Chapter 91

"Wow, seriously?"

"Thank you, Evelyn!"

"Yeah, thanks! You're way too generous!"

Evelyn's eyes widened as she shot Nathaniel a look of equal parts shock and fury. Damn him! What the hell is wrong with him? Does he seriously expect me to pay for everyone here? Splitting the bill is standard for student gatherings, and there are over a hundred people. Does he even realize how much this will cost?

A faint smirk tugged at Nathaniel's lips when he saw Evelyn's stunned expression. He withdrew his hand from her head, slipped it into his trouser pocket, and turned gracefully to leave.

The moment he was gone, the room buzzed with admiration for Evelyn's apparent generosity. The girls swarmed her, peppering her with questions about the handsome man who had just left. Evelyn brushed them off with vague answers.

Meanwhile, the male students kept their distance. Knowing that someone connected to the university's most stunning woman was in the private room across the hall, they hesitated to approach—equal parts intrigued and intimidated.

Finally free from the interrogation, Evelyn sat down, fuming. She pulled out her phone and fired off a text to Nathaniel. [You’re evil, you know that?]

Half a minute later, his reply came. [Me? Evil?]

Evelyn gritted her teeth. [What was that little stunt for? Don’t you have anything better to do?]

A pause. Then: [Just marking my territory. Wouldn’t want some kid getting too close.]

She scoffed and typed back sarcastically. [Oh, so you do realize how insufferable you are!]

Across the hall, Nathaniel read her scathing message, his dark brows dipping slightly. His fingers moved swiftly over the screen. [Do you find me insufferable?]

Evelyn responded instantly—with an animated gif of a pouting little girl stomping her feet, hands on hips, captioned: I hate you.

The resemblance to Evelyn when she was annoyed was uncanny.

Dominic, watching from the side, smirked. "What’s got you smiling at your phone? You’re usually so serious—must be something good." He leaned in, trying to peek.

Nathaniel locked his screen and shot him a cold look. "I wasn’t smiling."

Dominic grinned. "Oh, you definitely were. Ask Harrison if you don’t believe me."

Nathaniel turned to Harrison, who merely sipped his wine and stayed out of it. Instead, he gestured toward the poker table. "We’ve got a game set up. You two in?"

Dominic perked up. "Hell yes. Been too long since I played. But we need a fourth."

"Gabrielle and Benjamin will be here soon."

"Perfect."

Meanwhile, Natalia watched the crowd fawning over Evelyn, her grip tightening around her guitar case. The spotlight had been stolen from her—again.

A sly smile curled her lips as an idea formed. She strode over, her expression bright and friendly. "I heard you play guitar," she said sweetly. "I’m performing an original song for our graduation. You should accompany me."