Chapter 226

Nathaniel's brow furrowed. "Explain."

Dominic grinned. "He's the visual center of Nova Boys, the hottest new idol group. Fans call him 'Mini Nathaniel Blackwood'."

Oliver nearly choked on his whiskey.

A chief engineer. A professional gamer. And now the face of a K-pop sensation?

Julian Carter was full of surprises.

"If he's an idol, why bother with chip development?" Oliver questioned.

Dominic shrugged. "Maybe research got dull. The guy clearly enjoys reinventing himself."

His gaze lingered on Julian across the room, admiration flashing in his eyes.

Few could live so freely - switching careers like changing suits.

On the dance floor, Nathaniel moved mechanically with the woman in ivory silk. His attention kept drifting to where Vivian stood.

When she first entered, guilt had prickled at him. He'd deliberately maintained distance, worried she might misinterpret things.

But Vivian hadn't even glanced his way.

She'd walked past as if he were part of the wallpaper.

That casual indifference burned worse than anger. And now she was chatting up Julian like old friends.

First Liam. Now his own cousin.

Vivian seemed to be collecting male admirers tonight.

Nathaniel clenched his jaw. Confronting her now would make him look unhinged. So he kept dancing, forcing himself to focus on his partner.

He recalled Oliver's dating advice: After winning a woman's attention, sometimes you had to let her go.

"What's your name?" Nathaniel's voice dropped an octave.

The girl stammered, "C-Cassandra Whitmore."

"Whitmore?" Nathaniel's lips twitched at her porcelain skin. "Fitting."

Their conversation flowed easily under the glittering chandeliers, creating an intimate tableau.

"Boss! You're AFK! Enemy behind you!"

The urgent shouts snapped Vivian back to reality. Her champion lay dead onscreen, costing their team the match.

"Sorry," she muttered, cheeks flushing. "Got distracted."

Sophia frowned. "You never zone out during ranked games. What happened?"

Julian set down his phone, following Vivian's earlier line of sight to the dance floor. His expression turned thoughtful.

"Care to dance?" he offered suddenly.