Chapter 767 The Unexpected Visitors
Yunice set down her teacup, brushing her fingertips lightly across the bit of soil clinging to Wyatt’s hand. She smiled. “Mr. Wyatt, no need to call in your star assistant over something so small. A little pest is hardly worth it. Leave it to me. You’re better suited for contracts worth billions.”
Wyatt turned her hand over and pressed a kiss against her knuckles, his eyes steady. “No contract worth billions compares to seeing you smile among your roses. I only want to spare you trouble. Watching you worry hurts me.”
His words came out so naturally, so sincerely, but Yunice only arched her brow, letting them slide through one ear and out the other.
She teased, “Smooth talker. When I first met you, I never guessed Mr. Wyatt could be so good with words.”
“That was then,” Wyatt chuckled, his thumb stroking her palm. “If I’d been too charming back then, wouldn’t it have seemed shallow? How else could I have won over a heart as sharp as yours?”
“Who said you won me over?” Yunice pulled back half in jest, but his grip only tightened.
“I did,” Wyatt yielded, his gaze thick with warmth. “You tricked poor Wyatt into giving up his heart, and his whole life. And I’ll say it–gladly, sweetly, forever.”
Sunlight, roses, and the faint stir of wind wrapped the two in a cocoon of quiet joy.
Nearby, Mindy hummed an off-key tune as she arranged petals into little shapes.
Life was peaceful. Secure. Whole.
Until the sound of a car engine broke the stillness. It pulled up to the gates, followed by the sharp ring of the bell.
Wyatt’s brow furrowed almost imperceptibly. He didn’t like intrusions into his sanctuary.
Who would come at this hour?
Dora, the housekeeper, hurried to answer. After a brief exchange through the intercom, she returned, looking uneasy. “Sir, madam–it’s Mr. Victor. He… brought a young lady with him. He says it’s just a friendly visit.”
Victor.
Wyatt’s smile vanished, replaced by a flash of cold displeasure. Even Yunice could feel his hand tense in hers.
Victor might have found himself a new girlfriend, but in Wyatt’s eyes, he was still a threat–an unstable variable that needed constant watching.
“Again?” Wyatt muttered, voice icy. “Passing by? He lives clear across the city. What part of this is ‘on the way‘?”
Yunice laughed softly at his sharp jealousy, patting the back of his hand. “Come on. He’s my brother. Dropping in isn’t such a crime. We can’t exactly leave them standing outside, can we?”
Wyatt’s answering grunt was reluctant, but he gave Dora a nod.
The gates opened.
Victor entered in a tailored gray suit, tieless, collar casually undone. He looked composed, almost refined. Beside him walked a young woman, poised and polite–Candy Taurine. Wyatt’s carefully arranged match.
“Yunice, I hope this isn’t a bad time,” Victor greeted with an apologetic smile. “I was nearby on business, thought I’d stop in. This is my girlfriend, Candy.”
Candy dipped her head slightly, her smile polished yet gentle. “Thank you for having me. Sorry to intrude.”
“You’re not intruding,” Yunice answered warmly. “Sit, both of you. Dora, more tea and some sweets, please.”
Wyatt inclined his head the bare minimum. “Mr. Victor. Ms. Taurine.”
But his sharp gaze flicked between them, weighing Candy’s presence, gauging if this “girlfriend” was genuine–or just a smokescreen.
Victor’s eyes, when they landed on Yunice, were calm, admiring, but respectful. No trace of overstepping. That at least soothed Wyatt slightly.
They settled at the wicker chairs beneath the banyan tree.
Mindy, ever polite, piped up with a soft “Mr. Victor, Ms. Candy,” before going back to her crayons and scribbles.
Small talk flowed–weather, recent news. Then Victor cleared his throat, his voice even. “Yunice, I did have a reason for coming besides catching up. There’s a project I wanted to run by you.”
Wyatt’s fingers tightened almost invisibly on his teacup.
“Oh? What kind of project?” Yunice asked.
Victor slid a slim folder from his briefcase and handed it across. “A charity art fund.”