Nicole's POVI exhaled, looking at the warm coffee between my hands and its thin puff of smoke. I felt much more alive after coming out of my room.After the engagement ceremony, the next day, I quickly returned to reality, to my unfinished work and some new project offers that would benefit the company greatly, but now also felt like a double-edged sword.On the one hand I was happy, while on the other hand I felt physically tired more easily. Matthew, the man who used to be my lover, but is now my fiancé is also busy with his work so we haven't been able to meet. I missed him, but knew that he might not have time with me for a while.When someone approached me, I had just taken a sip of my coffee, tasting the right mix of thick and sweet and the warmth that washed down my throat. I set down my coffee cup with little sound.The man smiled. "I found you again, Nicole."My eyes widened in disbelief as I stared at the figure before me. I didn't expect to see an old man wearing a dull-lo
Nicole's POVI tried to control myself, but the unbearable pain in my head made me fall off the chair and hit the floor of the cafe veranda hard. I didn't feel much pain from it with my headache, but my vision seemed blurry.I stared at my vaguely shaped hand, then lifted my gaze towards the noise that was still nearby. I vaguely saw Smith dealing with another figure, pointing and opening his mouth several times.I couldn't hear what they were saying because their voices were mixed. What was clear was that the figure seemed to push the old man until he almost fell down, but the stubborn man was still able to maintain his balance and shouted back at the figure, who was still unknown."Ugh!" I groaned softly, feeling the headache I was currently feeling increase with time until I looked down again, holding on to the table leg tightly to endure the pain.Someone out of nowhere lifted me up in his arms after grabbing me from underneath, holding me in a safe position. I blinked, trying to
Nicole's POVI felt anxious as I waited for the results of all the tests I had taken. It wasn't like I was expecting to go through just one set of tests, but several tests with subtests were in each area to check my overall condition.All the tests went well, but as I went through them, the doctor's expression became more serious, and I became a little worried. He didn't say anything; he just smiled and asked me and the people accompanying me to return to the room to wait for the results.Matthew held my hand, smiling a little to calm me down, clearly displaying my emotions. "We just need to wait a little longer," he said.I nodded, knowing well, even though it couldn't ease my feelings.I had thought that my condition must not be far from fine. I'm sure I'm just tired and a little stressed out, not to mention that I haven't been getting enough rest lately and that Richard could realize it.I've also been through many complex things that aren't easy for anyone to do, but it hasn't mad
Chris' POVI exhaled, thoughts of Nicole, who I hadn't seen in a few days, weighing heavily on my mind. She seemed to have vanished into thin air, leaving no trace despite my thorough search of her usual haunts.The office where she worked daily had said that the woman had not been present for the last few days except for her secretary, who I did not ask any further questions about because I myself had been watching this office for several days.I deliberately came early every morning, wanting to meet the woman before she started work so we could go somewhere else to talk to the two of us. There were many things I wanted to ask and tell her, but the woman I wanted to talk to never showed up as usual again. I never even met his secretary, as the receptionist said.When I went to his house, the servants stopped me from going further if they said he was not at home."Miss Nicole is not here. You must leave, sir." The butler, who looked like the butler, said sternly, bowing his head polit
Chris' POV"Well, as we spoke before, Mr. Daniel," I said, extending my hand to a middle-aged man across from me.I hadn't gotten any information from Evan and had opted to meet with my company's newest partner on the food floor of a five-star hotel. He was staying with his wife, so we decided to meet here.I was doing this to make things easier and for my own benefit.The man welcomed my hand in his, smiling slightly. "My secretary will soon send the contract letter to your office, Mr. Grant.""Okay."We chatted about the project we had signed up for. I had already worked with him a few times, so I had no worries, but there were a few things we could discuss before starting the project together for the third time.It is now also the third day that I have been searching for Nicole's whereabouts, but she still hasn't shown up, and my secretary hasn't given me the latest information I requested.I knew that the Duncan Family's information security was top-notch, but I didn't want to giv
Edwin's POV"He is easy to take care of, Nicole. I'll pay him so that he won't refuse to help," I said, trying to reassure my daughter, who was still sitting reclined on her bed.Matthew and Richard had already returned after the doctor advised my son to rest first, as well as Key, who was accompanying my grandson, who was still saddened by his mother's condition. I was still here to convince her of the things that she still doubted or didn't want to do for her recovery.Nicole looked at me, shaking her head and looking disapproving. "That's not necessary, Father. I don't need that man's help, and you don't need to waste your money paying him."We were talking about the biological father of the woman I had saved from a terrible accident, Smith Martinez, from a family that had given him a horrific past. He seemed so confident even though his life was on the line, but there was no way I could let this go on because the woman's return to health was far more critical to me.Her tireless h
Edwin's POVI was already outside Nicole's room, letting the young woman continue her rest without interruption. She was already looking better after the initial treatment given but still needed to make good use of the time for her condition to improve.I reached for my cell phone, dialing one of my confidants. "Dean, take Smith Martinez to the hospital downtown immediately."I disconnected the phone after saying what I needed to, staring at the view outside the hospital from the window with a sharp gaze. I tightened my grip on my phone for a moment but then threw it away.Seeing Nicole like this, I was reminded of the time when my daughter had been sickly in the past, and she had finally gone to join her mother. Losing Natalie at that time was devastating to me, who was a single parent and a husband who lost his wife within a short distance.By meeting the young woman, I felt that my status as a father was restored, as well as my grandchildren calling me grandfather. I didn't want to
Edwin's POVI was surprised by what the doctor said. Nicole had confessed from the beginning that she was the daughter of the Martinez family, and I had also checked her background after rescuing the young woman. Still, I had no idea about the results that would come out of the examination between the biological father and daughter."Is that right?" I asked, looking at the doctor representing the pre-surgery test result statement.He nodded. "That's right, sir. We've confirmed that all the tests went according to procedure, and there should be no errors regarding the results."I didn't say anything for a while, still shocked and wondering how a parent and child from the same family could have different DNA. It was an impossible and improbable thing.The young woman listening to the team of doctors on her bed also looked shocked. Her face looked like she had just been slapped by reality, and she was obviously new to this fact, just as I was not.There had never been any discussion abou
Nicole's POVI have received the gift given by the man's secretary. Evan. I wanted to refuse, but the man, whose age was not far from Key's, looked really pitiable and almost pleading as he spoke to me."Miss Nicole, I'm sorry, but if you don't accept this gift then I will get in trouble from Mr. Chris," he said.I stared at the man without saying much. I obviously had my reservations, staring at the two gifts that seemed unremarkable at first glance. Still, considering Chris's proposal and the answer I gave him temporarily, the situation was clearly different.He told me to take as much time as possible to come up with a final answer to his proposal. Still, in the end, he acted arbitrarily, like he was pressuring me to give him the answer immediately by giving me something like this.The secretary seemed to see my intentions and quickly returned to pleading before me. "Miss Nicole, please do me a favor just this once. Mr. Chris has already sought several opportunities to remove me fr
Chris' POVArriving in the car, I sighed.All my strength seemed to be drained, and I allowed myself to just lean back on the seat, loosening the tie that suddenly felt like it was strangling my neck. My gaze was only fixed in front of me, on the road that began to pass by faster after the car sped up.My secretary finally spoke. "Were you rejected?"I looked at the man. He had helped me prepare for today's proposal, including decorations, rings, and various other things that were supposed to be done after the proposal, but that didn't happen with me leaving first.She was crying, and I didn't really have the guts to look at Mr. Duncan and my son. Aside from my mixed feelings, I just followed in my footsteps, which led me out of the place and away from the miserable feeling."You seem to really like the fact that Nicole rejected me," I finally said, sounding as cold as I felt toward the man who was still driving.She didn't say anything.I exhaled, feeling a tightness in my chest that
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,