Titan 110

A

ER 55 vouchers

As the director, Simone couldn’t hand over her spot to Ian, and he wouldn’t have taken it anyway.

lan sat down between Simone and Yolanda, watching both of their tiles.

He sat up straight, keeping his distance from Yolanda as much as possible, but with a mahjong table this small. he couldn’t avoid getting close anyway.

Charles glanced up, his eyes landing on lan for just a moment before looking away.

Just some rookie in showbiz he’d never heard of.

The game started in earnest.

Yolanda wasn’t very good at mahjong. Just as she was about to toss out a tile, a hand suddenly slid onto her thigh, the fingertips slowly and deliberately tracing over her skin.

She’d just taken a shower before coming over, wearing a dress with a tightly cinched waist. But once she sat down, the hem crept up, leaving her knees and a sliver of thigh exposed.

Now, that hand was brushing lightly against that bare skin. moving upward under the silk of her dress, inching higher with a mischievous insistence.

She didn’t glance at lan, pretending to focus intently on her tiles.

Ian didn’t look at her either, even reaching down to pick up a tile that had fallen to the floor.

Vivian, clearly trying to get under Yolanda’s skin, kept chatting with Charles about the project, monopolizing the conversation and making the atmosphere feel tense.

Simone tried to steer the conversation elsewhere. “Yolanda, you were talking about kids earlier. Have you thought about when you might want one?”

Yolanda’s lashes fluttered as she discarded a tile, and she slowly shifted her hand to snatch the unruly one on her thigh.

“Charles isn’t ready for that yet,” she said.

Charles picked up the tile Yolanda discarded, the corners of his mouth curving into a warm, gentle smile. “I just can’t bear to let you go through all that trouble.”

Yolanda won the round, scoring nearly ten grand. She stood up. “I’m gonna hit the restroom.”

That hand next to her had seriously crossed the line.

As soon as she left, Ian didn’t move to take her seat until Simone nudged him. “Ian, why don’t you take over for her?”

lan nodded and slid into the chair, his movements perfectly proper, no hint of anything out of line.

n her wannin still lingered between them.

Three rounds had flown by; now it was down to just Ian and Charles.

….. wody neat mingled strangely, as

Simone Sinclair chimed in deliberately, half–joking but strategic. “Ian, he’s got deep pockets. Bet he’s trying to score big this round. Don’t let him win, or you’re gonna take a serious hit.”

Charles snorted in amusement, his relaxed vibe making it clear he wasn’t worried about Ian at all. “Aunt Simone, you’re really siding with outsiders over your own nephew?”

Simone Sinclair shot back with a cold smirk. “Like you’re any different?”

“She’s a business partner, and Yolanda knows how to handle things way better than you,” Charles said.

“You-!” Simone snapped.

Fuming, Simone leaned over to Ian’s side and when she caught sight of his tiles, everything went dark for a second. “Whoa, you two are after the same win? One tile left–let’s see who’s lucky now.”

That was when Yolanda came back. Instead of immediately making Ian leave the table, she leaned in, teasing, “Going for a clean sweep? That’s pretty bold.”

Ian, eyes downcast, long fingers picking up the last tile, murmured, “I’ve always been greedy.”

The final tile was a seven–Ian drew it himself, clinching a self–draw victory with a pure suit and even snagging that last lucky tile from the wall.

A grin lit up Yolanda’s face. “Wow, you really know your stuff.”

Her praise made the whole room go silent for a beat. Charles, barely bothered, revealed his own hand–he’d been chasing the same seven, trying for a pure suit himself.

For him, it wasn’t about the money; it was something else entirely….

With a knit brow, Charles watched Ian rise and slip back to his original seat, while Yolanda slid smoothly back into the game, as if nothing had happened at all.

Nothing Ian did was out of line, but somehow he just made everyone feel on edge.

For the rest of the game, Ian kept his cool and never once paid extra attention to Yolanda. He just talked shop with Simone here and there, keeping things perfectly professional.

Charles tossed out a tile, sounding almost bored. “Aunt Simone, is romance in the air these days?”

Simone shot him a glare, itching to yank his ear. “Say that again and I’ll cut your ear off. Ian’s the lead actor in my show–talented, respectable, and I brought him along to give him some real world experience. Not everyone is like you—”

She trailed off, remembering that Yolanda still had no clue about Charles’s affair.

13:33 Mon, Sep 22 N

Charles leaned back out of reach, tossing her a smirk. “What are you trying to say about me?”

Charles shot Simone a warning look–telling her to watch her mouth.

A

IT 55 MOUchers

Simone pulled her hand back, and while they were messing around, neither of them noticed Yolanda lean forward a bit, trying not to draw attention to herself.

She sat there clutching her tiles, cheeks warming with embarrassment.

Simone made a few more grabs for his ear, but Charles was too quick. Huffing, she finally declared, “Alright, that’s enough for tonight.”

Charles stood up and dropped his chips onto the table, each landing with a sharp click.

He’d lost a cool hundred and ten grand–all of it landing right in Yolanda’s pocket.

He wrapped an arm around Yolanda. “Let’s go. Time to head back.”

Seeing everyone getting ready to leave, Simone asked. “The temple fair’s in full swing outside. You guys aren’t gonna check it out?”

Yolanda faked a yawn. “I’m beat. Just wanna crash.”

Out of the corner of her eye, Yolanda saw Vivian tugging on Charles’s sleeve. “Mr. Sinclair, wanna check it out?”

Charles glanced at Yolanda.

Yolanda waved him off, looking totally wiped. “I’m really beat. You guys go ahead.”

Charles’s face fell, clearly not thrilled.

Yolanda didn’t linger; she just turned and headed straight back to her room.

In the end, Charles headed off with Vivian, and Yolanda couldn’t be bothered to care. She was just about to collapse onto the bed when the doorbell suddenly rang.

She opened up to find Ian waiting right outside.

Ian let himself in, not hesitating for a second before pulling her into a deep kiss.

Yolanda’s heart nearly burst out of her chest; she shoved him away, breathless. “Don’t lose your mind,” she hissed.

This was Charles’s room–he could walk in at any moment.

But Ian wasn’t having it. His lips drifted down from her earlobe, tracing hot, insistent kisses along her neck, refusing to stop even as she tried to push him away.

Yolanda’s knees nearly buckled, and she let out an exasperated sigh. “You know, you’re really pushing your luck these days.”

13:33 Mon, Sep 22 N

55 vouchers

Ian’s eyes brightened, and he gently bit her earlobe, leaning in close. “I realized you don’t have any piercings. Tomorrow I’ve gotta wear a couple of studs–Aunt Simone insisted I get three done. How about you get your ears pierced with me? I saw a shop on the way back,” he murmured right next to her ear.

“No chance,” Yolanda cut in, sounding impatient.

“Oh, come on, Yolanda. Just do it,” Ian teased, voice low and coaxing.

Ian brushed a quick kiss against the corner of her lips, his gaze shimmering with playful light.

Yolanda’s heart gave a little flutter. Without thinking, she reached up and brushed her fingers over his throat, lingering on the hollow of his Adam’s apple–her way of agreeing, even if she didn’t say a word.

Honestly, she’d never planned to get her ears pierced–needles totally terrified her, and her phobia of anything sharp was no joke.

The mere idea of a needle was enough to set off a wave of nerves through her whole body.

Sitting inside the shop, her face was noticeably pale.

They were both still wearing hats and masks, but Ian saw the anxiety in her eyes. He gently cradled her face, asking softly, “Are you nervous?”

Ian already had his three studs done–now it was Yolanda’s turn.

Yolanda’s lashes trembled as she glanced away, her voice barely a whisper. “I’m afraid of needles.”

“I’ll do it,” Ian said, reassuring her.

He grabbed the piercing gun from the shop assistant. “She’s nervous about the pain–let me take care of it, okay?”

Ian’s voice was so smooth and easy on the ears that the shop assistant couldn’t shake off a sense of déjà vu- where had she heard it before? Without thinking, she just handed him the piercing gun.

Yolanda’s heart was pounding, and little beads of sweat gathered at the tip of her nose–she was legit scared out of her mind about this.

Ian finished cleaning up and carefully marked the spot, then gently tipped her chin up. “Don’t worry, I’ve got you. I’ll do it,”

Yolanda squeezed her eyes shut tight, bracing herself for the sting. But… nothing. She peeked through her lashes, only to catch fan snapping a photo of her face with his phone, grinning like he’d just pulled a prank.

Her chest rose and fell in flustered anger. “Ian!”

The next moment, the sharp pain hit her car.

She jolted in surprise, and before she could react, lan tugged down her mask and kissed her full on the lips.

13:33 Mon, Sep 22