Nicole's POV"Go away!" I yelled at Chris, unable to control myself, who was too freaked out by his statement. "Get out of here, asshole!"I was always afraid of him finding out that Richard was his flesh and blood, but I had no idea that he would find out so soon. I had tried so hard to hide that fact, trying not to involve my son in the matter between me and the man who had already broken me, but it seemed like reality was showing me otherwise.I'm sure that the Duncan Family's information protection is excellent, but that man might have found another source that can prove his information search. I don't know, but right now, I also can't think of anything with all the feelings that seem to be drowning me when thinking about the words of the man who is now looking at me with surprise."Nicole." He tried to call out to me, wanting to grab my hand for comfort, but I quickly pushed his hand away.I didn't want to get close to him at all and leave, but my feelings had taken over first. "
Nicole's POVI was already in my room, sitting on the sofa with my father next to me. Key had brought drinks for each of us, but I had been asked to drink first in order to calm down after the incident outside the house. I savored the drink, feeling it go down my throat before my father spoke."What did that man do to you, Nicole?" Edwin asked, repeating Richard's earlier question that I hadn't answered.I set the cup I was holding on the table and caught my breath. Thinking about Chris's words for the umpteenth time, it still made me feel anxious and uncomfortable inside, as well as when my son was in the room to follow our conversation.He refused to leave when I asked Key to take him to the lab, so I had no choice but to let my son follow the conversation as usual. After all, he had the right to know about what was going on and was indirectly involved in this matter, even though I didn't want him to be at all.Right from the start, my son had known that the man with brownish-green
Chris' POVThe atmosphere of grief was quite thick when I arrived at the cemetery. With the sky looking overcast, there were already many people gathered, all wearing black and looking down during the funeral procession that was still going on.I stood at the back, mingling with the people and watching as someone's coffin began to be lowered into the freshly dug grave. I clenched my fists tightly, watching as several people began to bury the coffin into the ground. I felt even more chaotic seeing that, knowing that the woman inside the coffin would not be able to see me again after this.I closed my eyes for a moment and turned around, quickly leaving before the event was entirely over. My heart was even messier; thinking about our last encounter at the altar wasn't good at all, but that didn't mean I didn't want to see her again.I had no idea that that day would also be the last day of our meeting. I still felt hurt for that woman, but her end was too tragic. We hadn't met for the l
Chris' POVNow we were sitting on opposite couches. I asked Evan to make a drink with my gaze, but the old man noticed the sign I gave my secretary and gave him a glance."You don't have to make anything," he said before returning his gaze to me, still looking cold. I'll just have a quick word and not be on good terms with you, Mr. Grant. Maybe you forgot."I paused, trying to be calm, and turned to ask the man who had been standing in the middle of the room to leave immediately. I felt a little distressed by Edwin's presence, but I didn't want to show it, which might give the man sitting opposite me the upper hand.Standing before him had been too much last time, but now he was coming to me alone, and we had to talk without anyone else present. The whole thing felt too much for me, so I wished to eliminate him immediately, but no way would happen.We stared at each other until the authoritative man began to speak. "Stop interfering with my daughter and grandson's lives."I stared at
Chris' POVAfter learning so much about Nicole and Richard, I still couldn't do anything. Talking to neither her nor Edwin Duncan yielded the results I wanted, and it only made me feel worse when I remembered what the old man had said before leaving my office.Nicole, who doesn't love me? That sentence seemed impossible even though I tried to digest his words repeatedly.I was sure such a thing was impossible. I had met the woman who always seemed to hate me several times, but her gaze and demeanour never lied. Although it was faint, I knew she still loved me as much as I felt for her.Her words about not seeing her were lies because she always accepted me to talk when I came by unexpectedly. She didn't hate me so much that she built a wall, but rather a gap I could keep trying to get closer to."She's the one who can't be honest here," I muttered.Even though I had settled the matter in my mind, Edwin's words about women could not leave and affect me until now. I followed Nicole and
Nicole's POVI had just finished looking through the menu delivered by a waiter, while Richard still seemed engrossed in the details from the page he opened and muttering to himself. I then looked around, searching for the one figure who had said goodbye to leave for a moment but had not returned.Apart from Richard and I, no other guests were present, so the spacious restaurant was tranquil. There were only a few waiters, but they were just waiting at one side of the room to be summoned if needed and didn't seem to be approaching before then.I exchanged a few accidental glances with one of the waiters before finally spotting Matthew walking towards our table."Did you find what you were looking for?" I asked, watching the man smile as he pulled out his chair so he could sit down.He nodded. "I did. Were you waiting for me?" The man asked, raising his eyebrows to tease me.I shook my head in disbelief and exhaled, still not used to his smooth talk. I did wait for him, but his tone su
Nicole's POVWe had already eaten dinner. Richard fell asleep in the car because he was too full and had finished talking about the robot project he was still working on.My son didn't tell me everything in particular, just a few unnoticeable robots that were still in development. He told the man who had invited us to his family's restaurant. He was probably careful that Matthew didn't know about my revenge plan.Anyway, at the end of dinner, my son seemed so satisfied with the day's activities that he could fall asleep before arriving at our house, unlike usual."Sorry to trouble you again, Matthew," I said as we stepped out of the car and helped her open the door.The bespectacled man had already moved to the passenger side of the seat, grabbed my sleeping son in his arms, and instantly changed position to carry him. He looked at me with a smile."It's alright. It looks like he's exhausted from talking all that time, not to mention the food he forced herself to eat." He chuckled. "I
Nicole's POVNow I was walking with my father. We happened to meet when I was going to get a drink while he was just about to go into his room. My father took me to the garden that was the courtyard of this house, with some lights around so it wasn't too dark."How was your meeting with Matthew?" My father asked, looking at me, who had been silent.I returned his gaze. "It was pleasant. He took Richard and me to dinner at one of his family's restaurants. The food was good, and we talked a lot. He's a nice guy."I recounted what we did with him, from the moment we arrived at his family restaurant to his carrying my son to his room. Edwin nodded a few times, seemingly satisfied with our short time together. "I know, he's always been a good person." My father said. "He also loves children so much that he doesn't mind participating in volunteer activities in various countries."I paused, remembering my thoughts about her skill in talking to my son, who only had family and a few staff mem
Nicole's POVChris was silent. I could see that he seemed to be processing my words, but I wasn't done talking. There was still something I wanted to tell him."Until now, I've been confused by the feelings I have for you, Mr. Grant."I clasped my hands together tightly. "If I were to accept your proposal without thinking, it would not only make me look like I'm playing you, but also betray my own uncertain feelings."As I said, I felt very mixed after hearing and seeing his attitude during his proposal.There were feelings of joy, sadness, hatred, and hope, all in equal measure, that confused me.On the one hand, I liked this proposal in the deepest part, which I buried deeply. Still, I also couldn't let go of the thing that had kept me alive all these years after his betrayal by leaving me and the evil deeds of my old family.I didn't want revenge, but the residual feelings were still there, as were my feelings for the man in front of me.Both had the same deep impression on me duri
Nicole's POVAs I walked in, I could see the restaurant's decor, which looked like a very romantic place. Like I saw outside, no one was inside except me and my assistant.We walked in together, he walking behind me, but I was busy with my thoughts. My brain seemed to be spinning rapidly, and I was thinking about this strange thing as best I could.My father had deliberately directed me to this restaurant for dinner. Still, that man was nowhere to be seen, nor was Richard and whoever was supposed to be in this restaurant to serve us. The deserted atmosphere added to the aggravation of my thoughts and the additional fear of the unusual situation.I swallowed, wondering, even as I followed the lit candles still guiding our path. Why is the restaurant in this state? Shouldn't we have gathered and enjoyed dinner by now?I already felt that my father, my son, and everything that happened today were acting strangely. I have absolutely no idea what's going on. It really felt like I was walki
Nicole's POVI looked at my father, who had been watching me since earlier. I ignored it at first, but after a while, I got curious and finally asked him. "Is there something you want to talk to me about, Father?"He shook his head, smiling slightly with eyes that seemed to sparkle. "No, no. I'm just happy to see that you've been in good spirits lately."I smiled back at him, although I also thought that my father's attitude was quite strange. I didn't feel as excited as he said, just as usual. The things my father said were even more applicable to him, who somehow looked radiant.Of course, I felt happy about whatever my father went through because I knew he could behave like that now. After the betrayal of his old friend, I felt that my father became much more reserved and only focused on his work, but now he's become better than that.I finally changed the subject. "Is Richard with that man, Father?"He nodded.Lately, my son has been spending a lot of time with Chris. It was usual
Nicole's POVI was already in my study, realizing that the thing that happened a moment ago was really happening.The things I felt and the attitude I showed the man... I touched my chest, feeling the pounding of my heart that always became unusual whenever I couldn't control myself, especially when it came to that man. Chris.I didn't know what was wrong with me anymore, feeling messed up and not knowing what to do to fix what had happened."No," I said, with a complementary slap to snap myself out of my current situation. "I need to focus."It wasn't time for me to dwell on whatever feelings were surrounding me and dwell on them. Work was waiting for me, and I couldn't put it off any longer for any reason.I slapped my cheeks repeatedly. Only then could I take my work seriously.I spent most of my days staying out of that man's reach. Sometimes, Chris was at my house for some business, but I still avoided him and didn't show myself to him as much as I could. When I came home, I aske
Chris' POV"Chris!"A shouting voice rang in my ears. I turned my head and saw a woman running towards me. She immediately hugged me tightly. Smelling the fragrance of her body so close to me and catching a glimpse of her face, I felt certain that the woman in this embrace was Nicole.I looked in the direction the woman had previously run and found several people scattered around the streets, shouting and moving away from each other. This was paving the way for a tree snake that seemed to have escaped from one of the shops in this row of streets.Not far from the snake, two staff members who seemed to be from the shop could be seen chasing the escaping animal with nets and ropes. They looked tense, following the slithering animal's movements on the hot street.The atmosphere was definitely noisy, but I could only feel the fear of the woman who was in my arms and was giving me a tight hug without any warning as if I was her life preserver and didn't want to be let go by her anytime soo
Chris' POVI felt that my relationship with Nicole was fine, even better than a few weeks ago, even though she sometimes tried to ignore my presence around her.She was becoming more talkative with me about some mundane things that I didn't know would happen so soon. She didn't kick me out anymore, even if I went over her limit, which would usually make her upset and follow her emotions.I still remember when she acted shy when receiving my cheek kiss and her anger at the charity event when I kissed her on the lips. My reactions to those two things were quite different. One was closer to negative because I was in a hurry, while the other was closer to positive, even though they were close in time.Perhaps my thoughts on our current situation were correct.She probably doesn't hate me as much as she used to, and I can also do things that I could never do even if I wanted to. For now, I won't do anything more than the usual touching of a young couple, but even that already makes me happ
Chris' POVI returned Nicole's widened gaze, feeling a little pleased and proud of myself. "I know, you must be admiring me, right, Nicole?""Are you showing yourself off?" She snorted, changing her previously unseen gaze to what it was now, slightly sharp. "Why would I admire you sitting down?"I noticed the woman who looked a little sullen. I still don't know the reason, but she seemed to be annoyed that I accidentally made her emotional with my out-of-context words.Anyway, I was happy with her attention and unconsciously said whatever came to my mind.I cleared my throat softly, returning the conversation. "If you try, you can do it too, Nicole. Cooperation with Mr. Divo." The woman was still looking sulky. "You might be able to get this deal done first.""I can't." The woman's father suddenly spoke up, looking serious. "If Nicole does that, it will be dangerous for her."The woman seemed to turn her attention to her father, frowning as she asked. "What makes it dangerous for me,
Nicole's POVI knew what he meant when he dropped me off after our accidental lunch. My gaze was drawn to the scene in front of me, inside my house, which should have consisted of my father, Richard, Key, and the servants, but this time it was different.The man and my two and only family were in the living room. My son looked relaxed while my father chatted smoothly with the man. The three seemed familiar, even to the point of not noticing my presence, and had already been welcomed by the servants in our house.Perhaps I stared too long. My father turned to me, as did the other two. They had quite similar happy expressions, which made me frown."Nicole, you just arrived?" My father asked by way of greeting. "I thought you'd be home a little later because of the work you've been piling up. Key told me."I ignored my father's words, paying more attention to the calm-looking man mingling among them. He noticed my gaze and smiled politely, but I could feel slightly annoyed by his natural
Nicole's POVI paused to look at the man's face, especially his smile, which made me feel like I was about to lose focus. I didn't let that go on for too long and pushed the bouquet of flowers at him, waking him up to something.His eyes widened slightly. He put a little distance between us, letting me stand evenly, though his hands were still on my waist, and said casually. "Oh yes, I wanted to give you this bouquet of flowers."I gazed at the bouquet of flowers she handed to me. The arrangement was pretty, consisting of only three flowers, but the colors of the flowers were well integrated and complemented each other. The skill of the bouquet arranger could be recognized. I could also smell the fragrance of the bouquet he gave me.At this point, my focus completely disappeared, especially as I tried to deal with the predicament right in front of me.It's been too long since I've experienced this, and it felt so different when I was with Matthew. After all, this man in front of me di