Nicole's POV"Hah! Are you trying to threaten me as a businessman?" Zedd seemed to take no notice of Key's words, pointing at him and then at me with a furious look. "You're the figureheads of unscrupulous charlatans!"Key tried to calm down the man, who was raging again. "Mr. Zedd-""Shut up!" The man immediately rebuked Key, returning his gaze to me, who hadn't given him the reaction he wanted. "If you want to be forgiven by us, you must prepare accountability and compensation for my family that you've played!"I looked at the woman and her child, who were now hugging each other tightly, looking pitiful even to my own eyes. I didn't expect that the woman's haughty figure could be easily hidden and then replaced by something like this. Her son could follow his mother's great acting.The woman grabbed her husband's hand, suddenly saying something contradicting her words. "Honey, just forgive them. I want to go home now.""Yes, Father. I'm afraid of what the people around us think...."
Nicole's POV"Damn it, is something wrong with my phone?" The man asked himself, but it could be heard by everyone there, including me, Richard, and Key.She fiddled with her phone for some time with a deeply furrowed brow and then spoke again. "Did you really check it, Mila?"No answer could be heard from the phone because the call speaker was not activated. I could only watch the man's face for guesses, but it didn't take long for him to falter."Zedd! Honey! Are you okay?" His wife asked as she tried to hold back her husband's body, which seemed to collapse at any moment."Dad! You're going to fall like that!"One of their guards wanted to help, but the woman was stubbornly trying to bear the weight of her own husband's body along with their son, who was holding his father's other hand.Zedd touched his forehead, no longer unsteady but still holding on to his wife and son, who still looked worried when they saw him at this moment. The man hung up the phone in silence and then immed
Nicole's POVI didn't comment, leaving the responsibility to Key, who was already well-understood by the man. As long as I didn't have to get involved, then Key could handle a problem like this on his own.One of the higher-ups came forward, looked at me, and bowed. "I'm sorry to interrupt, Miss, but we have something to discuss with Mr. Key."I raised an eyebrow, looking at Key, who immediately turned around and looked sharply at the bigwig who had just spoken to me. "You're being very impolite.""Mr. Key, we just-"Key clucked. "If you continue like this, you should be expelled. I've already told you you can't go into this area because it's Miss' private residence, right?"The bigwigs fell silent, as did the bigwig who had just spoken, then was pulled back by his partner. I sighed softly, tired of attending to another troublesome matter even though Key was taking care of it."You're not allowed to be here, nor do you intend to come here again, understand?" Key asked the higher-ups.
Nicole's POVA few days passed. Richard and I were now having lunch in the dining room, enjoying a meal from a chef who had been summoned directly from a famous restaurant to save time, rather than us going to the restaurant where he worked.After that troublesome day, I decided to minimize our outdoor activities if they weren't too important. Although going out is important, it would be better to do it around our spacious house instead of doing it like yesterday.If I had to, I would have relied on the car and booked the place privately in advance so that no random people could enter.I returned my gaze to Richard. He seemed to enjoy his meal so much that I immediately noticed the smear of sauce at the corner of his chewing lips.I smiled, feeling quite happy to see his occasional childlike behavior like this, before telling him. "Richard, there's sauce on your face." I tapped the corner of my lips.My son's eyes widened before reaching for the cloth beside his hand. She quickly wipe
Chris' POVMy head felt heavy when I opened my eyes. My gaze fixated on the familiar ceiling of my room, and looked down at my work clothes that hadn't been changed last night."Shit!" I hissed, touching the front of my head as I looked down, accepting the consequences of my carelessness yesterday of drinking without control.The memories of what I did last night slowly returned as I woke up. Starting from my stumbling walk and that woman who approached me simultaneously. It was annoying to begin with.I sighed before finally turning to the small table beside my bed, seeing a glass of water and a hangover cure. I quickly drank both before another memory came to me."Chris, you can't be so stubborn! You can't even stand up properly." The woman woke up again after I pushed her to the ground.I looked at her, who looked blurry to my eyes, but could find her annoying face. "Go away." I tried to say with my numb mouth."No, I can't. "You'll fall if you go to your room alone, Chris." The wo
Chris's POVI changed back into my work clothes, preparing to leave. Although most of my schedule had already been completed, that didn't mean I had no things to do as the company's owner.I have to start now, starting by observing ongoing projects and planning other collaborations, so that everything can run smoothly.A servant was waiting for me in case I needed help getting ready, though that was rare. I needed his presence for other things, especially regarding that woman.I turned my head slightly, looking at the man, who was already alert and about to receive my words. "How is that woman? Did she leave?"I don't know what she's been doing all this time, but all I know for sure is that she's been traveling and shopping in several places these days. I'm not too curious, but I still need to monitor her so she doesn't make any unwanted messes.After all, she's still my wife and some media outlets are looking to make a profitable article out of whatever they can get out of our story,
Chris's POVMy head ached with all the work I had to do over the past few hours. I'd underestimated the work I had left to do to the point where I'd forgotten that this pile of work wasn't fun for me at all.I looked at my secretary, staring at her, who was standing up while doing something on the tab she was holding. "Is there still a lot of work?""Yes, sir." He touched the tab screen and pointed it at me, specifically at the two rows of the schedule he had created. "As you can see, we have a meeting with the company's business partner in an hour."I could see another lineup of schedules that I would be doing in a day. There was a lot, and I only had two chances to rest in between after this and three more meetings.I closed my eyes, massaging my forehead as I listened to the words of my secretary, who was explaining that the colleague we were meeting held an essential project for the company, so I couldn't throw this schedule to another day.I, of course, understood and clearly rem
Nicole's POVI got out of my car together with Key. We had just finished work and intended to have lunch at my longtime favorite café, a place associated with people I hated, but I loved one of the dishes that could only be made at this café too much."You should try my favorite dish here, Key," I said with a smile, already imagining the taste of that dish on the tip of my tongue.Key nodded. "Of course, Miss. I was quite curious about the taste after Miss had mentioned it a few times. It's a pity that Young Master can't come.""Richard can't eat my favorite dish. It's too spicy for him."I've brought my son here before. When it was first served, he wanted to try it right away because it smelled so good, but within the first bite, my son's eyes were already watering, and he finished his drink first."Is it very spicy?" Key asked, sounding worried after hearing what I said about Richard.I shook my head. "No, it's not. There's melted mozzarella cheese on top, so it shouldn't be a probl
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,