The Fake Heiress and Her Purrfect Partner novel Chapter 162

Chapter 162

A cold shiver shot down Nina’s spine-her skin was practically crawling with goosebumps.

All those years growing up in the Summer family, Alex had never once spoken to her like that.

He was always distant, ignoring her, and even got impatient sometimes.

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But what really caught her off guard was Alex reaching into his suit pocket, pulling out an elegant imported bag of gummy bears, and offering it to her with a deliberately friendly tone.

He said, “These are the ones you used to love, right?

“A friend just brought them back from a business trip.”

Instead of accepting the gummy bears, Nina took a step back, her eyes sharp with suspicion and mocking amusement.

“Are you seriously sleep-talking in broad daylight? Did someone swap your soul or something?” Nina snarked.

Alex’s face went pale in an instant.

He honestly thought that if he just acted a little nicer and threw her a bone, Nina would be all grateful and eat it up, just like she did before.

Alex kept his composure, still maintaining that gentle, doting big brother facade, and tried to convince her.

He said, “I’m genuinely inviting you. You’ve got this one-of-a-kind talent for communicating with animals, and I’ve got top- notch detective know-how and plenty of connections in the field.

“If we join forces as siblings, we could solve those tough, years-old cases together faster than anyone else.”

Even though Claire had started learning beast speak and brought in all kinds of so-called experts from both inside and outside the country, her progress was honestly way too slow.

Up until now, Claire could barely train the basics: just some average birds like eagles, parrots, and the usual feathered crew.

To reach the kind of level Nina had-where she could talk to any creature and have them do exactly what she wanted-who knew how many years that would take.

To win Nina over, Alex dangled an offer too good to refuse.

He said, “Plus, for every case we crack, besides whatever bonus the department gives you, I’ll throw in my own reward that’s twice as much as theirs.”

He tilted the corner of his lips, really trying to come off as sincere.

Sure, Nina had thought about chasing down those cold cases the police had left unsolved, but if she was going to partner up with anyone, it would always be Simon. No question.

She glanced up at Alex and said, “Sorry, but I’m really picky about who I work with. Teaming up with someone I barely know just isn’t my style.”

Nina let a sly grin slip, stressing every word as she added, “Because the way Simon and I click-

“You can’t put a price on that.”

Alex’s gentle expression froze in an instant.

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Chapter 162

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He never saw it coming-after he’d swallowed his pride and put a sweet deal on the table, Nina just shot him down without a second thought.

A rush of fury at being brushed off boiled up inside him. He almost lost it and grabbed her wrist.

He spat, “What can Simon-just a dirt-poor nerd-even offer you? Connections, resources, or maybe that pathetic salary he scrapes together?”

Alex took another step toward Nina. He said, “Let me guess, I’m still not offering enough for you? Go on-just name your price.”

Nina jerked her hand free, her gaze glacial-matching the exact impatient attitude Alex had thrown at her so many times back in their Summer family days, hitting back with his old weapon.

She snapped, “Let me give you some advice: stay out of my business and quit making trouble.”

Her words landed on Alex like a thunderbolt, shaking him to his core.

He stood rooted to the spot, the blood draining from his face.

Back when they were kids in the Summer family, Nina would follow after Alex, begging him to play with her or help with homework. And what did Alex say to her the most? This very sentence.

“Stay out of my business and quit making trouble.”

Just then, Grant hurried over to Gordon and Cade, his face tense as he bent down to quickly whisper something urgent.

Gordon’s face fell. He immediately ordered, “This is an emergency-we need a critical meeting right now!”

Without missing a beat, everyone spun around and rushed to the conference room. Gordon turned back and called out, “Nina, come along too!”

Not a single person bothered to give Alex a second look, much less invite him to join in.

Just a minute ago, Lucien and his crew had been crowding around Alex, showering him with thanks.

But now that the crowd had moved on, Lucien could only stuff that plaque into Alex’s arms with an awkward smile, then make a hasty exit with his people.

Alex stood there hugging that ridiculously flashy plaque, feeling completely stuck-not sure whether to move forward or

retreat.

With no better option, he could only brace himself and follow Gordon to the meeting room.

At the door to the conference room, Alex found himself face-to-face with Simon, who had just hurried over after getting the

news.

Simon wore a sharp blue uniform shirt, his fox-like eyes cold and piercing, each long stride radiating confidence and

purpose.

As their paths crossed, Simon didn’t even break his pace-barely sparing Alex and that plaque in his arms a glance, as though they were nothing more than a bit of background clutter.

Alex’s jaw tightened, a hundred words stuck in his throat, but he couldn’t get any of them out.

Simon brushed past Alex and pushed open the conference room door, all cool composure.

One after the other, they stepped into the conference room, tension hanging heavy in the air.

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