Nikkie's POV"Showering... together?" I said as I looked around the room. I think I saw something like a shower earlier. Wait, why did I see a shower when I hadn't entered the bathroom?Sure enough, I wasn't mistaken. In one corner of the room, there was a transparent bathroom stall that I had only seen on TV.I glanced at Richard behind me, forgetting that the distance between us was thin. The result was predictable; my lips crashed into Richard's thick lips.I froze briefly, my brain failing to process what had just happened. When I finally regained consciousness, I quickly broke free from Richard's embrace and ran to the bed."Since when have you been behind me? Since when have you been hugging me? Why, why ...." my sentences were garbled. I didn't dare to look at Richard. I held my hot face with both hands. Stupidly, does that count as a kiss?Wait, wasn't that an accident? Then it doesn't count as a kiss! So why am I panicking like this? I took a deep breath, trying to calm myse
Nikkie's POV"Why do you seem so curious about my parents? Is there something going on that I don't know about? Did someone come to see you and claim to be my parents?" Richard asked repeatedly. He even got up from lying down and sat on the bed.Gosh, where did that thought come from? It seems accurate; Richard's family condition is not as simple as I imagined.I shook my head softly, got up, and sat on the headboard. Richard continued to look at me with a wary gaze."Calm down, Richard. Can't I ask about this? I also want to know what happens to the baby after I hand him over to you.I want to know what kind of person the baby's grandmother and grandfather are. After all, you know the baby is our child," I lied.To be more convincing, I even stroked my slightly distended stomach. Act like a sensitive pregnant woman. "You took me by surprise, Nikkie," Richard complained as he stroked my belly."It seems like your family background is not simple. Why would you think that your parents w
Richard's POV"Good night, Nikkie." That was all I could say in return. I kissed Nikkie's head while hugging her to my chest. Nikkie nodded, then started to close her eyes.I let out a long breath. Nikkie had succeeded in destroying the little happiness she had previously given me.For some reason, I wouldn't say I liked Nikkie's hope that my relationship with Krystal would be as good as before. It wasn't easy. When I found out that Krystal had cheated on me, it felt like my world was shattered.I could forgive Krystal's many shortcomings, even if one day I found out that Krystal had killed someone. I can forgive her. I can forgive anything as long as it's not infidelity. The wound I thought had healed reopened when I learned about Krystal's affair.It was all because I grew up feeling abandoned. Amid my unhealed wounds, I saw how my father cheated on my mother in front of my eyes.My conversation with Nikkie couldn't help but remind me of that traumatic incident. When I almost drown
Richard's POV"What the heck! Where did that thought come from? Who told you that bullshit?" Grandma exclaimed in surprise. I couldn't say anything; I just fell silent as I became more and more aware of the fact that my parents hadn't made any effort to save me."Tell me, who told you that?" she repeated. I shook my head vigorously, then burst into tears. It was the first time I felt myself crushed by preconceived notions."Never mind, ma'am. Mr. Richard has just come to his senses; don't stress him out," I heard James coax my grandmother. She shook her head, her expression confused."Tell me, why do you say that?" she asked, this time in a much softer tone. I was still crying, my throat choking even to say a word. Grandma hugged me again, stroking my back to calm me down."Didn't you say that parents would do anything for their children? They're willing to sacrifice anything, even their life, just for the sake of their child?" I said after calming down. Grandma looked at me with a
Richard's POV"Don't look! Go to your room, Richie!" suddenly, my eyes were covered by a hand. That voice was Aunt Karina's.I still felt confused. In the darkness of having my eyes covered by Aunt Karina, I could still distinguish people's voices."Get Richie out of here! Hurry!" Aunt Karina called out again, who knows who.Even though I rarely saw my mother and even more rarely talked to her. But I recognized my mother's voice. Just now, it wasn't my mother's voice.A moment later, I felt someone carrying me away from my parent's room. There were sounds of arguing and screaming from a strange woman who wasn't wearing any clothes. When I came out of my shock, I realized that I wasn't in my room. This room was smaller than mine, and I had never seen it before.I was sitting on a relatively small single bed. Someone was in front of me, one of the maids in our house. Her face looked a bit unfamiliar like she was a recently hired maid."Are you all right, Mr. Richard?" asked the
Richard's POV"How dare you fight me!" my father's booming exclamation filled the dining room.Dad and his disgusting temper. I roll my eyes, then stare at my father intently. "Was I wrong? Do you think covering up your scandal doesn't require money? While I'm busy looking for ways to defend the company, you're busy looking for ways to sink it!" I retorted sternly without raising my voice. "Richard!" my father exclaimed angrily. His eyes bulged, veins bulging around his temples. I was still staring at him calmly. "Why? Did I say the wrong thing? Just because Moonstone Corp. was founded by a combination of your and Grandma's companies, do you think you own everything?" From the data I learned from Grandma, my Dad's company merged with my Grandma's after my Mom and Dad married. Dad was good at business.But somehow, all that changed after marrying Mom. His womanizing nature became more and more intense. It seemed to be a form of protest against his arranged marriage. But he dro
Richard's POV"Yes, Mr. Richard. I apologize once again." Jeremy apologized before passing out of my sight.I ignored the apology and kept glaring at Jeremy until he disappeared.After Jeremy's departure, I breathed a sigh of relief. "For God's sake, it's even morning, and you're already causing trouble? Why don't you ever grow up, Krystal?" I asked, venting my frustration at the sleeping Krystal.Krystal didn't answer. She slept soundly with her hair scattered around her head. I rubbed my face roughly, feeling unhappy.The situation this morning was enough to send me into a state of confusion. Did Shawn miss out? Why hadn't he said anything about Krystal coming to my office? I left Krystal in the room and checked my cell phone. There were no message notifications from Shawn. My forehead scrunched up in surprise. What on earth was going on here?I need to call Shawn to find out the situation, but there's no way I can do that in this room.Who knows, Krystal is pretending to be asleep
Nikkie's POV"So you want me to sleep right away? Why don't you tell me honestly that you want to sleep while being hugged by me?" Richard said after he finished laughing. The sound of Richard's rather loud laughter made me wake up completely from sleepiness. I rubbed my eyes and found Richard's face very close to mine. Why is Richard laughing? What did I say? Did I seem to be skipping?"What did I say?" I asked in surprise. Richard laughed loudly again. I noticed that the tension that had been on Richard's face since he came home was now much improved. "You were saying that you wanted to sleep in my arms," Richard replied mischievously. I frowned, the sleepiness having disappeared completely."I wouldn't say such things!" I argued unacceptably. This was so embarrassing! Did I slip up and say those things?Richard was still smiling happily. "Just wait a little longer, okay? It'll only take 5 minutes, and I'll hug you immediately like you asked.""I didn't ask for a hug!" I faithful