Chapter 1696


    After Felix left the hotel, his phone buzzed with a call from Nathan.


    “Hey Felix, where you at? You didn''t crash at your cest night?"


    "Yep."


    Felix flicked his lighter and lit up a cigarette, expertly exhaling rings of smoke. "How''d you know | didn''t make it home?"


    “Well, | swung by your padst night. | brought some burgers forte-night grub, but you were MIA, so | just wolfed it down solo.


    Did you finally seal the deal with that heiress you''ve been chasing? The Miller Group''s golden girl?"


    Nathan was in the loop about Felix''stest conquest, the sole heiress of the affluent Miller Group. Hooking up with her could be a


    game changer - it could mean getting his foot in the door of a fortune.


    The CEO of the Miller Group was known for doting on his only child, the apple of his eye.


    "| didn''t."


    Felix was blunt, a nce at the sky told him it was time to wrap this up. "We''ll talk when | get back."


    It was Saturday, and Nathan had the day off, so he lingered at home waiting for Felix.


    Felix arrived swiftly, bumping into Nathan by the dumpsters. Nathan was tossing out the trash, navigating around puddles of filthy


    water that demanded careful stepping to avoid.


    His face lit up at the sight of Felix.


    "Coming straight from the hotel, huh? Spill it, man, did you really resist the temptation? You''ve got some serious willpower if you


    passed up a night with Miss Miller. You told me she wasn''t exactly the shy type.”


    "She''s not," Felix admitted, recalling Carol''s forward advances with a visible distaste.


    Nathan''s face soured with envy. "Man, | swear, if | had your looks, I''d be juggling girlfriends left and right."N?velDrama.Org owns this text.


    Nathan was your average Joe, standing at five foot nine, the epitome of ordinary. But he was Felix''s best bud - the brother he


    never had.


    They strolled to Nathan''s ce in the alley, a humble, snug home, but it was his - no rent like Felix had to deal with.


    Felix had crashed at Nathan''s before and knew the ce well.


    In the yard, Listina, Nathan''s sister, sat in a wheelchair, her legs atrophied since childhood.


    Nathan had been scraping by for years trying to afford her treatments, but it was clear her condition was irreversible. The


    siblings, like Felix, had no other kin, though Nathan had a fiancée in the hospital. He worked tirelessly to cover Listina''s medical


    bills.


    Felix knew Listina well. Before her hospital days, they''d all hang out together, sharing noodles, cheap beer on chilly evenings,


    skewers on the sidewalk, cursing Greenfield for crushing their dreams.


    One snowy night, Listina had knitted Felix a scarf. They were broke but happy, their modest earnings enough to keep them


    afloat, luxury brands out of reach.


    Receiving the scarf, Felix had seen Nathan turn green with envy, hugging Listina and professing his intent to marry her.


    Theirughter had been contagious, their love story a picture of youthful bliss.


    Nathan had been jealous. "Lucky you, childhood sweethearts. With your looks, your kids will be stunners."


    Listina had chimed in, "Never seen anyone more handsome than Felix."


    Nathan was envious but truly happy for them.


    But the couple''s happiness was short-lived as Listina soon fell ill with a brain tumor. The best hospitals couldn''t guarantee a cure,


    and the treatments drained their savings.


    Later, Felix came to her one day, saying that he had found out the truth of the car ident and that he was going to get money


    from Carol.


    Felix was really nice to Listina. He spent hundreds of thousands of money, and he didn''tin a word.


    He even turned to gambling, outsmarting loan sharks - a dangerous game that left him scarred but richer.


    Yet, even his winnings couldn''t turn the tide for Listina. Now, surgery was her only hope, and time was running out.


    Felix''s only shot was to get close to Carol, to somehow extract the money from her.


    Nathan had thought it was a joke until Felix actually got Carol''s number.


    Now, the two sat in Nathan''s modest


    living room. Felix reclin dwith@


    sens denomeyemn his fingers,


    h Sneane7 nonchnt yet tense.


    Please read the original content at


    NovelDrama.Org.


    Nathan, having seen Felix''s darker


    days of gambling, knew the gtakds. |


    ie wag te fPEOY beat the loan


    S es at their own game - and live to


    tell the tale. Please read the original


    content at NovelDrama.Org.


    "So you spent the night at the hotel with Miss Miller?"


    "Yeah."


    "Did nothing happen?"


    "Just a kiss."


    Felix frowned, as if the memory was distasteful.


    Nathan, peeling an orange at the


    table, couldn''t hide his jealousy.


    "What''s not to like puutdyer EVR i


    itwypsciust ating ts a free fling.


    Sometimes you gotta let go, man.


    You can''t expect to woo her and not


    give something in return. Life''s not


    that generous." Please read the


    original content at NovelDrama.Org.


    The thought of the Miller heiress throwing herself at Felix and him turning up his nose was too much.


    Nathan found the orange a bit too bitter for his taste.


    Felix, in a foul mood, flicked his cigarette butt into the trash. "I just don''t fancy her."


    His heart belonged to Listina, and he hadn''t forgotten that everything he did, he did for her.