Chapter 173 Chapter 173
Nina stood on her tiptoes, but lost her balance for a second and swayed uncertainly.
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Quentin instinctively reached out, his hand catching her waist-but the second he touched her, he yanked his hand back like he’d touched a live wire.
Quentin glanced at his reflection, frowning at the snow leopard ears. He muttered, “Ugly. Too childish.” Seriously, what am I wearing?’ he thought, annoyed.
Even as Quentin grumbled, his hands couldn’t help but fix the crooked headband, carefully adjusting it until it was perfectly straight-his mouth said no, but his fingers told the truth.
“It’s the must-have for all our VIP guests-everyone has to wear one!” Nina declared with zero room for debate.
Like a magician, Nina whipped out a fluffy snow leopard tail, waving it under Quentin’s nose. “Look, this whole snow leopard getup was custom-made just for you!”
“Wait, there’s a tail, too?” Quentin totally lost it, spun on his heel, and was ready to bail. “That’s it, cancel the whole thing.”
But the second Quentin turned around, he almost walked straight into a crowd of National Swim Team members, all here to pick up their work uniforms.
The whole squad, tall, athletic, shining with youthful energy, looked like they were the poster boys for summer-grinning from ear to ear.
“Ms. Summer, where do we pick up our uniforms?” one of the guys called out, sounding bright and eager.
Quentin stared at this crowd of testosterone-fueled, sunny athlete types-his temple twitched uncontrollably.
He froze mid-step, instantly putting the brakes on his plan to escape.
Suddenly, Quentin could feel someone watching him way too enthusiastically.
He sneaked a look and spotted Liam, still in popcorn mode, just waiting to see what juicy drama would come next.
“Hey, you over there! Aren’t you supposed to show our VIPs where to change into their uniforms?” Quentin called out.
“On it, Mr. Hayes!” Liam chirped, flashing a cheeky grin.
Liam caught on fast, bounced over, and beamed at the swim team guys. “Right this way, everyone! Your uniforms are ready and waiting!”
‘Making sure Uncle Quentin’s happiness is safe-that’s my job, Liam thought, a determined grin on his face.
Seeing Quentin about to make a break for it, Nina grabbed his sleeve, half pleading, half threatening. “Hey, don’t go!
“I agreed to all your conditions for showing up, remember? I said I’d help your Sahan client check out those Akhal-Teke
horses!”
She shook his sleeve, pulling out her final trump card. “If you ditch now, I’ll block you!”
Quentin let her tug at his sleeve, listening to her totally toothless “threat.” A faint, almost imperceptible smirk tugged at his lips, but he kept his expression cool. “I’m just taking a quick work call.”
Nina let go, a sly, triumphant grin spreading across her face-mission accomplished.
Quentin stepped out of the park director’s office, found a shady spot under a tree, and dialed Jason-his tone left no room
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for argument. “Jason, grab your styling crew and get over to Forest Isle Zoo. Right now.”
Jason sounded genuinely caught off guard. “Wait, I was actually supposed to come tomorrow.”
“Ms. Summer invited me and my calico cat to the Cat Meetup,” Jason replied. “She said today’s way too packed, so she set me to come tomorrow instead.”
Quentin’s voice got even chillier when he realized Nina had invited Jason, too. “So, are you coming or not?”
“Of course, I’m coming! Mr. Hayes, if you say so, do you think I’d dare blow it off?” Jason answered quickly, curiosity getting the better of him. “Wait, this styling gig-is it for Ms. Summer?”
Quentin replied, “For us.”
Jason blinked, completely baffled.
‘Us? Seriously?’ Jason thought, clearly thrown for a loop.
Jason’s brain was short-circuiting. The second he hung up, he grabbed his Ferrari keys and rounded up his crew-no way he was missing the show, time to catch all the drama live!
Jason could already tell-today was going to be wild.
Fifteen minutes later, the rumble of engines rolled in from afar.
Jason pulled up in a blaze-his flashy blond hair leading the way, followed by two full vans packed with styling pros. The scene turned every head in the crowd; this was an entrance no one could ignore.
Nina dashed over, wide-eyed with surprise. “Jason? What are you doing here?”
“Heard your place was throwing a huge event today and the staff needed a little style magic, so I couldn’t resist-brought my whole crew,” Jason answered, all enthusiasm and charm.
Jason sounded honestly grateful, with just the right amount of flattery. “Ms. Summer, if you hadn’t caught my nanny trying to poison me live on stream that time, I’d probably be pushing up daisies by now.
“From now on, if you ever need anything styled, just give me a call-I’ll drop everything and be there in a flash!”
Before Jason could finish, his eyes snapped onto someone in the crowd.
There was Quentin, standing under the shade, rocking a fluffy snow leopard ear headband and that trademark icy look.
Jason’s eyes nearly bugged out-he almost sent his sunglasses flying.
‘Wait, this is Quentin? The same guy who obsesses over the tiniest details of his tie color?’ Jason thought, utterly stunned,
‘What, did he get possessed by something freaky?’ Jason wondered, still reeling.
Quentin cut him a cold glance. “Quit spacing out and get moving.”/
“Right away!” Jason jolted back to his senses and started rallying his crew. “Make sure Mr. Hayes and Ms. Summer are the absolute stars of the zoo today!”
In no time, thanks to the pro stylists, the two-who’d just had on those basic headbands-were given a total glow-up.
Nina’s hair got braided into the cutest cat car shapes, decked out with a whole mix of flutty little animal clips.
She slipped into a sharp white uniform, the hem and shoulders loaded up with mini plush versions of the zoo’s most popular animals-she looked lively, bursting with playful, irresistible charm.
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Quentin was still sporting that snow leopard car headband, but now he’d swapped into a fitted black tactical getup that looked straight out of an action movie.
The flawless cut hugged his broad shoulders and narrow waist, and with that fluffy leopard tail trailing behind, his usual stoic aura suddenly had a wild, untamed twist.
When the two stood side by side-Quentin in black, Nina in white, ice and sweetness-they looked like animal-themed secret agents, totally in sync and ready to take on the zoo together.
