carried the quiet elegance and weight of old European wealth, as though they had belonged on the dining table of a grand estate for generations.
“Sit.”
Richard took his place at the head of the table and picked up his fork with effortless elegance.
Elena sat across from him. At first, she was a little self-conscious, unsure how to behave in such an extravagant setting.
But the food was simply too good.
Before long, she had completely forgotten about everything else.
Richard looked at her thoughtfully.
The girl across from him had surprisingly good table manners. She ate in small, neat bites, delicately cutting into each dish before bringing it to her lips.
Whenever the spiciness became too much, she would quietly draw in a little breath, only to reach for another bite almost immediately.
A fine layer of perspiration had formed across the tip of her nose. Under the warm light, the tiny droplets glistened like morning rain clinging to the petals of a magnolia.
Her lips, naturally a soft pink, had deepened into a full, vivid red from the heat. Her lower lip was slightly swollen, tender and flushed.
Richard suddenly remembered the moment earlier when he had caught her by the pool.
Her little face had been pale from the cold, only to bloom with color moments later.
Fragile.
Yet vividly alive.
And now she sat across from him completely unaware, eating with quiet concentration, her movements delicate and slightly bashful.
Her rosy lips moved softly as she chewed.
Richard’s hand paused.
The fork remained suspended above his plate as his dark gaze settled on her face.
Elena noticed his stare and slowly raised her eyes.
There was still a watery sheen in them from the spicy food, making her look soft and innocent as she gazed back at him.
All the sharpness she had shown during her earlier argument with Adrian seemed to have disappeared.
She gave a small, muffled hum, apparently unable to understand why he was staring at her.
The soft, nasal little sound, combined with her flushed lips and the fine sheen of perspiration on the tip of her nose—
made her look almost like an exquisitely prepared little dessert, utterly unaware of just how appealing she appeared.
Richard slowly lowered his fork, then picked up his glass and took a sip of ice-cold water. His Adam’s apple moved once as he swallowed.
The cold water eased the lingering heat from the spicy food, but his gaze remained on her for another moment.
Elena lowered her head again, focusing on a piece of crab leg.
Her cheeks puffed out slightly as she chewed. After only a couple of bites, the spiciness made her hiss softly. The tip of her pink tongue slipped out for a fleeting second before quickly disappearing again.
Like a little cat that had snuck a bite of food, only to burn itself in the process.
Richard’s eyes lingered on her for a moment.
She really was unusually expressive when she forgot to be cautious.
“……”
Richard crossed one leg over the other and leaned back in his chair.