Don’t Fall for the Billionaire Lover

Connor and Chloe suddenly remembered what happened the night before.

The butler had mentioned bringing a late-night snack over to the cottage on the lake. He'd said there was one of Jeffery's guests staying there. Neither of them had imagined that the so-called guest was actually Nemo.

Chloe couldn't help herself-she was almost giddy.

"I want to see my mentor," she blurted out.

Ten minutes later, they were already in a small boat, gliding toward the cottage in the middle of the lake.

Willow Isle Cottage was built on a man-made island right in the center of the lake. There were no bridges, no paths-if you wanted to visit, you had to take a boat. There was always a rowboat docked, mostly for delivering meals to Nemo, though he didn't always need them. Over the past year, Nemo had pretty much learned to live off the land, growing his own vegetables and making do. But every now and then, whenever the butler noticed food going missing from the manor's kitchen, he knew exactly who the culprit was. That "weird old man" had snuck in to swipe some supplies again. Whenever that happened, the butler would simply pack up a basket of good stuff-fresh vegetables, maybe a bit of meat-and send it over with a sigh.noveldrama

One thing always puzzled the butler though: there was no bridge and no boat on Nemo's side. How did he manage to sneak out and back in the first place?

The boat ride didn't take long. As soon as they reached the shore, Chloe jumped out, barely able to contain her excitement.

Willow Isle Cottage was beautiful and peaceful. The layout was like an old countryside courtyard, with a house in the middle and a big open yard all around. What used to be wild, weedy ground had turned into neat rows of vegetables and fruit-tomatoes, cucumbers, beans, even some herbs. It really did feel like some hidden paradise.

Chloe led the way, practically running through the gate. The first thing she saw was an old man with a head full of white hair, lounging in a wicker chair, soaking up the sun. A straw hat was tilted over his face, and one leg was crossed over the other. Next to him, an old radio was playing opera-one of those traditional tunes her mentor always loved.

Chloe didn't hesitate. She burst out, "Mentor!"

The old man, who'd been lazily tapping his foot, suddenly froze. A moment later, he lifted the hat off his face and sat up straight. When he saw Chloe, his eyes immediately brightened.

"Chloe! Am I seeing things, or is that really you?" he called out, half-laughing. Chloe rushed over and hugged him tight. "It's me, Mentor! I finally found you."

Her voice was thick with emotion.

"I can't believe you're still alive-you really are tougher than a tortoise!"

Instead of getting offended, Nemo just burst out laughing. "You're telling me! Even I'm surprised I'm still kicking."

Chloe wiped at her eyes, smiling

ppy tears. "You're going

, Mentor. I still have to

care of you when you're old."

She was so genuinely happy that her whole face glowed.

Connor watched all this with a

focike a little kid. He s me-he'd never seen Chloe act

I, polite and respect

"Hello, Mentor. I'm Connor, Chloe's husband."

Nemo looked him up and down. For a split second, something unreadable flashed in his eyes, but it was gone almost instantly.

"Not bad," Nemo said, nodding. "Handsome guy-fits right in with our Chloe."

Chloe rolled her eyes. "Mentor, do you always judge people by their looks?" Nemo grinned. "Didn't you fall for his face, too?"

Chloe's cheeks went bright red-there were people everywhere! She quickly cleared her throat, ready to change the subject.

"Mentor, we actually came to ask you about something from a long time ago."

At that, Chloe's face turned serious Nemo seemed to know what was

Cut it was obvious hee

eager to revisit the past.