Chapter 149 He Also Bought a Villa Here
Today Matilda went to Phoenix Bay to check on the renovation progress.
She hadn't known much about home renovations originally, but after being involved for a while, she'd picked up the basics. Even though Wentworth had hired a reputable company, some workers would cut corners when no one was watching. So Matilda made a point to inspect things herself.
She was watching a worker lay wall tiles when security came to tell her someone was looking for her outside.
The residents hadn't moved in yet, but security had already been hired—Wentworth had arranged it through the Gonzaga Group, who would deduct the fees directly from his account.
Matilda walked out to find a man standing in the dappled sunlight, wearing a floral shirt and white shorts. Handsome face, but that smile was pure trouble.
"What are you doing here?" Matilda asked.
Nason tossed his head, casually pointing in a direction. "I bought a villa here too. The last unit available."
When Matilda had come to view properties, only two units remained. She'd chosen the one near the bridge, which meant Nason had bought the one at the back of the island.
She cursed inwardly. Just her luck.
These villas cost hundreds of millions.
"You found out we bought here, so you deliberately bought one too?"
Nason laughed. "Pure coincidence, actually. I was just looking at properties when the real estate manager let it slip that the second young master of the Gonzaga Group had bought a unit here. I put down a deposit immediately. Had to borrow two hundred million to make it happen."
"Why on earth would you do that?"
"To experience your lifestyle." Nason's expression was infuriatingly cavalier.
Matilda's face turned cold. "What exactly are you after?"
Nason kept smiling, arms crossed over his chest. "You don't have anything to do right now, right? Why don't you listen to my story? Once you hear it, you'll understand why I'm doing this."
"Your story?" She let out a derisive laugh. "I have zero interest in your story. I just want to know if you're planning to harm anyone. Though obviously even if you were, you wouldn't tell me. What's your real goal here? Are you targeting Wentworth, or do you think you're hot enough to seduce me? If you're trying to steal me away from Wentworth, save yourself the trouble. I'm not interested in guys like you, and I would never betray him."
Might as well lay it all out at once.
Nason smiled again. "Don't be so quick to make declarations. But no, I don't have any malicious intent. I just genuinely want to be friends with you."
"I'm a married woman. I don't want to make random friends." With that, Matilda turned and went back inside.
The renovation fumes were strong, but still better than staying out there. She instructed the security guards not to let him in.
Nason stood outside for a moment, smiled to himself, then climbed into a flashy red Ferrari and drove off with a thunderous roar.
When Matilda heard the engine fade into the distance, she breathed a sigh of relief.
...
Halfway home, Nason's mother called.
The moment he answered, she tore into him. "You actually bought a villa at Phoenix Bay? You wasteful fool!"
Nason replied casually, "You're the one who told me to measure up to the Gonzaga brothers since I was a kid. Now they've bought at Phoenix Bay, so it'd be weird if I didn't buy one too."
"All you know how to do is compete over these things. Why don't you compete with them on making money? A few hundred million is pocket change to their family. Can you say the same? Once you burn through your account, will you have any cash flow left?"
"That's not really your concern."
"You idiot. You'll never be as good as them!"
The call ended. Feeling irritated, Nason pulled over to the side of the road.
Childhood memories flooded his mind.
From the moment he'd become aware of the world, his mother had pushed him to match the Gonzaga brothers.
'Look at the Gonzaga brothers—they finished all nine years of coursework by elementary school. And you, you moron, can't even score perfectly on elementary tests. What's the point of having you?'
'Look at the Gonzaga brothers—they were already five-foot-five by age twelve. You're only five feet tall. Not only are you stupid, you're short too. How can you possibly compete?'
'Look at Charles—he was involved in company affairs by eighteen. You useless fool!'
The litany never ended.
Nason was a late bloomer. Whether it was academics or height, he didn't finish coursework ahead of schedule—constantly burying himself in textbooks only exhausted him. He was indeed only five feet at twelve, but he shot up at thirteen and hit six-foot-one by sixteen.
But his mother had never stopped tearing him down. Idiot. Irresponsible. Wasteful fool.
He hated the Gonzaga brothers, yet found himself unconsciously trying to keep up with them.
Starting a pharmaceutical company. Buying a villa.
Even the women.
He knew Charles had once had a woman—mature, sensual, gentle. But that... hadn't ended well.
Charles had stayed single afterward. So Nason stayed single too.
The Gonzaga brothers had advanced early in education and career but lagged in marriage. So Nason never married either. But unlike the Gonzaga brothers, he played the field constantly, with countless women passing through his life.
He'd discovered one area where he finally surpassed the Gonzaga brothers—women liked him more easily. They loved his rebellious charm and humor, his smooth sophistication.
When he met Matilda, he'd assumed she'd be the same. With enough persistence, she'd fall for him eventually.
Among his conquests were plenty of married women who'd betrayed their husbands for him. He wanted Matilda to do the same.
According to his research, Matilda came from a poor family and barely saw Wentworth. If he made his move, he could have her within three months.
Her rejection today was expected. Once he turned on the charm, she'd take the bait.
...
That night, Wentworth called Matilda.
When he didn't have special missions, he was allowed to call her.
She told him about running into Nason.
Wentworth asked, "Should we beef up security? My brother can assign a couple bodyguards to you. And we could have someone tail this Nason guy—if he makes any moves, we'd know immediately."
Matilda replied, "That seems like overkill."
But despite her words, Wentworth arranged it anyway.
Charles's people surveilled Nason for a while and ran a background check. He had no criminal record or apparent motive, though he did cycle through girlfriends every three months.
Charles's team concluded he'd probably just hit on Matilda because she was attractive.
...
Juliana was about to leave work when Natalia called. "Juliana, are you living at the Gonzaga residence now?"
Juliana replied, "I stay there two days a week. Amelia says she gets lonely by herself."