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“What are you doing here grandpa?” Arthur asked through clenched teeth. Nicholas looked relaxed as if he just stepped out to have a breath of fresh air as he smiled widely at Arthur. “Well, you haven’t been picking up my calls and you weren’t home so I came to find you.” He answered as he took a seat on one of Kiana’s chairs. Arthur’s hands balled into fists but he didn’t dismiss him because he knew he was right. He had not sent an update in two weeks and that was unlike him so he sighed heavily as he took a seat across the old man. “I know, I’ve just been extremely busy.” “I noticed,” Nicholas responded as his eyes looked at the door leading to Kiana’s room. “That’s not it.” Arthur denied the question that was being asked as he gave Tim a signal to keep Kiana in the room no matter what. Nicholas nodded with a smile. “I’m sorry for showing up like this but you have to understand my intention.” He began. Arthur knew that his grandfather had trained him to be the best there was a
“Maybe he didn’t mean it.” Juliana tried to pull Kiana back from the hole of misery she had buried herself into but no matter how hard she tried, Kiana just looked straight ahead without saying anything. It had been a week since she heard Arthur utter such words and now it was only a few days till the launch. Kiana had walked back to her bedroom with tears falling down her face as her heart shattered into a million pieces. The man who was supposed to protect her had betrayed her and the feeling hurt much worse than when she saw Annabel and Daniel having sex! She had expected him to walk back in and whisper soothing words to her and explain that whatever he said was for her protection but to her surprise, He never did. Arthur had left without saying goodbye and that felt like a stab to Kiana’s already shattered heart. ‘What is his reason for doing this?’ Kiana had tried to find the answer to that question the whole week and still came up blank. Kiana was still not feeling her bes
Arthur Reed stared outside the window of his massive building as he watched the traffic below him. It was after 6 PM and everyone was rushing back home while he stood with a glass of whiskey in his hand. The ice cubes clicked against each other as he swirled the glass and swallowed the rest of the burning liquid with the hope that the burn would help quench the fire in his heart but it did nothing. “What the fuck was I supposed to say?” He asked himself as he felt the strong urge to punch into the huge glass before him. A sudden knock interrupted his deep thoughts making him turn his head slightly to the side and turn back to watch the traffic. Ignoring Tim completely. “There has been no board meeting yet sir..” Tim updated Arthur who sat back in his office chair and stared at the financial report he was about to use against his enemy. “Why?” Arthur raised his brow at Tim who stood and shifted uncomfortably not knowing how to answer the question. “We are not sure sir. But Mr.
“Huh! I owe you? I don’t owe you shit, Mr. Reed.” Kiana snapped, her eyes blazing with anger. She recalled the hurtful words he had said to his grandfather and a glint of coldness flashed through her eyes. ‘All men are the same!’ “I’d be careful with my choice of words, Angel,” Arthur growled as he leaned in closer while placing both his hands on Kiana’s armchairs facing her dangerously close. Kiana’s mind spun for a few seconds before she pushed Arthur back making a smirk stretch his perfect face like he was enjoying the little game, which only made Kiana even angrier. “Do I look like I have time for games?” She snapped. “Yes,” Arthur responded with a shrug as he placed his hands back in his pockets. Kiana scoffed as she attempted to press her security button but thought twice about it when she saw the look of playfulness in Arthur’s eyes as if he was daring her to do it. With an internal groan, she stood up and walked to the door, and held it open. “Please get the hell ou
“What did Annabel say to you that you changed your mind so easily and isn’t Annabel part of Clear Cosmetics? Why would what she’s said make you change your mind?” Kiana asked. James chucked as if Kiana had just told a joke before he responded, “The CEO position is still vacant, and as long as that will is not read, anyone can take the position by majority vote, but you know that already.” “Annabel wants the CEO position?” Kiana asked “Who doesn’t? Even my dumb nephew wants it.” James responded. “I see, so everyone wants it and they convinced you with words?” Kiana crossed her legs and straightened her back as she stared at James. “Well, I guess that’s why I’m here. I need to know if it’s true you and Danny are having problems and might break up.” James insisted which earned him a dry laugh from Kiana. Her eyes were serious as she looked back at him, “Danny is your nephew, Mr. Williams, why don’t you go talk to him? As for the company, words don’t mean anything until one can deli
“No, Something came up. I’ll have to meet you later.” Daniel answered as he looked down at his pants and lucky for him, they were black so he walked out quickly and rushed straight to the car. “Daniel, don’t tell me she shed a few tears and made you soft,” Annabel spoke on the other end but Daniel cut the line without saying anything else which made Annabel even angrier. Annabel had organized a get-together at one of the hotels using the clear cosmetics bill but made Daniel sign the authorization. The party was in full swing and she drank her wine while she waited for Daniel to update him on how Kiana was in tears and begging for them to spare her but when that didn’t happen, Annabel started to wonder if she celebrated too early. “This is great Annie!” Chelsea said. One of their former high school friends whom she had invited. “Yeah, you do have a great eye. No wonder that useless company has stood so long. It’s been all you, Annie.” Christabel agreed. “You ladies are too kind. B
“Annabel, honey, you don’t look too well. Is everything okay?” Kiana asked with a voice filled with mocking concern. “I’m fine,” Annabel responded flatly. “Good. Because you of all people shouldn’t miss this surprise.” Kiana smiled as they waited for the door to open. Daniel walked in looking confident with a smile on his face, until he saw what was around him that his brows met. So much anger filled his eyes when he realized that, he had been played. “What the hell is this Kia?” “Well it’s a reunion, what do you think a reunion looks like?” Kiana asked as she stepped away from the girls so she could meet Daniel eye to eye. “Well... I thought... You meant.” Daniel stuttered when he noticed the music had stopped and everyone around them had turned to listen in to their conversation. [FLASHBACK TO EARLIER] “We have a huge problem!” Juliana busted into Kiana’s office with four files in her hand as she closed the door. When she turned, she bent over with one hand in the air trying
“What was that about?” Arthur asked in a calm but dangerous tone. Kiana, however only felt anger when she saw him. She raised her brow as if confused by his question, “What was what about Mr. Reed?” “Drop the games, Kiana,” Arthur warned but it only made Kiana want to push his buttons even more. “Does this look like monopoly to you Mr. Reed?” Kiana asked but she didn’t wait for his response before she added, “Excuse me.” For the first time in his life, Arthur was rendered speachless but something in his chest grew and it was pride. A smile tugged at the corner of his lips as he watched Kiana walk away. “I never thought I’d see the day when Arthur Reed smiled at such a response.” Caspian Adams commented. “It seems this love is one-sided.” Nikolai laughed. Arthur turned and glared at his best friends, “You both need to shut the fuck up.” Nikolai Cooper and Caspian Adams were Arthur’s childhood friends before he met Hayden and the five of them grew up together. Nikolai was a famou
Hello my lovely readers, I hope you are all okay. I wanted to take this opportunity to thank each and everyone of you for giving my book a chance.We've come.to the end of Joane and Nikolai's story and I hope you enjoyed their bumpy ride. I'd love to hear from you so please do drop me a review on the main page and a gem if you can. My next book will be dropping next month and I look forward to sharing with you that new journey with you once again. OTHER BOOKSPlease do check out my other works too.BILLIONAIRE'S SWEETHEARTMR.CEO, PLEASE LOVE OUR MUMMY OWNED BY THE MAFIA KING I love you all, take care and have a great week.
Five years later:“I think you just have a problem!” Julina said angrily.“How can I not when you keep finishing the food before it goes where it’s supposed to go?” Caspian shot back.“That's not true!” Juliana defended herself as she looked at Kiana who looked down, she looked at Joane who suddenly wanted to grab her phone.Juliana scoffed in disbelief as she watched her best friends look anywhere but her as if siding with her husband. “I think it’s true but Uncle Caspian doesn’t seem to mind, he loves you!” Natalia said as she grabbed the cookie jar that Juliana was holding onto.They were at Juliana and Caspian’s house where they were celebrating their daughter’s second birthday. Everyone had gotten so busy after Joane and Nikolai’s wedding that they rarely saw each other.When Juliana sent out invitations to reunite everyone after five years, they gladly showed up at their vacation home.Juliana had quit her job at Clear Cosmetics and decided to be a full-time house wife and help
Joane sat at the kitchen table, cradling a steaming mug of coffee in her hands. The aroma filled the room, but she hardly noticed it as her mind wandered. The weight of her sister's illness had been pressing down on her for weeks, making every moment feel like an eternity. She took a sip, as she searched for any donor on the website that Angela had told her about.Her phone buzzed on the table, jolting her out of her thoughts. She picked it up, seeing the name "Agness" flash on the screen. Her heart skipped a beat as she answered the call."Hello?" Joane's voice was shaky.For the past two weeks, that was the case with Natalie, she was getting worse and they were running out of time. Every time her phone rang and it showed “Agness” Joane would hold her breath in the hope that it wasn’t news of her sister’s death."Joane, it's Agness. You need to come to the hospital immediately. Natalia's condition has worsened, this might be her last few moments. You can come and say your goodbye.” S
Two weeks had passed and Nikolai had been taking Joane to see a psychologist to help her ease her trauma and that helped her get better.The guilt over John's death was still there but she felt better when his mother visited her and told her it wasn't her fault. She hugged her and they cried together that day. After Isabella’s arrest, Joane had visited her discreetly and injected her with slow poison, seeing Isabella in tears and begging for her life made her feel better about her child and John, someone she loved like family who were unjustly taken away from her. It somehow made her feel like they were avenged. Even though it would never feel the void, knowing justice was served made it easier to live with. *******Nikolai had decided to take Joane out for some air and they were on a yacht. It was just them and the captain and seeing her smile again put a smile on Nikolai's face too.It had taken some time for him to move on from the betrayal but he had eventually forgiven Micheal
The moment that Nikolai packed his car, he saw Isabella from his rearview mirror and informed Arthur to be on stand-by. When he stepped out and she asked him to throw the phone in the water, he pressed the SOS button to inform Arthur of how serious the situation had turned out to be.Arthur took the signal and with the help of Kayden’s great hacking ability, he was able to find Isabella’s car through every street camera. When they drove to their destination, Cade tagged along to help Arthur because he too had been searching for Isabella over the crimes she had done with Annabel.Nikolai’s pulse raced as the sound of sirens grew louder, the distant wail piercing through the tense atmosphere. Isabella's eyes darted around in a mix of panic and fury. Her henchmen exchanged uneasy glances, unsure of their next move.“Damn it,” Isabella hissed again, her grip on the gun tightening. “We need to move. Now!”But when she noticed they were surrounded, she got Confused and was unsure of where
Nikolai’s head throbbed as he slowly regained consciousness. The dull ache intensified with each heartbeat, and he groaned, attempting to move but finding himself restrained. As his vision cleared, he realized he was tied to a chair in a dimly lit warehouse. The air was thick with the smell of dust and oil, and a single, flickering overhead light cast long shadows on the concrete floor.Panic surged through him as he remembered the last thing he heard—Joane’s scream. He struggled against his bindings, feeling the rough ropes cutting into his wrists. Every fiber of his being ached to find her, to ensure she was safe.A soft whimper caught his attention, and his eyes darted around the room. He saw her in the corner, barely illuminated by the weak light. Joane was lying on the cold floor, her hands and feet bound, her face pale and streaked with tears. Anger and fear surged through him, giving him a boost of energy to fight against his restraints.“Joane!” he called out, his voice hoars
“It’s good to see you,” Leo said as Nikolai walked in.He found his mother sitting silently and wondered what made her extra low. Even after what had happened, Marjory wasn't the type not to jump when she saw her son so something felt off and he was going to speak to her,After talking to Leo.“I don’t have much time, so let’s get to the point,” Nikolai said.Leo cleared his throat as he eyed his son. Isabella had not told him what she had done with Joane but only told him to force Nikolai to marry her and because he wanted to be with Katherine, he gladly accepted to do so.“I’ve set the date for you and Isabella. You didn’t break off the engagement publicly as planned so they still think you’re together. This is your chance to make things right.” Leo said but didn’t get a chance to say the next words as Nikolai’s fist met with his cheek and made him stumble backward while grabbing his side of the face in pain.“What the hell!” He shouted.“Nik!” Marjory stood but didn’t even bother t
Nikolai paced the length of his office, his phone pressed to his ear. He had been trying to reach Joane for hours, but all his calls had gone unanswered. Worry gnawed at him, each unanswered ring heightening his anxiety.“Does she hate me that much?” He mumbled under his breath.Nikolai didn’t want to call Arthur because he felt like he was already putting his friend in an awkward situation by making him the middleman. He tried to deal with their problem on his own.After trying again, he decided to first reach out to Micheal in case he knew something. Who picked up on the second ring.“Hi.” He answered, “Do you need me for anything?”Nikolai froze for a few seconds. He had been thinking about what he had said to him and a part of him felt guilty because Micheal may not have told him he was his father, but he stood by him through it all, including in moments that he was too ashamed of talking about. Nikolai had a great relationship with Leo but it got stained after the day he caught h
Joane's brow furrowed in confusion. "What plan?"Isabella rolled her eyes, her expression turning cold and irritation evident on her face "Oh, you don’t know anything do you?” But she didn’t wait for a response when she continued while she paced around, "You see, my dear, this all started long before you came into the picture. My father was supposed to take over the Cooper Group. It was his birthright, and my birthright was to Marry Nikolai so we could be reunited as a family. Then you came along and ruined everything!"Joane struggled against her bindings, trying to understand what she had just heard but it wasn’t making any sense to her, having slept in a chair didn't help her body ache either but she remained focused on getting the confession out of Isabella, "Your father? What does he have to do with this? And how is marriage a birthright?" She half laughed at how ridiculous Isabella sounded. "Leo Cooper is my father. You dumb ass, and Nikolai is my soulmate. His purpose is t