Chapter 8 Good at Pretending
“How about this one?” Nathan asked his assistant, Ryan.
Ryan glanced at it, his expression dull. This one’s line too.
God, this was the twenty–fifth white suit already.
As a straight guy, he truly couldn’t tell the difference between these twenty–five white suits.
Same went for the glasses–either silver or gold, all basically the same style.
And it’s not like there was some big event tonight.
What the hell is the boss even doing?
He’d already taken five showers!
“Alright, I got it. You can head out. You’re off the clock, Nathan dismissed him.
The moment Ryan heard the word off, he lit up like a Christmas tree.
“Got it. Mr. Foster. See you tomorrow!” he said, grabbing his bag and leaving without a shred of hesitation
The whole villa fell quiet. Nathan checked himself in the mirror again.
Clean–shaven, brows groomed, freshly washed hair, new glasses.
Perfect. He looked sharp and spotless.
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He really wanted to shower again–changing outfits had made him sweat a little. If Stella smelled that on him, it’d be embarrassing.
But one glance at the time told him it was already 8:00 p.m.
Stella could show up any minute. He needed to be ready.
His assistant had told him earlier that Ethan’s secretary was checking who currently lived at this villa.
Just like he’d guessed in the middle of the night–her sleep disorder made it so she could only sleep in this house.
Which meant Stella might show up today.
So Nathan spent the whole day working from home. He was waiting for her.
The villa sat at the foot of a mountain road, and his was the first house on the street.
Every time a car passed by up the hill, Nathan would glance out the dressing room window, heart skipping a beat.
Now, another pair of headlights cut through the darkness and rolled slowly toward the house.
Nathan’s breath caught. He loosened his tie, then tightened it again the next second.
His long legs paced the room while sweat gathered in his palms, stinging the raw cut on his hand from last night. Was it her this timet
Would it be?
Ding dong!
Stella rang
ng the villa’s front bell.
Ethan stood beside her, his tall frame casting a shadow over her.
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Chapter 8 Good at Pretending
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“You sure it’s Nathan?”
Stella shrugged. “Not really. It’s just what Tina told me.”
Ethan absentmindedly twisted the bracelet on his right wrist with his left fingers. “These villas aren’t worth much anymore. Barely anyone lives out here now. The wealthy have all moved on.”
“A guy like Nathan shouldn’t be living in one of these old places.”
He wasn’t close with Nathan, but he was definitely grateful.
Starlight Group wouldn’t be what it was today without help from Succeed Capital.
He’d tried to invite Nathan out for dinner several times, but Nathan always declined, telling him to talk to the project manager instead.
Probably because he’d invested in so many successful companies that if he accepted every dinner invite, he wouldn’t have time to work at all.
Last time he saw Nathan was at the overpass on the day his sister was pronounced dead.
A ton of people from No. 1 High School had shown up that day. Nathan was there too.
That thin, refined face hadn’t shown much expression. He just stood there, eyes a little vacant.
Ethan had heard about Nathan and his sister being rivals.
Maybe he’d shown up out of mutual respect.
So maybe today, the two old rivals meeting again would be enough for Nathan to sell them the villa.
He was even willing to pay more.
They waited a while, but no one answered the door.
Stella rang again.
The lights were on, though. Someone had to be home.
Ding dong!
This time, footsteps sounded from inside–someone was coming.
The door opened, and a middle–aged man with the look of a butler appeared.
“Hello. May I ask who you’re looking for?”
Stella smiled politely. “Hi, I’m here to see Nathan. Is he home?”
The butler asked, “You’re here for the master. May I ask who you are?”
Stella paused, then said, “Just tell him I’m an old classmate. It’s a little urgent.”
She hadn’t slept in over twenty–four hours. Her head was starting to spin.
The butler glanced at the two of them. Very well. I’ll inform him.”
Then he closed the door again.
Stella muttered, “Nathan’s really laying it on thick, huh.
Ethan’s eyelid twitched. He kept quiet,
There were probably security cameras at the door.
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Chapter 8 Good at Pretending
Stella might be fine saying whatever she wanted, but if he said something wrong, their investment funding for next quarter might vanish.
At their level, business was like a snowball–always needing new capital to keep it rolling
Soon, the butler returned and said, “The master will see you. Please, come in.”
Stella and Ethan followed him inside.
swere
The villa had a whole acre of gardens. Even at night, with the soft lighting, it was clear how meticulously the grounds t maintained.
The breeze carried the scent of grass and flowers–refreshing and pleasant.
No denying it, Nathan had taken great care of this place.
When Stella had lived here, the garden was full of fruit trees because she loved fruit.
She even once bought a cherry tree, but the next year it grew crabapples instead.
The second year, she tried again–still crabapples.
She was so pissed, she reported both sellers.
The big fountain by the entrance was still there, lit up and shimmering in the water’s glow. It was almost dreamlike.
The moment Stella stepped inside, her whole body relaxed. It felt like coming home.
After all, in her timeline, it had only been two days since she was last here.
They passed the fountain and entered the living room.
The butler announced, “Sir, your guests are here.”
A warm, pleasant voice called from the staircase above. “Thank
Stella looked up
you
A strikingly handsome man in a white suit descended the stairs. Silver–rimmed glasses sat on his tall nose. He looked like some fallen angel–elegant, untouchable, and impossibly perfect.
As he came down, the tiny mole on his nose caught the light, a small, captivating detail.
“Hello, old classmate. May I ask your name?”
His tone was relaxed, but it carried the natural authority of someone used to being on top-
The schoolboy look was completely gone,
But he was looking at Ethan.
Ethan felt awkward and twitched at the corners of his mouth. “Mr. Nathan, I’m not your classmate. My sister is. Only then did the man seem to notice the girl beside him. He looked at her and adjusted his glasses. “Sister!”
Now that he saw her clearly, he realized she looked just like she had at eighteen. Same hairstyle, same length, same brows, same eyes, same nose, same mouth. Ethan smiled. “Yeah, she just looks young. But she’s actually my older sister.”
No way he could say she’d time–traveled from eleven years ago.
Stella hadn’t expected her old rival to forget her completely.
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Chapter 8 Good at Pretending
But then again, it made sense. Eleven years had passed, and his life had been extraordinary.
He’d built a billion–dollar empire from nothing. You could write a whole novel about it.
She’d already managed her expectations before coming. It wasn’t too disappointing.
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Her head was pounding, but she still walked up to him and smiled brightly. “Hi. I’m Stella. You probably don’t remember me, but I bet you remember the 2014 SAT. I was the city’s top scorer. You were second.”
Ethan’s eyes nearly popped out.
Yup, that’s my sister!
Who could forget that? Probably one
of the rare times Nathan ever came in second place.
For a moment, Ethan’s usually cold expression twitched like he had facial ties..
It was like a memory had just clicked. His eyes lit up with scattered hints of laughter, masking the confusion and barely jconcealing something darker and stickier beneath.
He was just about to say something
When the radiant girl in front of him suddenly collapsed-
Right into his arms.
