Chapter 65
The way Lisette moved was just… something else.
Their eyes met. Her cheeks flushed like crazy, and her sweaty palm clutched the tie as she quickly knotted it, avoiding his gaze in embarrassment.
“All done,” she muttered, giving him a little push.
Tobias pulled his eyes away, loosening his grip on her. His glance skimmed over her flushed ear tips as he turned to the mirror, fingers flexing slightly as he adjusted the wine-red tie with a calm that didn’t match his racing heartbeat.
He spoke in a low, slightly husky voice, with an edge of something softer beneath. “Looks good p>
Lisette slowly looked up at him.
Tobias had always had that cold, off-limits vibe-chill, distant, the type who screamed “don’t come near.” But with that dark suit and deep red tie, there was suddenly something sultry about him-elegant yet dangerously attractive.
Lisette couldn’t help but brag a little. “Told you I’ve got amazing taste p>
When they came downstairs, Elliot was mid-chat with Wendy. She must’ve finally decided this place was alright – her fur bristling less now, tail giving a single, cautious wag when she saw Lisette and Tobias.
Then she was right back to doting on her four tiny pups.
“Morning, sir, ma’am,” Elliot greeted awkwardly, scratching his head.
Something felt… different. Like, the air around the two of them had way more sparks than usual.
And-whoa. Was the boss really wearing a wine-red tie? No way he picked that color himself.
Which meant… It had to be her!
His mind instantly flew off on a wild ride: were the boss and his wife getting a bit too energetic lately? Could they really not wait even during weekday mornings?
Man, people their age sure had… stamina.
Jealous, insanely jealous.
But also… huh, kinda thought the boss would be the type to go all night with his fitness and everything. Wasn’t today like… 20 minutes max?
Time to call the nutritionist. He needed some serious tonic soup to kick it back up.
Suddenly-ouch!
His head snapped up as Lisette plucked a hair from his scalp, shooting him a disgusted look. “The heck are you thinking? That creeper face says it all p>
Elliot pouted, looking wounded. Ma’am p>
I’m trying to help your man stay strong for you, alright? You didn’t have to rip my poor hair out p>
Clutching his poor hairline, he whined, “Ma’am, I’m barely hanging on here, follicle-wise. And you-just making it worse. My scalp’s under attack p>
Lisette raised a brow, mocking concern. “Oh come on, ever heard the saying? The more you shave it, the thicker it grows. I’m helping you out p>
Elliot twitched. “It said shaving, not yanking! You just full-on plucked it out p>
Lisette matched his energy easily. “Oh really? Fine, next time I’ll bring a razor p>
Elliot: p>
She’s out for my hair. Okay. He couldn’t win this one verbally. Time to flee.
He scrambled off to prep the car, embracing his fate as a glorified steering wheel operator.
Later, after dropping Lisette at Aurelian University, Tobias settled into his usual routine, opening up his laptop to scan stock charts.
But the numbers just blurred past him. All he could picture in his mind was Lisette, standing on tiptoe, tying his damn tie.
And that image?
Kept looping like crazy. His eyes darkened.
He minimized the stock page and opened up a browser.
Slender fingers tapped on the search bar: [When a woman adjusts a man’s tie p>
Click.
Enter. Instantly, a wall of text popped up on the screen.
[Speaking as a girl, helping a guy with his tie is super flirty. It means she’s into you p>
[It shows she really loves you-and she’s marking her territory p>
[Only lovers or married couples do that. A girl tying your tie? Yup, she’s yours p>
[Honestly, it’s sexier than sex. I’m obsessed with tying my boyfriend’s tie every morning-I feel weak in the knees for ten solid minutes. Peak! Ecstasy! (cue dramatic scream toward the sky p>
[If a girl gives you a tie, she’s already all in. Don’t screw it up p>
Tobias’s typically poker-straight expression cracked a little… and something softer leaked through-surprise, a trace of tenderness, affection p>
Elliot had mentally prepared himself to be the perfect unbothered driver today-stay in his lane, eyes on the road, mind his business. But the weirdly sweet energy filling the car just sent chills down his spine. He couldn’t help sneaking a glance in the rearview mirror-
Holy crap!
His foot twitched-nearly gave himself a charley horse.
Did he just see what he thought he saw?
That gentle, affection-filled face-is that really his usually ice-cold, no-nonsense boss?
No way. Must’ve been a hallucination.
Tobias noticed the subtle shake of the vehicle and looked up-right into Elliot’s rearview eyes, filled with disbelief and something bordering on horror.
Snap.
His expression turned frosty. “Thinking of adopting another litter of puppies p>
“No! Absolutely not p>
Elliot sat bolt upright, grip tightening on the steering wheel, eyes locked on the road like they were glued there. Like hell he was glancing back again.
When Lisette walked back into the lecture hall, the usual stares and whispers were gone.
Instead, Bella-even though she deliberately picked a seat at the very back far from everyone-couldn’t escape. People kept turning around, muttering, whispering, all while shooting her pointed looks.
Lisette glanced over, then calmly lowered her head to take notes.
Professor Thorne adjusted his slides, looked up, and immediately saw nearly half the class turned around in their seats, backs to him-just a sea of napes and messy buns staring down the poor girl in the back. Just the sight made his temples throb.
He tapped the mic and said, “You all keep looking back-is there a garden blooming behind you or what p>
Professor Thorne was infamous on campus for being old-school and ultra-strict. His teaching style? Straight outta the ’80s. Ten minutes before every class, he took attendance by name and count-anyone missing got red-marked immediately and dinged with grade penalties.
Everyone called him: Professor “Fail-the-Class p>
Today was the last lecture of his semester. And Bella, desperate not to let this class tank her GPA and mess up her graduation, had braved the walk to class.
She looked at Lisette-who, despite all the drama and rumors, still calmly showed up day after day, hitting the library, the training room, living her life unbothered.
If Lisette could handle it, why couldn’t she?
With no more excuses left to hide behind, Bella clenched her fists and came anyway.
Just… thinking about it and actually doing it? Two totally different beasts.
Now parked in the back corner of the room, surrounded by scornful glances and whispering judgment, she sat stiff as a statue, sweating bullets, her mental state hanging by a thread.
“Professor Thorne p>
Amid the tense silence, a soft and cool voice cut across the room-