Evelyn Linton’s face flushed in embarrassment, and she hurriedly pulled her hand back.

She had just shuffled half a step back when Scott Sutton grabbed her lower back and tugged her closer to him.

Evelyn stared up at him in shock, even her words came out tangled. "You... what are you doing?"

The wind off the river carried a chill. Scott squinted slightly at Evelyn and said, "Do you really hate me that much?" 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

Evelyn frowned, giving him a strange look. "What kind of nonsense are you talking about? Did you drink too much too?"

Scott said in a firm tone, "I think you hate me."

Evelyn looked completely baffled. "...Why would I hate you? Let go first!"

Scott didn’t loosen his grip at all. "If you don’t hate me, then that means you like me?"

Evelyn’s heart gave a jolt. Her face, already red from how close they were, suddenly burned even hotter. She forced herself to sound calm. "What kind of logic is that? You’re my landlord, I’m your tenant. Once the lease is up we go our separate ways. Where would all those feelings suddenly come from?"

Scott chuckled softly and asked, "Can we renew the lease?"

Evelyn didn’t know whether it was his smile that got to her or that one sentence, but her mind went totally blank.

While her thoughts were a mess, Scott’s voice sounded again, carried by the cool night breeze. "You said I’ve never said I like you out loud, so listen carefully now."

Evelyn’s eyes flew wide. She watched Scott lean in close, his voice low and husky. "I like you."

"Y-You... stop talking nonsense here."

Scott laughed lightly, muttering to himself, "Looks like just saying it isn’t enough for you to believe it."

Before Evelyn could react, Scott slipped one hand around her lower back, the other behind her head, and dropped a deep, alcohol-tinged kiss on her lips...

Evelyn seemed dazed and drunk on the moment, eyes wide open. It took her half a second to come back to herself and struggle to push Scott away.

She covered her lips with the back of her hand, glaring at him in shy annoyance.

Scott looked at her with eyes full of indulgent affection. "What’s with that look?" he asked.

Evelyn frowned at him. "Are you using a few bottles of beer as an excuse to get drunk and take advantage of me?"

Scott muttered, sounding a little troubled, "Still don’t believe me?"

As he spoke, he tugged Evelyn toward the roadside.

Evelyn froze for a second, then suddenly jerked back.

Scott’s palm suddenly came up empty. He frowned and turned to look at her.

He’d thought she was dodging him because she was resisting, but then he saw her turn back to grab the five hundred yuan she’d pressed under the glass earlier.

Still thinking about the money in a situation like this really was just like her.

Watching Evelyn stuff the cash into her bag, Scott walked over again and grabbed her by the arm.

To keep her from shaking him off this time, he tightened his grip.

He called a designated driver, then dragged Evelyn into the back seat of the car with him.

Evelyn swallowed hard. "What do you want? If you dare try anything, I’ll..."

Scott looked at her with a faint smile, pressing her, "Hm?"

Evelyn shrank toward the car door, eyes holding a hint of fear. She was clearly scared, but she forced herself to sound fierce as she snapped at him, "...If you dare touch me, I’ll expose you! I’ve got plenty of fans, and you’re someone people know by name too. If this gets out, it’ll be The Suttons’ reputation that gets trashed!"