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 POV"I refuse." I answered the man with a cold stare, disliking the fact that he was getting in my way.We had never even met, let alone known each other, but he was too bold to familiarize himself with me whom he had just met. My mood that had initially improved after inhaling the floral scent for a while seemed to vanish, replaced by a sense of discomfort at the man's appearance before me.I stepped past him, intending to go to my car which was still near the restaurant, but my hand was suddenly held and pulled by someone closer. That man. He seemed to dislike my reaction, but still tried to smile, coaxing."Come on, Miss. I just wanted to get to know you, is that okay?" The man said in an artificially soft tone. "You won't regret it once you know who I am."I frowned, increasingly displeased by the words of the man who was still trying to tease me. No matter how many times he persuades, my answer will still be the same because I have absolutely no intention of making conne
Nicole's POV"You, do-" The man groaned in pain before he could continue.Maybe he forgot because he was annoyed by my actions, but I still had my foot on his chest so I only needed to press the sole of my foot so that he couldn't do anything. His grip on my ankle was also useless because I was wearing thick boots."Take off... you!" He glared, gritting his teeth as he failed to break free earlier. His entire face looked flushed. "Why are you so strong, damn it?"I didn't answer, still keeping my weight on his chest with my boots, while thinking of what kind of thing could deter him. Looking at his appearance and the amount of cash he was holding, maybe the man was quite wealthy, but when it came to the law and the Duncan Family, I wasn't sure he could pay.That man could end up on the streets if I mentioned all my charges, but I also thought that spending time in court would be quite troublesome. I didn't have time to deal with this guy any longer because I still had a lot of importa
Nicole's POV"Stop pretending."I frowned in confusion at his accusatory response. The man I knew before wouldn't act recklessly like this, but there seemed to be a problem with him as long as I didn't meet him in person.As long as I've been watching the man through my laptop screen, he's always been cold and logical, caring only about himself and not wasting time just because he sees a woman who looks like the one he dumped.For as long as I've known her, she wouldn't have gone to such lengths if she felt she would benefit from the other party. The way of a businessman who only prioritizes profit over everything else.I gave him a sharp look. "I'm not pretending. We just met today, sir.""No, I'm pretty sure that you know me. I wouldn't react like this to someone I didn't know before." He stared at me intently then turned to one of his hands that had been on my cheek.The man smiled so faintly that it was barely visible. "While I was talking to myself, you also made no effort to dis
Nicole's POVMy mood wasn't feeling good at the moment. I was still thinking about my encounter with the man I didn't want to think about anymore and couldn't control the other bad memories that surfaced because of our encounter.I was annoyed that I couldn't do anything to him like when I finished off the guy who teased me before. I still had to hide my identity until my plan was finalized so I couldn't act on my emotions alone.I felt torn between being relieved to be able to control myself when dealing with Chris, but also disappointed for letting him touch me so casually. I had showered and changed when I got home, but that man's touch was still felt in certain places.I clenched my fists, wanting more and more to finish that man off if only I had another chance and didn't have to be hindered by my own plans."Mom." Richard called out to me softly after touching my cheek with his hand, making me aware of our current situation in the laboratory.I came here with Richard because I w
Chris's POVI got into the car, not saying anything on the way to the meeting place with the partner company with my secretary. The place was quite far, but we still had plenty of time since we didn't go anywhere else besides the cafe we went to a while ago.I stared out the window, still remembering that the woman's face was very similar to Nicole's. They looked so much alike that I thought she was her twin, but I knew that she had no other siblings and was the only child of the Martinez family before Adeline and her mother arrived.I turned to stare at my hands, clenching and unclenching them several times as I recalled how soft and warm the woman's face was, as well as how similar her body size was to mine when comparing her to the long-dead woman in my memory.They were really too similar to be declared as different people.During this long thought, I could feel Evan's gaze on my face when we stopped at the red light. She seemed to have gotten up the courage to ask me after a few
Chris's POVI worked as usual the next day, but my mind was still on the woman who resembled Nicole whom I had met at the café yesterday. I still couldn't agree with my thoughts about that woman being someone who only bore a passing resemblance to Nicole.They really looked alike and I still wondered if the woman from yesterday was just a form of my hallucination that suddenly missed Nicole. Yesterday I even went to an area that I had never been to after that woman's death, but then I ran into a look-alike right away."What a funny coincidence." I snorted with laughter, unable to stop myself from saying it when I recalled yesterday's events.I'm sure I'm not crazy, but I also still have doubts about the identity of the woman that still intrigue me. I've never known someone who could have such an accurate resemblance to another person and I've also never met that woman before among businessmen.This is just speculation, but with the presence of the secretary by her side, I'm sure that
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
Nicole's POVI exhaled after they left, then turned my gaze to her. "Why are you talking like that? Do you wish for me to be your lover?""A lover is not a wish-"I cut him off. "Don't you know any shame? I've rejected you many times, but you keep acting like that."We stared at each other. I didn't know what she planned to do to take this path again. I felt quite relieved when he only focused on my son, familiarizing himself so that their relationship became much better than before.But that day, as well as her behavior today, was like a repeat of what he had done a few months ago, even worse with him latest act that I didn't expect her to do.He had gone so far that I could have sued him had Richard not liked him like he was. I clenched my fists, looking at the man's gaze, which seemed to soften but still spoke insolently."I am indeed shameless. No matter how much time passes, I will still want you, Nicole. Having you as my life companion has become my way of life." He said, making
Nicole's POVI didn't know we could end up like this. I was having lunch with Chris, just the two of us, without Richard, who would usually mediate between us and familiarize himself with each of us to fill the silence.A while ago, he called me while I was still in the office and working. He only spoke briefly, as if telling me, without waiting for my reply."Mom, let's have lunch together. I'll send you the restaurant's address; don't be late." My son hung up immediately.I stared at my phone for a while but immediately prepared to leave after receiving the message that the address was already from him. I sent a reply message to inquire about his whereabouts. Still, he has yet to read or reply immediately, as usual.I left it at that, feeling that Richard must also be on his way to the restaurant we were heading to for lunch.Within moments, I arrived at the restaurant, which was quite crowded. There were a few office workers and students who were also having lunch, but among them a
Nicole's POVWe had already returned to our seats, while the man had moved away and chosen another place to follow the charity event that was still going on.Madam Selena leaned towards me, whispering. "What exactly happened between you?" she asked curiously.I turned around and looked at her in surprise."When we came up to you, I could see that the atmosphere between you wasn't very good." She added when she saw the expression on my face and watched it for a few moments, pointing at my finger which I had unknowingly placed on my own lips.Her gaze returned to me, seeming to have some suspicion despite still wanting to ask me first. "Since earlier, I also saw you touching your own lips."I lowered my hand, grasped it tightly with my other hand, and tried to smile. Although I knew that the smile I was giving right now wasn't helping at all, I was also still thinking of things to say to her.Madam Selena is very sensitive to something that shouldn't make her interfere. Still, in the en