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
Adeline's POVI received help from the staff of one of the shops, who happened to be walking out to stand up normally, balancing my fine leg with the sprained one for a few moments before asking her to leave so I could continue my way.I still felt annoyed by the actions of that woman who looked so much like Nicole. He paid absolutely no attention to me falling down and in pain and left me among the many people walking around.This was the first time I felt this kind of humiliation from another person, especially since that person was someone I had already tortured and should have ended up dead due to the pursuit of the payment killer that my mother and I had hired.We had already spent a lot of money, but it turned out that the woman returned a few years later in front of me, although I was not entirely sure of her identity."How can a dead person come back to life, right?" I muttered under my breath, still feeling the pain in my legs and arms.I shuffled to one of the available chai
Adeline's POVI bit my fingernails and exhaled, still thinking about that woman who looked like Nicole. I did say that I would find out about her, but I simply don't have the money to hire a private investigator and enough information other than the woman's name and appearance.There are so many people with the name Nicole, and I'm sure that she has a fairly market face that I'm not sure I can find her easily. The photo with her face was no longer in my possession because my mother and I had quickly removed all traces of her from our old house.I felt somewhat regretful, but it also felt strange not to have done so since the news of Nicole's death had been such happy news for my family. My stepfather even went straight to having fun, just as my mother and I went shopping to our heart's content.I was still deep in thought for a while until I heard Chris' voice, which surprised me. "What are you doing?" He said, making me turn my head to look at him.I had returned from my home to this
Nicole's POVA day had passed since I met Adeline. Seeing that woman's face in person after so long had passed made me upset, especially when I remembered her expression that always looked down on me and when she had fun torturing me.There were too many things that made me hold a grudge against her, but I knew that it was so long ago that I didn't need to think about it too much. Anyway, I had already begun to carry out my plan to erase that woman's dream of being surrounded by luxury for the rest of her life.I stood by my desk, leaning against it as I stared at the clock that seemed to be ticking above the door to my study. I had finished working at home with great difficulty, spending the morning reading some documents in the company of tea and light snacks.I sighed, gulping down my tea before putting it back down. "I hope to no longer meet that woman as long as my plan is still going."With that woman's presence alone, she actually wouldn't interfere with my plan since Adeline d
Nicole's POVTwo days went by quickly. I was about to head to a meeting this morning, a shareholder meeting that I had avoided attending for quite some time. Richard was next to me. He touched my hand lightly, so I turned to him."Mom, are you okay now?" Richard asked curiously, looking closely at my face to see how I was doing.I smiled, rubbing his cheek lightly as I said. "Of course, Richard. Mom is fine. This kind of thing is not a big problem that should make you feel bad, but instead, it makes you stronger."I was worried that I would run into Chris again today. He's a troublesome person because he doesn't just let go of someone who has made him curious, so I'm sure that when we meet, he will come back to talk to me.But I don't want to make Richard worry. This is a problem that I have to handle alone as the boy's mother and only parent. He just needs to be by my side safely and comfortably all the time as my only child."Alright, Mom." Richard nodded, tightening our grip as we
Catherine's POVAfter receiving the gift from Edwin, I was now only with Benny and his personal driver driving. The man sat down with me and then noticed something was different about my attitude.He rested his chin on one of my hands, which was still clasped tightly. "What are you holding on to? You didn't let go at all....""This." I showed him the bracelet.His eyes look wide. "Isn't that the jewelry you saw earlier? I thought you didn't buy it.""I didn't buy it."Considering Benny was also aware of what I was doing while looking at the jewelry, perhaps my liking for this bracelet was too obvious.My gaze was fixed on the bracelet, and I thought about how the man who had left the festival first had unhesitatingly bought me this jewelry and given it to me without anyone knowing. I don't know what that man was thinking when he bought me this, but the pounding of my heart was starting to feel too clear in my chest.The car stopped. I blinked, realizing that I had arrived in front of
Catherine's POV"Thank you for buying me a drink, Duncan." I smiled, accepting the glass with a lid made of solid cardboard from his hand, and I immediately held the glass with both hands.He just nodded and passed the other glass to Benny.I took a sip of the relatively warm drink. It turned out to be a delicious chocolate drink. I felt relieved and happy. My legs even wiggled without me fully realizing it.Night had almost fallen, so it was starting to get cold. I remembered the embarrassing incident a few days ago when my skirt got caught, but in the end, the man came back to help me by giving me a warm drink after we had walked quite a distance.A loud snort was heard from Benny. "Why are you buying me a fruity and cold drink? I also want a warm chocolate drink like you guys." He protested.I looked at the two men who stood facing each other with glasses in their hands. Still, a noticeable smoke could be seen from Benny's slightly open mouth, probably the effect of the drink he ha
Catherine's POVI was mesmerized by the festival atmosphere surrounding me. I've always liked things like this: simple and fun stuff without having to always care about manners or conversations that are always serious and filled with business or politics.Many booths were arranged according to their types, ranging from games, shops selling various things, and other equally entertaining booths. My gaze stopped at one of the nearby stands for jewelry of sale.My steps halted when I arrived in front of it. I looked at the various kinds of jewelry displayed and touched a few that I wanted to take a closer look at. They all looked pretty, but I didn't really want to buy them either; I just wanted to look around.I didn't have much jewelry, but my mother added to it according to my needs, so I didn't feel the need to do the same.A person who seemed to be the salesgirl watched me without saying much but then said to me after a while."Don't you intend to buy the jewelry, Miss? I think the b
Catherine's POVI was always with Benny and Edwin. I felt happy because I was finally able to make a new friend again, and it was a guy I initially thought was quiet and cold.At first, Benny and Edwin always argued for whatever reason, but in the end, they always accompanied me wherever I went. We were like a unique combination, from three different majors and different personalities.I heard rumors about us hanging out, going to our respective classes or the cafeteria."Look, she can get two handsome guys simultaneously," whispered one of the students.His friend replied. "She's so lucky. I never even managed to get close to Edwin Duncan....""She's luckier because she's close to Benny Thompson. That guy is really nice and friendly."They said that and then talked about one of the guys I was with, who was probably my boyfriend.One of them spoke up again. "Isn't that obvious? His girlfriend must be Benny. They've been in a relationship for a long time.""Hm, I agree."There were som
Catherine's POVI still felt uncomfortable walking on campus. Aside from my aching feet, my father's words before I was allowed to leave for the campus with our family's private driver also bothered me.I was happy with my friendship with Edwin and my friendship with Benny, which lasted longer than that. Both of them were friends to me, but my father always made our relationship seem like a transaction, trying to talk to them for the benefit of our family.He said that each of them would greatly help me prove myself in the Varma Family. Our relationship would make me valuable and not the only useless woman in our family, while all the things I had done before were meaningless in my father's eyes.I felt annoyed that my father shouldn't be behaving like that towards me, but also unable to do anything to stop it. As Edwin said, I was still not strong and had to extricate myself with the help of the allies that had just started from the man himself.My sigh escaped on its own, but after
Catherine's POVI had come out of the toilet and looked around the party room for Edwin and Benny, but they were nowhere to be seen.I could find my father easily, still chatting with some important people intimately, but the two men were nowhere to be seen. It was as if they had disappeared or were hiding very well so as not to be found by me.I recalled Benny's face, which didn't look too good before they left together, curling my lip and mumbling, "What is that guy going to do? That's not what I'm thinking about, is it?"Before going to the restroom, I heard the man wanted to talk to Edwin, but I wasn't sure. I'm currently feeling uncomfortable as I'm still searching for them among the crowd. That man might have misunderstood my relationship with Edwin.He was a very close friend, a really good friend who had been with me for so long that we were like brothers, but he didn't feel that way. He liked me, and I always pushed him away so our friendship wouldn't end.He always helped an
Benny's POVI faced Edwin. We were now on the veranda where I had previously seen him and Catherine take turns appearing.I don't know when they got this close. Still, I could hardly believe my eyes when I saw them enter the party room from the same veranda and then talk to the woman's father as usual.The man spoke to me first, bringing me back to reality. "What's wrong? Is there a business matter you want to talk about?"I looked at the man, knowing that he was asking me about our conversation when we first met. I also remembered that my father knew about it first, about Edwin attending the same university I was going to with Catherine.My father and that man's family had an inter-company partnership. I don't know when exactly such a thing happened, but it seemed quite a while ago from what my father said about the man I knew even by name."You must respect Edwin Duncan, Benny, " my father said. You're the same age, but his achievements are countless over the past few years, not to
Catherine's POVEdwin was still next to me. He exhaled while his face looked unfriendly and cold as usual. Still, even with all that, the man did not immediately deny my words aloud or dismiss them with ridicule.He didn't look at me but clearly spoke to me when he finally opened his mouth and spoke with his friend. "So you consider me an ally."I nodded.All this time, I had only thought of him as an annoying guy. He knows his position well and sometimes puts obvious boundaries on others. I didn't think he could make himself any friendlier than the people at the party or the students on campus, but he wasn't as cold as I thought.He had done me a favour, and I also felt quite comfortable when talking to the man who was always straightforward. Nothing felt fake in our friendship, which he had yet to fully acknowledge, so I felt he could be my ally."I feel that we are getting closer. So, Duncan, if there's anything I need, you should do me a favour." I smiled. "Whatever it is."The ma
Catherine's POVI was at the party. This party was tedious, like the official high society events I'd been attending. I felt uncomfortable among many people I didn't know well. Still, everyone who greeted me acted as if we had known each other for a long time.I knew they were just acting politely, following every action everyone in high society should follow. Still, I also felt that their actions were fake. I never knew what they talked about other than greeting me because I belonged to something other than the inner circle of the supposed upper class.My father might know, but I also had no interest and chose to remain in the outer circle that could only see whatever could be seen.I held my wrist as I exhaled. No one else had any intention of greeting me again, and neither did I. I already felt bloated from drinking wine in between events, so I didn't know what else to do while waiting for the event to end.My gaze shifted, spotting one of the empty verandas and finally heading the