Chapter 184


    Matilda awoke the next day with a sense of anticipation, knowing that she had been assigned to greet a


    client at her studio. She put extra care into her appearance, dabbing on some lipstick and donning a


    thick trench coat before stepping out the


    door.


    Upon arrival, she caught H eyeing her with a yful smirk. “Wow, if I were a guy, I’d totally fall for


    you.”


    With a chuckle, Matilda asked, “What time’s the client due?”


    “One in the afternoon.” H slid a cup of instant coffee across the desk to Matilda with a wink. “Your


    daily fix. No more fear of dropping dead from thosete nights.”


    d in pajamas, Yoshi roamed the studio, misting a nt here and tidying a desk


    there.


    H exined that Yoshi often stayed overnight due to work, hence his perennial pajama attire.


    Matilda couldn’t help butugh at the sight of Yoshi’s dinosaur hoodie,plete with a mouth agape on


    the hood and a little tail dragging behind him.


    “No more watering, man,” Luna called out as she walked in. “You’ve already drowned four cacti this


    month. I’m begging you, think about the cacti’s feelings for once, not just your own.”


    Orson was thest to clock in, floating into work as if on a cloud, sporting sunsses that made him


    resemble some sort of mad professor obsessed with his research. He crashed onto his desk with a


    loud thud.


    Matilda was startled, rushing over to check on


    was already sprawled out, eyes shut, slipping. By the time she arrived, Orson


    N?velDrama.Org ? content.


    “What’s gotten into him?”


    into power nap mode.


    “Oh, just his routine,” Baxter said with a dismissive wave. “He does this every day. Charges up now,


    wakes upter, and then he’s all work.”


    “Different circadian rhythm,” Luna shrugged, pointing at Yoshi. “Look at that geek, up all night and still


    so chipper. Finds time to overwater nts, too. Other people’s nts die of thirst; ours are practically


    victims of a flood.”


    Yoshi continued his morning stretches in his onesie, the tail wagging as he exercised. “Gotta keep up


    my hobbies,” he said. “Otherwise, I can’t code.”


    Chapter 184


    Matilda thought that it must have been fate that brought together a group with such peculiar habits.


    When one o’clock rolled around, and the client was due, Baxter gave Matilda an encouraging pat on


    the shoulder. “The studio’s retirement fund is in your hands.”


    With a mix of nervousness and anticipation, Matilda waited until 1:20 PM, when the client finally


    arrived. She looked up to greet them, but the words froze on her lips.


    Yvan stood before her, impably dressed in a tailored suit that entuated his refined features. Carl


    trailed behind him, nodding a silent greeting to Matilda, who was still frozen in ce.


    Yvan sat across from her, a sardonic smile ying on his lips. “Surprised?”


    His familiar tone of mockery made Matilda involuntarily shiver.


    Why did Yvan have to haunt her life so persistently? Why was it that she always seemed to run into him


    when she least expected it?


    Seeing the distaste and resistance on Matilda’s face, Yvan realized for the first time just how much a


    simple frown could wound someone.