The Villainess Needs a Hug (Ivy Windsor) novel Chapter 1024

Naylor's sudden display of gentleness and consideration wasn't just a fleeting impulse.

Ever since the night of his romantic serenade, he and Katrina had been communicating much more frequently.

But as fate would have it, the massive case Katrina was working on had entered its most critical phase. Her days became a blur of endless work, leaving her with barely a second to glance at her phone, let alone chat.

It was only when she was finally heading home late at night that she would check her screen and see that Naylor had reached out to her during the day.

Every time, she agonized over whether or not to reply, simply because so much time had passed.

If she texted him out of the blue hours later, would he think she was the one desperately initiating contact?

After turning it over in her mind, she usually concluded that basic social etiquette dictated she should at least respond.

And so, they maintained a delicate, casual distance—a polite but friendly dynamic.

It wasn't until the case was finally closed, culminating in a massive victory, that she could finally take a breath.

As the first major case she had ever been intimately involved with, achieving such a stellar result left Katrina feeling ecstatic. When she picked up her phone, she instinctively—almost involuntarily—wanted to share the good news with Naylor.

He replied almost instantly.

*Congratulations, you're amazing! That makes all your hard work worth it.*

Katrina was grinning at her screen. Before she could type out a response, another message popped up.

*So I assume no overtime tonight? Care to grace me with your presence for a celebration dinner?*

Katrina realized it had been a while since she last saw him, and she was genuinely tempted. Just as she was about to say yes, Silas Halloway, the firm's senior partner, loudly announced that the entire team was going out for a celebratory dinner, and attendance was mandatory.

She had no choice but to send Naylor a regretful text: *I'm so sorry. Mr. Halloway is treating the team tonight, and no one is allowed to skip it.*

Naylor replied with a crying emoji.

*How about this weekend?*

She knew he was testing the waters.

And she knew exactly what he was doing.

But her weekend was already booked. She sent another apologetic text: *I'm planning to visit Ivy this weekend. I've only seen her once since she had the babies.*

*You are incredibly hard to book.*

Staring at her phone, Katrina couldn't help the smile that crept onto her lips.

That evening, Silas booked a private room at an upscale restaurant, and the team of about seven or eight people all attended.

Katrina was in high spirits. When a colleague sitting next to her poured her a glass of wine, she didn't refuse. She figured a few light drinks wouldn't hurt, and she didn't want to ruin the celebratory vibe.

Halfway through the meal, her phone vibrated with a WhatsApp notification.

She glanced down and saw it was Naylor again.

*Are you guys having dinner at The Szechuan Pavilion?*

Katrina's eyes went wide with shock.

Was he eating here too?

"Did you see my texts?"

Katrina decided to tell the truth. "I saw them, but my boss was in the middle of a toast, so I couldn't reply."

"Pace yourself. If you drink too much, you're going to feel terrible tomorrow," Naylor warned.

Katrina gave a soft hum of agreement before suddenly asking, "Are you at The Szechuan Pavilion too?"

"Yeah. Having dinner with some business partners. What are the odds your firm would pick the exact same spot?"

Katrina pressed her lips together, completely unsure if he was telling the truth or not.

Because if this man really wanted to track her down, he absolutely had the resources to find out exactly where she was having dinner.

They both held their phones in a brief, heavy silence.

Katrina's ears were burning. She wasn't sure if it was the wine kicking in, or just the fact that she was talking to him.

Just then, the door to the private room opened, and another colleague stepped out to take a call. Startled, Katrina quickly said, "I have to go. We're not done eating yet."

"Alright. Let me know when you're leaving, and I'll drive you home." He didn't even give her a chance to argue before adding firmly, "It's too late for a girl to be taking a cab alone after drinking."

Katrina thought to herself, *Being alone with you after drinking is the real danger here.*

But she kept the thought to herself, murmured a quiet agreement, and hung up the phone.

When she went back into the private room, she felt completely unsettled. Her mind kept drifting to the fact that she was going to see him soon, that he was going to drive her home, and that they would be alone...