Philip looked back at Lucas, who was staring at him with a completely helpless expression, like he already knew this was a terrible idea.
Odette, who had been questioned so randomly by Philip just moments ago, stood frozen in place.
She was confused but also deeply hesitant about this entire strange situation.
Was she about to get her organs harvested by some trafficking ring?
She'd read horrifying news stories about that sort of thing before, but they were in a public place right now.
They wouldn't force her against her will in broad daylight, right?
After making up her mind to sprint as fast as she possibly could at the first sign of danger, she shifted her body weight slightly to make her takeoff easier when the moment came.
As for her belongings, she'd just have to abandon them here and come back later.
Philip noticed her visibly nervous expression and the way she was positioning herself. He turned to try to console her.
"You don't have to be all tensed up like that. I'm also a student of this institute as well," he said calmly, hoping to ease her racing mind.
He gestured to Lucas for his student ID, which Lucas pulled out and brought over.
Only after carefully checking his credentials did Odette finally feel somewhat at ease and mentally abort her escape plan.
But she still didn't fully trust him or this bizarre situation.
"Philip, we can't just let some random person stay at the apartment simply because you're not using it," Lucas, who had walked over, said firmly.
He wasn't paying Odette any attention whatsoever, as if she wasn't even standing right there.
"Why not? What else am I supposed to do with it?" Philip said in his typical carefree manner, shrugging.
"Well, we could still sell it," Lucas insisted, crossing his arms.
"Not to mention the custom interior—the prime location alone would fetch us a hefty sum."
"Oh no, we can't do that. I might still want to stay there from time to time," Philip countered.
"You know, if I get lucky with someone," he added with a smirk.
"And it's better to let someone in need use it than to just keep it sitting there vacant and empty," Philip argued. He had a surprisingly strong point.
Although he wasn't seriously planning on using it much, he felt it wasn't a bad idea to have a private place to crash at whenever he wanted, away from the dorms.
Lucas was still very reluctant to just let some stranger use the expensive resources they'd prepared specifically for Philip's comfort.
If they were to sell back the apartment now, the price might easily be doubled from what it had initially cost them.
They'd completely changed the interior to top-notch quality. Every single piece of furniture and equipment present had been replaced with premium versions, regardless of whether the originals were new or not.
Seeing Lucas still looking reluctant and unconvinced, Philip added smoothly:
"Edison once said that waste is much worse than loss, so why must we waste the resources that have already been prepared?"
This was a classic strategy of Philip's—he'd memorized quotes from famous historical figures to strategically add to his arguments to make them sound even more genuine and intellectual.
"Fine. I guess that would be better than nothing," Lucas finally relented with a heavy sigh.
Lucas then looked down at Odette with a somewhat condescending look on his professional face.
Odette was still sitting on the ground, resting from her complete exhaustion, so Lucas had to angle his gaze downward.
"Young miss, you have struck quite a fortune today. Stand up and tell me your name," he said in a business-like tone.
Odette slowly stood up in her sweat-soaked white tee and damp jeans, her legs a bit shaky.
Her clothes had stuck uncomfortably to her body due to the dampness covering her skin. Although it didn't quite make the fabric see-through, her curved figure could be very easily outlined.
A well-above-average chest, round and perfectly proportioned, connected to her slim, defined waist.
The ends of her jeans were covered in dirt from sitting on the ground, but that was never the main attraction anyway.
She had a fairly large, shapely rear that was well-matched with her pretty face—overall a remarkably well-proportioned body.
Lucas kept his eyes locked on her face, never looking down at her body, showing his strict professionalism and years of training.
Philip, on the other hand, absolutely could not unsee the sight before him.
When Lucas had asked him what they would do with the empty apartment, Philip had just randomly called out to the girl who'd been sitting at the entrance of the gate with her back turned towards them.
She'd had her luggage with her, so Philip was just asking on a whim. But when he saw her face up close—
Although it was covered in sweat with no makeup whatsoever, he couldn't help but think that she was extremely attractive, strikingly so.
But he'd kept his cool and acted normal in the moment.
And now, his gaze would unknowingly wander below her neck before he'd catch himself and quickly look away again, only to repeat the cycle.
"My name is Odette Fontaine. First-year scholarship student in the arts and design department," Odette said as she nervously shifted her gaze repeatedly between the two men.
Even as she spoke clearly, Philip kept stealing quick glances at her body.
She instinctively folded her arms across her chest to cover herself, feeling exposed. Even if a girl found a guy attractive, it was completely natural for them to feel discomfort if he kept obviously staring at their body during their very first meeting.
Lucas, having studied body language extensively as part of his training, could immediately sense the discomfort in her defensive movement. He shot a look at Philip.
"*Ehem*... Philip?" He cleared his throat and gestured to him pointedly, like a mother waiting for their child to recognize and point out their own mistakes.
Philip looked at Lucas, then at Odette, suddenly realizing what he'd been doing.
His supposedly discreet surveillance was apparently not so hidden—even he could figure that out now.
"Heh—" he drew in a quick, sharp breath, as if to physically swallow the awkwardness hanging in the air. "I'll go wait in the car."
Philip and Lucas's relationship had started as employer and assistant, purely professional.
But as time passed over the years, Lucas had gradually treated Philip more like a younger brother than a boss.
And Philip, in turn, usually followed his instructions and advice—most of the time, anyway.
"I apologize on his behalf. He means no harm," Lucas said sincerely after Philip had retreated to the car.
He then thoroughly briefed Odette about their situation, properly introducing themselves and showing multiple forms of proof that they were indeed who they claimed to be.
Odette was absolutely stunned by all of this.
What were the actual chances of her randomly meeting a student who was apparently a billionaire, looking for someone to stay at their luxury apartment completely rent-free?
She found it hard to believe that it was truly as simple as they were making it sound.
There had to be a catch or some strings attached to this offer somewhere.
But still, she desperately needed to find a place to stay tonight. And what were the chances she'd get another offer even remotely this great?
With tremendous reluctance and lingering suspicion, she agreed to the offer. They all climbed into the car and drove to the apartment site.
The apartment was located on Eleven Street, not far at all from the main college campus.
Once they entered the gated valley, there was an immediate and significant shift in the atmosphere and air quality.
All the buildings were constructed in a perfectly orderly manner with considerable, luxurious spaces between each of them.
There were tall palm trees planted strategically along the street, and perfectly maintained artificial grass was laid all over the front porch area of each building.
The five-story buildings loomed impressively across the street. Each one was structured in the exact same elegant design.
It was as if they'd been suddenly transported back to Beverly Hills in California.
They finally stopped in front of one of the pristine buildings and parked underneath it in the covered garage.
Philip, Lucas, and Odette all got inside the sleek elevator together after checking in at the modern front desk.
Lucas informed the professional concierge to take down Odette's contact information, as she would be staying at the place for the foreseeable future.
As they reached the second floor with a soft ding, they were greeted by a large, imposing door frame.
Lucas opened the apartment door with his key, and the stunning interior shocked Odette even more than the exterior had.
The place was incredibly spacious. A large, open living room surrounded by black leather couches was positioned beside a floor-to-ceiling panoramic window that took up an entire wall.
The sprawling view of the college campus could be clearly seen from the massive glass wall, but it was far enough away that it would be hard to make out any specific people from such a distance.
A dark-themed bar island with several expensive bottles displayed on glass shelves was connected on one corner, with elegant golden glow lighting illuminating it from above.
The whole bar section of the apartment had a completely different, sophisticated vibe to it.
The apartment had four separate bedrooms, one of them being the massive master bedroom with an en-suite bathroom.
Odette was completely stunned by the sight of it all, her mouth slightly open.
She'd only seen places like this in TV shows and glossy magazines.
She genuinely believed that even the richest politicians back in her small hometown couldn't afford such an extravagant residence.
The polite female concierge who had followed them upstairs carried one of Odette's bags for her while Odette rolled her battered trolley suitcase.
They were then given a quick but thorough tour of the entire place, room by room.
The concierge handed Odette her business card and told her she would be personally responsible for any errands or needs Odette required during her stay here.
After the concierge left with a polite bow, Odette quickly settled her stuff in one of the guest rooms.
Her heart couldn't stop pounding hard against her chest, beating like a drum.
She couldn't properly explain what she was feeling right now.
A overwhelming mix of relief, excitement, and complete disbelief.
Was this really happening to her?
Just a moment ago, she'd been stuck in a deep pit of hopelessness with no place to even rest for a quick shower.
Not even a bed where she could lay down and cry.
And now she was about to stay in a place so big and luxurious, she wouldn't have dared to dream of it ever in her entire life.
All of this was happening so incredibly fast that she didn't know what to feel, except for a deep sense of assurance and overwhelming gratitude.
"Then we'll be leaving now. Here's the key," Philip said as he held out a key card to her.
Odette took it carefully with both her hands, like it was made of gold.
She looked up at Philip, studying his face.
"Can I really accept this?" Odette asked with genuine shame in her voice, feeling unworthy.
"Well, you can always refuse it if you don't want it," Philip teased, acting like he was going to snatch the key back from her hands.
"No, I want it!" Odette quickly retracted her hands protectively, which made Philip chuckle at her reaction.
"That's settled then."
"In fact, you're actually doing me a favor by accepting it," Philip reassured her with a genuine smile.
Odette felt a slight blush creeping into her cheeks. She realized she was far more desperate than she'd even thought.
"Isn't there anything I could do in return?" Odette asked earnestly, looking him in the eyes.
She wasn't hinting at anything inappropriate by asking—it was a genuine question.
She bit her lower lip nervously as she asked, not as any kind of seduction but purely out of guilt for accepting all of this without giving anything back.
Philip paused for a moment before answering.
"Sex."