Chapter 501: Reunited with Claire (2)

"Nolan!"

Nolan was startled when a woman suddenly jumped up and hugged him tightly.

Fortunately, he managed to pull Eira out of his embrace first, so the little dragon wouldn’t be squashed between him and the woman.

When he saw who was hugging him, the corners of Nolan’s mouth twitched slightly.

"Claire, can you not surprise me like that?" he asked helplessly.

"Hehehe..." Claire smiled proudly as she wriggled playfully. "Why? You were surprised, right? Then my surprise worked."

She rested her face against Nolan’s chest, sniffing his intoxicating masculine scent.

"Yes, you did," Nolan said with a small chuckle. He hugged Claire for a few moments before finally letting her go.

However, the woman didn’t seem to feel the same way.

She continued to cling to him, rubbing her face against Nolan’s neck, as if she wasn’t ready to let go of the intimacy.

"Hey! Let go of my master!" Eira’s dissatisfied voice sounded from below.

Claire was startled. She looked down to her right and saw a small dragon, about the size of a two-year-old toddler, staring at her in annoyance.

Its tiny hands were planted on its waist, making it look even more adorable.

"A baby dragon?" she exclaimed in surprise.

This was the first time she had seen a baby dragon in person. Moreover, it was incredibly cute.

"Nolan, is it yours?" she asked curiously.

Nolan nodded slightly. "Yeah, it’s mine. Her name is Eira. I found her on the Northern Continent, and because I thought she was cute, I picked her up."

"Humph! Since you’ve heard it, let go of my master now! Only I’m allowed to hug him!" Eira snorted proudly.

Instead of getting angry, Claire found her attitude very adorable. Coincidentally, she liked cute things, and Eira was no exception.

She released her hold on Nolan and crouched down in front of Eira.

"Hello, Eira. I’m Claire, your master’s friend. Nice to meet you."

She stretched out her right hand toward Eira, confusing the little dragon.

Eira stared at the hand hesitantly. Just moments ago, this strange woman had hugged her master as if she wanted to steal her most comfortable spot.

But now, she was asking to get acquainted?

Could she have a hidden agenda?

Suspicion rose within her, but she had no proof.

In the end, she suppressed her hostility and extended her small hand.

"Nice to meet you," she replied hesitantly.

When Claire held her tiny palm, a warm feeling rose within her.

She then reached into her pocket and took out a piece of chocolate.

"Would you like some chocolate?" she asked.

Eira stared at the chocolate curiously, then asked, "Does it taste good?"

"Of course!" Claire unwrapped it and handed it to her.

At first, Eira hesitated. She sniffed it several times before finally eating it.

The moment the sweet taste touched her tongue, her eyes lit up.

"It’s delicious!"

She chewed and swallowed, then asked without shame, "Is there any more?"

Claire giggled. "Of course."

She took out another chocolate and handed it to Eira.

Nolan, standing beside them, simply smiled and shook his head.

The two of them hit it off quickly, which was a good thing.

While they were immersed in their own world, Nolan walked into the office and was amazed.

The office was long and spacious. In front of him was a wide window that stretched horizontally and jutted slightly outward.

As far as the eye could see, white snow was falling from the sky.

If it were spring or autumn, the view from here would be breathtaking.

On the right side was Claire’s desk, decorated with a few items, including a flowerpot beside it.

On the left were two cabinets, likely containing important documents.

Further left stood a wardrobe and a minibar for preparing tea or coffee when Claire was relaxing.

Near the minibar were many photo frames, and Nolan suddenly realized that almost all of them were photos of himself.

"What the hell is this? Why are my photos here?" Nolan’s mouth twitched.

The most annoying part was that they weren’t ordinary photos. Some were taken while he was reading a book, sleeping, or even making silly expressions.

"Damn... who took these photos and gave them to Claire?" Nolan growled.

He felt that these photos were a disgrace that should never have been shared.

Nolan walked over to the sofa near the window and sat down casually. Since the sofa was only about a meter away, he could clearly see the scenery outside.

"Master~" Eira jumped into his arms affectionately.

Nolan smiled as he gently stroked her head.

"Nolan, what would you like to drink? Coffee or tea?" Claire asked.

"I’ll just have tea."

Claire nodded and walked over to the minibar near the closet.

"Do you like Claire?" Nolan asked, lightly tweaking her small nose.

"Mm! I like her a lot! Claire is really nice to me!" Eira replied enthusiastically.

She opened her palms, revealing two chocolate candies.

"Look—she gave me these! Hehehe..."

Nolan looked at the chocolates and couldn’t help but laugh.

"Good." He patted her head gently. "Stay close to her, understand? After all, she’s my friend."

Eira nodded. She jumped down and sat beside Nolan, happily enjoying the chocolate in her hand.

Claire soon returned and placed a cup of coffee, tea, and hot chocolate on the table.

"Drink up, Nolan. The tea I made is delicious. The leaves were picked from the highlands of the Eastern Continent. I’m sure you’ll like it," she said softly as she sat down on the sofa opposite him.

Nolan nodded, picked up his cup, and took a sip.

The fresh warmth, laced with a gentle sweetness, spread through him, making him feel as if he were standing in a field of cherry blossoms.

"It’s delicious," he praised, taking a few more sips before setting the cup back on its saucer.

He looked at Claire and said, "Can you prepare two boxes of that tea for me to take home later? It tastes really good."

"Sure. I’ll give them to you later." Claire didn’t refuse.

The tea was indeed quite expensive. It was hard to find and took a long time to order.

Fortunately, she had bought a large quantity last month, knowing that Nolan liked tea.

"Thank you. By the way, where did you get that chocolate?" Nolan asked, glancing at the chocolate Eira was eating. "As far as I remember, you don’t have a chocolate industry, do you?"

Claire smiled faintly and replied, "Who says we don’t?"

Nolan was surprised and was about to say something, but Claire spoke first.

"Do you remember the business plan you gave me? One part of it mentioned the chocolate business. I saw its potential and felt it would be very profitable. So I acquired several chocolate factories in this empire and developed them on a large scale. If you go to the western part of the city, there’s a famous chocolate shop that’s always crowded, and it belongs to us."

Nolan was shocked once more. He hadn’t expected Claire to take an interest in the chocolate industry.

But on second thought, the industry had indeed been stagnant for decades, lacking proper development.

With Claire’s involvement and the development plan Nolan had created, the industry would surely enter a new era.

’Sure enough—bringing Claire in and entrusting this trading house to her was a very wise decision.’