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
Chris's POVI hung up the phone, already understanding who had made a scene downstairs and headed here without an appointment. That woman is so fast in such an insignificant matter. I sighed, looking at the woman who still seemed to be gasping for breath.Her eyes looked teary, soon whining in a voice I didn't want to hear. "Chris, I'm tired! I'm tired of us being like this because you always ignore me whenever and wherever, like just now."She told me how she'd decided to come here from home, paid for the taxi with what little money the woman had left and had to wait patiently when the receptionist in the lobby didn't immediately contact me about her arrival."I was very patient, I waited for five minutes, but then I threatened that if he didn't contact you soon, I would make a mess." Adeline rolled her eyeballs, then looked back at me with a sad look.She sighed. "After seeing that woman's glance at me, I knew that you definitely didn't want to see me. So I rushed here before the me
Nicole's POVI took a deep breath before walking into the large building in front of me. Inside, I met the man who had greeted me, the leader of the company that would be a potential partner in the partnership between my adoptive father's company and mine.Edwin had told the man that I would be arriving as his daughter and representative in the formation of the deal between the two companies. I felt a little nervous when I saw the man's appearance who still looked dashing, even though he was almost as old as my adoptive father."Thank you for coming all the way here, Miss Nicole." He smiled broadly, extending his hand to me first which I immediately accepted. "I didn't know that Edwin Duncan had such a beautiful daughter like you. You must look a lot like your mother."I returned the man's smile. "Thank you for the compliment, Mr. James Hopes. I still need a lot of guidance as I'm still young and learning to this day."James chuckled. "Hm, it doesn't seem like it. Miss Nicole is so mu
Nicole's POVJames looked surprised by my words and then looked at Richard who had now switched to holding my hand. "This little boy is your son, Miss Nicole?""Yes, Mr. James." I nodded, tightening my grip on Richard for a moment before loosening it again, but he maintained our hold. "He is the child I gave birth to."The man still seemed to be digesting my words, watching Richard and I's faces in turn before he accepted my son's smile who was well aware of James' gaze on him.My son greeted him politely, acting like a child in front of the man. "Good afternoon, Mr. James. My name is Richard, my mother's only child.""Oh. You know my name?" Mr. James looked surprised.Richard smiled a little, looked at me then back at the man as we shook our hands lightly. "I heard my mother mention your name, Mr. James.""Gosh, that's right." The man laughed then ruffled Richard's hair lightly. "Good boy, I was too distracted by your handsome face to notice.""Thank you, Mr. James." Richard bowed po
Nicole's POVI saw that the inside of the hall was spacious and airy, with a fairly high ceiling and several windows that were almost as high and located at certain points. I can imagine that a lot of people could gather here for a corporate event.There will be a few other things I can prepare for the upcoming event and so far, I don't see any major flaws in the hall that I have been looking at for quite some time.From the inside, to the outside which was connected to a nice garden. There were a few minor things that needed to be fixed, but it didn't matter since there was already a special budget for situations like this.Richard moved our joined hands until I turned to look at him. "This hall is quite nice, ma'am."I nodded, agreeing with my son's words while smiling slightly. She had been with me all this time and had been looking at the hall with me quietly. He looked serious, pointing out a few things that he thought I should double check and I told Key to take note of them.Ri
Nicole's POVI didn't know what the hell was going on. For the second time, I was meeting someone I didn't want to meet in such proximity. First, it was Chris, while this time, it was his wife and the step-sister I never wanted to acknowledge in my family history, Adeline.I tried to keep my composure that was about to slip away, but I exhaled softly and spoke back to the woman who was staring at me with an incredulous look. "Miss, you're being insolent. How can you behave like this to my child?""Nicole, are you really alive?" Adeline asked another question, completely unconcerned about my previous words or her actions towards Richard, who was now near me.I gave her a cold stare. "What do you mean by that?”"Gosh, the fashion of the clothes you're wearing now is really modern." She still seemed uninterested in my words but instead took in my appearance from top to bottom with a condescending look, raising one eyebrow while chuckling. "Still, you look as boring as ever."I frowned, k
Adeline's POVI was still looking at the woman who bore a striking resemblance to my dead stepsister, taking in her face that was undoubtedly a perfect copy of Nicole, the damn woman I had hated for so long.She stood confidently, looking neither weak nor frightened like when I stood before her years ago when she was still alive with the Martinez Family. And her eyes, I didn't like seeing how that woman looked at me with an unwavering gaze.I hated her even more than Nicole. Memories of my inferiority complex when I first came to her house and saw every single one of her luxurious collection of items when we were teenagers, and her mother was still alive. I still remember her happy life and feel envious.I had finally managed to snatch everything I wanted from her eight years ago, and she had also been declared dead, but how could she still be alive and appear before me? Especially now that she was with the boy in her arms."How can she live like this?" I whispered so softly that they
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