I offered to drive her back home. To my surprise, she didn't refuse. It seemed that, despite her wealth, her lifestyle wasn't as luxurious as mine because of her own preference.
She didn't want anyone guarding her, nor did she need it. A clear difference between generational wealth and being self-made.
Soon, we arrived at a tall, premium condominium building—she had an entire floor all to herself.
"Are you going to invite me in?" I joked, testing my luck.
She gave a half-smile. "Thank you for the dinner, Mr. Mercer. You're not as bad as I thought. Just don't break your promise, and I might give you another chance to take me out again."
It was just a polite gesture, but damn—I almost reached for her hand. An urge to hug her swelled in my chest, hard to ignore.
While heading back to the guild building, I kept replaying her smiling face. I pinched myself just to snap out of the daydream. Then I forced my mind to focus on other matters.
