"I'll accompany you," Nathalie said, grabbing her bag. "I'm ready."Nicholas's brows furrowed. "What do you mean, you'll accompany me? Didn't you promise to accompany your father for a check-up today?""The time has been postponed until tomorrow," Nathalie answered lightly. "I'll visit him after you finish therapy."Nicholas shook his head, "But therapy will--""Come on, Nicholas, didn't I tell you that I'll accompany you? I don't like you making me go back on my word."Nicholas was stunned to hear Nathalie's words. Why did he become the guilty party when he just didn't want to burden Nathalie.He sighed and finally nodded. "Okay, whatever you want, Nate."Nathalie smiled. "Let's go!""Wait," Nicholas held her back, grabbing Nathalie's arm and holding her back. "I forgot to grab my cane.""Ah, wait, I'll get it. I know where you keep it," Nathalie said.She went to the living room and returned with the wooden cane that Nicholas usually used when his legs hurt. The cane was usually pla
Towards evening, after accompanying Hardy to dinner and waiting for him to go to sleep, Nicholas and Nathalie returned home.Lyle was already waiting for them in the hospital yard when they came out and quickly opened the door, taking over Nicholas' cane."Are your legs no longer sore?" Nathalie asked."No," Nicholas replied. "I took my medicine earlier, after lunch."Nathalie nodded and they were silent throughout the journey, enjoying the comfortable silence, because of each other's presence.After arriving home, Nathalie immediately sat on the living room sofa, stretching her sore legs.Madam Olla approached her. "You must be very tired. Do you want me to make you a warm drink? Chamomile tea would be delicious."Nathalie looked up and took Madam Olla's hand with a grateful look. "Yes, I would love to, Madam, you are very understanding."Madam Olla smiled and patted Nathalie's hand gently, then went to the kitchen.Nicholas entered accompanied by Lyle. He raised his eyebrows, seein
"What are you doing today?" Nicholas asked this morning at breakfast. "What time are you going to the hospital?"Nathalie looked at her watch. "I think I'll visit him this afternoon," she said. "My father said some of his friends will come to visit and he seems very happy. He probably misses the times when he was still working and the arrival of his friends will definitely cheer him up.""That's good. When they talk about the past and reminisce together, it will make them happy and the body responds well," Nicholas said. "That's why some elderly people prefer to live in a nursing home rather than being lonely at their child's house.""Because in a nursing home they will get friends of the same age who can understand each other?Nicholas nodded. "Yes. They get a different kind of happiness there, because they understand each other's stories even though they have just met there. At home, they couldn't tell their past to their busy working children who came home tired, and instead often
This morning after breakfast, Nathalie decided to talk about the interior design company that Nicholas would start with her.Nathalie cleared her throat, catching Nicholas' attention as he was scrolling through something on his phone.Nicholas looked up, his eyebrows raised and his steely eyes staring at Nathalie. "Yes, Nate?""Umm... Sorry to interrupt. How about the company you're going to start? Nsync?"Nicholas put his phone on the table and said, "I'm still in the process of it. We need to recruit a lot of people to complete the organizational structure of the company and for you, you need to determine the direction of your design signature, to boost promotion and sales.""Oh, I have sketchbooks that contain some of the latest designs that I made. Wait a minute, I'll get them," Nathalie said before going to her bedroom and taking out the sketchbooks.She showed Nicholas her sketches and remarked, "Lately I've also been thinking that there are so many good interior designers latel
"What? Rejected again?" Charles asked angrily. He almost threw the fake flower vase on his desk, to vent his frustration."They said, the new concept we offered did not match what they imagined. They wanted something that was intimate and warm. They asked for too many details, Mr. Frederick," complained Darwin, the assistant marketing manager of Charles Star Co."Mrs. Irene Welsh also asked us to send the design from Mrs. Frederick, or she would cancel her plan to use our company," said Cyntia, Charles' secretary.Charles' heart felt like it was being pinched when Cyntia mentioned Mrs. Frederick, referring to Nathalie.Of course, that only made the dilemma felt by Charles even bigger. It turned out, the hole Nathalie left in the company was that big."Tsk! Don't call Nathalie Mrs. Frederick anymore," said Charles annoyed. "She is not my wife anymore."Cyntia covered her mouth awkwardly. She forgot that her boss had just had problems with his now ex-wife because she was having an affa
"Are you ready?"Nathalie nodded. She looked at Nicholas with an admiring look.Nicholas looked handsome in a dark blue suit, over a light blue shirt without a tie. He looked formal, but also casual. Very handsome, Nathalie said to herself.Nicholas also looked at Nathalie with an uncertain feeling. Why is she so beautiful? Look at her white shoulders and neck, so smooth like marble and the color of her cheeks and lips are already pink without the need for lipstick and blush on.Nathalie wore a light blue dress, matching the nuances of Nicholas' clothes. The knee-length A-line model of her dress, showed her calves and legs that were as long as grains of rice. She wore a white gold necklace with a tear-shaped stone pendant, dark blue, a ring, and little amulet in her ear."Beautiful," Nicholas said, nodding. "You always look so beautiful."Nathalie was surprised to hear Nicholas' sudden compliment, she felt her heart start beating faster and had to hold her handbag tightly so as not t
A month later, Nicholas and Natalie's company opened. The opening ceremony went smoothly, and even Charles' former customers came.In the newly rented store in Harlington Metropolitan Mall, elegant flowers and wide white ribbons dotted the entire area. Cocktail tables were neatly placed outside the store, and waiters brought expensive champagne and snacks."Dear guests, today we gather to witness the opening of NSync Company, an interior design company, which is a collaboration between Ms. Nathalie and Mr. Nicholas Grand. Today's event will be led by our beautiful and talented CEO, Ms. Nathalie Darren. We invite Ms. Darren to give a speech, before cutting the ribbon," the host called out enthusiastically.Everyone applauded, welcoming Nathalie who came up to the podium, enthusiastically."Thank you all for being here," Nathalie said with a big smile on her lips. "It is an honor to welcome you all and hope that in the future we and all the supporting crew of NSync Company, can help an
"Who's that?" Charles asked, looking at a car that had just pulled out of the gate of his house, just as his car arrived."Ah, it's just a man who got lost. He's old, so his eyes can't see street names and house numbers clearly. He's going to our neighbor's down the block," Gina replied cheerfully.She held Charles' arm affectionately. "How's your work, is it going?"Charles slumped down on the sofa and exhaled loudly. Everything was a mess now. Who would have thought that Nathalie would start her own company and her clients would switch to her?"My clients ran to Nathalie's new company," Charles muttered wearily. "This could be bad if I don't get them back soon."Gina was surprised to hear Charles' words and she took Charles' hand and kissed it softly."I'm sorry," Gina said weakly. "I'm really useless and can't help you. I can only conceive and give birth to your child."Charles looked at Gina, feeling a little touched by her words. He hugged Gina and kissed her forehead."I'm so d
Harriet and Nathalie faced each other.Harriet lowered her hand from Nicholas' chest and moved her chair away from Nicholas, but did not move.Nathalie sat back in her chair, acting calm and reaching for Nicholas' hand on the table, holding it tightly as if to show ownership.Harriet's eyebrows rose slightly at that and she felt her heart upset."Honey, aren't you going to introduce me to YOUR FRIEND?" Nathalie said with a sweet smile to Nicholas, emphasizing the word your friend as she glanced at Harriet.Nicholas knew Nathalie's upset mood because of seeing Harriet. It must have been the same as when he received the call from Charles.To Nicholas now, this felt funny. He smiled and leaned toward Nathalie."This is Harriet Abby, babe," Nicholas said. "The woman my father arranged for me. I told you about it.""Ah," Nathalie said, looking at Harriet. "Harriet Abby. Hi, nice to meet you."Harriet didn't know how to
"Bastard, what's the point of calling you while drunk like that," Nicholas grumbled as he stabbed his fork hard into the meat.Nathalie took a deep breath, put her spoon and fork on the plate, then stood up from her chair.Nicholas looked at Nathalie in surprise. "Where are you going?"Nathalie approached Nicholas, shifted his chair heavily to face him, then climbed up and sat on Nicholas's thigh."Nate?""Listen, mister jealous," Nathalie said firmly, lifting Nicholas' chin with her index finger. She brought her face closer. "That jerk will always be like that. Who cares? I don't! And you shouldn't think about him until you abuse your food."Nicholas looked into Nathalie's eyes and saw anger in those beautiful eyes."When will your divorce certificate be finished?" Nicholas asked."The day after tomorrow. They'll send it here," Nathalie said. "Can you ignore that person? Don't be jealous. He doesn't deserve to be jealous
Gina PoVEver since the night I threw the party, Charles has been ignoring me. He refuses to talk to me and acts like I don't exist.I've apologized and he's bruised my arms because he held me so tight, but after that it just got worse.He moved to the guest room and slept there alone. I once tried to go into the room to coax him, wearing the lingerie I just bought, a very sexy and seductive piece of cloth, but he just looked at me like I was a contagious disease, then pushed me out of the room and locked the door.Damn it!It's been a week and my condition hasn't improved. I'm starting to get annoyed. What is he doing, like a little kid. If he's mad, he should just say so. I don't mind being yelled at for a while, then it's over.Instead of being like this, it just makes me feel awkward. What makes me even more confused about dealing with him is that he doesn't ask at all who the people I invited are, whether they are my friends or anything
Nathalie chuckled as Nicholas bit her lower lip. She responded by sucking Nicholas' tongue hard until he groaned."I'm optimistic, you two will have a child soon if the atmosphere continues like this."Nathalie and Nicholas separated in surprise, hearing Grandpa Jerome's voice behind them.Like a pair of teenagers who had just started dating, their faces were bright red and they glanced at each other shyly.Nathalie wished the floor beneath her would split and she would be sucked in, while Nicholas felt more awkward because he usually didn't act silly in front of his family.Grandpa Jerome laughed at them. "Why are you embarrassed? You're not teenagers and you're also getting married. Just go ahead, pretend I'm not here."Nicholas grabbed Nathalie's hand and held it tightly. "Don't be nosy, grandpa. Do you expect to see us making love in front of you?"Nathalie elbowed Nicholas' waist while glancing fiercely. She released her hand fro
"Did you do it on purpose?" Andy asked, without preamble at all, as Nicholas sat down on the sofa in his office."Did you do what on purpose?" Nicholas asked calmly."That defense ministry project," Andy said again, in a louder tone. He was annoyed to see Nicholas so calm."Hm? I don't understand," Nicholas said. "What does that project have to do with something I did on purpose?""You have a friend in the defense ministry who helped you get the project, right?" Andy asked, banging the table in front of him. "Why didn't you contact your friend to help, when Leon was still working on the project?"Nicholas laughed inwardly. He had guessed that Andy's purpose in asking him to meet was to talk about this.Nicholas knew that Leon had been working on this very difficult project for almost four months. He was almost desperate and had recently been considering resigning.As soon as Nicholas took over Leon's position as interim CEO, he immedi
Charles was upset. Several clients complained that the design they ordered did not match what they had conveyed to the design team.According to Charles, several of their complaints that came to the customer service team were too contrived and seemed far-fetched."I don't like sharp corners in all the rooms in my playground. There are many children here. But, the design you made uses a lot of iron frames as a base.""Can't you find a color pantone that matches the other rooms that have been completed first. My work space looks too bright.""I don't like the placement of the cupboard and sink too close together. It makes my room feel cramped."He was tired. This was getting worse. The new designers he recruited were useless. They were just loudmouths but none of their work was done properly.There was one designer who was quite good. He had won awards for best interior designer in several competitions several times, but the designs he made ha
"Try them on!"Nicholas stared at the two shirts that were still intact in the box. Grandpa Jerome had bought them for him."Grandpa, why did you buy me these shirts?" Nicholas asked. "I have a lot of shirts that I've never worn.""Tsk! I've always bought you shirts since you were little," Grandpa Jerome said. He waved his hand. "Come on, try them on. I want to see if the color and size fit you. You're getting bigger now, so I might have gotten the wrong size."Nicholas almost choked on the emotion in his heart. The two shirts in his hands were small things, but they meant a lot to him, because his grandfather had bought them for him."Okay, I'll try them on and show them off to you," Nicholas said, getting up from the sofa to go to the bedroom."Nathalie?" Grandpa Jerome called.Nathalie, who had been silent and just smiled watching the two men in front of her, turned her head in surprise when she heard Grandpa Jerome's call.
"Nate, don't talk back to me!" Nicholas said angrily. "Get in bed now!"Nathalie pulled the covers higher up her chest and closed her eyes, pretending to be asleep.Nicholas shook his head and sighed. He and Nathalie couldn't agree on sleeping and there was no way they were going to add a mattress to the room.Finally, after dinner, Nicholas went to take a shower and when he finished, Nathalie had already put the covers on the couch and was ready to go to bed."I'll sleep here," Nathalie said. "You'll be in bed.""No," Nicholas said. "That's not right. Get in bed, I'll be here.""No," Nathalie said stubbornly. "The couch is too small for you. You'll be hunched over here. But I'm smaller and this is enough for me."Really, Nicholas didn't understand how a woman as small as Nathalie could be so stubborn.He remembered when he was in college, Nathalie was not at all afraid of the fact that he refused to work in a group with her an
"Can't we put an extra bed in that room?" Nathalie asked hesitantly. "The room is very spacious."Nicholas raised an eyebrow. "No need. Grandpa will get suspicious. I'll just sleep on the couch, it's not a problem.""No!" Nathalie denied quickly. "I'll sleep on the couch. I'm a guest in this house and I should--""You must be kidding me," Nicholas interrupted, flicking Nathalie's forehead lightly."Ouch!" Nathalie complained, rubbing her forehead. It didn't hurt, but she was surprised. "Why did you flick my forehead?""Because you're being unreasonable," Nicholas said, rubbing Nathalie's forehead. "How could I let you sleep on the couch? Besides, you're not a guest! You're part of this house!"Nathalie smiled shyly and pinched the tip of Nicholas' nose. "You're so cute. But, we still can't sleep in the same room," she said with a serious expression."Why?" Nicholas asked with a frown. "We're getting married soon, according to th