Richard's POV"I'm leaving first. Call me if you need anything. Or when you miss me, call me," I told Nikkie.Nikkie's cheeks instantly flushed at my flirtation. "Don't push yourself too hard, remember your leg isn't fully recovered," Nikkie instructed. I nodded and kissed Nikkie's cheek before turning around to get into the car.Nikkie waved goodbye with an increasingly flushed face. It was time to return to the routine after taking a break for over ten days after the accident."Has Shawn given a full report yet?" I asked Calvin. Right after Nikkie regained consciousness and went into a psychological state of shock, that was when I gave Shawn a new order.That was to investigate and find evidence about the culprit who got us into the accident. Although I had suspected that Krystal was the brain behind the accident, this suspicion would be meaningless if it wasn't backed up by solid evidence.After giving instructions, I turned off my cell phone. I delegated all office duties to Calvi
Nikkie's POV"But I'm fine," I said, confused. What's going on with Richard? He just started work today, but he's already acting strange. I stroked Richard's back gently, trying to calm him down. I had even forgotten that there were other people besides us here. Richard's condition worried me."Are you feeling sick? Does your leg hurt? You don't have to exert yourself, don't you have a capable new assistant? It's your first day back at work, but you're pushing yourself and going home late!" Unexpectedly, I nagged Richard instead. After realizing how presumptuous my actions just now were, I could only stand still. Richard chuckled softly. He rubbed the top of my head fondly, then released our embrace. I didn't dare to raise my head out of reluctance and embarrassment."I'm fine. Have you eaten? I'm so hungry," Richard said, breaking my stiffness. He led me to the dining room where Aunt Karina, Grandma, and Uncle Denise were waiting.Richard's family watched the interaction between
Nikkie's POV"Because I saw with my own eyes how deep and how much love Richard had for Krystal. Sometimes, even the smartest person can turn into a fool in the face of love," I said. I suddenly felt tired, body and soul. "Then, you don't have to worry. As long as Richard has spoken, then he will keep his word. He will raise his child well, with or without a life partner," Grandma said.I smiled bitterly. What could I expect from a grandmother who loved her grandson? She would stand by her grandson, no matter if he was right or wrong, and defend him to the hilt.I said. "That's good, Grandma. I hope Richard finds a good life companion after this if he can't be with Krystal anymore.Above all, I hope Richard finds happiness. He is a good man, a gentleman. He deserves better."There was a pause for a few moments before Grandma finally spoke up again."Wait. Why are you talking like this? Aren't you and Richard...?" Grandma hung on the words. She seemed to be afraid of saying the wrong
Richard's POV"Auntie, have you seen Nikkie?" I asked when I got home. Today, I had deliberately gotten home a little earlier than usual because I wanted to take Nikkie to her mother's house. That's why I was home by 4 pm.Aunt Karina gave me a strange look. "Didn't Nikkie leave this afternoon?" Aunt Karina asked back. I froze, quite surprised. Why is it suddenly like this? "Our family driver is taking her home, don't worry," Aunt Karina added. She then walked away with the books to her room.Grandma appeared from the kitchen and greeted me. "Is it true Nikkie has left?" I asked Grandma. Grandma nodded in confirmation."That's strange. She never said that she had to leave today," I muttered in surprise."There's nothing strange. Try to put yourself in Nikkie's shoes. She just lost her baby and then lived with a stranger for over two weeks.Most women need their mother after giving birth or after miscarriage. Nikkie has been holding back for a long time. Just give her time to be
Richard's POV"Didn't bring many clothes? But all the clothes in the closet are just some of the clothes Sharon brought with her when Nikkie moved here," I said in surprise. My heart was racing. A bad feeling was starting to bother me. I gave my divorce certificate to Grandma and then quickly called back Calvin, who had returned to the office."Go to this address. Right now," I ordered as soon as Calvin returned. I entered the address into the car's navigation, and Calvin made his move without question. A few tens of minutes later, I arrived at Nikkie's house. My heart skipped a beat when I saw that the house looked neglected. The ornamental plants that lined the front porch looked wilted. Even all the doors were tightly closed."What's going on? Why do I have a bad feeling?" I asked myself. I opened the front passenger door and got off so quickly that I almost fell because my leg was still not fully healed."Be careful, Mr. Richard!" exclaimed Calvin, who was circling the car and i
Richard's POV "Let's head back," Shawn commanded Calvin. The three of us quickly entered the car and drove away from Nikkie's hometown.It was already late when Calvin dropped me off at home. I felt like my energy had been sapped, and I didn't have the power to do anything else."Tomorrow, take a day off. I'm not going to the office either," I told Calvin as I was about to get off.Calvin had been with me all day and even late into the night. These days, he didn't even have a day off as he was busy assisting me with various matters."Yes, Mr. Richard. Good night," Calvin said before walking away with Shawn. I staggered towards the front door. I don't know why it felt like the front door was so far away to reach.Halfway there, the front door suddenly opened. The figures of Grandma and Aunt Karina, wearing quilts on their shoulders, immediately came into my view."Oh, Richie. What's going on? Why do you look so messy?" the two women immediately ran to meet me. My tears fell again when
Krystal's POV"What are you going to do now, Krystal? You can't run a company, and now you're officially a widow!" Grandpa exclaimed in a high-pitched voice.Why does everyone always ask me the same thing? Do they think I have 1001 solutions to every problem?I nibbled on my thumbnail, feeling depressed at seeing the divorce papers lying on the table. Grandpa wasn't helping at all, just pacing around, making me even more dizzy! I held my nose, which had been bleeding a lot lately. Ever since I hit Richard's car that time, I'd been feeling unwell.Unfortunately, I didn't have time to go to the hospital to get my health checked. Why? Of course, because of my current status as a police fugitive!Grandpa suddenly stopped pacing when he got a call from who knows who. Shortly after, he turned his body to face me. The look of anger he had shown me lately no longer frightened me.Usually, he would immediately spout out curse words. But now, Grandpa seemed to have run out of words and could
Richard's POV"Did you try to find out from the real estate agent? Shouldn't it be traceable to the person who bought the house?" I suggested to Shawn an idea that came to my mind this morning."I've already done this method first. But this house was sold about a month ago by Miss Nikkie's mother. The payment was made in cash, making it even more difficult to check through the bank," Shawn said on the other end of the line.My eyebrows furrowed at this oddity. "Why is Nikkie's mom selling the house all of a sudden? Is she in dire economic straits?" "I found out through the nurse you assigned to look after Miss Nikkie's mother. The answer is they are not experiencing economic hardship.The nurse mentioned that Miss Nikkie's mother had mentioned that she wanted to move to the countryside, which is why she is selling her house now," Shawn explained.I let out a long breath. Who would have thought that Nikkie's mother would move to heaven? "Why can they still live there when the house h
Nikkie's POV"Sick? What's wrong with Krystal?" I asked in surprise. The TV didn't mention any details about Krystal's illness. I remained pensive until the news ended and changed to a sports program.Richard turned off the TV to realize that I looked unfocused. I started to realize something was wrong when I saw that Richard didn't look surprised at all or even concerned at all."You must know something, right?" I urged Richard. Richard let out a long sigh, then stroked my hair with a helpless look."What's the point of caring for a bad guy like that?" asked Richard, looking less than pleased. I shook my head stubbornly, waiting for him to speak."Be honest with me. You weren't involved in Krystal's death, were you?" I urged frantically.Richard sighed. "From my reports, Krystal has been sick since before she entered the prison. The TV report was real. She suffered from a malignant disease in her reproductive organs due to her habit of changing partners."I frowned, a conjecture popp
Nikkie's POV"The bride enters the altar!" the MC exclaimed. This time, Calvin was assigned to be the MC in our wedding procession.As the name implies, it was an intimate wedding only attended by those closest to us. There were 4 of Richard's family members, including Richard's biological mother, Shawn, Calvin, Sharon, Blake, and the household assistants. The wedding preparation went quite fast because there were only a few people. The blessing and the party were held in the hall of Moonstone mansion. I stepped with Uncle Denise towards Richard at the end of the altar. This day was full of happiness, with smiles never fading from everyone's faces. I haven't seen Richard since last night, and I'm feeling nervous. How will Richard see me in my wedding dress?When Richard turned around and accepted my hand from Uncle Denise's, Richard's eyes were suddenly wet. He smiled, and the tears just fell.I'm sure that they weren't tears of sadness. We then said our wedding vows in front of the
Nikkie's POV"I don't know either. My coming to this place wasn't planned. I didn't know where to go after my mom died. I also didn't have a home anymore and only had my suitcase and the money from the sale of the house that my mom gave me before she passed away. I boarded a bus randomly, letting it take me wherever it wanted. Throughout the ride, I cried alone by the window. Then, when I was tired of crying, and my tears dried up without realizing it, I arrived in this city. I took it as a sign from my mother that I should stay here. I then spent two days in a cheap hotel and looked for affordable apartments and part-time jobs. I was lucky to find both right away.From the first day of work, I never stopped working. My days off were spent sleeping or doing laundry. Because, you know. I have to work to support myself," I laughed.Shawn looked at me with interest. "You know, you can stop working and be provided by Mr. Richard completely," he said with a serious face.I laughed amuse
Nikkie's POV"Besides, you might think that way. Mr. Richard is a forgiving person. Shouldn't he forgive Mrs. Krystal based on that trait? Even if they can't get back together, Mr. Richard should never think of cutting off the core pleasure of his ex-wife's life: the money. Their company."Shawn stopped talking when the waiter arrived with our order. The thin, flavorful smoke of the food that would typically instantly whet my appetite now meant nothing. My mind was filled with questions."Are you saying that Richard was the mastermind behind exposing the rottenness of Krystal's company?" I asked after the waiter came back downstairs.Shawn nodded. "I did it all. But I was carrying out the orders given by Mr. Richard. The message was obvious, which was to destroy Goldman Inc. until it could not rise again."I was stunned by Shawn's words. "But why? Doesn't Richard love Krystal? I honestly didn't even think Richard would follow through on his words to divorce Krystal," I said, astonish
Nikkie's POV"Miss Nikkie! Hold on!" a man exclaimed in an absolute tone. Goosebumps ran down my spine, recalling the time I was almost kidnapped when I was going to buy flour when I was still living in Krystal's apartment."Miss Nikkie! Have you forgotten me?" this time, the man even dared to pull my arm. Gosh, did he forget that we were in a supermarket full of people? Even now, there were already several pairs of eyes looking at us with suspicious glances.When I remembered that I wasn't alone this time, I glanced at the man who dared to pull my arm. He was a tall man with big eyes that reminded me of a CCTV camera."Shawn?" I asked incredulously. Shawn nodded with a smile. There was a trace of relief on his face that made me wonder why he looked relieved.Until I remembered that Shawn was usually not far from Richard, I glanced around, then out the window. But I didn't see Richard or his car parked in the self-service parking lot. "I'm alone, came here by car. No, Mr. Richard her
Richard's POV"Since you mentioned it, I've been thinking about it. You're right; Krystal's male mistresses all have something in common with me!" I exclaimed in disbelief. My eyebrows knitted together, an oddity crossing my mind. "But I don't understand; what do you mean by Krystal loving me so much? Just because I have some things in common with those men?"Calvin explained again. "From a study I read, it was explained that love is complicated. The way each person loves another person and expresses their feelings is unique and different from one another.Some of them cannot distinguish love from obsession to the point that they commit deviant acts.But I won't talk about deviant acts here."Calvin paused momentarily as he overtook a car in front of us."There seems to be an emptiness in Mrs. Krystal's soul that makes her look for an outlet outside the home. It could be loneliness or an unhealed childhood wound.Or it could be that Mrs. Krystal is wrong for thinking that she doesn't
Richard's POV"Did you try to find out from the real estate agent? Shouldn't it be traceable to the person who bought the house?" I suggested to Shawn an idea that came to my mind this morning."I've already done this method first. But this house was sold about a month ago by Miss Nikkie's mother. The payment was made in cash, making it even more difficult to check through the bank," Shawn said on the other end of the line.My eyebrows furrowed at this oddity. "Why is Nikkie's mom selling the house all of a sudden? Is she in dire economic straits?" "I found out through the nurse you assigned to look after Miss Nikkie's mother. The answer is they are not experiencing economic hardship.The nurse mentioned that Miss Nikkie's mother had mentioned that she wanted to move to the countryside, which is why she is selling her house now," Shawn explained.I let out a long breath. Who would have thought that Nikkie's mother would move to heaven? "Why can they still live there when the house h
Krystal's POV"What are you going to do now, Krystal? You can't run a company, and now you're officially a widow!" Grandpa exclaimed in a high-pitched voice.Why does everyone always ask me the same thing? Do they think I have 1001 solutions to every problem?I nibbled on my thumbnail, feeling depressed at seeing the divorce papers lying on the table. Grandpa wasn't helping at all, just pacing around, making me even more dizzy! I held my nose, which had been bleeding a lot lately. Ever since I hit Richard's car that time, I'd been feeling unwell.Unfortunately, I didn't have time to go to the hospital to get my health checked. Why? Of course, because of my current status as a police fugitive!Grandpa suddenly stopped pacing when he got a call from who knows who. Shortly after, he turned his body to face me. The look of anger he had shown me lately no longer frightened me.Usually, he would immediately spout out curse words. But now, Grandpa seemed to have run out of words and could
Richard's POV "Let's head back," Shawn commanded Calvin. The three of us quickly entered the car and drove away from Nikkie's hometown.It was already late when Calvin dropped me off at home. I felt like my energy had been sapped, and I didn't have the power to do anything else."Tomorrow, take a day off. I'm not going to the office either," I told Calvin as I was about to get off.Calvin had been with me all day and even late into the night. These days, he didn't even have a day off as he was busy assisting me with various matters."Yes, Mr. Richard. Good night," Calvin said before walking away with Shawn. I staggered towards the front door. I don't know why it felt like the front door was so far away to reach.Halfway there, the front door suddenly opened. The figures of Grandma and Aunt Karina, wearing quilts on their shoulders, immediately came into my view."Oh, Richie. What's going on? Why do you look so messy?" the two women immediately ran to meet me. My tears fell again when