The Heart System Chapter 836

"I understand." I nodded. "Still friends?"

She nodded. "Still friends, you horny bastard."

"Hey, I’m not."

"Yeah, you didn’t tell me you were living with all those women." Ivy shook her head. "I mean, fuck. Wow. I’d never have taken you for a playboy, Evan."

"Yeah..."

"Now that I think about it, you look different. Like, a lot." She studied me for a moment. "A bit more handsome, too. I bet the girls helped you with that?"

"You can say that, yeah."

It was actually thanks to the system, but she didn’t need to know that. Hell, no one needed to know that. They’d probably think I was fucking crazy if I told them. Maybe... they’d believe me if I used Shop and buy an item right in front of them? Nah, nah. This system had to be my secret.

"Nala, huh? A damn CEO." Ivy leaned back. "And she’s in your pocket. Impressive."

"It’s really not like that, Ivy. We’re friends. Nala, Jasmine, the others. We just live together."

"Where’s that chick you showed me a photo of?" Ivy asked. "The one you were... you know?"

"That..." I hesitated. "That’s a, uh... well, you know, that’s a secret."

"Secret. Right." She nodded, skeptical. "And you used magic words. ’You know.’"

"You used it before I used it!"

"Uh-uh. Okay."

I leaned back and let out a quiet sigh. Ivy was, well, okay with it. Not okay enough to continue having a relationship with me, obviously, but she was willing to stay friends with me. And now I was at twenty-five interest points with her.

That meant there was still a chance, right?

"I should’ve told you the truth." I looked at her. "I’m sorry."

"It’s fine. I’ve had worse. Trust me." Ivy exhaled. "Take Chase, for example."

"Oh, yeah. I’m not that much sorry." I laughed.

"Yeah." She laughed as well, then leaned back. "You shouldn’t be. He was on a whole different level of unhinged."

The silence settled over the table. I took a sip of my black coffee and put out my cigarette while she leaned back and checked her phone. I was waiting for her to scream and call me a liar, but this worked too.

I was glad I hadn’t lost Ivy as a friend. She had been a big part of my life during my college years. She and her mother had helped me get back on my feet when I was at my lowest. Even after all those years, I still felt like I owed them a debt of gratitude.

Eh.

At least we were still talking, huh? That was something.

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Who would have thought having Carrie in the company would lift everyone’s mood? Every employee I saw looked happier. It seemed like they had gotten their spirits back. Hell, even the security guards were smiling at the employees as they went through the security check.

Amelia and I were sitting in the break room, not on the balcony, since she rarely smoked and I was already out of the three cigarettes a day the girls allowed me. Waiting for Ivy at that coffee shop had been nerve-wracking, so I had finished all three without even realizing it. Man, I hated this new rule.

"Carrie Beldenwary." Amelia nodded, then took a sip of her coffee. "I’d have never imagined."

"Yeah." I nodded. "Crazy, isn’t it? I wonder what pushed her to work here."

Well, I knew the reason. But I wanted to see if anyone in the company had suspected my relationship with Carrie. I was one hundred percent sure they hadn’t, but there was no harm in throwing out a little bait and waiting to see if anyone took it.

"She’s an opportunist." Amelia shrugged. "She saw Anotta backing off and jumped in."

"Yeah. Probably."

"Whatever it is," Amelia continued, "I’m happy it worked out for us in the end. The company’s stock has skyrocketed back to where it was before Anotta announced she was backing out of the project. It’s a win-win for us."

"I really don’t follow stock prices and all that." I took another sip of my coffee. "But it’s good, yeah."

"You’re close with Ms. Nolin, right?" Amelia asked. "What does she think about all of this? She has to tell you something."

"She’s... well..." I rubbed my chin. "Thinking. I don’t know. She probably has some confused feelings about all of this. But I can tell she’s glad she found a backer."

"Are you two in a relationship, by the way?" Amelia asked. "I mean, people have been gossiping since day one, but we never got anything official."

"Nala is focused on her work." I replied, trying to sound sincere. "I think she’s focusing on her career at the moment. No time for that kind of stuff."

"Nala, huh? First-name basis." She smiled faintly. "That’s good."

"I should go." I stood up with a smile. "Otherwise, she’ll think I’m slacking off."

"Thanks for the lesson today." Amelia smiled. "It was good. I think I’m getting used to using my blinkers now."

"Yeah, they’re important." I nodded. "Don’t be one of those drivers."

"Got it." She gave me a small, proud smile. "I won’t be one of them. Trust me."

"Hmm, good. Bye, Amelia."

I walked out of the break room and made my way back to my desk in front of Nala’s glass office. I glanced toward her and gave her a small wave.

Nala, who was sitting behind her desk and talking on the phone, noticed me. She waved back and flashed a warm smile before returning her attention to the call.

This small thing made it all worth it. Standing up to Guy at that anime convention. Taking him down. I couldn’t help but remember Nala’s face back then, how embarrassed and defeated she had looked.

But now, she looked determined. Strong. And that... that suited her so much better. She was becoming more of what Guy had tried to make her into.

"Yeah," I muttered as I sat down. "This is good. Real good."

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