"That’s right. I’m full of secrets."
Nina Thorne didn’t really care if he’d seen it or not. If he had, she could just tell him. No big deal.
Seeing that he didn’t bring it up, she asked playfully, "Does Mr. Kane have any secrets he’s keeping from ?"
Justin Kane’s expression froze.
An unnatural flicker passed through his dark eyes.
But he quickly regained his composure, as if it had just been an illusion.
"It seems I’m full of secrets, too."
Justin Kane lowered his head, pressing his forehead against hers. His warm breath turned sultry and alluring. "Would Mrs. Kane like to do so exploring?"
"..."
A blush crept up Nina Thorne’s cheeks.
He was like a hungry wolf these days, always steering the conversation in *that* direction.
Seeing her face flush red, Justin Kane couldn’t bear to tease her anymore. He straightened up and looked at her. "Are you hungry? Want to go out to eat?"
"Or if you don’t want to go out, we can eat here."
He basically let her choose.
Nina Thorne’s eyes darted thoughtfully. "Let’s go out. We can walk around a bit afterward. I’ve been here twice, but we’ve never really explored together."
"Okay."
Nina Thorne hopped off the sofa and bounded back to the room to change.
Justin Kane watched her figure disappear into the room, the smile in his eyes fading.
His expression grew suspicious. ’Could Mr. Locke be...’
’Albert Locke?’
’But last ti they t, they acted like they didn’t know each other.’
Justin Kane took out his phone and sent a ssage to Assistant Cheney. "Look into Albert Locke. See if he knows my wife."
Assistant Cheney was shocked when he saw the ssage.
Albert Locke was a renowned senior engineer, famous both at ho and abroad.
’How could he know Mrs. Kane?’
’Unless Mrs. Kane is also a senior engineer.’
’Otherwise, it’s impossible.’
-
Nina Thorne was in charge tonight, and she chose to have Chongqing hot pot.
She had been craving it for a long ti.
Swishing so beef tripe and omasum in the broth.
Oh, and her absolute favorite, tiger skin chicken feet.
The spicy tallow-based broth was incredibly fragrant, especially paired with a scoop of ice cream.
It was an experience of both fire and ice.
Absolutely divine.
However...
Justin Kane, sitting opposite her, didn’t seem right. He had loosened his tie, and his thin lips were an unprecedented shade of glossy red.
Even though the restaurant’s air conditioning was on full blast, fine beads of sweat still dotted his forehead. He kept lifting his water glass, gulping it down cup after cup.
Nina Thorne burst out laughing. "Why didn’t you tell you can’t handle spicy food?"
’If I’d known, I would have ordered a half-and-half pot to accommodate the spice-averse President Kane.’
But hearing this, he stubbornly retorted, "Who says I can’t handle spicy food?"
Seeing her laugh completely ignited his masculine pride.
A man absolutely cannot admit defeat.
"No one needs to tell ; I can see it for myself." Nina Thorne couldn’t suppress the curve of her lips as she pushed a glass of cola in front of him.
"Drink this. Water doesn’t really help with the spice."
"Or milk would work too."
Seeing that letting him suffer wasn’t a solution, Nina Thorne scanned the QR code and ordered a bottle of milk.
Justin Kane didn’t stop her, his handso face full of haughty pride. "I’m the King of Spice in Sylport. Hardly anyone around can handle spice better than I can."
Seth Lawson, for example.
And Shawn Sinclair.
One was allergic to spice, and the other used an amount of chili in his noodles smaller than a fingernail—a dose that people from spice-loving provinces would consider using as eye drops.
Nina Thorne, who herself wasn’t a big fan of spicy food, pressed her lips together to keep from laughing. She nodded perfunctorily. "Yes, yes, our Mr. Kane is the King of Spice."
"That’s right. The King of Spice of Sylport."
Justin Kane’s expression was nonchalant, and he seed to be enjoying the praise.
Just then, a waiter brought over a bottle of milk. He was about to place it in front of Nina Thorne, but when he noticed Justin Kane’s spice-swollen lips, he changed course and set it down in front of him instead.
"Here’s your milk, sir."
Justin Kane was silent. "..."
Nina Thorne was biting her lip so hard to keep from laughing that it almost hurt.
Her head was slightly lowered, but her trembling shoulders gave her away.
’See? Even the waiter could tell who needed it more.’
Little did she know, her lively and carefree appearance was reflected in Justin Kane’s dark pupils.
A hint of a smile danced in Justin Kane’s eyes as he watched her every expression with doting affection.
Nina Thorne was naturally fair-skinned and radiant.
At twenty-three, she was in the pri of her youth, full of life and energy.
And yet, when he saw her again a few months ago, she had been full of anxiety, yet also sensible and well-behaved.
Now, she was relaxed in his presence, free of the caution and unease she’d had at the beginning.
For Justin Kane, this was a reason to be happy.
What he wanted to see most was her like this—at ease, relaxed, happy, and unrestrained.
When Nina Thorne noticed the man across from her had been quiet for a long ti, she worried the spice might have done him in and looked up.
And she looked straight into Justin Kane’s dark, gazing eyes, which were filled with tenderness.
Nina Thorne froze, a blush coloring her cheeks. "Why are you looking at like that? Did I look ugly just now?"
"Not ugly."
The tenderness in Justin Kane’s eyes didn’t fade. With a serious face, he said, "You’re very beautiful."
Nina Thorne froze again.
Being called beautiful by him made her inexplicably happy, and even a little thrilled.
Her eyes curved into crescents as she smiled, and she responded magnanimously, "Thank you. I think so too."
The smile in Justin Kane’s eyes deepened.
The bright, confident smile before him perfectly rged with the face of the Nina Thorne from five years ago—a face that had been slightly immature but already exquisitely beautiful and elegant.
When she smiled, faint dimples appeared on either side of her mouth.
Her teeth were white and even, and her long, silky black hair fell over her shoulders. Standing in the sun, she was like a little sun herself.
Beautiful, bold, and bright.
She had finally rediscovered a shadow of her forr self.
"I’ve always thought so," Justin Kane said, his heart pounding like a drum.
On the surface, he was calm and elegant, but inside, he was more thrilled than he had ever been.
He felt as if he couldn’t even feel the spiciness anymore.
-
After finishing the hot pot, Nina Thorne followed a guide she found on a lifestyle app and pulled Justin Kane along for a walk on a bridge by the river.
At night, Vistara was prosperous and dazzling.
Like a luminous pearl glowing in the dark.
The wind by the river was strong, tousling Nina Thorne’s long hair and brushing it against her face. A layer of light and shadow fell upon her, illuminating her stunning beauty.
"Justin Kane, is it beautiful here?" Nina Thorne asked, gripping the railing with both hands and looking out at the shimring lights on the river.
As far as the eye could see, skyscrapers lined the riverbanks, their lights a kaleidoscope of colors.
It was like stepping into a fantasy world.
"Beautiful."
Justin Kane’s gaze never left her face, and his one-word reply was ambiguous.
Nina Thorne turned her head to look at him. "See? I didn’t pick the wrong spot, did I? It’s really worth seeing. This is such a developed and beautiful city."
Justin Kane’s dark eyes were fixed on her. "The place isn’t important. What’s important is the person you’re with."
Nina Thorne paused.
’He looks like he’s about to confess his feelings.’
Her heart couldn’t help but speed up, but she feigned a normal tone. "So, you’re saying you think I’m a pretty decent person, huh?"
"Of course."
Justin Kane was already handso and elegant, tall with long legs. He was the kind of person who stood head and shoulders above the rest, always drawing the most attention.
He turned to face Nina Thorne directly. His thin lips parted, but before he could speak...
The excited voices of several girls rang out nearby.
"Look, you guys! He’s so handso!"
"Yeah, he’s even taller than those domineering CEOs from Korean dramas! Aaaah, he’s so hot!"
"Oh my god, oh my god... he looked at us!"
"..."
A few girls were squealing with excitent nearby.
Justin Kane’s eyes darkened, and he frowned.
An imnse wave of possessiveness washed over Nina Thorne.
She suddenly threw her arms around Justin Kane’s waist, leaning into his embrace.
Then she tilted her small face up, blinking at him, her voice taking on an intentionally delicate and sweet tone.
"Honey, look... they’re all saying how handso you are..."
The girls’ squealing ca to an abrupt halt.
Justin Kane lowered his gaze to the slender girl in his arms, a doting smile playing on his lips. "Is that so? Well, I only belong to you."
With that, he lowered his head and planted a deep kiss on her forehead.
Nina Thorne’s face was burning hot and red again.
She had just been acting on a playful impulse; she hadn’t expected him to cooperate so well.
Now, she was utterly embarrassed and quickly pulled Justin Kane away.
Behind them, the girls’ mournful voices drifted over.
"Waaah, why are all the handso n already taken?"
"But... but that girl is really pretty too. They look so good together..."
Once they were in the car, the burning heat in Nina Thorne’s face finally subsided for the most part.
Looking down, she realized her fingers were intertwined with Justin Kane’s, their palms pressed warmly together.
Justin Kane held her hand tightly, as if she were a precious treasure he deeply cherished.
The thought flashed through Nina Thorne’s mind, and she froze.
She subconsciously lifted her head to look at the man beside her.
And in that instant, she t a pair of deep, dark eyes filled with tenderness.
"What’s wrong?"
Nina Thorne’s heart pounded. She felt he was extraordinarily different tonight.
A curve ford on Justin Kane’s lips as he raised a hand to stroke her face. "Nina Thorne, this is how you’re ant to be."
Nina Thorne felt there was a hidden aning in his words. Her delicate brows furrowed. "What do you an? Was I like this before?"
"Even more radiant than this," Justin Kane said, his handso face serious.
She tried to rember what her forr self was like.
But all that ca to mind was the ti when her mother was still alive.
She had been a spoiled and willful little princess, as proud as the sun in the sky.
Even her aunt used to say, "With a personality like Nina’s, I’m afraid no boy will ever dare to like her."
She was not even twelve years old back then.
What had she said in response?
She rembered now. She had snorted with disdain. "What’s the use of a boy who doesn’t dare to like ? I deserve the best in the world."
"..."
Although only a decade had passed, as Nina Thorne recalled it, it felt like a lifeti ago.
So long that she had almost forgotten she could be so unrestrained and bold back then.
In her grandfather’s words, she was like fireworks, or even more, as bright and dazzling as a river of stars.
Recalling all this, Nina Thorne lowered her eyes and gave a bitter smile. "I haven’t been this unrestrained in a long ti. I used to think that no matter what I did, it was wrong."
"Or rather, I couldn’t tell right from wrong. I would always ask myself, ’Is this wrong? Is that okay?’"
For the past five years, her emotions had been controlled by Cole Kane.
She hadn’t laughed like this in a very long ti.
She thought that loving soone ant being this lancholic.
But it turned out that wasn’t the case at all.
Nina Thorne suppressed her emotions, looked up at Justin Kane, and smiled gratefully. "Thank you for being with tonight. I’m very happy."
Justin Kane looked at her small face, his heart aching. He reached out and pulled her into his arms, his voice low. "Has Mrs. Kane forgotten? This is what I should be doing as your husband."
The fervent love in Justin Kane’s eyes was unconcealed as he spoke in a low, husky voice, "To , your happiness is the most important thing. I failed to take care of you five years ago. Fortunately, from now on, I have the chance to."
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