God only knows why his palms got sweaty just from holding her hand. It wasn't like this when he held other women's hands—though, truth be told, his last serious relationship was over half a year ago, and it had been so long he barely remembered what it even felt like.
Besides, all the women around him over the years weren't exactly into hand-holding. The arrangement was simple: men wanted desire, women wanted money—who had time for cutesy couple stuff like holding hands? No one had ever made his heart skip a beat, so he'd never experienced sweaty palms from something so innocent before.
After settling the bill, the two stepped outside. Without giving her a chance to protest, Morrison reached out and grabbed her hand firmly, holding it tight in his palm.
Lilian didn't struggle; she just accepted it shyly and let him lead her toward where his car was parked.
On the drive back to her school, Morrison thought about her thesis and realized she was about to graduate. He asked casually,
"So, what are your plans after graduation?"
"Not much. Probably my brother will arrange for me to join the family company," Lilian replied simply.
Morrison frowned slightly. If she went to Washington Co and had to work under Dave's watchful eye, it'd be nearly impossible for him to take her out. How could they have a real relationship then?
After thinking it through, he suggested,
"How about coming to work at my company after you graduate? It'll make dating a lot easier. If you go to Washington Co, with your brother always around, it won't be convenient. What do you think?"
Yeah, Morrison thought this was a brilliant idea. If she was at MOS Corp.under his watchful eye, dating would be a breeze.
Lilian was stunned at first by the invitation to join his company. After a moment of surprise, she started seriously considering it.
She was about to graduate, and this relationship was only just beginning. She couldn't break up after just a few days.
He was right—if she ended up at Washington Co, meeting him would be way too risky.
Her resolve wavered.
"But what will my brother say?"
Morrison smiled confidently,
"As long as you say yes to coming to Mo's, leave everything else to me."
Handling all the social finesse and delicate negotiations was his specialty. Besides, he and Dave had been longtime friends—he knew exactly how to talk to him. Convincing Dave to let Lilian join MOS Corp.wouldn't be a problem at all.
He had already said so much, and Lilian didn't have much left to argue.
"Alright, if you can handle my brother, then I'll go."
But just as she said it, an important question popped into her mind, and she quickly asked,
"But… can your company even take someone like me? A fresh graduate?"
MOS Corp. was also part of Burg Eltz — one of the top companies. Could the HR department really accept a rookie like her?
Unlike at Washington Co., where her brother held the power and everyone knew she was from Burg Eltz, making it easy to get in.
But MOS Corp.? Even if he made the call, there still needed to be a reason for HR to accept her.
"What do you mean 'my own company'? I still have some say in this," Morrison said coolly while driving.
Lilian lowered her voice, worried, "But how are you going to explain our relationship to them?"
Morrison knew exactly what she was thinking.
"Don't worry, no one's going to know you're my little girlfriend."
That single phrase — "little girlfriend" — made Lilian blush softly. It felt both new and strange to her; she still hadn't fully come to terms with being someone's girlfriend.
If Morrison remembered right, she was majoring in accounting.
How did he know that? Because when she was picking her university major after the college entrance exam, Dave had mercilessly roasted her about it.
Dave had wanted her to study something like secretarial work — something "girl-friendly" and not too brainy. But Lilian insisted on accounting. Dave was so annoyed he roasted her mercilessly, saying, "With her brain, studying accounting? Whoever hires her for finance is doomed."
At that time, Morrison was holding a charming woman in his arms, laughing as he calmed down the furious Dave.
"Come on, she's just a young girl with lots of ideas. Let her study what she wants. Besides, you know her level — you're not going to let her handle your finances anyway. Whoever hires her to do that is the unlucky one!"
Who would have thought that a few years later, that unlucky one would be him.
Well, truth be told, sending her to MOS Corp. wasn't really about the accounting. Morrison just wanted her close, so they could see each other easily under his watchful eye.
The car finally stopped near Lilian's school—not at the main entrance, but under the tall shade of a tree just off to the side, because Lilian was worried about being seen.
"Well, I'll get off here first, Mr. Morrison. Drive safe," Lilian said politely, about to open the door and get out.
But Morrison grabbed her hand, pulling her back with a charming smile playing on his lips.
"Since we're already boyfriend and girlfriend, don't you think calling me 'Mr. Morrison' is a bit… distant?"
"Distant?" Lilian was totally unfazed by his words.
"I actually think it sounds nice. Pretty natural," she said with a small smile.
Morrison thought it sounded natural because she was used to it, so he pressed on.
"Let's change it. I don't want to hear you say 'Mr. Morrison' every time and feel like we're some kind of weird sibling romance."
Lilian could only ask, curious now,
"Well then, what do you want me to call you?"
She hadn't realized dating meant changing how you address each other.
Morrison saw her freeze, looking completely clueless, so he decided to ask for her opinion.
"Alright then, you tell me what you want to call me."
Lilian's big eyes spun around as she hesitated, then cautiously offered,
"Uncle?"
He was ten years older than her, and by today's standards, that definitely qualified him as an "uncle" type.
Okay, she admitted she was teasing him a little—after all, he had called her some cheesy "rock brother" thing.
As expected, Morrison's expression darkened immediately, his brows tightening with a hint of authority as he spoke quietly,
"Do you want your brother to start calling me 'Uncle' too?"
That caught Lilian off guard. She nervously stuck out her tongue, suddenly remembering that Morrison and her brother Dave were good friends. If she called him "Uncle," that would mean her brother was a generation older than Morrison, and that just wouldn't do.
She laughed awkwardly.
"Ah, it's just a name. We can talk about it later. Bye!"
With that, she quickly opened the car door and dashed off. No way she had time to waste on this silly name game.
Morrison stayed inside the car, watching her sprinting figure disappear down the street. The image of her playfully sticking out her tongue just moments ago flickered through his mind.
Yeah, he should've pulled her back and kissed her right then.
Finally, he shook his head with a helpless smile, started the engine, and drove off.