Chapter 581

The days Nathan and I spent in the hospital flew by—it had already been three days. Since it wasn’t exactly comfortable staying there, and Nathan’s wound was healing pretty well, he was adamant about leaving.

So I ended up looking after him at his villa again.

As soon as we walked through the gate, Nathan’s clingy and playful golden retriever came rushing out, tail wagging eagerly as it greeted us.

The big dog started circling around me, and I couldn’t help but feel a little nervous. I clung to Nathan’s arm, refusing to let go.

Nathan gave the dog a quick command, and it trotted back to its usual spot in the living room and plopped down.

“Victoria, it’s New Year’s Eve tonight. I had my assistant prepare a whole feast for dinner,” Nathan said, leading me into the living room.

As Nathan guided me inside, I caught the mouthwatering scent of food wafting through the air—my stomach instantly started rumbling. ‘Wow, this smells amazing,’ I thought to myself.

I couldn’t help but suspect that his assistant and the kitchen staff had just left right before we arrived. Everything was timed perfectly.

“Finally, I have someone to share New Year’s Eve dinner with,” I said with a smile as I walked over to the dining table, which was loaded with delicious food.

Nathan stood behind me, his voice tinged with emotion. “Thanks for sharing this meal with me.”

I turned to look at him. “What are you thanking me for? You saved my life, remember?”

His eyes grew a little misty, his long lashes fluttering as he gazed at me. “It’s always just been me and the dog on New Year’s Eve. Having you here tonight… it means a lot.”

The big dog was stomping its paws in excitement beside us, clearly barely able to wait for dinner to start.

Before I could say a word, Nathan had already served up the dog’s meal. The big furball bounced around him, tail wagging with pure happiness.

I watched Nathan crouch on the floor, reaching out to pet the dog’s head. In that moment, my heart twinged with emotion.

“Nathan, maybe it’s time you thought about finding a wife,” I teased with a smile.

His shoulders visibly tensed, but he didn’t turn around. He just smiled and said, “Oh yeah?”

I nodded earnestly. “Yeah, you should marry someone gentle and caring, have a couple of kids. There’d finally be laughter and voices in this house—it’d feel like a real home.”

E55 vouchers

I was just giving him some friendly advice; I didn’t mean to include myself in that suggestion.

Nathan stood up and turned to me. “So, would you want to stay here and be the woman of this home?”

I stared at him, stunned.

Nathan took a step closer, and when he saw how startled I was, he let out a soft laugh. “Sorry, I was just joking. I know you don’t really believe in marriage anymore.”

I stepped back, my fingers gripping the back of the chair, and gave a bitter laugh. “Yeah, I’ve seen what marriage is really like. I don’t think I could make another one work.”

Nathan’s gaze lingered on my face for a few moments before he looked away and headed to the kitchen to wash up.

I bit my lip, suddenly realizing how quiet things had gotten between us.

When Nathan came out of the kitchen, he said, “Why are you just standing there? Sit down and eat.”

“Okay!” I hurried off to wash my hands too.

We sat down at the table and started enjoying the delicious food. I picked up my phone and saw it was flooded with messages full of New Year’s wishes.

Nathan grabbed his phone too and sent me a gift in our little group chat. Then he looked up at me with a grin. “Here’s a gift from the group leader. Hurry up and grab it before Mr. Holcomb beats you to it.”

I was mid-sip of my soup and almost forgot to swallow.

Just as I was about to grab the gift, Jared snatched it up first. I nearly choked on my soup.

“He’s so fast!” I exclaimed, a little annoyed.

Nathan let out a low laugh. “Mr. Holcomb really leaves you speechless sometimes.”

Luckily, Jared sent the gift back and even topped it up with some extra cash. He messaged, “Sorry, grabbed the wrong gift. Victoria, this one’s for you.”

I just shook my head—Jared is honestly unbelievable.

“Why does he do stuff like that?” Nathan asked.

I raised an eyebrow. “No idea. He just loves to mess around.”