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
Nikkie's POV "Aaaa!" I yelled in surprise. I quickly turned my body around and crouched down, covering as much as my brain could devise a solution. Plus, while facing the open closet I was looking for a towel inside.Stupid, how could Richard come in when I wasn't wearing anything?! Silly, why wasn't I aware and even forgot to bring a bathrobe before showering?"Nikkie... Are you okay?" Stupid Richard! Why is he still standing there?"Stupid pervert Richard! Get out!" I exclaimed as I grabbed a random piece of clothing to cover my front body. I used my other hand to grab another piece of clothing to throw at Richard. Richard looked like he woke up from a daydream, didn't try to dodge, and finally ran out. Thank goodness he didn't forget to close the door!I was out of breath, my face felt hot, and this was so embarrassing! I don't know how I will look at Richard after this. Aaargh! I want to sink to the floor and never see Richard again for the rest of my life!But that idea would n
Nikkie's POV"Really? I thought Blake still had at least six months left?" asked Richard in shock.I roll my eyes."This is the problem with rich people! You're so busy with your money that you never check your employees' contracts. How could you possibly care about the plight of people like us?To you, people like us are just people who can be replaced easily.But for us, just being able to keep one good-paying job is hard enough!" I gasped after finishing my sentence. Richard's jaw dropped, not expecting that I would speak so loudly. It was the same with me.I don't even know where the courage came from. To say that about someone like Richard, who had sustained and saved my life and my mother's life.I looked the other way, feeling guilty for venting my frustration on the wrong person. Was Richard's fault that he was born wealthy and didn't have to worry about employment contracts?Silence filled the atmosphere in the room for a few minutes, which felt like an eternity. "I