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“Is that Joane?” Isabella asked in surprise.“Seems like it. My girl is turning the city upside down.” Nikolai smiled proudly. “You looked gorgeous Sweetheart.”“Where did you get that dress?” Isabella pressed on curiosity building inside her.“Oh, you suddenly went mute so, I called Kiana for help.” Joane shrugged. “Kiana Reed, always reliable.” Nikolai laughed as he brushed Joane’s hair. A habit he had of playing with her hair anytime she was close to him.Isabella gasped, “Arthur Reed’s wife is your friend?”“Yeah.” Joane half laughed, “You seem pale, are you okay?” Joane asked.“Yeah. I’m good.” Isabella cleared her throat. Looking back at the TV.Joane's attention went back to the TV and was still shocked that her picture was the one that was making headlines, “Do they do this normally?” She asked.“Yes, they select one male and one female who stands out during the event and ask them to do an interview with Stay TV,” Nikolai explained.“Stay TV?” Joane asked. Still confused.“Ye
Nikolai was stepping out of his office after a quick meeting when he met Barbra, Isabella’s secretary. She was breathing heavily like she had run a marathon. Nikolai didn’t have plans on stopping for her, but what he didn’t know was that she was running in his direction. “Mr. Cooper!” She breathed holding onto her knees.Nikolai looked at his team behind him whose faces were then filled with horror as they realized what had happened. Nikolai always had six of his staff to walk with him whenever it was after a meeting. After his re-introduction and taking over as CEO, no one dared stand in the hallway until he passed. Even the elevator and the parking lot where his car was, were always empty.He was now known as the Cold hearted CEO but he didn't care. He had a mission and he was going to accomplish it regardless of what rumours people stirred for him. Seeing the woman stand in front of him and block his way, made everyone rush forward but Barbra stood, “It’s about your fiance, she’s
“Nikolai, can I speak with you?” His father called out but Nikolai didn’t even glance at him as he went straight to his mother’s garden where she liked to spend time when she was not at the office. Marjory wore black garden gloves as she was weeding off the grass from her flowers. When she saw the door open, her lips stretched into a smile, “My beautiful angel, how was your third day as CEO?”“It was good. You still do this?” Nikolai asked as he took a seat.Marjory laughed softly before returning to weeding her flowers, “If I don’t do it, who is going to do it?”“You have more than fifty workers. I’m sure ten of them wouldn’t mind.” Nikolai shrugged.“I know you didn’t show up in my garden to discuss my flowers. What is it?” Marjory asked, concern in her voice.Nikolai had called her two nights before and asked that they speak but Marjory insisted they meet after the board election. “You knew didn’t you?”“Knew what?”“Mum!” Nikolai snapped but kept his voice controlled.“You’re youn
The night went on but Nikolai didn't slow down on his drinking no matter how much his friends asked him to. Arthur decided to let him be until he saw that he had had enough, he decided it was time to take him home before he caused a scene. “Tell Micheal to get the car ready,” Arthur said to one of his security men.“Yes sir.”“No, I can’t go home like this. Joane will be hurt and I broke her heart the other day, I’d rather die than see her shed another tear.” Nikolai argued.“Then I suggest you get your shit together because you’re going home.” Arthur stood and grabbed the bottle from him.“Help me get him to the car.” He turned to Caspian.The two held each of Nikolai’s arms around their necks and walked to the back door which was only accessible by the top Vips. "Easy, man. We're almost there," Arthur reassured, his grip firm on Nikolai’s arm.Nikolai stumbled, nearly losing his balance. "I don’t wanna go home... Joane... she’ll hate me," he slurred, his voice filled with despair.
The morning sun streamed through the curtains, casting a warm glow over the room. Nikolai stirred, his eyes fluttering open. He blinked against the light, trying to shake off the dizziness that was starting. As he turned his head, he saw Joane sitting beside him, her expression a mix of concern and relief. "Morning," she said softly, her voice gentle. "Morning," Nikolai replied, his voice hoarse. He rubbed his eyes and sat up slowly, the events of the previous night coming back to him in fragments. Joane reached out and took his hand. "Nik, what happened last night? You were so upset." Nikolai looked away, his jaw tightening. "I’m sorry, Sweetheart. I... I don’t want to talk about it right now. Not before the party." Joane studied his face, the events of the previous night flashing before her and breaking her heart all over again. She nodded reluctantly. "Alright. But we will talk about it later, Right?" "Promise," Nikolai said, squeezing her hand. With that, Joane
"I don’t understand why you’re doing this. What did I ever do to you?" Joane asked disbelief in her tone."Exist," Isabella snapped. "You’re a problem that needs to be dealt with," she added in a bitter tone.Joane watched with teary eyes, she couldn't believe the words that were coming out of Isabella’s mouth. It was like a whole different person had possessed her body. “Have you been in love with him all along?” She asked. Her voice was barely a whisper.“You’ve been close to him for a year and some months and you’re already in his bed, that kind of question shouldn’t come from someone like you!” Isabella sneered as she stepped forward. Her arms folded across her chest.Before Joane could respond, Isabella’s expression shifted, and she let out a piercing scream, jumping into the pool with a dramatic splash. Joane stood frozen in shock, her mind struggling to process what had just happened. Before she could call out for help, Guests from inside the house rushed out, drawn by the com
Have you ever had a moment when everything comes crashing down and hits you like you've been slapped? That's how Joane was feeling but she was still in denial as she shook her head. "It can't be!" She felt like an iron fist had reached into her chest and was squeezing her heart painfully.Her stomach twisted into tight knots and she felt like her chest was stuffed making it hard to breathe. Tears rolled down her face as the night replayed in her head.“He knew and yet he watched her ruin my reputation!?” She grabbed onto her chest and bent over in tears. She stood and wiped her tears with a heavy sigh. She had to find him, she had to hear it from his mouth. As she reached the door, she met a woman with dark hair and tapped her shoulder, “Hello.” She greeted her voice slightly hoarse“Hi,” Barbra responded.Barbra had stayed back to keep an eye on Joane Incase she ran upstairs in search of Nikolai. Her task was pretty simple, To hurt Joane's feelings. “Have you seen Nikolai?” Joane
“What is this!?” Nikolai growled.He was boiling with anger when he found Micheal standing outside with Marjory when he pinned him to the wall. Micheal was a tall man but so was Nikolai, on a normal day he would have struggled but the element of surprise and full anger gave him an advantage. He launched a punch into his face and made him stumble backward.“Nikolai!” Marjory screamed in horror which started to attract attention from other people.The fact that they were at a hotel didn’t help the situation but that didn’t stop Nikolai from throwing another punch, and another and another until he was being pulled away.“Get your shit together!” Leo Cooper hissed.“Oh my God! Nikolai, what has come over you?” Marjory cried as she rushed to Micheal.Micheal stood and shook his head when Marjory wanted to touch his face.”I’m okay. But I think Nik isn’t” Leo cursed under his breath as he instructed one of the ladies at the reception to give them a key to one of the rooms. The lady ran on he
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