Nia Mitchell awkwardly lifted her head and glanced at Charles Northwood, forcing a smile. "Um... during the time you were in the USA, I made a new friend." Ah, her husband could be considered a friend. Charles Northwood already had his own conclusions and didn’t take her words seriously. And so, for Hendry Hampton, this was the final straw. Well, not the life-saving kind, but rather the one that broke the camel’s back. After finishing dinner, Nia Mitchell and Charles Northwood stepped out of the restaurant. "It’s getting late. I should be heading back." Nia stepped outside and sniffed herself. Hmm, she smelled strongly of spicy boiled meat slices. Not just her clothes; even her lips and tongue were still numb from the spices. Northwood looked surprised. He checked his watch. It was only a little past eight in the evening, yet Nia was saying it was late and time for her to go home. "Yeah, about that..." Nia bit her lip. For God’s sake, one lie leads to so many more. "Remember I mentioned I gave up my rented apartment? Well, I’m staying with a distant relative now. When you’re living in someone else’s home, you don’t have as much freedom, so I need to head back early." Ahem, a husband is family, so he counts as a relative. Thinking about it this way, it seems I haven’t really lied after all! "Well, in that case, let me walk you home." Northwood nodded. That made sense. "No need. I’ll just grab a cab." Nia shook her head immediately, declining. Are you kidding? If I let Northwood take me to the Royal Bay Villa, wouldn’t that expose everything? Northwood didn’t dwell on it. If she wanted to go home on her own, then fine. It was just that, when he thought of Fiona Sutton... "Nia Mitchell, what do you think of our friendship?" Nia was taken aback, her bright eyes blinking. What kind of question is this? "Are you asking to borrow money from me?" Surely not. Professor Northwood, with such an impressive salary, could you actually be broke enough to borrow from someone like me? Northwood sighed. Okay, I must have phrased that badly, he thought. "Forget it. Just remember we’re friends." He thought for a moment, then added, "Whenever you face trouble, I should be the first one you seek out, no matter where I am." Nia nodded. I knew he still cared about this, she thought. She hailed a cab and looked at Northwood with a smile. The evening breeze blew, causing her long black hair to flutter. A few strands teasingly brushed her face, lending her an indescribable charm. Under the dim yellow streetlight, her smile seemed to sway with the wind and her hair, captivating everyone who saw it. She wasn’t a peerless beauty, but her purity and innocence in that moment outshone all other refined appearances, making her breathtakingly beautiful. ɪꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴀɴᴛ ᴛᴏ ʀᴇᴀᴅ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs, ᴘʟᴇᴀsᴇ ᴠɪsɪᴛ 𝙣𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙡~𝔣𝔦𝔯𝔢~𝙣𝙚𝙩 Her "I will" lingered in the air as Northwood smiled gently, his dark eyes curving like crescent moons. Once she got into the cab, Nia hurriedly took out her phone and dialed Maxwell Peary. Maxwell held the phone to his ear with his left hand, his right hand scribbling ceaselessly. His desk was piled high with an endless amount of official business. "Uncle, have you had dinner yet?" Maxwell paused, his right hand finally stilling. He glanced up at the pendulum clock and realized it was already past eight. "Not yet. What am I to do? I can’t seem to eat without you." Maxwell said this smoothly, completely forgetting that he himself had actually forgotten to eat because he was too busy with work.