Chapter 34

Three years of marriage, yet Nathaniel had never shared a bedroom with Harrison. In truth, he'd never shared a bed with any woman, making this moment entirely unfamiliar.

He watched as she meticulously applied her skincare, moving from serum to moisturizer. The ritual fascinated him.

Harrison caught his stare and turned sharply.

Their eyes locked before Nathaniel could look away.

She narrowed her gaze. "What? Never seen a woman before?"

"You should invest in books, not creams. Beauty fades. Intelligence doesn’t," he retorted coolly.

The "vase" comment made her fingers twitch. One day, she’d outshine his arrogance so brightly he’d need sunglasses.

Silent, she yanked the covers up and slid into bed.

A soft chime broke the quiet. Nathaniel glanced at his phone—Julian from Westfield had created a group chat, adding him and one other: W, the freshman prodigy who’d ignored his friend request.

Now they were trapped in the same digital space.

Julian’s message popped up:

[Welcome, Westfield’s finest! We’re beta-testing a speed-based coding game. Think you can handle it?]

Nathaniel typed a single OK.

W responded with the same.

The link appeared. Both clicked instantly, diving into the challenge.

Nathaniel finished in 10.4 seconds—flawless. His gaze flicked to W’s shadowy avatar. How fast was this mystery student?

Days ago, Julian had mentioned a girl edging closer to Nathaniel’s records. He’d dismissed it. Now, curiosity prickled.

Julian sent a screenshot:

[10.4 seconds. Both of you. Mind. Blown.]

Nathaniel’s fingers froze. No one had ever matched his time. Until now.

A smirk tugged his lips as he typed a new message, tagging W directly:

[Why reject my request?]

Across the bed, Harrison stared at her screen. Nathaniel was waiting for W’s reply, oblivious to her smirk.

Her fingers flew:

[You’re exhausting.]

Ding.

Nathaniel read it twice. A laugh escaped him. Exhausting? What had he done to earn that?

And why did this stranger’s disdain intrigue him so much?