Tempted Trapped and Too Late to Run novel Chapter 168

Inside the Moonlight lounge, Richard glanced at the shattered wine bottle on the floor and shook his head. "What a shame. That was some good wine."

Dylan leaned back, narrowing his eyes, lost in his own world.

Richard poured himself a drink and then filled Nicholas' glass, who had been silent all this time. He couldn't resist clinking his glass against Nicholas’. "Come on, Nicholas, why the long face at a dinner party?"

Nicholas gripped his glass tightly, his expression dark.

As the youngest member of the group, Nicholas was ruthless but still learning the ropes when it came to dealing with these seasoned veterans.

Richard chuckled softly, his demeanor carefree. His shirt was slightly unbuttoned, revealing his toned chest.

Nicholas downed his drink and then said, "My sister's been too quiet lately."

Richard burst out laughing, "Worried she's up to something big? Don't you think you're being a bit dramatic? She left Greenard Corporation on her own. If you didn't want her getting any inheritance, you could've just sent her abroad or made her disappear without a trace. Your folks adopted her thinking they couldn't have kids, right?"

Nicholas looked down, fingers gripping the glass tighter. "I never wanted to kick her out of Greenard Corporation; she chose to leave."

Richard leaned in, waving a hand in front of Nicholas’ face. "You alright? You made such a fuss back then. Everyone knew you couldn't stand her. Scarlette's smart enough to know when she's not wanted. She's got her own way of doing things."

As he finished, he felt Nicholas' intense gaze, like that of a predator, fix on him. "What do you mean, Richard?"

Richard raised a hand slightly, a playful grin on his lips. "What do I mean? My family’s pushing me to settle down. Maybe I should consider becoming your brother-in-law."

Nicholas slammed his glass down on the coffee table, shattering it into pieces. "No way!"

Nicholas looked up, repeating firmly, "No way."

Richard opened his mouth to say more, but Dylan cut in. "Richard, didn't you notice?"

Richard turned, puzzled. "Notice what?"

Nicholas was the youngest in their group; they usually cut him some slack. But Nicholas was known for his decisive and authoritative nature. It was rare for Nicholas to seriously emphasize anything in front of them.

Richard genuinely didn’t catch what Dylan was getting at.

Dylan poured himself a drink, his fingers tracing the rim of his glass. "Some things are best kept hidden, so well-hidden even you can fool yourself. That way, no one will ever find out."

Nicholas pressed his lips together, retorting, "I'm not like you."

Richard glanced at Dylan, then at Nicholas, and finally let out an "Oh," as realization struck. "So our youngest member has a secret crush, huh? Congrats! Who is it? Surely not Scarlette? Aren’t you two supposed to be arch-enemies?"