Chapter 366 A Ring and a Warning
83%
Finished
By the time Tracy spoke, she had already looped her arm through Zayden’s and smiled sweetly. “But now it’s Zayden’s turn to accompany me. He needs to meet some people, so I’m afraid you three won’t get to reminisce together. Sorry about that.”
“No problem,” Nolan replied calmly.
Tracy led Zayden away from the staircase, triumphant.
Once they were out of earshot, Nolan said quietly, “Tracy’s not someone you want to get close to. You’d better keep your distance from Zayden.”
“Thank you, Mr. Hayes.”
Eliza lowered her head and made to leave, but Nolan stopped her with another remark.
“I let Elaine stay at my place… but I moved out.”
There was something defensive in his tone, as if he was desperate to clear up a potential misunderstanding.
Eliza raised an eyebrow. “I already know. The great Mr. Hayes was so stingy that when his fiancée’s place was wrecked, he couldn’t bear to let her stay in his home. Moved to a hotel instead. Then bright and early the next morning, dropped her off at a five–star suite. What a generous soul.”
Halbert had told her the whole thing like it was a joke–but Eliza had felt something warm flutter in her chest when she heard it.
Seeing she wasn’t upset, Nolan’s expression softened with a faint smile. “You trashed Elaine’s place… was it because of me?”
“Don’t flatter yourself,” Eliza said. “She was holding onto secrets–yours, mine, and Matteo’s. If she leaked anything, none of us could stay in Westbrook.”
“You’re lying.”
Nolan’s gaze didn’t waver. “You don’t care what happens to Matteo. And you’re not even from Westbrook. Even if the whole thing blew up, Tristan would protect you. At worst, you’d hide overseas for a few years, then come back. You did it… because of me.”
Caught off guard, Eliza turned her face away. “Stop acting so smug.”
“I’m just telling the truth.”
This was one thing Nolan was absolutely sure of–Eliza had been protecting him.
“This isn’t the time or place for us to be seen together,” Eliza muttered. “If Halbert notices, he’ll get pissed.”
Halbert was the scheming type. If he saw her getting too close to Nolan, he’d tattle straight to Tristan–and Tristan wouldn’t hesitate to exile her back overseas.
“I’ll do whatever you say.”
As long as Eliza wasn’t deliberately pushing him away, Nolan didn’t mind playing it low–key.
“If there’s nothing else, I’m leaving.”
Chapter 366 A Ring and a Warning
Eliza turned to go, but Nolan took a step forward.
“There’s one more thing.”
She looked at him suspiciously. “We already said what we needed to, didn’t we?”
“I came tonight because I wanted to give you something.”
He held out a small, beautifully wrapped box.
Eliza glanced at it. The box was tiny and elegant–obviously a jewelry case.
“What is it?”
“Why don’t you open it and find out?”
Hesitant, Eliza slowly lifted the lid.
83%
Finished
Inside was a delicate gemstone ring. A heart–shaped stone in a deep crimson hue–like a drop of pigeon’s blood–shimmered under the lights.
Eliza’s heart skipped a beat. She slammed the box shut. “Are you crazy? You can’t just give something like this away. Take it back.”
The word ring kept echoing in her mind.
Nolan chuckled at her reaction. “It’s not an engagement ring.”
“Huh?”
Flustered, Eliza peeked into the box again–he was right. It wasn’t a diamond.
“This is Leaf Corp’s crown jewel,” Nolan explained. “I bought it.”
She stared at him. “Why?”
“Because I thought it would look good on you.”
“Tell the truth.”
She could smell a line a mile away.
He relented. “That’s one reason. The other is… there’s a story behind it. This ring was carved by two lovers a hundred years ago. It’s tied to a romantic legend.”
“What legend?”
Before Nolan could answer, a sharp grip closed around the back of Eliza’s neck.
Halbert.
His hold wasn’t harsh, but it was enough to make her jump. In all her talking, she’d forgotten he was at the same event–and nothing ever escaped his notice.
Halbert smirked. “What’s so funny over here? Come on, share it with the class.”
