Chapter 405 - 385: He Really Isn’t a Fool

It was hard for her to discuss anything like this.

Dylan’s closeness was distracting, and her ability to think plummeted.

"Dylan, don’t!" Her voice came out soft and weak. This felt even worse than having the flu.

Her face was burning, as if she really had a fever.

Nancy Hughes was terrified of getting too close to Dylan Heston. She was afraid he’d suddenly turn into a wild beast and devour her whole.

They had already shared a night of passion, but she’d been drunk. She was the one who couldn’t remember the details, yet she was also the one who had been lost in the moment.

Nancy pressed her head against Dylan’s chest. He thought she was being shy, but in reality, she was terrified.

They took a break from each other. Nancy sat in the room, watching the man standing on the balcony, smoking.

The frantic beating in her chest refused to calm. She looked down and saw the messy bedsheets, which even had her...

After finishing his cigarette, Dylan came back inside. He approached her, reeking of smoke. "Come out for breakfast."

She mumbled a soft reply, then abruptly stood up and followed him out.

Dylan stopped at the doorway, but Nancy didn’t notice and walked right into him.

Stumbling back a step, she kept her head down and said repeatedly, "I’m sorry, I’m sorry!"

Dylan glanced down at her. It was just like the first time they’d met. She had accidentally bumped into him, apologizing profusely with her head bowed, never once looking him in the eye.

The ridiculous part was, he had actually remembered her. And when they met for the second time, he had picked her out of a crowd instantly.

To Dylan, their "first meeting" was something else entirely.

He had gone with Liam Sheffield on the first day of the semester.

It was the height of summer, and there she was, a lone girl carrying a case of water, drenched in sweat under the scorching sun.

She was so focused on walking with her head down that she paid no attention to what was in front of her, and that’s when she’d carelessly bumped into him.

Nancy had bowed, rattling off a string of apologies without ever lifting her head to look at him. He casually said it was fine, and she carried her water and left.

Later, she turned out to be the one assigned to help Liam Sheffield, and she gave him a tour of the campus.

Nancy walked at the very front, with a group of men trailing behind her. He brought up the rear.

Nancy was young, pretty, and radiated the vibrant energy of youth.

The image of her profile under the scorching sun was seared into his mind. So much so that when he saw her later at Elliot Sheridan’s company, he recognized her instantly.

A shame she didn’t recognize him then, just as she hadn’t the first time.

Nancy Hughes’s background was simple. She was from a small town.

He started trying to get closer to her, hoping to do it slowly, quietly.

However, Nancy was highly guarded. The moment he took half a step toward her, she would sense it and take a giant leap back.

Instead of closing the distance between them, they only grew further apart.

The two of them sat at the dining table in silence. Nancy kept her head down, sipping her congee.

Nancy drank about half a small bowl of congee, wondering how she was going to bring up the topic of leaving.

But Dylan beat her to it. "I’ll go back with you later. Pack your things, and then you’re moving in here."

"Huh?—What!"

Nancy was so stunned she didn’t process it at first, dropping her chopsticks in shock. "What did you say?!"

"From now on, you’re living here with me." Dylan’s expression was placid, as if he were discussing something utterly trivial.

"Why should I live with you?" They hadn’t even finished talking about last night. How could he suddenly demand she move in?

"It’s simple. We slept together. I’m going to take responsibility for you, so you have to move in."

"Just because we slept together?" Nancy couldn’t comprehend his logic. "Don’t tell me every woman you sleep with has to move in here?"

As she spoke, her eyes darted around the room, searching for any sign of another woman.

Dylan shot her a sideways glance. "Do you think just anyone can get into my bed?"

Nancy’s face fell, an indescribable frustration welling up inside her.

’Isn’t it true, though? Even someone like me ended up in his bed.’

It wasn’t that she was trying to put herself down; she was just all too aware of her own situation.

Growing up, aside from her father calling her pretty when she was little, no one else ever had.

’And Dylan Heston is known as the ultimate catch, the best of the best. How could this be possible?’

"Dylan." Nancy said his name, took a deep breath, and looked up at him with a serious expression. "Even if we say what happened last night wasn’t an accident, we don’t need to be responsible for each other. Consensual things like this happen all over the world every night, and you don’t see everyone taking responsibility for it. People just part ways, no strings attached. You really don’t have to do this."