Smith's POVI rubbed my forehead after waking up, still feeling the residual dizziness that made my head hurt. I got out of bed and headed towards the old laptop, which was the only one in the house. The creaking engine sounded as I turned it on, and it took a few minutes for it to fully power up.I remained patient until I started logging into the public web page to find information about Nicole and her whereabouts in the city. She was a well-known figure, so I thought that finding her wouldn't be difficult. Many reporters cover people like her, especially when she is unique from others."You think you can hide, Nicole?" I muttered under my breath, smiling to myself as confidence filled me.I deliberately skipped over the many articles stating the various successes he had achieved and the projects he had undertaken over the years, turning instead to the personal information that should be available from any family member of a conglomerate doing business.I searched for a while, readi
Nicole's POVI exhaled as my gaze fell on the man in front of me. We met while I was in the elevator, about to get off somewhere else, but then I saw Chris preparing to get into the elevator."You're not listening at all," I said to the man, sighing, as he stepped inside and immediately closed the elevator doors.I could see the few people who were about to get on distracting themselves and whispering to each other, but I didn't have time to care about that with the person I was with right now. He had come out of the blue several times, but this was the first time he returned after a long absence.The elevator moved to the top floor again. I leaned on the far side of it, not hearing any response or conversation from the man, who still looked calm. My heart throbbed painfully, and I did not like that I had to be stuck with him again.I thought this would all be over after the incident when we were together at the hospital and then at my house, but that man's stubbornness cannot be unde
Nicole's POV"Dispose of these flowers and gift box immediately, Lona," I said, noticing the box among the flower arrangements but not intending to look inside. "I don't need them."The secretary nodded stiffly, bowed politely, and then threw them both in the nearby trash can. "I will ask the cleaning staff to clean it up immediately.""Good." I nodded and walked out of the room to my car.I had intended to leave earlier, but that man came, and there was one document I had to take care of. Now, I could finally go after finishing that business. Lona followed me all the way to the basement, where the vehicles were parked, faithfully following my steps until I got near my car.The sound of the car door lock opening sounded at the same time as I pressed the button, but just as I was about to open the car door, I could hear the voice of someone I hadn't heard in a long time, and it sent chills down my spine."Nicole!" The old man's hoarse voice rang out loudly.I turned around, clenching o
Nicole's POVI was so surprised when I saw that the person pulling Smith away from me was Chris. The man looked angry, staring at the old man who chuckled as he also looked at the figure who had suddenly pulled his hand away."What are you doing here?" The man asked the person in front of him.The old man who had looked annoyed earlier smiled wryly, looking unperturbed and seemingly relaxed. "What are you talking about? I just wanted to say hello to my daughter."I felt nauseous when the old man started talking about his longing for me, stories of the past that never really existed, but he made it seem like it really happened between us.My body trembled, wanting to stop the man's words, which were far more hurtful than his original attitude, but I was unable to speak other than remaining silent on the spot.Smith was again pulled by the man, but he did not give up easily and tried to break free. The difference in body size was not that great, but the old man clearly did not have the
Nicole's POV"Ugh!" I held my aching head, feeling the prickles radiating from there until I had to close my eyes for a moment and squeeze my hair.Someone touched my shoulder, slightly distracting me from the pain. "Nicole, are you okay? You look like you're in pain."I didn't say anything for a while. I hadn't had a headache like this in a long time, so it surprised me. I wasn't sure what caused it, but I didn't want to make the man I was with feel worried when we met again after so many busy days."I'm fine." I tried to smile, looking at Matthew who seemed to be staring at me intently.He didn't seem to believe what I was saying, which was unconvincing when the pain was still engulfing me.The man frowned, still looking at me skeptically. "How about we do an examination for you, Nicole? You seem to be getting a lot of headaches these days. I'm worried about you."I kind of regretted telling him about my headache symptoms when we didn't see each other, but even without that, we also
Nicole's POV"Ah, the weather is so nice." I smiled, looking up at the open sky around the clear river as I tucked my hair out of the way of the wind.We had already climbed into one of the boats, and Matthew had just pushed our boat from the edge of the river until it began to sail with the gentle current in the center. I noticed the man's gaze watching me, so I turned my head and saw him nod, returning my smile.He looked up at the sky like I did before for a few moments, smiling brightly when he looked back at me. "Both the sky and the air are perfect for our date. I'm glad."The man started rowing, following the current until the boat we were on moved on and didn't stay in place for too long. I watched my lover sitting on the other side of the boat, holding both oars and moving slowly. I could see his muscles moving as he rowed the boat.I just knew that the shirt the man was wearing would affect me in this way.".... Nicole? Nicole?" I blinked, realizing that the bespectacled man
Nicole's POVMatthew drove me home after our date. His car had stopped in front of my house, but he hadn't unlocked the door yet, and I didn't really want to say goodbye to him. He smiled softly, coming closer to me, and I closed my eyes automatically.He kissed my cheek for a moment. "Bye, Nicole.""See you soon." I returned his smile and finally stepped out of the car, holding back my excitement when he did something sweet and surprising to me.I was just about to digest and consider kissing her back when I realized that something had been watching me all along. I turned my head and immediately froze. My gaze found Richard there, near the inner garden of the house and not far from my position, still holding the car door.He just stayed there without saying anything. I could see him staring at my lover in the car, then at me, who could do nothing but stand still. My eyes were fluttering, trying to think of something to do about it, but nothing came to mind."What's wrong, Nicole?" I
Nicole's POVMy sweet boy's request... I smiled softly, enjoying the tranquil atmosphere in a place rarely visited by many people on a typical day. It was just me, Richard, and Key here, while the rest was nature, with a meadow with some trees and a lake not far from us.I know that my son has a soft heart. He doesn't often show it to others overtly but always surprises me with his actions. Like this time. I had guessed that he would ask me to take him to a robot exhibition, but it turned out that he asked for something more straightforward. A picnic by the lake.Richard was a few steps away from me, teaching his robot dog to do various things with his voice and a few hand gestures, while I sat on the mat prepared by our assistant, watching my excited son."Doggy, fetch!" He exclaimed, throwing a wooden branch found among the grass.The robot dog barked with static and ran fast enough to pick up the branch and return it to my son. He did this a few times, then switched to teaching the
Edwin's POVI didn't realize that loving someone would make me feel things I didn't know. Although my first encounter with Catherine was not good, it still left a deep impression on me.She was just an innocent woman who knew little about the world around her, even worse than me, who had always received a private education before deciding to attend a public university.However, the more I got to know her and talked to her, the more I found out that she wasn't just a spoiled child from a rich family. She had her own difficulties and realized that she couldn't just stand by and accept the injustices that were always said in favor of her family.We also became friends in the end, but something went wrong.I didn't have a problem with it at all. In fact, I liked it a lot. That woman had a lot of eyes around her, who noticed her and were obviously interested in her from a mild level to infatuation, just like her best friend.Although I didn't really understand the concept of love or anythi
Benny's POVI was very surprised to hear that Catherine would marry Edwin. Her father had rejected the proposal letter sent by my father a while ago, so I called her immediately."Yes, I'm going to marry Edwin, Benny." She answered without hiding anything else.I was silent for a long time, unable to believe what I was hearing even though Catherine had admitted it herself. She didn't seem to realize what I was feeling until she started telling me what had happened.My frown deepened as she told me, unable to contain my shock about what had happened to her. The fact that the woman I liked was pregnant with a man who had been hanging out with us for the past few days, making friends as usual.The man didn't show that their relationship had changed, but the truth was more than I could have imagined. The threat that I felt from Edwin finally came true. He usurped my position to be the only man who could be by her side.In the end, the relationship I tried so hard to build with Catherine m
Catherine's POV"Wow, you really made my parents speechless, Edwin."I praised him, feeling a little amazed by the man who could make me look at my father, who could only be silent without being able to do anything. My mother also looked very surprised and watched the man stunned, but still, my father's reaction was the best thing I had ever seen.No one had ever rivaled him, not even Daniel. My father only relented or made compromises regarding my brother, unlike when dealing with Edwin, who seemed to have slapped him to reality.We were already outside my house. I had deliberately escorted him to the residence fence because I didn't want to be with my parents and still wanted to chat with the man who had caused such a stir inside our house.The man snorted softly. "I know someone like your father. He wouldn't dare to contradict someone like me."I nodded, remembering my father's face, which could only harden, but I could not say anything. After all, Edwin's family was far more impor
Catherine's POV"I am happy for your relationship, Catherine and Young Master Duncan, " my father said with a disgusting smile. I had no idea that we would become a family so soon."He laughed to himself while I felt increasingly uncomfortable with the old man's increasingly blatant attitude. My father did not hide his pleasure at all with what Edwin and I had said today after my examination at the hospital.My gaze fell on the man sitting next to me. He still looked calm, giving me a quick glance as he reached out to take one of my hands. This made me feel less alone among my greedy family members.My father still maintained a smile, looking at Edwin and me in turn. "The relationship between you two should be kept a secret immediately so as not to cause any inconvenience to Young Master, don't you think?" He looked at the man and then at me with a faint smile."You are very clever, Catherine." His gaze pierced me. "You've managed to find a wonderful future husband for our family."I
Catherine's POVI was shocked by the man's words and looked at him. I liked him, but I wasn't sure about his feelings for me after finding out I was pregnant. After all, his sweet treatment back then and our current situation are different things.I swallowed my saliva and nodded. "Yes, Duncan. This baby is your son."I shifted my gaze in another direction. The man was probably angry. We had done it that time with the same desire, sharing the warmth of an intimate activity I had never experienced before. Still, it would be to my detriment if he was like any other man.He might turn out to be selfish and not care about me anymore after sleeping with me. I've heard several times from my friends that when a woman gets pregnant during a one-night stand, she has only two options. Keep the baby with no one or abort it and experience pain for who knows how long.Neither is good, and I don't want to go through it alone.One thing's for sure: in most of the stories I've heard, the man who spen
Catherine's POVWe arrived at a nice hospital, but I felt uneasy. I didn't feel dizzy anymore and was able to walk well, but Edwin was still holding me as if he was afraid I would falter again like before we arrived at this place.I looked at the man walking next to me. "I don't need treatment, Duncan. I'm already fine.""You can't." He shook his head without looking at me. "The doctor should at least check on your sudden limp while walking. He can prescribe medicine for you later."I exhaled, feeling his hand around my shoulder getting tighter, as well as his other hand clasping mine. I felt like I was getting too much attention to the point of feeling uncomfortable, but I was still grateful that he seemed genuinely worried about me."Alright.... I'll do it." I finally said.He nodded.This was my first time in a public hospital so being here felt quite strange. There were a lot of people and most of the people waiting around us were some women who looked pregnant or with their part
Catherine's POVMy life became more enjoyable after opening up to my two friends again. We often hung out together, spending time like the days before and sometimes joined Benny's friends who were quite friendly.After the closeness between the two men, people assumed that Edwin and Benny were inseparable friends. They often walked together, joined the same activities and organizations and were both in the spotlight among other students.It was a natural thing. Not only were their attitudes and personalities polar opposites, but the two men both came from prominent families and owned businesses that they would continue as the only sons of their respective families.They also had brilliant achievements in their respective majors, as well as good looks that were loved by many female students around campus, be it seniors or juniors."I like Edwin Duncan, he's very cold and handsome...." A woman said with a soft sigh.Her friend had a different response. "I prefer Benny Thompson. He's fri
Catherine's POVI entered the lecture again but avoided Edwin and Benny, who were trying hard to get close to me. Both men seemed equally stubborn in saying hello and being nice to me, even though I was always cold to them.They invite me to lunch, but I walk past them, accompanying them to read or study in the library. Then I moved further away and only had one seat, and then I just walked alone to my class.I actually don't mind being alone for now. There were too many thoughts swirling in my head, and my father warned me not to do anything wrong if I still wanted to go to college. A few days ago, my words made me a rebellious child, not something that did me justice.I regretted it a little, but I also couldn't deny that I had managed to say most of the things I had wanted to say a long time ago. Even if they didn't care at all, the important thing was that I didn't just keep those words bottled up inside me."This is tiring," I complained in a low voice.Sarah sighed next to me. "
Catherine's POVAfter hearing my words, I could see my father's gaze become sharper. I felt a little scared, but then I emboldened myself by returning his gaze more boldly.He frowned, still looking at me with his sharp gaze. "What do you mean?""I don't want to get married, Father," I said the meaning of my words more clearly, trying not to tremble in front of him. "Do you think I live only to get married for the sake of this family? If it's not with the man of Father's choice, I'll still be passed on to another man who doesn't fully match my wishes. I don't want to."There are still many things I can do even without getting married. I wanted to determine my life, like the women who weren't bound by the Varma family's nonsensical rules.They could do whatever they wanted, have fun, study, or whatever they wanted for their own future, without worrying about finding a husband who would be helpful to their family.Even if I don't get married, it doesn't mean I can't continue my life wel