CHAPTER 454: CHAPTER 454: SPOIL: MAKING MONEY FOR YOU

After waiting another half hour, the glass of milk was empty. Aurelia Shaw came back from the restroom and found the man was still working, with an even thicker stack of documents on the desk that needed handling.

Aurelia was pissed.

She strode over in a few quick steps, slammed her hand on the table, leaned on it with one arm, yanked the man’s tie with the other, pulling him toward her. Her arched brows and slightly upturned, ever-so-beautiful eyes made her stunning and bold beyond words.

"Mason Nightshade, have you had enough yet!"

"Hm?" Mason let out a deep, single syllable from his throat, his gaze darkening, the corner of his mouth curling up in a playful smirk. "You’re the one who came to me first."

So she was just supposed to wait for him? Aurelia’s temple throbbed.

"Whoever wants to see me needs to book three days in advance." Mason’s lips curled up as he leaned back in the boss’s chair, his tie still in her grip. She was half sprawled across the desk. No matter how you looked at it, this scene was ridiculously charged.

His Adam’s apple bobbed almost imperceptibly, there was a subtle smile in his eyes, but deep down, a heated intensity had begun to smolder.

His thin lips hinted at a half-smile, a cold expression that somehow didn’t inspire fear—rather, something strange and electric was quietly brewing in the air.

"What’s the deal with this property transfer?" Aurelia deliberately ignored the shift in atmosphere that the man brought. Her peach-blossom eyes were sharp and narrowed, exuding unmistakable authority.

"You saw it?" Mason arched his eyebrow, both a question and a statement.

No shit, how could she not know at this point? "Are you nuts? Does Grandpa know about this?"

"No." Mason said flatly, not specifying whether he didn’t know, or if Kai Nightshade didn’t know.

Aurelia tightened her grip on his tie, their faces close, breaths mingling. Her glare was sharp, light shining in her eyes. "You’re not worried I’ll blow through everything at Nightshade Corporation?"

Mason’s heart skipped a few beats, but the curve of his lips remained as nonchalant as ever. "If you really want to burn through Nightshade Corporation, it’s not that easy. You pulled every trick to destroy it and failed—do you honestly think you can waste it all away that easily?"

He sounded almost helpful, as if giving her kind advice.

Aurelia’s lips curled up. "You sure underestimate my reputation as the infamous wild heiress. Destroying a corporation—how hard could it be? If I just merge it with the Shaw Family’s assets, Nightshade will vanish from Q City overnight, and the Shaws will be the city’s absolute kingpin."

She watched for any flicker in his eyes, but all she got was a faint "hmm" deep in his throat. His gaze was so calm she couldn’t read him at all. Did he really not care about Nightshade anymore?

"Mason Nightshade, what the hell are you up to?" She was starting to lose her grasp on him. "Don’t think I won’t just sell off Nightshade today!"

Mason watched her deliberate provocation, and a vision of a little kitten baring stubby teeth to look fierce drifted through his mind. He curled his fingers, holding back a strong urge to ruffle her hair, his face cool as ever. "Nightshade Corporation’s already yours. If you want to sell it, go ahead."

"You really think I won’t?" Aurelia narrowed her eyes.

Mason tipped his chin up, looking right into her eyes, his lips pressed tight. "There’s nothing you wouldn’t dare."

"Then you still handed it over to me."

"I told you, you can do whatever you want with Nightshade Corporation. Merge it with the Shaw Family, sell it, whatever. If you haven’t decided yet, I’ll manage it for you in the meantime—make you money."

When he said that last part, his voice suddenly dropped, low and magnetic.