Chapter 44

Rachel glanced at the time. What was Tyler doing calling her at this hour?

She tapped on the location he sent. It was a private villa.

Rachel was always a little wary of Tyler. There was something about him–sometimes he seemed deep and thoughtful, but other times he just liked messing with people.

She had fallen for it more than once.

Just to be safe, she sent him a message: [Is this about the operating rights for Project Oasis?]

He replied quickly, but the answer made her frown. [What else? Do you think I asked you here for a date?]

Rachel rolled her eyes. She didn’t even try to hide her annoyance; Tyler wasn’t there to see it anyway.

That man really couldn’t go two sentences without teasing her.

She called a cab and gave the driver the address, then leaned back in her seat. It took half an hour to get there–the place was way out in the suburbs.

If she hadn’t known Tyler was close to her mom, she might’ve seriously wondered if he was trying to kidnap her. The place was so remote–no shops, no neighbors in sight.

But honestly, a quiet place like this did feel like Tyler. It was secluded and peaceful, with no one to bother him.

Rachel walked up to the living room. Suddenly, a huge shepherd dog bolted out from inside. Frightened, she let out a short scream and dropped straight to the ground.

The dog circled her, eyes sharp and alert as it gave her a long once-over. Then it leaned in and sniffed her carefully.

Rachel went stiff. She grabbed the hem of her shirt and froze, not daring to move an inch.

That was when Tyler walked out from inside.

He was dressed in loose loungewear, and his hair was still wet–probably just out of the shower. The relaxed look took a little of the usual edge off his vibe.

When Rachel saw him, it felt like spotting a life raft.

“Mr. Hunt!” she blurted.

She wasn’t usually that afraid of dogs, but this one? This was one of those big, dangerous wolf-like dogs. Just looking at its strong, muscular body, she felt like it could tear her apart.

Tyler walked over, casually running his fingers through his damp hair. His voice was lazy and relaxed.

“Come here.”

Rachel quickly tried to get up from the floor. With Tyler around, the dog probably wouldn’t attack her.

Just as she lifted her foot, she heard him

“I meant the dog.”

Rachel was speechless.

The huge dog obeyed Tyler’s command right away, walking away from her and sitting obediently by his side like a well-trained show dog. It was hard to believe this was the same beast that nearly scared her to death a second ago.

Once the dog was out of the way, Rachel finally stood and walked over.

Tyler glanced at her, then said, “Sit.”

Rachel hesitated. Was he talking to her or the dog again?

Tyler noticed the look on her face and gave a low chuckle. “I mean you. Sit.”

“Oh.” Rachel suddenly thought maybe being deaf wouldn’t be so bad. If she hadn’t heard him, she could’ve avoided this whole awkward moment.

She sat on the couch. The dog settled across from her on the floor, tongue out and panting. However, its sharp eyes never left her. It stared her down like it was sizing her up–and not in a friendly way.

Rachel’s skin crawled. She had a feeling that the dog could pounce on her at any second.

She tried to reassure herself. It just looked mean; it was probably really expensive and well-bred. Fancy dogs like that didn’t just bite people. And Tyler was the controlling type–he would never let a pet get out of hand.

Right…?

Then again, Tyler was kind of a jerk. Maybe his dog took after him.

They locked eyes for a few tense seconds. Finally, Rachel broke first. She started to look away, only for the dog to suddenly move and head over.

It nudged her skirt gently with its big head.