Chapter 94

Night had fallen, and snow had begun to drift through the city.

Inside the private residence, the radiant heating kept every room comfortably warm. Another weekend was approaching.

Elena had come home that afternoon and gone straight to the gym. The butler had stopped by once to ask about dinner, but she had told him to wait.

By the time she finally finished working out, she was completely exhausted. She lay flat on the floor for several minutes before dragging herself up and heading upstairs for a shower.

The bedroom was warm enough that she changed into a cotton T-shirt printed with tiny cats and a pair of shorts. Her long pale-blonde hair was loosely twisted up in a claw clip.

Then she heard movement downstairs.

Elena glanced at the clock.

Almost eight.

She immediately headed downstairs.

Richard had just returned.

He handed off his black cashmere overcoat, still carrying the chill of the snow outside, leaving him in a sharply tailored dark suit. He had come straight from another demanding meeting, and some of its cold severity still lingered in his expression. His jaw was tight, exhaustion visible beneath the composure.

Then he looked up and saw Elena coming toward him.

The change was almost immediate.

"Don't you get cold?"

Richard's gaze dropped to her bare legs, his brows drawing together.

Before Elena could answer, he reached down and swept her effortlessly into his arms.

"...It's warm in here!"

Elena automatically looped her arms around his neck, settling against him. He still carried traces of the winter air outside beneath the familiar scent of his cologne.

Richard carried her into the living room and set her down on the leather sofa.

"I came straight back after the meeting, but traffic was terrible."

"Have you eaten?"

Richard loosened his tie.

"Didn't have time. Five hours of meetings back-to-back. I got into the car as soon as we finished."

Elena blinked.

"Perfect! I haven't eaten either. We can eat together."

The hand resting against her calf suddenly went still.

Richard slowly straightened and cupped her face in both hands, tilting it toward him.

"It's eight o'clock, Elena."

His voice dropped.

"You've obviously just showered. You didn't have classes this afternoon, which means you came home and spent several hours working out."

Elena caught his wrist.

"Wow. Look at you, Detective Sterling."

Richard stared at her.

"What did you have for lunch?"

Elena gave him her most innocent look.

"Sliders."

"How many?"

Her eyes shifted.

"...A few."

Richard said nothing.

"Fine. Two," Elena admitted. "I really wasn't hungry. But they were pretty big."

Richard raised an eyebrow.

"How big?"

Elena held her hands apart.

"Just... big."

"Really?" The corner of his mouth lifted. "Maybe I should visit your campus cafeteria sometime. I'd like to see these legendary sliders the size of dinner plates."

"That is so not the point."

Elena stood.

"And what did you have for lunch? Probably nothing!"

"I spent the afternoon sitting in an office."

Richard pinched her cheek.

"I didn't work out for hours on an empty stomach."

"Mental labor is still labor." Elena planted her hands on her hips. "Neither of us gets to lecture the other."

Richard sighed.

"I just didn't want you going hungry while you waited for me."

Heat crept into Elena's ears.

"Who said I was waiting for you? I just wasn't hungry."

She turned her face away, trying to escape his hand. A few seconds later, she looked back into those dark eyes that seemed capable of seeing straight through her.

"Fine."

She caught his tie and gave it a small tug.

"I did want to eat with you. Eating alone is boring."

Richard looked down at her for a moment.

Damn, she was cute.

"Come here."

He bent and kissed her.

The kiss was warm and lingering, one hand settling at the back of her head as he drew her closer.

Elena made a muffled sound and braced her hands against his shoulders.

"Wait... dinner first..."

The butler had been approaching to ask whether they were ready to eat. He stopped, a delighted smile spreading across his face.

Only after they finally separated did he clear his throat and approach as though he had seen nothing at all.

After dinner, Elena noticed something unusual.

Her boyfriend didn't disappear into the study.

Instead, Richard returned to the living room, settled onto the sofa, and stretched one arm along the backrest as though he genuinely intended to spend the evening relaxing.

Elena approached with a glass of lemon tea.

"Well, well. Chairman Sterling isn't going back to his study tonight?"

Richard glanced up, amusement in his eyes.

"What? You want me to work? Am I bothering you?"

"Of course not."

Elena kicked off her slippers and climbed onto his lap as naturally as a cat, settling into the warmth of his chest.

Richard slipped an arm around her waist and picked up a tablet with his free hand.

"I want to show you something."

Elena leaned closer.

A series of architectural renderings, aerial plans, and recent site photographs appeared on the screen.

They showed several extraordinary private estates. One was a secluded mountain residence built around elegant courtyards and woodland. Another stood on a private lakeside peninsula, its expansive glass walls opening toward the water.

Elena studied them carefully.

She assumed Richard was asking for her opinion on some ultra-luxury residential project Sterling Consortium was evaluating.

"The landscaping around this one is incredible."

She enlarged the lakeside estate.

"And with this much open water and green space around it, I'd imagine the land would hold its value pretty well."

Her attention shifted to the next rendering.

"But these are incredibly private. If this is supposed to be a commercial development, there can't be many units. Would the numbers even work?"

The arm around her waist tightened slightly.

Richard looked at her in surprise. Then amusement entered his eyes.

"You've been studying?"

Elena lifted her chin.

"Of course I have. I've been reading. And I looked up a lot of financial news too."

She gave him a proud look.

"Including things related to Sterling Consortium's different business divisions."

Richard laughed.

He reached over and rubbed her cheek until the skin turned faintly pink. Elena glared at him, and only then did he let go.

"Forget the investment analysis."

Richard swiped through several more images.

"Just based on what you personally like, what do you think of these places?"

Elena paused.

That was an odd question.

She looked again at the mountain estate, with its secluded courtyards and natural hot spring, then at the bright modern residence overlooking the lake.

"They're all beautiful."

She continued scrolling.

"They look like the kind of houses you only get to live in inside a video game."

"You like them?"

"Of course."

"That's all I needed to know."

Richard calmly exited the presentation.

"Then it's settled."

Elena blinked.

"What?"

Richard looked at her.

"All of them are yours."

 

"..."