Chapter 75

Ever since meeting Mu Chuan, Julian's mood had been dark for days. Even at the dinner table, he gave off such a chill that Daniel, who was always at his side, barely dared breathe.

In the study, Daniel glanced at Julian's face and braced himself before speaking. “LA, Demei, Yihua, and several other overseas business groups have all approached us. They’re offering full technical support, too.”

Julian's hand stopped on the file he was reading. A dull ache began to pulse at his temple.

Mu had offered to make things easier for the Whitmore Group. Julian had refused him outright. What was he supposed to do, sell his own sister?

But Mu had gone ahead and spoken to several overseas companies anyway. Now they all wanted to work with the Whitmores. Julian truly couldn't make sense of the man's logic.

He pressed a button on the desk phone. When his secretary answered, he said, “Put Mu Chuan on.”

A few seconds later, Mu's voice came through. “What's up?”

“Cut out the little schemes. I'm not accepting any of it,” Julian said coldly.

“Those benefits aren't for the Whitmores.”

“What?”

“They're for Ellie. Buy her more good food.”

Julian drew a deep breath and slammed the receiver down.

Buying Ellie good food was his job. What did Mu have to do with it?

Elise kept going to school and coming home as usual. Mu's arrival hadn't changed her daily life at all.

He still sent her a health article every day. After receiving so many, she grew curious and started opening them. Every now and then, she even replied with a few emojis.

One morning, she came downstairs to find Julian and Miles already eating breakfast at the table. She took a bite of the mashed potatoes and blinked.

“Big brother, did we get a new chef?”

The potatoes were soft, fragrant, and creamy, melting on her tongue. They were far better than the ones their chef had made before.

Julian paused. “No. Maybe he just did a better job today.”

The chef hadn't changed. The ingredients had.

The family had switched to La Bonnotte potatoes from Noirmoutier Island in France, the most expensive potatoes in the world. Less than a hundred metric tons were harvested each year, and their delicate skins meant they had to be picked by hand. A kilogram could cost as much as five hundred euros.

Before they had finished breakfast, the staff brought out fruit. A full platter of plump, juicy watermelon sat on the table.

Miles stared. “Is that watermelon black?”

Elise leaned closer. The fruit had been cut into wedges with a little rind left on. The flesh was bright red, but the rind was completely black.

“It's a black-rind watermelon,” Julian said after a brief hesitation.

It came from Asahikawa City in Japan and was said to be the best-tasting black-rind watermelon in the world. Each one cost six thousand dollars.

Julian had still refused the approaches from the three overseas companies. Mu, however, had turned around and arranged for people to deliver some extravagant foods to their home: black-rind watermelon, La Bonnotte potatoes, Almas caviar, and more.

Every package was addressed to Elise. The household staff, not knowing the circumstances, assumed a friend had sent her gifts and accepted them without thinking twice.

When Julian found out, he quietly added another mark against Mu. If Mu wanted to feed Elise all this good food, Julian would let him. He wanted to see how long Mu could keep it up.

Elise tried a piece of watermelon. It was sweet and full of juice. Her eyes narrowed with pleasure as she chewed.

Seeing how much she liked it, Julian's mouth softened. At least Mu had done one decent thing.

From the large ingredients in every meal to the snacks in the pantry, everything in the house was now carefully chosen. Elise's appetite had grown more discerning; the bar for what counted as delicious kept rising.

Julian secretly planned to track down more famous delicacies from around the world and spoil her palate even further. Then he'd see how Mu could possibly keep up.

When Elise finished breakfast and picked up her backpack, Julian called after her. “Ellie, wait a moment.”

He glanced at Daniel. A short while later, Daniel returned to the living room with a paper bag. Julian set it aside, took out a long item wrapped in gold-colored packaging, and slipped it into Elise's backpack.

She let him do it. “What is it, big brother?”

The wrapper was a solid gold color, and the bar felt heavy.

“Chocolate,” Julian said, pausing before adding, “a chocolate bar.”

It was an expensive snack Mu had sent, too.

Elise smiled sweetly. “Can I share it with my classmates?”

“...If you want.”

Julian sighed. Sharing it was fine. Once it was gone, Mu would send more anyway.

Miles had been unusually obedient around Julian lately and hadn't picked a fight with him again. Elise and Miles climbed into their cars one after the other. Adrian had been away for days because he was busy with events, and Theo was tied up with his team's training.

“Ellie, how come I haven't seen you skating at the little plaza these past few days?”

After school, Miles played basketball with Dylan and the others. They usually passed the plaza on their way back, but lately he hadn't seen Elise or Jade there.

“We changed spots,” Elise said with a smile. “A friend lent us a skate park, so that's where we go now.”

Miles's brow furrowed. “A friend? Which friend?”

“You've probably heard of him. Mu Chuan.”

Miles fell silent.

He had heard the name. The last time Elise had been frightened by the mastiff at Lakeview, he'd heard Julian warn her not to go near that villa because it belonged to Mu.

Hadn't Julian told her to stay away from Mu? How had he become her friend?

And from the sound of it, he was treating her well.

Miles shifted his gaze away, his brows drawn tight. An alarm began to ring inside him, and without realizing it, his expression turned hostile.

A man who offered favors for no reason had to want something. His sister was beautiful; any man who came near her had to be up to no good.

The men who had tried to hit on her before had all ended up beaten so badly they could barely stand.

And now this Mu Chuan thought he could show up?

After school, Elise arranged to meet Jade at the skate park as usual. Mu was already there when she arrived.

He had dressed casually that day, in a black T-shirt and athletic pants. Compared with his usual suits, the outfit made him seem far more approachable.

Elise had been surprised to learn Mu was only twenty. His presence was so imposing that no one would have mistaken him for a teenager, but no one would have dismissed him because of his age, either.

In casual clothes, at least, he looked a little more like a young man.

Jade had arrived early. When she got there, Mu was trying to practice on a skateboard, so she had gone over and offered him a few pointers.

“Why are you so hopeless?” Jade snapped. “You have to put your weight on your heel. Get it?”

Mu said nothing.

His expression stayed intent. Jade's bluntness didn't seem to bother him at all; he kept concentrating on the board.

Pei Yi, standing nearby, was indignant. This was the CEO of a multinational group with assets worth billions, and she had the nerve to call Mr. Mu hopeless! If she hadn't been a woman, he would have gone over and laid hands on her.

Then he saw how good-natured Mu was being. His anger drained away, and he shot Jade a sharp look instead. If she weren't Miss Elise's friend, did she really think Mr. Mu would be this patient with her?

Elise arrived in time to see the scene and couldn't help laughing. Jade was fiery and direct. It was a wonder Mu hadn't argued back.

The moment Jade spotted Elise, she rushed over as if she'd found a rescuer. “Finally! He's all yours. I think you're the only one who can teach him.”

Mu stopped moving. The skateboard rested at his feet as he looked toward Elise, his eyes brightening.

Elise peeled Jade's arms off her and smiled as she rolled over to Mu. “How far did you get?”

Mu had watched her skate toward him. After a moment, he answered slowly, “...I forgot.”

Elise stared at him.

He really had forgotten. The instant she'd arrived, everything else had gone out of his head.

Elise sighed. “All right. Want me to start from the beginning?”

“Yeah.”

Jade went off to try the street obstacles, while Elise stayed to teach Mu how to skateboard.

Pei Yi watched with his heart in his throat. So that was where the injuries on Mr. Mu had come from the other day. He'd fallen while trying to skateboard!

His heart nearly broke. Who else pursued a woman so painfully? Mu had worked himself into bruises and scrapes, and still seemed perfectly happy about it.

Elise started with the basics of riding and talked him through a long list of things to watch out for. When she finally looked up, Mu was staring straight at her.

She frowned. “Did you get any of that?”

Mu nodded. He'd understood the first half. During the second half, he'd lost track of her instructions, distracted by her curled lashes and the way her eyes fluttered like butterfly wings.

But the first half was enough. He worked out regularly and was in good shape. He wasn't afraid of falling.

He made it halfway around the park and felt fairly steady. When he passed Elise, he looked up without meaning to, his eyes fixed on her figure.