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.

: Developing Feelings

4

The interview went very smoothly. Who would dare give Zane Quinn's relative a hard time? They all treated me like some big shot on a secret inspection whose cover had been blown.

I didn't explain in front of everyone; I explained to the HR manager who interviewed me in private.

The HR manager just smiled faintly. "Of course. The company was primarily interested in your abilities."

Even though I was new to the professional world, I wasn't a complete novice. I didn't believe a word of it.

But I did get the position I wanted, even if it was mostly thanks to the boost from calling him "Second Uncle Quinn."

I felt I should say thank you to Zane Quinn.

But I didn't know how to say it.

However, Zane Quinn was the one who sought me out first. His assistant led me to his office.

I was so nervous I didn't know what to do with my hands, standing rigidly in front of Zane Quinn.

Seeing how I was, Zane Quinn laughed. "Have a seat. Did the interview go smoothly?"

I nodded, then sat down across from Zane Quinn. "It went very smoothly. Everyone thinks I'm your relative. Thank you, President Quinn."

Zane Quinn's lips curved into a smile. "Don't you have confidence in your own abilities?"

I shook my head. "It's not that, but I'm also well aware they hired me out of respect for you."

Zane Quinn watched me for a moment, his gaze seeming to pierce right through to my heart.

And as it turned out, Zane Quinn had seen right through me.

"Skill is important, but so are connections. That's just how the world works. You don't need to feel burdened by it."

'Is he lecturing me?'

Zane Quinn didn't seem so intimidating after all, nor was he as strict and cold as Chloe Quinn had described.

I immediately relaxed a lot.

"Okay, I'll be sure to work hard, President Quinn."

Zane Quinn gave a faint smile. "Go on."

I nodded to Zane Quinn, got up, and walked out.

I had only taken a few steps when Zane Quinn's voice sounded again from behind me.

He said, "That outfit really suits you."

I stopped in my tracks, my legs feeling a little weak.

'Was he complimenting me on how good I look in this?'

My face instantly grew hot. I glanced back, gave Zane Quinn a quick smile, then hurried out.

But my heart was still pounding, all because of that one sentence from Zane Quinn.

After that, someone gave me a tour of my new workspace and told me I would officially start work the day after tomorrow.

After leaving the company, I went to find Chloe Quinn.

Chloe Quinn had clearly inherited the Quinn Family's talent for business. She started her own company while she was still an intern—a small firm that produced custom ringback tones for corporations. Since it was just getting started, she wasn't too busy and still had time to hang out and chat with me.

I told Chloe Quinn all about the interview, then asked, "Do you think I should treat your Second Uncle Quinn to dinner?"

Chloe Quinn looked completely unconcerned. "What's the big deal? You call him Second Uncle Quinn, too. It was nothing for him, just lifting a finger. It's not like he set you up with some super important position. You don't need to treat him to a meal."

Chloe Quinn could say that because Zane Quinn was her actual uncle, but from where I stood, I definitely owed him a favor.

So that evening, I called Zane Quinn. I told him I wanted to treat him to dinner and asked when would be a good time for him.

Zane Quinn readily agreed, and we set it for the following night.

Because it was a thank-you dinner, I didn't invite Chloe Quinn.

This would be my first time having dinner alone with Zane Quinn. From the moment I left for the restaurant until we actually sat down to eat, I was a nervous wreck.

But as it turned out, my nervousness was completely unfounded. Zane Quinn was very easy to get along with. Not only did he smile the entire time, but he also shared a lot of advice about the professional world, from which I benefited immensely.

'He's practically my life coach!'

After that, I wasn't so afraid of Zane Quinn anymore. Our interactions also grew more and more frequent. Often, just as I left the office after work, Zane Quinn's car would pull up in front of me. He'd say he was just giving me a ride home since it was on his way.

I even started to think that Zane Quinn and I were meeting up more often than he saw his own niece.

A man like Zane Quinn was, without a doubt, captivating in every way, and I was no exception.

After spending so much time with him, I realized I was developing feelings for Zane Quinn.