Chapter 344

Melissa shot me an awkward look, and I nodded. "It's from Mr. Hallman. You really can't say no now, can you?"

Zachary laughed from the side. "Seriously, my boss is super generous. Just take it already."

Melissa grinned from ear to ear, happily slipped the gift into her bag, and gave me a playful wink.

I turned to Nathan and asked, "Why were you carrying a gift around with you?"

Nathan chuckled. "Zachary told me about that pact you guys made back in the day."

Zachary quickly threw up his hands. "Yeah, Melissa told me about your college deal, so I gave my boss a heads-up."

Melissa shot me an envious look. "Victoria, Mr. Hallman really pays attention to you. He remembers even the tiniest things. You're seriously lucky. You’ll be living a happy life."

Her words made me blush, and I shot Nathan a sideways glance.

Nathan was looking at me with so much warmth that my heart almost melted. I reminded myself to stay rational, no matter how much he loved me.

"Thanks, Nathan," I said, glancing at him.

However, Nathan chuckled. "What are you thanking me for?"

"For remembering that little thing and saving me from getting embarrassed in front of my friend," I said with a smile.

Nathan replied warmly, "Your friends are my friends now. Building good relationships always starts with little things."

"Well said!" Melissa exclaimed, slapping the table. "Mr. Hallman, you're basically every woman's best friend."

Nathan and I just stared at her, completely speechless.

Zachary quickly jumped in. "Melissa, my boss is a tech guy, not someone who keeps up with all the ladies' business."

That had everyone bursting out laughing.

Dinner wrapped up on a relaxed, cheerful note. I’d had a few drinks, so driving was out of the question, and Nathan had some, too. He leaned in and advised, "Want to come over to my place for a bit?"

"Hey, you mentioned you had a dog. Where is it? I haven’t seen it around," I asked, remembering that before Nathan left for Aurelia, he’d asked me to look after it, but I'd been way too busy.

"Yeah, I keep it in a small villa. Want to go check it out now?" Nathan said quietly.

"Sure, I’ll go with you?" I replied, feeling a little closer to Nathan than before. Maybe feelings didn’t really fade away; they just shift onto someone else.

I’d always thought I could get through life without needing a man, just being a total iron lady.

But life was short, and the world had both men and women. If guys weren’t meant to be there, the universe wouldn’t have bothered making them. They had to serve some purpose.

No matter what happened between Nathan and me, for now, we were giving it a real shot, getting to know each other, and honestly, it was exciting and a lot of fun.

I made up my mind. It was time to drop all those unnecessary labels and personas. If fate brought someone my way, I just needed to dive in and enjoy falling in love.

I followed Nathan back to his small villa. It was exactly what I expected – a cozy two-story house with a small yard. As soon as we parked outside, the dog started barking from inside.

"It’s a golden retriever," Nathan said. "Don’t worry. It’s super chill and wouldn’t hurt a fly."

"With you around, I’ve got nothing to worry about," I said with a smile.

Nathan took my hand and led me toward the small gate. The housekeeper came running over, opened it for us, and said with a big smile, "Mr. Hallman, you’re back."

"Yeah, I’ll be staying here tonight. Take a couple of days off and relax," Nathan said gently.

"Thanks, Mr. Hallman," the housekeeper replied and then turned to me with a smile. "Your girlfriend is so beautiful! You two make such a great couple."

I smiled politely. "Thank you."

Just then, a huge figure came barreling toward us, and I instinctively darted behind Nathan. In the next second, I jumped up and clung to his back like a koala with my legs wrapped tightly around his strong waist.

"Oh, my God. It’s huge!" I blurted out.