Chapter 8 Good at Pretending " How about this one ? " Nathan asked his assistant , Ryan . Ryan glanced at it , his expression dull . This one's line too . God , this was the twenty - fifth white suit already . As a straight guy , he truly couldn't tell the difference between these twenty - five white suits . Same went for the glasses - either silver or gold , all basically the same style . And it's not like there was some big event tonight . What the hell is the boss even doing ? He'd already taken five showers ! " Alright , I got it . You can head out . You're off the clock , Nathan dismissed him . The moment Ryan heard the word off , he lit up like a Christmas tree . " Got it . Mr. Foster . See you tomorrow ! " he said , grabbing his bag and leaving without a shred of hesitation The whole villa fell quiet . Nathan checked himself in the mirror again . Clean - shaven , brows groomed , freshly washed hair , new glasses . Perfect . He looked sharp and spotless . +5 Free Coins He really wanted to shower again - changing outfits had made him sweat a little . If Stella smelled that on him , it'd be embarrassing . But one glance at the time told him it was already 8:00 p.m. Stella could show up any minute . He needed to be ready . His assistant had told him earlier that Ethan's secretary was checking who currently lived at this villa . Just like he'd guessed in the middle of the night - her sleep disorder made it so she could only sleep in this house . Which meant Stella might show up today . So Nathan spent the whole day working from home . He was waiting for her . The villa sat at the foot of a mountain road , and his was the first house on the street . Every time a car passed by up the hill , Nathan would glance out the dressing room window , heart skipping a beat . Now , another pair of headlights cut through the darkness and rolled slowly toward the house . Nathan's breath caught . He loosened his tie , then tightened it again the next second . His long legs paced the room while sweat gathered in his palms , stinging the raw cut on his hand from last night . Was it her this timet Would it be ? Ding dong ! Stella rang ng the villa's front bell . Ethan stood beside her , his tall frame casting a shadow over her . 1/4 Chapter 8 Good at Pretending +5 Free Coins " You sure it's Nathan ? " Stella shrugged . " Not really . It's just what Tina told me ." Ethan absentmindedly twisted the bracelet on his right wrist with his left fingers . " These villas aren't worth much anymore . Barely anyone lives out here now . The wealthy have all moved on . " " A guy like Nathan shouldn't be living in one of these old places . " He wasn't close with Nathan , but he was definitely grateful . Starlight Group wouldn't be what it was today without help from Succeed Capital . He'd tried to invite Nathan out for dinner several times , but Nathan always declined , telling him to talk to the project manager instead . Probably because he'd invested in so many successful companies that if he accepted every dinner invite , he wouldn't have time to work at all . Last time he saw Nathan was at the overpass on the day his sister was pronounced dead . A ton of people from No. 1 High School had shown up that day . Nathan was there too . That thin , refined face hadn't shown much expression . He just stood there , eyes a little vacant . Ethan had heard about Nathan and his sister being rivals . Maybe he'd shown up out of mutual respect . So maybe today , the two old rivals meeting again would be enough for Nathan to sell them the villa . He was even willing to pay more . They waited a while , but no one answered the door . Stella rang again . The lights were on , though . Someone had to be home . Ding dong ! This time , footsteps sounded from inside - someone was coming . The door opened , and a middle - aged man with the look of a butler appeared . " Hello . May I ask who you're looking for ? " Stella smiled politely . " Hi , I'm here to see Nathan . Is he home ? " The butler asked , " You're here for the master . May I ask who you are ? " Stella paused , then said , " Just tell him I'm an old classmate . It's a little urgent ." She hadn't slept in over twenty - four hours . Her head was starting to spin . The butler glanced at the two of them . Very well . I'll inform him ." Then he closed the door again . Stella muttered , " Nathan's really laying it on thick , huh . Ethan's eyelid twitched . He kept quiet , There were probably security cameras at the door . 2/4 # 5 Free Coins Chapter 8 Good at Pretending Stella might be fine saying whatever she wanted , but if he said something wrong , their investment funding for next quarter might vanish . At their level , business was like a snowball - always needing new capital to keep it rolling Soon , the butler returned and said , " The master will see you . Please , come in ." Stella and Ethan followed him inside . swere The villa had a whole acre of gardens . Even at night , with the soft lighting , it was clear how meticulously the grounds t maintained . The breeze carried the scent of grass and flowers - refreshing and pleasant . No denying it , Nathan had taken great care of this place . When Stella had lived here , the garden was full of fruit trees because she loved fruit . She even once bought a cherry tree , but the next year it grew crabapples instead . The second year , she tried again - still crabapples . She was so pissed , she reported both sellers . The big fountain by the entrance was still there , lit up and shimmering in the water's glow . It was almost dreamlike . The moment Stella stepped inside , her whole body relaxed . It felt like coming home . After all , in her timeline , it had only been two days since she was last here . They passed the fountain and entered the living room . The butler announced , " Sir , your guests are here ." A warm , pleasant voice called from the staircase above . " Thank Stella looked up you A strikingly handsome man in a white suit descended the stairs . Silver - rimmed glasses sat on his tall nose . He looked like some fallen angel - elegant , untouchable , and impossibly perfect . As he came down , the tiny mole on his nose caught the light , a small , captivating detail . " Hello , old classmate . May I ask your name ? " His tone was relaxed , but it carried the natural authority of someone used to being on top- The schoolboy look was completely gone , But he was looking at Ethan . Ethan felt awkward and twitched at the corners of his mouth . " Mr. Nathan , I'm not your classmate . My sister is . Only then did the man seem to notice the girl beside him . He looked at her and adjusted his glasses . " Sister ! " Now that he saw her clearly , he realized she looked just like she had at eighteen . Same hairstyle , same length , same brows , same eyes , same nose , same mouth . Ethan smiled . " Yeah , she just looks young . But she's actually my older sister . " No way he could say she'd time - traveled from eleven years ago . Stella hadn't expected her old rival to forget her completely . 3/4 756 AMP P Chapter 8 Good at Pretending But then again , it made sense . Eleven years had passed , and his life had been extraordinary . He'd built a billion - dollar empire from nothing . You could write a whole novel about it . She'd already managed her expectations before coming . It wasn't too disappointing . # 5 Free Coins Her head was pounding , but she still walked up to him and smiled brightly . " Hi . I'm Stella . You probably don't remember me , but I bet you remember the 2014 SAT . I was the city's top scorer . You were second ." Ethan's eyes nearly popped out . Yup , that's my sister ! Who could forget that ? Probably one of the rare times Nathan ever came in second place . For a moment , Ethan's usually cold expression twitched like he had facial ties .. It was like a memory had just clicked . His eyes lit up with scattered hints of laughter , masking the confusion and barely jconcealing something darker and stickier beneath . He was just about to say something When the radiant girl in front of him suddenly collapsed- Right into his arms .