Serena’s POV
I glanced over, surprised to find Ryan suddenly there. I’d been sitting in this restaurant all evening and hadn’t even noticed when he’d arrived.
"Sir, would you like to pay for this lady?" the waiter asked.
Ryan nodded, then reached over and took my card, sliding it back into my purse with a deliberate closeness that made my skin tingle.
"That small amount of money you earn," he said with a patronizing smirk, "better save it for yourself."
Lucian’s gaze drifted between us, his lips curling into a slight, mocking smile. Ryan didn’t even spare him a glance, just grabbed my hand and started making decisions for .
"It’s getting late. I’ll take you ho."
I tried to pull my hand away—twice—but couldn’t break his grip. God, his hands were strong.
"Mr. West," I said with an awkward laugh, "do you have a driver picking you up?"
After all, I’d volunteered to drive Lucian here. We’d finished dinner, but I couldn’t just abandon him. I was being polite, expecting Lucian’s usual accommodating response.
Boy, was I wrong.
"Serena, aren’t you going to drive back?" Lucian asked, his voice honey-sweet.
Ryan’s eyes turned to ice as he stared at Lucian.
"Doesn’t Mr. West have his own driver?" Ryan asked coldly.
Lucian stood up unhurriedly, a slight challenge in his voice. "Tonight, Ms. Quinn is my driver."
I froze, not expecting this turn of events. The tension between them was so thick even I could feel it.
"Ryan, Mr. West did co in my car," I said, trying again to free my hand. "You should go back to whatever you were doing."
When Ryan wouldn’t let go, I resorted to glaring at him, trying to communicate with my eyes since my words weren’t getting through. But he wouldn’t even look at , so my warning glances were completely wasted.
"If that’s the case," Ryan said smoothly, "my driver can take Mr. West back. Serena is pregnant and shouldn’t be driving right now. You wouldn’t force a pregnant woman to drive, would you, Mr. West?"
Ryan had effectively cornered Lucian. If Lucian insisted I drive him, he’d look like an inconsiderate businessman. If not, Ryan would get exactly what he wanted.
My heart skipped a beat. I clearly heard what Ryan was implying. I watched Lucian’s expression, praying my potential client wouldn’t get angry and walk away.
If Lucian wanted to sabotage , he could just keep rejecting my designs during our collaboration. Thinking about this, I wanted to pinch Ryan hard.
Why couldn’t he just shut up!
Lucian’s expression remained unchanged, though I could tell he was irritated.
"Since Mr. Blackwood has proposed a solution, I’ll have to accept," he said smoothly.
Ryan’s smile widened. "Mr. West is too kind."
He turned to instruct his assistant, "Take Mr. West downstairs."
His assistant nodded imdiately. "Mr. West, please follow ."
Lucian said goodbye with a deliberate intimacy that made my skin crawl.
"Serena, the view tonight was exceptional. I look forward to our next eting."
Just that one sentence made Ryan’s face darken. I could practically feel the threatening aura radiating from him—the clear precursor to an explosion.
Not wanting anyone to notice the tension, I quickly waved to Lucian. "Goodbye, Mr. West."
Only after they disappeared from sight did I let out a breath of relief. Then I imdiately pinched Ryan’s soft spot at his waist.
He let out a muffled groan and turned to in disbelief. "What are you doing?"
Taking advantage of his montary pain, I yanked my hand free and glared at him fiercely.
"Ryan, what the hell were you doing? Lucian is my business partner. If you piss him off, who bears the loss? !"
Ryan lowered his voice, coughing twice, clearly not wanting to argue in public.
"Serena, let’s go outside first."
I huffed and turned away, heading for the exit.
Once we were in the elevator, Ryan took my hand again, his tone bossy as ever.
"The loss would be on ."
Hearing this, my anger flared even hotter.
"This is MY business! What do you an ’on you’? If you offend my partners, who will want to work with Dreamland in the future?"
"Next ti, could you please think before you speak!"
I was furious. The elevator dinged open, and I shot him another cold glare.
"Let go!"
Ryan didn’t release —instead, he pulled closer into his arms.
"Serena, you’ve been angry for so long. Isn’t it ti to let it go?"
I struggled but couldn’t break free. Worried soone might walk by and see us, my face flushed with embarrassnt.
"Let go—we’re in a public place."
Ryan seed unusually thick-skinned tonight.
"I won’t let go until you stop being angry. If people want to look, let them."
I couldn’t help but laugh at his ridiculous behavior, finally cracking a smile.
Ryan’s mood lightened when he saw smile. He turned to face him, apologizing sincerely.
"I know you’re upset about what happened before. I’m sorry I didn’t protect you properly, which put you in danger."
"It won’t happen again, Serena."
I huffed, thinking he’d missed the point entirely. But what’s done was done, and I didn’t feel like arguing anymore.
"Weren’t you going to take ho? Let’s go then. But I’m warning you—don’t be so hostile to Mr. West in the future. He hasn’t done anything to you. What’s your problem?"
At the ntion of Lucian, Ryan’s smile froze. His expression turned serious as he guided out."I’m not joking, Serena. Lucian West is a very calculating man. You shouldn’t be alone with him."
I looked at his serious expression and couldn’t help asking, "Are you serious? Is there sothing wrong with Lucian?"
Ryan hesitated, then ran a hand through his hair. "I’ve looked into him as much as I could, but there’s not much to find. But his excessive attention toward you definitely has an ulterior motive."
My heart tightened. I half-believed him.
Lucian had been unusually accommodating, giving the collaboration to Dreamland Jewelry so easily. This was our first ti working together—why would he trust so much?
Was it really just because Dreamland had a good reputation in New York?
Lucian was a businessman, and businessn prioritize profits. He wouldn’t offer so many advantages just for sothing as intangible as reputation.
Thinking about this made anxious.
If Lucian was approaching with hidden motives... what exactly did he want?
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