As the crowd swayed on the dance floor, Leon leaned over and said quietly,

"You''d better start reaching out to celebrities now. There are only a handful who really draw attention, and Sanders Group already has a head start. If they sign all the big names before we do, we''re screwed."fn47fa ???s ??????? ?s ?????? ?? find~novel/fn47fa

Vivian immediately set her ss down, took out her phone, and headed to the restroom. She called her assistant and gave detailed instructions. Once she was done, she returned to the bar-only to find Leon gone.

She instinctively nced toward the dance floor.

Sure enough, there he was, dancing in the center, shirt halfway unbuttoned and surrounded by women.

Vivian leaned against the bar, holding a Long Ind iced tea. Her gaze cut through the crowd, locking with Leon''s across the room.

Just then, a man stepped up beside her, also holding a Long Ind iced tea. He walked over with polished ease and a pleasant smile. "Alone tonight?"

Vivian turned curiously, then clinked her ss against his. "I came with someone, but he''s clearly too busy to stick around."

She tilted her chin slightly, gesturing toward the dance floor.

The manughed. "Then he clearly has no taste. If I brought a woman like you here, I wouldn''t let her out of my sight. Lucky for me, he''s blind-and I spotted you first."

Vivian could see right through his cliché pickup lines, but she was bored and didn''t mind ying along.

"I just came back from the restroom, and you already noticed me?" she raised a brow.

He didn''t bother hiding the way his eyes roamed over her, gaze lingering with barely contained fascination. "A woman like you doesn''t need a second nce. And you know what''s funny? I just walked into the bar, asked the bartender for a Long Ind..... then turned around and saw you holding the same drink. If that''s not fate, what is?"

Vivian took a slow sip, unimpressed. "Do you hit on every woman like this, or am I just special?"

"Not at all. You''re the first person I''ve wanted to talk to tonight. You don''t even know how stunning you are."

His voice grew softer, almost shaky with admiration.

Vivian was striking by any standard, but under the shifting bar lights and with the faint flush on her cheeks from the alcohol, she looked especially irresistible tonight.

Still, she didn''t indulge him. "You''d better walk away while you can. Someone''s starting to lose his patience."

From across the room, Leon had already noticed the two of them. His steps slowed. Then he walked over, expression dark, eyes locked on the man with a mix of waiting and hostility content belongs to s

"Who the hell are you?" Leon asked coldly.

The manpletely unfazed-gave a casual smile. "Just someone who appreciates a beautiful woman."

Leon instantly picked up the implication and let out a coldugh. "So, you''re saying I don''t?"

The man didn''t flinch, but the tension in the air thickened. Even so, he nced at Vivian and saw something there that gave him the nerve to stand his ground.

"If I were you," he said, voice calm but pointed, "and I brought someone this gorgeous to a bar td stay glued to her side. You never know who''s waiting for their chance."  s

Leon let out a sharpugh and, without warning, threw an arm around Vivian''s

shoulders, pulling her close to him.

Vivian stiffened in difort but didn''t push him away.

The man''s jealousy only deepened.

He''d been hanging out in this bar for nearly two months. He''d seen more beautiful women than he could count hundreds maybe thousands. But none of them had made his heart race like this one.  s

And he wasn''t about to give up that easily.