Nicholas‘ mind raced. ‘When did Sharon get to know someone from the Academy?‘ he thought. Judging by Sharon’s smile, they seemed to be on pretty good terms.
Given Sharon’s background, knowing someone from the Academy wasn’t that strange, but she’d never mentioned it to him before.
Though his mind was spinning with theories, Nicholas maintained his outwardly cool, elegant demeanor. “Is that the person who lent you the Atlantis membership card?” he asked casually, trying to hide his curiosity.
The only friend Sharon had ever mentioned who was connected to the Academy was probably this one person. But since Caesar’s card had been lent out, this couldn’t be about Caesar himself.
“Yes, that’s him.” Sharon nodded honestly, her eyes crinkling with warmth. “He helped me a lot back then.”
A few years ago, Sharon had experienced a setback when she encountered a sworn enemy–Niko.
Then, her friends–Cameron, David, and Jannie–all disappeared without a trace. There was no sign of them alive or dead. The shock devastated her. Sharon fell into a deep depression.
After that, Sharon vanished from the scene, and the name Solar Flare disappeared completely. She kept searching for her friends but never found them.
That was when Zanker showed up. Justin was a bit of a goofball, always reminding her of her missing friends. These past few years, she’d been grateful for Justin occasionally passing jobs her way and helping her gather information.
Nicholas suddenly turned jealous. “Is this person a guy or a girl?” he asked.
“A guy,” Sharon replied.
“Well, that’s nice. Next time you meet up, I’ll treat you both to dinner,” Nicholas said. ‘I absolutely need to be there!‘ he thought. ‘It’s a guy? No way can I let my fiancée spend time alone with someone else. This is definitely a rival!‘
Though his heart raced with worry, Nicholas maintained a perfectly calm exterior, his commanding presence making it seem like he’d just mentioned something completely ordinary.
Sharon tilted her head. “Are you jealous?”
Nicholas cleared his throat and took a sip of water. “Only insecure men get suspicious over nothing. I’m confident in myself.”
His gaze was intense, his eyes deep and unreadable. No one would have guessed how panicked he’d been just moments before.
Sharon’s smile widened. Nicholas was interesting. He was exactly her type, and even his awkwardness was somehow appealing. She suddenly asked, “Caesar says you’re pretty popular at the academy?”
“I wouldn’t know. I’ve never paid attention to that kind of nonsense,” Nicholas replied seriously. He wasn’t lying. This was exactly why everyone knew he
kept his distance from women.
Nicholas genuinely found these matters boring. People who had seen darkness could never go back to how things were before, pretending nothing had happened while standing in the sunlight enjoying normal privileges–like falling in love.
Sharon rested her chin on her hand. “But Caesar says a lot of people want to cause trouble for me because of you. Like Lydia, fo
nce.”
At the mention of that name, Nicholas‘ expression turned serious. “I have nothing to do with her.”
“But she claims you hugged her.”
“That wasn’t me. I was only responsible for the arrest. Brent handled the hostage rescue.”
1/2
Chapter 138
This was Nicholas‘ standard approach. He preferred straightforward, direct action and disliked dealing with the complicated aftermath. It was too m hassle. Despite his caution, trouble still found him.
“But that young lady has a crush on you,” Sharon teased.
“Aren’t you a young lady too? You’re the same age.” Nicholas said.
Sharon narrowed her eyes and countered, “If you don’t remember who she is, how do you know she’s the same age as me?”
Nicholas felt the words catch in his throat. He couldn’t swallow them down or spit them out.
Even the sweetest girl turned into a master detective when sizing up her competition in love.
This time, Nicholas was completely defeated. “I’m just guessing. She looks older than her age, like she’s older than you,” he said.
“Is that so?” Sharon replied. She didn’t push further and quickly changed the subject. “So, how are you planning to get me into the House of Obsidian? The basic courses there are completely different from the House of Ivory.”
Sharon thought they were the same, but now, it seemed like Nicholas had been misleading her.
“Between the House of Obsidian and the House of Ivory, there’s a special group–the Union. It connects activities between the two houses, like daily club exchanges. The president of the Union can freely enter both the House of Obsidian and the House of Ivory,” Nicholas explained..
Sharon raised an eyebrow. “So you want me to become the president of this Union?”
“Yes, that’s right. The previous president resigned, so you can run for the position.”
To be honest, probably no one was more suited for this role than Sharon. “Ok, I’ll trust you one more time,” she said. She then kept her eyes on her plate, taking small bites. ‘Not bad,‘ she thought.
After they finished eating, Nicholas handed her a napkin. “Want to take a walk around campus?”
“No thanks,” Sharon flatly refused. She didn’t want to walk around with girls throwing themselves at Nicholas the whole time.
“Not even for a date?” Nicholas asked, his voice soft and disappointed. ‘I finally got Sharon to visit the academy so we could spend some time alone together, but she turned me down. This is so heartbreaking,‘ he thought.
Sharon looked at the man with his handsome features and intense gaze that carried a hint of resentment. She suddenly remembered they were supposed to be dating. She’d almost forgotten such an important detail. Of course, a date was definitely in order.
Sharon flashed him a sweet smile. “Sure.”
Nicholas‘ gaze wavered for a moment. ‘That smile is so cute. I just want to take her home and keep her all to myself,’ he thought.
