I slept with my best friend's second uncle.

The scoundrel was impeccably dressed, looking utterly harmless. "This old uncle's back can't take such roughhousing."

...

1

The moment Chloe Quinn opened the door, she asked me, "Bestie, I've only been on a business trip for a few days. What happened, were you ravaged by a vampire?"

...

I dragged my exhausted body inside, silently cursing that damn man.

'Right now, all I want to do is sleep. I don't want anyone to talk to me.'

Chloe Quinn must have thought that as a corporate drone, I'd been pulling a ton of overtime recently, which was why I was tired as a dog. So she didn't disturb me, letting me sleep like the dead.

I finally got out of bed a little after five.

'I feel like I haven't slept this well in ages. Awesome!'

Coming out of the bathroom, before I even had a chance to get dressed, I was lifted up from behind and thrown onto the bed.

Before I could scream, my mouth was sealed by a pair of soft lips.

Staring at Zane Quinn, who had suddenly appeared in my room, I screamed internally.

'Zane Quinn, you're heartless!'

In the heat of our passion, there was a knock on the door, immediately followed by the sound of Chloe Quinn's voice.

"Lucia, why'd you lock the door? Are you done yet? Hurry up!"

I shoved hard at the damn man on top of me. "Hurry up!"

Zane Quinn's lips curled into a maddening smirk. "Men hate hearing that word the most."

...

...

A long while later, I cautiously opened the door a crack. Seeing that Chloe Quinn wasn't outside, I immediately pulled Zane Quinn over and shoved him out the door.

The damn man turned back to laugh at my thief-like guilty conscience, then strolled toward the front door looking utterly refreshed.

My heart was pounding frantically. Just as Zane Quinn was about to leave, the very thing I dreaded most happened.

Chloe Quinn came out of her room. She was stunned to see Zane Quinn standing by the door.

"Huh? Second Uncle Quinn, what are you doing here?"

Zane Quinn elegantly adjusted his cufflinks, looking every inch the refined villain.

"I came to see you."

Chloe Quinn then spotted me peeking through the doorway and waved me over. "Lucia, my Second Uncle Quinn is here."

...

'Your Second Uncle Quinn isn't just here, he was about to leave, too.'

I stepped out, not daring to meet Zane Quinn's eyes.

I was afraid that if our gazes met, some chemical reaction would occur and let Chloe Quinn sniff out the illicit affair between me and her Second Uncle Quinn.

However, I was being naive.

Chloe Quinn suddenly pointed at my face and asked loudly, "Lucia, why is your face so red?"

...

From the corner of my eye, I saw Zane Quinn snickering. I almost coughed up blood. I was so angry I could have gone to meet my ancestors.

Just as I was thinking of a way to change the subject, Zane Quinn spoke up. "Looks like Lucia's been doing quite well for herself lately, looking all radiant."

...

I gritted my teeth, suppressing the urge to beat Zane Quinn to death, and let out a dry laugh. "All thanks to you."

Chloe Quinn didn't notice anything amiss between me and her Second Uncle Quinn. She wouldn't even dare to think in that direction.

She came over, took my hand, and led me to Zane Quinn.

"Second Uncle Quinn, the two of us are having hot pot tonight. We're about to go down to buy groceries, so you should stay and have some with us."

I knew Chloe Quinn was just being polite. She was always complaining to me that her Second Uncle Quinn was a total ice block, so emotionless that no one dared to get close to him.

But the ice block himself nodded. "Alright."

2

Zane Quinn was considerate enough to go buy groceries, leaving Chloe Quinn and me to wait at home.

The moment Zane Quinn was out the door, his niece launched into a tirade about him.

"Lucia, don't you think my Second Uncle Quinn has lost his mind? It's just two girls trying to have hot pot. What's a grown man like him doing butting in?"

I nodded vigorously. "Oh yeah, totally, totally!"

When Zane Quinn got back with the groceries, he went straight to the kitchen to wash them.

I watched TV. Chloe Quinn watched me.

Chloe Quinn's staring was making me nervous, so I asked hesitantly, "What is it?"

With a long face, Chloe Quinn said, "You go tell my Second Uncle Quinn to leave."

"..."

'Some best friend. She doesn't have the guts to say it herself, so she wants me to do it. Our friendship is so fake.'

Chloe Quinn scooted closer to me again. "With my Second Uncle Quinn here, neither of us will be able to enjoy ourselves. Lucia, you go, please? I'm begging you."

I shook my head.

'I'm not a complete genius, you know. I'm not about to volunteer for a suicide mission.'

Chloe Quinn grumbled, looking like she'd lost the will to live. "Staring at that stone-cold face, nothing tastes good. Plus, he's always lecturing me."

Suddenly, as if struck by a brilliant idea, she sat up straight and asked me with a dead-serious expression, "Lucia Lowell, are you my best friend or what?"

"..."

'I'm not.'

Chloe Quinn slapped my thigh, just like Ash every time he sends Pikachu into battle.

"Go! Take down my Second Uncle Quinn, and I'll give you half of my family's inheritance!"

I let out a hollow laugh.

'I already 'took down' her uncle a long time ago. As for the inheritance, I wouldn't dare dream of it.'

After Zane Quinn finished washing the groceries, he called us in to help carry out the platters.

As soon as Chloe Quinn carried out the platter of lamb, that beast Zane Quinn couldn't hold back any longer and lowered his head to kiss me.

I was so startled I almost dropped the platter of fatty beef, freeing one hand to push him away.

Zane Quinn let out a low chuckle, pulling back from my lips slightly. "Can't get enough of my abs, huh?"

I glanced down, and sure enough, my right hand was pressed right against Zane Quinn's abs.

'Ugh, does this man have no shame?'

"Careful now, don't drop it," Zane Quinn suddenly said in a serious tone, like an elder giving instructions.

I spun around just in time to see Chloe Quinn coming back in to get the platter of beef tripe.

'Hah. That beast Zane Quinn. He was the absolute picture of a refined-looking scoundrel, a wolf in sheep's clothing.'

With Zane Quinn there, Chloe Quinn and I couldn't engage in our usual raunchy banter, which made the hot pot feel a little stiff.

After we finished eating, Chloe Quinn asked Zane Quinn, "Second Uncle Quinn, aren't you busy? I hope I'm not holding you up."

Zane Quinn ignored her and looked at me instead. "When are you leaving? I'll give you a ride home."

'As if I don't know what that man is up to.'

I shook my head repeatedly. "I'm not leaving. I'm staying at Chloe's tonight."

But for some reason, that simpleton Chloe Quinn decided to push me right out the door.

"You should just go home. I have to work late tonight, and I won't be able to focus with you here."

I was about to protest when Chloe Quinn tossed my bag out after me and shut the door with a SLAM.

Now, I stood before a firmly closed door, with Zane Quinn right beside me.

Then I heard Zane Quinn laugh, his voice its usual deep, sexy, metallic timbre.

"It seems your best friend is trying to set us up."

I rolled my eyes. "She's no best friend of mine."

Zane Quinn replied, "But she is a very good niece to me."

"..."

: Three Rules

3

On the way back, I mustered up the courage to lay down some ground rules with Zane Quinn, namely that we would sleep separately tonight. But Zane Quinn spoke up first.

"When are you going to make our relationship official?"

The question floored me. I froze for a moment before asking him, "Do you want to take a bath together?"

That's right. I hadn't figured out how to answer Zane Quinn's question.

We'd been dating for half a year, and it had always been a secret. Even my best friend, who was also his niece, didn't know.

It wasn't that we couldn't tell anyone, but I just wasn't ready.

Zane Quinn glanced sideways at me but said nothing.

'He wasn't even interested in a bath together. He must be angry.'

I sighed silently and looked out the window, my mind drifting back to how Zane Quinn and I first began.

I first met Zane Quinn when I was eighteen, just after starting college. One day, while accompanying Chloe Quinn home, I ran into him. He was twenty-eight at the time.

My biggest impression of Zane Quinn back then was that he was cold, as if we were from two different worlds. Later, Chloe Quinn would often complain to me about how frigid and strict he was. She said she was terrified every time she saw her Second Uncle Quinn.

Influenced by Chloe Quinn's constant stories, I also came to view Zane Quinn with a mixture of awe and apprehension.

But we didn't have much contact in our daily lives. At most, we would run into each other occasionally.

We didn't really start interacting until my senior year internship.

The company I interned at was his.

The story really begins on the day of my interview.

As a fourth-year university student interviewing at such a massive company, it was impossible not to be nervous.

I woke up a little after four that morning and stood in front of the mirror, carefully applying my makeup to look both natural and refined.

I was a finance major applying for an intern assistant position.

There were over a dozen other candidates with me, and you could tell they had all come well-prepared.

We stood in a line against the wall, each of us reviewing our résumés and mulling over the questions we might face.

That was when Zane Quinn arrived.

I didn't notice at first, not until a commotion broke out around me.

"Wow, he's so handsome!"

"So domineering CEOs really do exist in real life!"

I turned my head and saw Zane Quinn approaching, flanked by an entourage.

Zane Quinn was the big boss, but I was just interviewing to be an intern assistant to a manager. There was no way he would be conducting the interviews himself.

But I was nervous nonetheless, and it was all Chloe Quinn's fault. Thanks to her stories, just a single glance at Zane Quinn now made me tremble.

I quickly lowered my head, chanting inwardly, 'Don't see me, don't see me...'

Then, a pair of leather shoes entered my field of vision.

My body went stiff. I slowly raised my head and met Zane Quinn's deep gaze.

I didn't dare to breathe, and my scalp went numb. My mouth hung open, and after a long moment, I finally managed to stammer, "Sec... Second Uncle."

When we first met, Chloe Quinn had introduced us, and I had just followed her lead in calling him that.

I had called him that ever since as a sign of respect.

'But in this situation, wasn't I just trying to use our connection to my advantage?'

I was terrified Zane Quinn would shoot back, "Who are you calling Second Uncle?"

But he just acknowledged me with a faint, expressionless sound before asking, "Here for an interview?"

I nodded.

Zane Quinn said nothing more and walked away.

And just like that, I became the center of attention.

Everyone thought I was Zane Quinn's relative.