Nicole's POV"Huh..." I unconsciously let out a breath between shock and unsure of what to say about Matthew's sudden statement.The bespectacled man looked at me again with a faint smile, but I could see his hands on the stiff steering wheel. Now that I've revealed my feelings, I think you can start considering my offer regarding our engagement, considering my statement just now.""That still sounds difficult to me, Matthew." I stammered a little but hadn't changed my mind about our possible relationship.Maybe the issue regarding the misunderstanding in his childhood had been resolved, but he still didn't know me and what I had gone through to end up with the Duncan Family.I can't lie. In a way, I felt much more relieved that he had feelings for me, as Nicole, not someone else. It embarrassed me, and I didn't know how to react to the overwhelming emotions I couldn't decipher inside me.He seemed to look at me again, still seemingly calm despite my reluctance. "I know, but I'm only
Nicole's POV"Shouldn't we get out of here?" Matthew asked, looking at me, who was working, with a deep gaze. He asked me to get up from my seat and go with him.I stopped staring at the computer screen, turned to the man, and exhaled softly. "You're getting more and more pushy the longer you act."Some time had passed after our conversation in the car about the bespectacled man's confession and the possibility of our relationship continuing. It seems like it happened only yesterday, but time has really flown by, and we're getting closer to each other.He also visited my office more frequently, sometimes checking in with me via text or just walking into my office like he was alone. Key eventually told the staff concerned that he was allowed to come in whenever he wanted so that he wouldn't always be questioned about his sudden visits.Just like now. I was just checking the man's message when he came in first, wanting to take me to lunch, but I still had a lot of paperwork to take care
Nicole's POVI turned around after he finished hooking the necklace around my neck, startled by what he said. "Why are you giving me this gift? I'm not having a birthday or a party."Gifts like this should be given on special occasions or celebrations, not out of the blue like this man did. I felt that what he was doing now was excessive, adding to the list of good things he was doing to me, but I also couldn't immediately refuse because I still wanted to hear his reason for doing this."Do I have to wait for those special days to give you gifts?" He asked, looking just as clueless as me for different reasons. The man looked at me as he adjusted the necklace he had just put on. "I just wanted to give something to someone I thought was special."I paused, feeling the heaviness on my lips. I didn't know what to say to him, but I also felt happy with his words about me being special. He said he had feelings for me, but his good deeds never changed and grew as our relationship progressed.
Nicole's POV"Hmm...."I unconsciously murmured, feeling Matthew's lips move slowly over mine, kissing softly and drawing me in even more. His hand was at the base of my jaw, becoming a resting place as I accepted his kiss, which now turned into a lick between our lips.He was careful with every movement, making sure I could keep up with him, but he also gave me a sweet and gentle impression of the kisses he gave me. I felt my eyelids flutter as our breathing grew hotter, and we exchanged kisses that never seemed to end.He pulled away for a moment, switched the position of his face, with his eyes fixed only on my lips, as if targeting the next point, and went back to kissing me, alternately crushing the top and bottom of my lips and giving me another kiss that involved a light touch that felt like butterflies above my lips.I felt a little overwhelmed, holding the sleeves of his suit tightly as he slightly pushed his lips closer to mine. My eyelids fluttered again, feeling the man's
Nicole's POVI was already in my office, struggling with the files piled up on my desk as I went through them individually. I had forgotten to ask the man to bring me this pile of work when I arrived at the jewellery store, feeling that returning to the office before the break ended would be impossible.As the company leader, I couldn't possibly set a bad example at work, so I chose to continue my work at home despite not liking it much.I concentrated, reading the documents attached to my desk and jotting down a few small notes, but then my mind was suddenly distracted, so my writing turned into sharp strokes. "Oh, no...." I blinked, realising that the scratches were on the book I had provided, not on the document I was working on, so I breathed a sigh of relief.My face heated up, remembering the kiss I received from Matthew a moment ago. My hand automatically touches my lips, and I can still feel the touch of that man's lips, which feels real now. It's a warm, soft, and sweet sensa
Nicole's POVI blinked a few times, speechless after hearing Selena's words. The woman smiled at my reaction before grabbing my arm and leaving her seat."Take it easy. You'll be confused, Miss Nicole, but you'll understand eventually." She said. Some of the people who come here come with their partners, but when the party starts, they will be removed for some reason. Do you know what I mean?"I just stared at her, not understanding what she was saying. As usual, I had only come here to join the socialite gathering, but that woman had prepared something quite daring and was hoping that I could figure out what she meant.I felt like I had made a mistake by coming here, but I didn't have time to resist when the woman who was older than me hugged my arm and started walking."Miss should be more relaxed. We're at a party I've prepared with you being single in mind." She said, taking two glasses of alcohol from a staff member who walked past us. "Having a partner is a good thing. You won't
Nicole's POVI felt surprised by the man's arrival at the socialite party. He shouldn't have liked something like this because it was informal and not entirely business-related, but it didn't seem to be the case this time.I don't know for sure, but just as I was about to think about it, the man who hadn't seen me finally looked at me. Finding my eyes on the other guests, I automatically averted my gaze.My feelings became uncomfortable with his presence here and a bad feeling with my decision to come here. I shouldn't have come here and chose to rest at home.".... That way, the women and men who don't have a partner tonight will have a partner when they return from this party. It might be lovers at first, but then some of you might get married someday."I frowned slightly when I heard Selena's words, which seemed like the first part of the conversation I hadn't heard. The few people present laughed at the serious joke, which made the elegant woman happy."Hm, are you all getting imp
Nicole's POVI danced with Chris in his arms, with his hand on my back. I wasn't clinging, but just a little close to him and holding hands according to the dance position.Now, he was trying to bring our bodies closer together. The man's hands were already pressing against my back, deliberately pushing me closer, but of course, I refused to give in and gripped my hands on his shoulders for support.I gave him a sharp look. "Don't act so much. I want to be seen dancing, not cuddling with you.""I feel that this is fate." He spoke, smiling as he looked at me.I frowned. "Destiny, you say? Obviously, this is a plan you deliberately made to trap me into being with you."So far, that guy's plan had gone smoothly. I had no idea I would end up with him here when I did everything possible to avoid him.I admit that I can't drive away directly when it's just the two of us like this, but that guy probably already knows the same thing, so he took advantage of it and made me feel trapped in my
Catherine's POVI was surprised by my father's overly friendly reaction. He doesn't usually behave like this. I was uncomfortable and a little creeped out by his actions, but I couldn't make any comment.We stepped inside, passing by several servants who seemed to have been ordered by my father to welcome us.I saw my father walking first, then Edwin, who kept walking with me. The servants' stares seemed to follow us, but then I realized that they were only paying attention to the man who had just entered the Varma Family residence, the figure next to me.Apart from some of my father's colleagues, he was the only man who had ever entered this house. Benny hadn't even had that opportunity in all the time we'd been friends. My father was cautious in his dealings with businessmen and other conglomerate families. Perhaps that's why not just anyone could visit our house.And because of that, the man I called father was more guarded in Edwin's presence to maintain a good chance for our fami
Edwin's POVI kissed Catherine more than the touch of lips she gave me. I did it slowly, not entirely sure, but following what felt right with her lips on mine.I just knew that something like this made everything around me slow down. I loved the feel of her soft lips, the slightly sweet taste of the wine left in her mouth and the moisture that mingled on each of our lips.Catherine pulled away from our kiss first, slightly out of breath but smiling at me. I paused, staring at the woman who was so innocent but also made me feel things I had never felt before.I had never known anything like this and went back to kissing her a few more times until my own lips felt like they were going to swell and felt hot with the inside of the car tightly closed, even with the coolant on.After that, we went beyond the point of no return."What is this?" The woman was heard shouting.My consciousness returned, and then my head felt like it was ringing. Her voice sounded really loud. It took me some t
Edwin's POVI know why Catherine is acting like this. She was proposed to by Benny, her best friend who seemed to have more feelings for her, but she herself didn't want that to happen.She had told me the things she wanted, some of the things in between the annoyance and sadness she felt. Above all, for Catherine, Benny was her treasured friend, not as a future husband nor one who could free her from the Varma family.I agreed to that after feeling a little uncomfortable with the way she had been talking about a man who had not been with us for some time.No sooner had I approached her who stood up from her seat in the restaurant and was in an unsteady state, than she fell into my arms. I could feel how soft and fragrant her body was close to mine.The sound of her breathing could be clearly heard over my shoulder where she was leaning. She was almost unconscious, so I sighed softly and whispered to her. "You seem to be looking for trouble with me, Varma."I repositioned her between
Catherine's Point of View"So, how was it?" He asked, looking at me.I wiped my face with my handkerchief, unable to look directly at the man again after a long stare, but still shook my head with certainty. "No way, my opinion hasn't changed from what I said before. I don't think it makes any sense.""Alright." The man nodded. "Come on, I'll treat you to dinner."I returned Edwin's nod, accepting the man's ride to a private restaurant that catered to a wide variety of conglomerate families from this city and abroad. This was the first time I had visited this famous place; previously, I had only heard about it from my father and Daniel.In addition to being a place to formally entertain guests, some also make official cooperation agreements between foreign companies, including my family, which is also the reason my younger brother was able to go to this place first with my father.I sat opposite Edwin, enjoying the view of the city through the restaurant's glass, which was almost as t
Catherine's POVI looked at the man over my glasses, feeling mixed emotions inside me as I poured out all sorts of things I had wanted to say to him since last night but could only say today."Did you know that your family sent a marriage proposal to my family?" I began. "It wasn't that long ago that we entered college, Ben, but how could the proposal come at such an unexpected time and from your family."My gaze was fixed on his eyes, which were also looking at me. "Did you ask for the proposal to be sent to my family so that we can get married?"He didn't say a word in reply; he just squeezed his hands on each side of his body and turned his gaze away from me. I clamped my mouth shut for a moment."I'm furious." I took a deep breath, trying to control myself from overwhelming feelings."You already know I don't like this at all, Ben. Getting married. It's a new prison for me and indirectly proves to my father that I'll never escape the Varma family's female nature."I still remember
Catherine's POVWhen I woke up, my head hurt, as well as my eyes, which were quite difficult to open even though I was awake. I seemed to have cried too much and fallen asleep immediately afterwards to have this effect.I felt thirsty and looked for a drink on the small table not far from the bed and grabbed it. I drank the contents of the glass in four big gulps and put it back on the table. My gaze automatically went to the large mirror on the other side of the bed.There, the reflection of my face looked messy. I really looked like someone who had just woken up after crying for hours. My eyes were puffy with traces of tears that I could feel with my fingers, my nose was slightly reddened, and the area around my eyes was slightly reddened.I stared at my appearance with mixed feelings. It's really embarrassing even though I'm the only one who sees this right now, and maybe one of the waiters who refilled my water, but it doesn't really matter because I have to leave for college in a
Catherine's POVI was feeling tired.It's been one week since the end-of-semester exams, and I have to repeat the lessons of the whole semester on my own. I also have to read copies of the assignments I've done and notes from the lecturer on topics that might come up in the exam this time.I was so busy that I didn't have time to do anything other than study and get enough rest when night fell, that is, if I didn't have any assignments to complete for the practical exam.Arriving home, I already felt a piercing headache that made me want to lie down and sleep for a while. I still had to study for the theoretical exam and submit other practical assignments to the lecturer from other courses.I had envisioned a soft mattress on my bed, as well as blankets and pillows that would feel very soft on my body after I had exhausted my thoughts and abilities for today's exam, but it didn't work out.Someone knocked on my bedroom door and opened the door after I let myself in. It was one of the
Edwin's POGIn my father's study, I was reading a book he recommended. He was also reading for a while, but then he put the book on the desk and looked at me."What do you think about our new project?" he asked, slightly serious but also relaxed.I moved the book out of sight to look at him. "The things they're doing are right. I can't find any flaws."He nodded. The report he had shown me this morning followed the book he had put down. It was about the business collaboration between the Duncan Family and the Thompson Family, with Benny and I as the chief executives, while our father was the funder and in charge.Although the two of us had not completely taken over the family business, our fathers had agreed to involve their family successors in this newly started business. Aside from the family interest, both of them said it was important for our future.I had no problem with that. After all, my father had taught me everything about our family business since I was a child and other i
Catherine's POVAfter receiving the gift from Edwin, I was now only with Benny and his personal driver driving. The man sat down with me and then noticed something was different about my attitude.He rested his chin on one of my hands, which was still clasped tightly. "What are you holding on to? You didn't let go at all....""This." I showed him the bracelet.His eyes look wide. "Isn't that the jewelry you saw earlier? I thought you didn't buy it.""I didn't buy it."Considering Benny was also aware of what I was doing while looking at the jewelry, perhaps my liking for this bracelet was too obvious.My gaze was fixed on the bracelet, and I thought about how the man who had left the festival first had unhesitatingly bought me this jewelry and given it to me without anyone knowing. I don't know what that man was thinking when he bought me this, but the pounding of my heart was starting to feel too clear in my chest.The car stopped. I blinked, realizing that I had arrived in front of