Chapter 4
Nathan's pov
“Are they still bent on that same decision? Can’t you try talking to those you’re closer to? they shouldn’t be paying attention to a meaningless message.” Dion asked.
I was on a distress call with Dion, my very good friend and business partner because right now I was about to lose everything I had worked for.
My partners were threatening to disassociate because they got a message saying I wasn’t all stable because I wasn't married yet and although it seemed like a very stupid reason, they didn’t let me have a break about it leading to this call with Dion.
“Tell me about it, and when I find whosoever was behind these shenanigans, I’m not letting him off the hook for any reason, this is costing me a lot,” I said, burying my face into my hands.
“We are going to have to find a way around it or else we just go ahead with what they want. Getting married shouldn’t be a problem for someone like you. You have Regina, remember?”
“Yes, I d…” my voice trailed when the realization of what Dion meant hit me. How didn't I see this sooner?
Regina was my betrothed already and though I hadn't asked her to marry me yet, marriage was the long-term goal eventually.
“You're right Dion, I could just use this opportunity to get married to Regina,” I told Dion, grinning from ear to ear. “I should probably be on my way to her apartment right now, you know.”
“Yeah, I support that. See, it wasn't that much of a problem after all.”
I laughed and disconnected the call. With the speed of light, I grabbed my car keys, dashed out of my office, and took the stairs down to my private car garage.
My heart raced excitedly as I reached my car and hopped onto it, swerving the car out of the garage into the open road.
I drove for over 30 minutes until I finally arrived at her place. The hard stench of alcohol and smoke greeted my nostrils when I stepped out of my car into the little balcony in front of her house.
I groaned and covered my nose slightly, Regina’s only flaw was the thing she had for alcohol and smoke, except for that she was okay.
But we did talk about it and she promised she was going to curtail the habit so what changed?
With a curt sigh, I pushed open the door and stepped into the house. Distant moaning sounds filled the living room but I wasn't about to jump to conclusions yet.
“Regina,” I called, taking the stairs that led to her room, “Babe where are you?”
The closer I got to her room, the more pronounced the moaning sounds I heard became.
“Oh fuck! your dick feels so good, George.” That was clearly Regina moaning but who the fuck was George?!
I hastened my steps and when I reached her room, I kicked the door open only to see my supposed betrothed steadily riding a man that's not me.
“What the actual fuck is going on here Regina?!” I thundered.
“I'll answer that later Nathan, I'm so close..oh fuck!” She whimpered, not sparing me a glance.
My jaw clenched tightly as I watched her act like I was invisible. With steady steps, I stalked off to the bed and yanked away from the stupid dickhead she was on.
“Are you crazy, huh? Have you freaking lost it?!” I yelled, my voice low and deadly.
She scoffed and folded her arms across her chest, “No I'm not, look I was just having fun okay?”
“Having fun?” I cackled, “having fun on another man's dick?”
“You've been busy okay? I was horny and you were at work so I thought to help myself out.” She responded casually, like there wasn't any problem at all in what she just did. Like cheating was the most morally right thing to do!
It then dawned on me how much of a fool I was leaving a girl as good as Onika for Regina. Onika would never cheat on me and even if she did, she would never be blabbing so confidently about it.
“You know what Regina? Whatever we have between us is over!” I growled and began walking out, a part of me hoped she was going to call me back to beg but the opposite was what she did.
“I don't care, Nathan, not after you just ruined a leg-shakingorgasm I was about to have, one your tiny dick couldn't give me! And besides, you knew I wasn't okay with our arrangement” She yelled after me.
Arrangement. That's all our relationship was with her. A convenient arrangement. My anger boiled over and I spun around, taking a step forward, my eyes blazing with fury but then I stopped.
There wasn't any need to exchange words with her, the deed had been done already. With the last shred of dignity and self-controlI had, I turned and walked away.
**********
I gulped down the fifth drink in a row while rocking my head to the jazz music playing in the company's conference bar. The best place to be with a heart as hurting as mine should have been the club but I had to return to the company because my secretary informed me that the investors would be coming.
“You can't continue drinking all night Nathan, especially when you have your business at stake,” Dion muttered trying to grab the sixth drink I was aiming for but my reflex was quick enough to get the drink before he did.
“What would you rather have me do huh? I've freaking lost everything!” I screamed.
“Not yet Nathan, you haven't lost anything yet. You can't just give up on your business because you were cheated on.”
A derisive scowl escaped my lips as I processed Dion’s statement. It wasn't just about Regina cheating that got me pained, it was the fact that I let go of someone as precious as Onika because of her.
“Look I know how it feels but if you ask me, I'd suggest you still try to get married, it mustn't be Regina, I mean you’re rich and handsome, trust me a lot of girls will be glad to marry you.”
I chuckled inwardly if only Dion had an idea.
“I don’t think I want to get married anytime soon, it’s a lot to take in which I’m not sure I’m ready for, those girls will do everything just for the media.”
“It doesn’t seem like you have that much of a choice, does it? You just have to go ahead with it anyway because, in the end, you’re the one losing.” Dion persuaded.
The realization that this depended on everything, affecting everything I’ve worked for troubled me.
Where was I supposed to see someone to marry on such short notice? I didn’t want to get married to one of those girls who would do anything for the camera. They were just too desperate.
Even though I was supposed to be more desperate, I could see myself getting myself in trouble if I got married to someone I didn’t know. Speaking of someone I didn’t know, even if I knew Onika before, it was still like we never met before.
She was so different now and everything about her was just better. I didn’t know if it was just because it’s been a while since I saw her or if she was putting in extra effort but she has changed now and that was obvious enough.
I tried talking to her but she denied me her audience and I couldn’t blame her for that. I would be mad if I were in her shoes too. But I was being compelled then, my mom didn’t like her and I knew if I went ahead she was going to make problems for her.
I did everything for her but there was no possible way I was going to explain that to her. She seemed to be with the Kent guy as they walked everywhere together. They even left together.
I was the one who ended things with her and I felt so sad about it now seeing her do so better than when she was with me. She finally achieved her dream and I wasn’t by her side.
She always dreamed of showcasing her art and she finally got the chance and Kent must have been a lot of help to her, more than I ever was.
I saw the smile on her face as she spoke with guests and I could remember it was all she ever wanted, and she got it.
She didn’t look like she needed my congratulations, all it seemed she was trying to do was make me jealous, and it worked.
“Do you remember the art conference we went to, Ken and the rest?”
“Yes, I do.”
“You won’t believe who I met there, Onika, and she was the artist at that conference!” I said in another round of bewilderment because I was indeed shocked.
“Are you kidding or you're being serious? I thought she was out of the country or something. How?”
I was as shocked as he was and I didn’t know how she achieved such in that period. I was happy for her, just shocked.
“She’s so different now man, she’s more pretty and more elegant and it’s almost like I never even knew her.”
“It happens, you should get going, the conference is starting in a few minutes.”
I checked my time and sighed in frustration.
“I messed up, I shouldn’t have let her go,” I muttered under my breath but I knew Dion heard but he remained quiet.
I picked up my suit and walked swiftly into the room. When I got in everyone was already present and seated so the meeting commenced immediately.
It was the best hot seat as they were barely agreeing with me.
They came to an agreement that they’d give me a month to get married and recorrect all my instabilities and only then will that remain a shareholder.
I stormed out of the room back into my office and Dion was still there waiting for me.
“How was it?”
“Bad?” I said, sinking into my chair.
“Same thing?”
“Turns out I need to get married as soon as possible.”
“You just have to accept it even if it seems hard, do you have anything in mind, the next way forward?”
“Onika.”
“You have to be kidding, what makes you dream that she’ll want to get married to you after you broke up with her?”
“You’ll see.”
I don't care what it’s going to take to get her back, but I was damn ready to die trying rather than not trying at all.
Chapter 5Onika's POVI woke up due to the constant knocks on my door. I wanted to ignore it but I had a thought that it might be Kent.I tiredly stood up from my bed and picked up my phone to see a message from Kent saying he had to attend to something and he'd come afterward.If it wasn't Kent at the door then who was it?Curiously I walked to the door and I paused on the door knob. After some pondering and hesitation, I opened the door and I was shocked to the core to see Nathan, at my house.What the hell was he doing here? Who told him he could be coming around my house or something?“What do you want here?" I snapped coldly.“Geez, you don't have to be so cold, won't you at least let me come in?” He teased resting on the wall but I wasn't having any of it.I blocked the door ready to shut it in his face.“What do you want here? I won't ask again. You're not welcome on my property.” I snapped.He smiled and moved closer to me but I stepped back immediately.“What do you think you
Onika’s POV As I stood before the full-length mirror, checking myself out, my mind went back to my last discussion with Nathan yesterday. “So, where should we meet so we could talk more about this proposal of yours?” I asked.“I’ll think about a nice location and I'll text you the address tomorrow,” He replied.“Okay,” I answered.Just when he was about to say something, I ended the call abruptly. I didn't want to hear anything else he had to say.Fast forward to today, I was putting on a red dress and was looking really good. I couldn't help but admire myself.The way I was dressed, one would think that I was going out on a real date. But I mentally reminded myself that I was only going out with Nathan as a part of my revenge plan.“You're doing this for one reason, Onika - revenge. Don't get carried away. This is all just a contract,” I said to myself.Staring deeper into the mirror, I said out loud,“Nathan, I'm going to make you pay for everything you've done to me. I'll make su
Onika’s POV.“Excuse I have to take this.” Nathan spoke as I watched him reach for his ringing phone on the table.I watched him leave. I was left all alone and my thoughts began to build up rapidly. What was his true intentions? Did he realize that he made a mistake but choosing Regina over me? He had the guts to even think I would ever take him back. I was fully aware of my worth, I refused to be any man’s second option.I was going to teach him a lesson and make him pay back for everything he made me go through.A loud snapping sound caused me to snap out of my world of thoughts.I looked up to see Nathan trying to settle down in his seat.He looked worried. What was that call all about?Not as if I cared about him but I just wanted to know. “What happened?” I inquired from him.He remained silent but I was sure he heard me.“Nathan,” I called out this time I sounded more stern.“It was Dion.” He paused.Who the hell is Dion?“Dion, who is that?” “A good friend and a business
Onika’s Pov.“If you are so confident about it, so be it.” Laura sounded like she did not trust me even after I tried to convince her.“I have to go now.” She added and before I could even respond, she hung up. Silly girl.I immediately fell back into my world of thoughts and for the first time in a very long time, I began to doubt my capabilities.Was I going to do everything I claimed I could do? Was I going to be able to risk falling in love with Nathan again?Soon, I got distracted when I heard my phone ring out loudly.The phone wasn't far from where I lay because I had just concluded talking to Laura.“What does he need from me this time?” I saw it was Nathan. Only God knows what he wanted this time around.I swiped my phone and picked it up.“Am I not entitled to have some rest anymore or does the contract say you can call me anytime you wish?”I heard him let out a loud sigh and began to wonder if I was doing too much, I didn't care either way he deserved every single thing
Onika’s Pov.We finally got into the car and I struggled to control my own eyes.Could they just look forward?I found myself shamelessly taking glances at Nathan. He looks extremely handsome. Of course, I was too proud to let me know that I thought of him in such a way.The drive to the studio was an extremely quiet one, I stared through the window and observed everyone mind their business.Soon, I heard a loud rumble of the car tires as the car came to a sudden stop. Where are we at our destination already? I looked to the right to see a huge signboard that had a lady and a man holding a camera on it. I realized that we were at the studio.“We are here,” Nathan spoke.“I’m not blind,” I responded to him bluntly. I expected him to say something back to me but instead, he just got down from the car, walked over to my side of the car, and opened the door for me.I looked up at him at maintained eye contact with him shocked at his action.Nathan was indeed serious about this entire t
ONNIKA’S POVThe car ride was utterly silent as we weaved through the traffic, but I was painfully aware of his leg brushing against mine, and I was beginning to wonder if he was doing it on purpose, but his gaze remained glued to the passing scenery outside the window.I couldn't deny the heat from where our bodies made contact, and I really didn't like it, so I jerked my leg away from his, a scoff escaping my lips.He turned to me at the gesture, confusion in his features. “What happened? Are you okay?” He asked, looking me over.In an attempt to avoid his gaze, I pulled my phone out of my purse and started randomly clicking through stuff on social media. “Your leg was touching mine”“Is that such a bad thing? You didn't mind when we were dating” He muttered under his breath, looking out the window again.I snapped my neck to look at him, a scowl fast forming on my lips. “Yeah, thanks for the reminder, Nathan. That was two years ago, don't give me that shit now” I reminded him.He t
Regina's POV "WHAT THE FUCK?" I yelled as I stared into my phone.The pictures of Nathan and some woman were on every tabloids and blogs I know with the caption, "THE PLAYER HAS FINALLY BEEN BAGGED."These pictures looked like pre-wedding photos and you could see Nathan and this strange woman staring into each others' eyes and smiling so brightly at each other, making my stomach turn.I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw this. I felt my anger grow right inside of me, threatening to explode any moment from now.Out of anger, I smashed my phone to the ground causing it to shatter into pieces. A phone was the least of my problem; I could easily get another one. "Why would Nathan do something like this? Is it because of what he saw the last time? Oh come on, I was just playing around a little and having some fun. What's so wrong about that?" I yelled to myself.I needed answers and I needed them immediately. In order for me to get the answers I needed, I knew just the right person to m
Onika's POV "So are you sure you're okay over there? I hope Nathan is not giving you any troubles," Kent asked me.We were talking over a video call then he has been doing this I was since I moved into Nathan's mansion. It would call everyday to ensure that Nathan was being gentlemanly towards me. "There are no troubles over here at least not for the meantime," I replied."I wish I could be there with you too make sure that nothing goes wrong," he said.I simply smiled and said, "You don't have to worry about me. Everything is fine.""Okay. If you say so. So what are your plans for today?" He asked.Just as I was about to answer his question, the doorbell rang. Who would be ringing the doorbell? It was obviously not Nathan. Because he wouldn't ring the doorbell at his own house.So who could it be, I thought again.After a while, I didn't hear the doorbell ring again so I thought whoever was at the door had left already."Who was that?" Kent asked."I don't know. Maybe it was some
ONIKA'S POVWith a sigh, I went to the door and opened it to see Nathan standing there, a small smile on his face."Hey" He smiled at me but the smile on his smile wiped off as soon as he saw the distraught look on my face."Are you alright?" He asked, raising a brow, his hand automatically rising up to touch my face.I didn't flinch away, instead I found myself leaning towards his touch, his hand was cold against my skin and I hummed in satisfaction at how right it felt.He furrowed his brows but he didn't pull away. "Are you alright?" He asked again.I pulled away and nodded, sighing. "Yeah, I'm fine. I think... Let's just go back to the mansion, hm?" I forced a smile at him.A smile creeped up his face and he leaned forward to press a quick kiss to my lips and to be honest, I wasn't expecting it but I leaned into it, kissing him back just as deeply. It just felt....right.Slowly, he pulled away and pressed his forehead to mine, his eyes searching mine. "Alright, meet me downstairs
ONIKA'S POVNathan must have seen the way my face paled because the smile on his face wiped away and was replaced by a more serious expression."Who's that?" He asked, his voice soft as he nodded to my phone.Almost instinctively, I clutched the phone to my chest, looking up at him. "Just a few friends... I uh... Should go take a shower before the driver gets here..." I straightened up, determined to keep my face impassive.Nathan looked like he was almost about to call me out on my lie and argue with me but then he stopped and nodded, like he had accepted defeat and didn't want to push me further than I wanted to tell him.Why didn't I want to tell him? It wasn't like I had anything going on with Kent but a small part of me still felt guilty because I knew that despite how Kent acted, he cared and he would be disappointed if he found out that I had forgiven Nathan and even gotten back together with him. Fuck.I had not spoken to Kent in a while now since I got back from Barcelona. He
ONIKA'S POVThe sound of the shower running was what woke me up the next morning.I groaned and rolled over in bed, my eyes fluttering open as I stared at my unfamiliar surroundings. Where was I?The shower running in the background was more prominent now but I was more concerned on getting myself together to know where I was. It took me about a minute then the memories of the previous night came rushing back and I felt a slight tingle between my thighs.Oh fuck.I buried my face in my hands, second hand embarrassment making me mortified now that I thought about it. Did I regret it? No. But would I want to face him today? No.That's it.I could sneak out of the hotel and get a cab or something to go back to the mansion where I could prolong the time that I would have to face him. It was impossible to get a cab as at last night due to the damn storm but I could order a ride from here and think about my life before he realized that I was gone.He'd soon be out of the shower. Shit.I qui
ONIKA'S POVI felt his hand release our intertwined hands to gently fondle my breasts, flicking my hardened nipples, eliciting a moan from me.“You like that?” He whispered huskily, his breathing ragged as he gently pressed a kiss down my bare chest, each press of his cold lips against my skin making my core clench around nothing.Fuck, I wanted him so bad.“Yes…” I breathed out, struggling to keep my gaze on him as he kissed down to my breasts, his hand ghosting over my boobs and it was safe to say that I wanted nothing more but to feel his mouth on them.As though he could hear my thoughts, His lips wrapped around my nipple again, sucking softly, the warm feeling of his mouth wrapped around my breasts making me let out a strangled moan that sounded like a cross between a moan and a plea. "God, Onika," He mumbled, his voice low and gravelly. "You taste so good." His hand slid down my stomach slowly, making me shiver. "Spread your legs baby,”He gently pulled down my trousers, throwi
ONIKA'S POVHe was giving me a chance. I could say noㅡback out now like I always said I would if it ever came to this ㅡbut as I looked into his eyes, I found myself hesitating.I expected to hate myself for it but I just couldn't bring myself to do that, I inhaled sharply, refusing to tear my gaze away from his. He was being patient, not wanting to scare me away as he hovered above me, a pleading look on his face.Of all the things running through my mind, I so badly wanted to say yes, allow him to do what he had in mind with me but something held me backㅡ what if I got hurt again?I always said I missed the memories alone but now I realized that I missed the person himself, he had changed, he had broken me and he was trying to fix it, I shouldn't make it easy for him, I shouldn't put my heart on the line again but here I was…hesitating.No matter what that part of me said, I couldn't bring myself to say a simple no because I knew I was lying to myself if I said I didn't want this too
ONIKA’S POVI stared at my reflection in the mirror, gripping the edge of the sink as if that would somehow help me make sense of the situation.One bed.One freaking bed.Nathan was in the room just outside this door, probably already making himself comfortable while I stood here like an idiot, debating whether I should just tell him to take the floor. That would make the most sense, right?But then my mind—stupid, traitorous thing it was—reminded me of something I had no business remembering.Nathan had a low resistance to cold.I squeezed my eyes shut, cursing myself for knowing that tiny, insignificant detail. Why did I even remember that? It wasn’t my job to care. It shouldn’t be my job to care.And yet, I did.I hated myself for it, but I knew if I forced him to sleep on the floor, he’d probably wake up sick. The couch wasn’t much better. It was one of those decorative, rock-hard things meant to look nice, not actually be used.That left me with only one alternative.I could tak
ONIKA’S POVLaura’s warning kept ringing in my ears. “Don’t do anything stupid” it was that simple.I wasn’t planning on it. I was just going on a yacht ride. A simple, harmless yacht ride. Nothing special. Nothing at all.With my hair pulled into a sleek bun, I walked toward the docks where Nathan stood talking to the sailor. From the looks of it, their conversation wasn’t exactly lighthearted. Nathan’s brows were furrowed, and his arms were crossed as he listened intently.“…it should be fine,” the man was saying. “There’s a chance of some rough waves later, but nothing unusual.”Nathan didn’t look convinced. “How high is the chance? Give me a percentage.”The man scratched his head. “Well, I’m not a damn weatherman, but maybe thirty, forty percent?”“That’s not low.” Nathan’s lips pressed into a thin line as he stared at the man skeptically.I glanced at the sky. It was clear, the sun seemed that it would be shining for long. What is he so worried about? It wasn’t like we were head
ONIKA'S POVI had my phone hoisted up against my dresser so that Laura who was intent on eating a tub of ice cream could check my outfit before I went out.“That'd practically too flashy” She complained as I twirled for her to see.With a roll of my eyes, I sighed. “I'm beginning to think that you're after me or something, that's the ninth dress that you've found a fault in, in case if you don't know, I'm not exactly packing much to wear” I complained, going around to grab another shirt which I placed over this one so I could look at it in the mirror.“That wardrobe is definitely not empty” she pointed behind me and I turned around to look at the black wardrobe that had already been here when I came. I was sure there were clothes in it but a part of me didn't want to open it and pick anything from it.With a roll of the eyes, a bit more evidently now, I looked back at my camera. “Yeah smart ass, it's not empty. I haven't looked in it though but I think Nathan had someone pick them out
ONIKA'S POVSurprisingly, Nathan had already prepared the tickets and everything we needed in a few hours after I had agreed to it and he had left me to pack after offering to help so I don't stress myself but be damned if I was going to let him look through my private stuff.I had already sent a text to Laura informing her that I was leaving the country to gods knows where for a while.He hadn't told me where he wanted us to go to yet and he could be kidnapping me off to some place so that I couldn't leave him but somehow I wasn't paranoid ebligh to think that he would do it.A few hours later I had finished packing the essentials that'd be enough for me during my stay there and we were out of the house.Soon, the quiet hum of the jet filled the air, and I kept my gaze fixed on the city lights disappearing below us."Do you need anything?"I turned at the sound of Nathan’s voice. He was leaning slightly forward, his elbows resting on his knees, watching me carefully. His tone was sof