Chapter 428: A Debt I Don't Want to Repay

Chapter 428: Chapter 401: A Debt I Don’t Want to Repay

“Oh, I was just over there with Mr. Gunn, meeting a client. Then Liam Sheffield called and asked if I was free. I figured I hadn’t been back to campus in a while, so I decided to drop by.”

“What did you two talk about?”

“Um, nothing much. Just random stuff!” Nancy Hughes laughed, winking playfully at him. “What’s wrong, Mr. Heston? Are you jealous?”

She was just kidding, but Dylan Heston felt a pang of anxiety.

‘He really was jealous. Liam Sheffield had failed to confess his feelings to her over the phone last night, so he probably planned to do it today.’

“We really didn’t talk about anything important, I promise!” Seeing the change in Dylan Heston’s expression, Nancy Hughes thought he was actually taking her seriously, so she became solemn and dropped her smile.

Dylan Heston didn’t say a word, but Nancy Hughes couldn’t shake the feeling that he was bothered by the fact she’d had lunch with Liam Sheffield.

Just like that, things between them grew awkward again, as if they had regressed to how they were before.

She stole a glance at the man driving, then looked away, her gaze falling to her own hands.

‘A man’s heart is like a needle at the bottom of the ocean. Impossible to fathom.’

She shook her head in frustration and let out a soft sigh.

Back at home, they both fell silent.

She scurried into the bathroom to shower. When she came out, Dylan Heston was standing at the door with his clothes.

She looked up. Their eyes met for a moment, but not a word was spoken as they brushed past one another.

‘This is so frustrating. How did the mood get so awkward all of a sudden?’

Dylan Heston got into bed but didn’t wrap his arms around her like he usually did. She lay with her back to him, feeling a vast distance between them.

It was the same even after he turned off the lights.

Nancy Hughes felt something was wrong. She shifted slightly, turning to face the man beside her.

The curtains were drawn tight, and the room was so dark she could only vaguely make out the shape of his eyes and nose.

His eyes were closed, and his breathing was so quiet he seemed to be asleep.

Mustering her courage, she quietly scooted closer to Dylan Heston, carefully lifting his arm and draping it over her waist.

‘That’s still not enough. There’s still too much space between us.’

She snuggled deeper into his arms, closing the gap. Suddenly, she heard the man’s voice from above her. “What are you doing?”

Uh…

Instantly, she was like a startled cat, her face flushing bright red as she stared at him, unable to utter a single word of explanation.

“Why aren’t you saying anything?”

She immediately buried her face in Dylan Heston’s chest and hugged him even tighter.

‘I’m being so obvious. How can he not see it?’

“Don’t be mad anymore,” she murmured from his embrace, her voice as quiet as a whisper.

Dylan Heston chuckled. “Well, you’re not a complete idiot. You could tell I was angry.”

With that icy expression plastered on his face, anyone could tell he was angry.

But she had no idea *why* he was angry.

‘Could it really be because I had lunch with Liam Sheffield? Or because of that one little joke?’

Dylan Heston had a habit of sulking, and he was usually so subtle about it that she never noticed.

She hugged him tightly for a while, only letting go after she felt the heat in her cheeks subside.

“Dylan, I swear, you’re just like Blue—so moody all the time!”

He was a classic “cat-type” man. When he was being sweet, she found him completely endearing; the more she looked at him, the more she liked him. But when he was angry, his mood shifted in a flash. He was just like Blue: one second, he’s happily rubbing his head against you, and the next, he’s upset, and out come the sharp claws.

But she could never stay mad at him. She liked him too much for that.

“If I’m a tomcat, does that make you a she-cat?”

“Hmph, as if!” she said, turning her head away haughtily.

But Dylan Heston closed the distance, pressing close and whispering something in her ear. He followed it with a soft lick on her earlobe.

The heat that had just faded came rushing back, faster and more intense than before, until her entire body felt like it was blushing.

She tilted her face up to look at Dylan Heston. The suggestive glint in his eyes was unmistakable. Her face grew even redder, and she bit her lower lip.

What he had whispered in her ear was, “This tomcat’s in heat. Are you going to let me?”

‘Let him? It’s not like I have a choice, is it?’

After quitting her job at the art studio, her work schedule became much more relaxed.

That weekend, she finally got her driver’s license. The ordeal was finally over.

Nancy had been learning to drive for a while and had been chewed out relentlessly by her instructor. Thankfully, she wouldn’t have to go through that a second time.

“Should I buy you a car?” Dylan Heston suggested. He took her license and glanced at the photo.

Her delicate, well-proportioned features were incredibly pleasing to the eye.

“No!”

“If you’re not going to drive, what was the point of getting your license?”

“Who says you have to drive just because you have a license!” She shot him a look. “Such as?” he prompted.

“Well…” She wracked her brain, then said offhandedly, “For example, if you’ve had too much to drink and can’t drive, then I can. I can’t drink anyway.”

‘That’s the perfect excuse!’ she thought, pleased with herself.

“Is that right?”

Dylan Heston gave her a knowing look, and Nancy Hughes just grinned sheepishly.

Nancy felt that even with a license, she wouldn’t necessarily be driving. The main issue was that her instructor’s constant yelling had left her with some trauma; every time she touched a steering wheel, she became a nervous wreck.

She never expected that Dylan Heston would give her an opportunity to drive that very same evening.

Dylan Heston had a work dinner that night. She didn’t think much of it and just went home after her own work.

Around ten o’clock, Dylan Heston’s assistant suddenly called and asked her to come pick him up.

The reason given was that Dylan Heston was drunk.

Hearing this, she frantically hailed a cab and rushed over to his location.

But when she got there, she was dumbfounded.

He was standing at the restaurant entrance, leaning casually against his car.

She walked over to him. If it weren’t for the faint scent of alcohol on him, he wouldn’t have looked like he’d been drinking at all.

“Did you drink?” she asked suspiciously. This was completely different from the drunken state she had imagined.

At the very least, she expected to see his assistant propping him up, his face flushed red from the alcohol.

“You drive.” Dylan Heston pressed the car keys into her hand and walked around to the passenger side.

‘Huh? Me, drive?’

She turned to see that Dylan Heston was already in the car, his sharp gaze fixed on her.

‘Alright, I guess I have to just bite the bullet.’

She slid into the driver’s seat, put the key in the ignition, and looked at the man beside her. “Ready?”

Dylan Heston shot her a look. “Are you trying to get us arrested tonight?”

“Huh?” she said, confused, not understanding what he meant.

It wasn’t until she followed his sharp gaze down to her own chest that she realized she hadn’t fastened her seatbelt.

She frantically buckled her seatbelt and laughed awkwardly. “I forgot!”

“No need to be so nervous.”

Nancy Hughes’s smile grew even more rigid. ‘Why do I feel like the person sitting next to me is even scarier than my driving instructor?’

In reality, aside from her driving a little slowly, the trip was perfectly smooth.

It wasn’t until the car was parked in the garage that her heart, which had been in her throat the whole time, finally settled back into her chest.

‘I’m drenched in nervous sweat. Driving is exhausting!’

After that first nerve-wracking experience, the second time was much better.

She gradually became a more confident driver. On the day Georgia Thorne returned from Akashima, Nancy was the one who drove to pick her up.

Now that Georgia Thorne was back, she would have to move out of Dylan Heston’s place.

She had only told Dylan Heston about it the night before. He didn’t say anything, but she knew he was definitely upset.

“How was Akashima?” Nancy Hughes asked curiously.

“It was fine,” Georgia Thorne replied as she unpacked. “By the way, you never told me you got a boyfriend. Who is he?”

The moment her boyfriend was mentioned, Nancy Hughes lost her nerve and tried to change the subject.

She knew she’d have to tell her eventually, but she was afraid of giving Georgia Thorne a heart attack.

Especially now, with things between Georgia Thorne and Elliot Sheridan still so complicated.

“You’ll meet him eventually. What’s the rush?” Nancy Hughes said shyly.

Georgia Thorne found it amusing. It was rare to see Nancy Hughes get all shy like this.

“Who is this master who managed to tame you? He must be something special.”

“Hey! You think I’m some kind of wild beast?”

Dylan Heston knew Georgia Thorne was coming back today; Nancy had already told him.

So, she went out to dinner with Georgia Thorne. While they were out, she got a text from Dylan Heston.

She smiled as she texted back. Georgia Thorne leaned in. “Come on, who is he? Why are you being so secretive with me?”

“Hmph. Don’t you know that a little mystery makes a man more intriguing?”

Georgia Thorne stuck her tongue out. “In that case, I’ll pass.”

Since they hadn’t seen each other in half a year and were in high spirits, they ordered a few beers.

“If you can’t handle it, don’t drink,” Georgia Thorne warned, even as she cracked open a beer for herself.

“With a heavyweight drinker like you here, I’m not worried!” Nancy took a sip of her beer and raised the bottle. “Consider this your welcome-home dinner. Cheers!”

Their bottles clinked together. “I thought you’d at least take me to a five-star hotel for my welcome-home dinner,” Georgia Thorne teased.

“In your dreams! Do you know what my monthly salary is? You’re the real tycoon here!”

Georgia Thorne was just kidding, and Nancy Hughes knew it. They both laughed.

“You probably won’t be going back to Akashima anymore, right?”

“I was only there on a business trip!”

“Oh, come on. You think I don’t know you? Weren’t you just hiding from Elliot Sheridan? Are you really going to be that pathetic over some guy?” The alcohol was making Nancy Hughes brutally honest.

Every word was a dagger to Georgia Thorne’s heart. She took a swig of beer. “Yeah, I guess I am pathetic.”

Nancy was still a lightweight. After two beers, she was out.

Georgia Thorne looked at her. ‘I knew I shouldn’t have let her drink. Now I have to lug her home.’

Luckily, the apartment wasn’t far. She struggled to get Nancy onto the bed and nearly collapsed from exhaustion herself.

“Okay, you just get some sleep. Good thing you don’t have work tomorrow.” Georgia Thorne wiped the sweat from her brow, pulled the blanket over Nancy, and left the room.

「The next morning」

She woke up in her own room, staring at the ceiling for a long moment before she registered where she was.

She covered her eyes with her hand. ‘I’m done for. I’ve only been living at Dylan’s place for a short time, but I’m already so used to everything about him.’