Only for Emily to twist sideways at the last second.
Nathan missed completely.
BAM.
His head slammed straight into the wall.
"AH—DAMN IT—!"
"YOUR STUPID BELT IS STUCK TO MY WAIST!" Emily shouted, yanking at her skirt in frustration as she struggled to pull free.
"STOP SHAKING ME, YOU CRAZY GIRL!" Nathan yelled, half‑dazed and half‑furious.
"STOP MOVING!" Emily snapped back. "The girl isn't even complaining—why the hell are you complaining? Are you trying to tear my skirt?!"
She smacked his ass sharply in irritation.
Nathan froze, sucking in a breath, eyes wide. "…Did you just—"
The situation only got worse.
As Nathan shifted again, trying to free himself, Emily bent down to untangle the fabric—
Only for her hair to get caught on his belt.
They both went still.
"…Are you happy now, you damn big head?!" Emily yelled, tugging uselessly.
Nathan laughed dryly, pain and sarcasm mixing in his voice. "Very happy," he said. "Now just let me cut a strand—"
Before he could finish, Emily's hand grabbed something she absolutely should not have.
Nathan's breath hitched instantly.
"Do it," Emily said calmly, voice full of threat, "and I'll just take this from your body."
Nathan froze completely.
"Calm down. Calm down," he said quickly. "I only want to cut your hair. You're aiming for my future generations here."
Outside the stall—
Several men stood frozen, mouths hanging open.
No one spoke.
No one moved.
They slowly stared at each other, eyes wide, minds drifting far away—
This bathroom is cursed.
The people outside finally couldn't take it anymore.
A fist knocked loudly against the stall door.
Bang. Bang. Bang.
At the same time, the bathroom door swung open again, and a young man with dyed yellow hair walked in. He was the same one who had been serving drinks for Mike earlier. The moment he saw a crowd gathered around a single stall, his brows lifted in curiosity.
"What are you guys doing, knocking like that?" he asked lazily.
Someone who recognized him immediately leaned over and whispered, "We heard both a man's and a woman's voice inside."
The yellow-haired man sneered.
"So that's it?" he said with a chuckle. "Tsk. You're really going to ruin someone's good time over curiosity?"
The men outside burst into laughter, their expressions turning vulgar.
Inside the stall—
"Damn it," Emily snapped loudly, not even bothering to lower her voice. "Look what you caused. Now we have a bunch of stupid, idiotic bastards camping outside the door. What are they expecting to hear? Sounds of someone taking a shit?"
Nathan couldn't hold back a laugh.
Outside, the yellow-haired man's face flushed red in embarrassment and anger.
"Damn it," he cursed. "Give you an inch and you take a mile. You're clearly in the wrong and still dare to insult me?"
His expression turned ugly.
"Since you don't know how to appreciate the hand that feeds you," he yelled, pointing at the stall, "I'll teach you a lesson! Break the door down! Break it now! Let's see if that mouth of hers is still sharp after I'm done!"
The men outside cheered, kicking the stall door while hurling insults.
Inside—
Emily finally managed to free her hair from Nathan's belt at the exact moment the door cracked open.
Nathan stepped forward calmly, placing himself in front of her.
"Hm," he said lazily, scanning the crowd. "An audience? Enjoying the show?"
Emily brushed her hair back, eyes cold. "Who's the idiot that wants to teach me a lesson?"
The yellow-haired man froze.
His face drained of color.
He immediately smacked one of his men on the arm. "Go—go call Mike. Now!"
The man bolted out of the bathroom.
The yellow-haired man swallowed hard, his arrogance vanishing in an instant.
"Sister Emily," he said quickly, bowing slightly. "I… I didn't know it was you. My poor judgment—"
He slapped himself hard across the face.
Nathan raised a brow.
So this is her, he thought. The girl Mike wanted to snatch.
Tsk. Mike's taste is wilder than I expected.
"Hm," Nathan said lightly. "That's not enough. Keep slapping."
He tilted his head. "You just ruined what could've been a good time."
Emily shot him a look, but before she could speak, Nathan suddenly grabbed her by the waist and pulled her close.
"Baby," he said softly, his voice low and lazy, deliberately misleading, "I told you the bathroom was too public. But you're too wild sometimes. I can't handle you."
The surrounding men stiffened.
The yellow-haired man's face turned ghost-white.
Emily stared at Nathan in disbelief.
This bastard…
The bathroom fell into a suffocating silence.
The yellow-haired man's eyes widened in shock.
"What is the meaning of this?!" he shouted angrily. "How dare you slander her! Do you even know who she is, you filthy man?!"
"Slandering?" Nathan scoffed lightly, his tone lazy and mocking. "Don't be so naïve."
He tilted his head, eyes sweeping over the messy stall, Emily's slightly disheveled hair, the cramped space.
"What do you think a man and a woman are doing alone in a stall inside a public men's bathroom, with their clothes and hair like this?" he continued calmly. "I don't need to teach you basic biology, right?"
He winked.
Emily's eyes widened. "You—!"
Before she could finish, Nathan suddenly leaned down—
And kissed her.
At that exact moment, footsteps sounded at the entrance.
Mike walked in.
The air froze.
Mike's gaze swept across the scene once before he raised a hand coldly. "Get rid of the unnecessary people."
The yellow-haired man reacted instantly, waving his men away. The bathroom cleared in seconds.
Nathan slowly released Emily, licking his lower lip as his eyes shifted toward Mike, a lazy smirk forming on his face.
Emily shoved Nathan hard and stormed past Mike without saying a word.
"Tsk," Nathan sighed exaggeratedly. "See? You scared her away."
He glanced at Mike lazily. "I told you your face is ugly, but you never listen."
"Do you know who she is?" Mike snapped, his voice sharp with anger. "It seems your filthy habits still follow you everywhere. Can't even keep yourself in check."
He stepped closer. "You think Emily is like those other women?"
Nathan chuckled softly.
"You're really one to talk," he said lightly. "Acting like a saint when you keep women around you like decorations."
He leaned closer, voice dropping. "Careful. Waste too much energy now, and when it's time to actually work… it might be too late."
Mike's glare darkened.
"As for not knowing her?" Nathan shrugged casually. "Of course I know her. Why else would I be that close?"
He smiled faintly. "What we have is special. Single people like you wouldn't understand."
Without another glance, Nathan turned and walked away, lying without a single flicker of guilt.
In the club after he left
Mike took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down, before turning and heading toward the private room.
The moment he stepped inside, a voice rang out coldly
.
"Don't you know how to knock?"
Emily didn't even bother to turn around.
"What was that about?" Mike asked, his tone restrained.
"Since when do I have to report my life to you?" Emily replied flatly. "What you see is what it is. Now get out—I'm changing."
Mike closed his eyes briefly, then opened them again.
"Do you even know who he is?" he said seriously. "Don't let his looks or behavior deceive you. He might seem naïve, stupid, overly clever, or even weak—but that's not his real self."
Emily finally turned, eyes sharp.
"He only cares about his own benefit," Mike continued. "He won't hesitate to use people—emotions, trust, anything—if it serves him."
"And why are you telling me this?" Emily asked coldly. "So I'll stay away from him?"
She laughed mockingly.
"You sound suspicious. You know
everything about him—so are you worried about him, or about me?"
She crossed her arms.
"And secondly, Mike," she continued, voice turning colder, "you're an ex. No—less than an ex."
She took a step closer.
"You're no different from the dog you're describing. You call him worse, but have you ever looked at yourself and your goddamn ego?"
Mike stiffened.
"Didn't you also get close to me because of my family?" Emily snapped. "And when we broke up and I moved on, your ego couldn't take it."
She laughed bitterly.
"No—actually, when your plan to steal my projects backfired and I was the one who benefited, your ego completely exploded. Suddenly I was 'scheming,' suddenly you were 'interested.'"
Her gaze sharpened.
"And now you're eyeing the law firm I'm building. So let's be honest—everything is about Interest."
She pointed toward the door.
"So if you want to preach about being a saint, go look in the mirror first. My life—I can handle it myself. Now leave."
Mike stood there silently, then took another deep breath and straightened his clothes.
"Suit yourself," he said coolly.
He paused at the door.
"Oh right," he added casually. "I'm hosting a party at the club tonight. I know your… flings are there—that's why you've been hiding like a coward."
He glanced back.
"But still, show your face. Give me some respect."
Then he left.
End of flashback.
"So," John said calmly, placing his cup
down. "Now that you've investigated Emily Hayes… are you planning to use her?"
He looked at Nathan meaningfully. "You seem pretty invested."
Nathan ignored him, continuing to eat as if he hadn't heard a word.
Once he finished, he stood up.
They left without another comment.
In a quiet residential area—
Prim and Ava had finally secured admission into a university.
Using the back door, obviously.
"So," Ava said, folding her arms as she looked at Prim, who was lounging on the balcony couch with a book covering his face.
"I'll get close to Mom. You get close to Dad."
"Why don't I get close to Mom and you go to Dad?" Prim replied lazily. "It'd be easier for you."
Ava rolled her eyes.
"Use your brain," she said impatiently. "A girl understands another girl better. I'm more romantic than you, and I'm a girl—she'll open up to me."
Prim removed the book from his face and burst out laughing.
"You?" he scoffed. "Romantic?"
He shook his head. "The only romantic thing you know is going on a date in a library. You're painfully single."
Ava glared.
"I still don't know how your only ex lasted two weeks," Prim continued. "Must've been the worst two weeks of his life."
He rolled his eyes and put the book back over his face.
Ava clenched her fist.
"…I'm throwing you off the balcony one day."
Prim smiled lazily.
"I'll wait."
"Shut up, womanizer," Ava snapped.
"You've slept with more than a hundred women—young and old—and now you want to pretend you're some romantic expert?"
Prim chuckled lazily.
"At least I know more about love than you," he replied. "The only romance in your life is you and chemistry."
Ava punched his arm without hesitation.
"Anyway," she continued, ignoring his yelp,
"Mom is a law student, but she's also taking business classes. This university sometimes mixes departments for joint courses."
She grew more serious.
"It's strict though. Students from different departments are grouped together, so that gives us a chance to get closer to both Mom and Dad."
Prim listened quietly.
"As for our background," Ava added, folding her arms, "we've already prepared it. If anyone asks—our family is abroad, we're not related to anyone here."
She glanced sharply at him.
"You should stay in the hostel. And no
dating."
Prim smiled innocently.
"I'm serious," Ava warned. "People here are around twenty-one. That's older than us in the future."
"So what?" Prim replied casually. "Do you want me to date a newborn instead?"
He smirked. "If they're older, I don't mind calling them mama."
Ava kicked him hard.
"Disgusting," she said, walking past him without another glance.
Prim laughed, rubbing his leg.
The next day.
Nathan had just stepped onto campus when someone suddenly grabbed him and dragged him toward the back of the building.
"Ah, fuck," he muttered. "What is it this time? Who sent you—"
He stopped mid-sentence.
Mike stepped out from behind the building.
Nathan laughed.
"So it's you, lover boy," he mocked. "What now? Gonna beat me up? Tell me to stay away from Emily or you'll kill me?"
Mike didn't react. He leaned against the wall calmly.
"Do you know what you did in the bathroom?" Mike said coldly. "It's already spread. You dragged Emily's name into it."
His gaze sharpened.
"What are you trying to do? Use her reputation to cover yourself? Hiding behind a woman's name—aren't you ashamed?"
"Ashamed?" Nathan echoed, smiling slowly
.
"I don't know what that is."
He tilted his head lazily.
"So what if I use her name?" he continued.
"What are you going to do—bite me?"
He chuckled.
"I don't care what people think. I'll tell everyone we were having a great time in that bathroom before we were rudely interrupted."
Mike laughed softly.
"I'll leave this to you," he said calmly.
Then he turned and walked away with his men.
Nathan stood there, his smile fading slightly.
"…Huh?"
He frowned.
Who exactly was he talking to?