Resigned, I shut my eyes as a deafening noise erupted from the balcony. The sound of shattering glass followed immediately, sharp and grating.Nicholas appeared in my line of sight, his gaze dark and menacing. Glass shards fell from his clothes as he strode forward. He shook his jacket irritatedly b
As the towel brushed against my neck, it no longer felt as cool as before. Maybe it had absorbed my body heat, or perhaps Nicholas' hands were even hotter than my feverish skin. His Adam's apple bobbed visibly, the sound of him swallowing echoing in the quiet room. When he spoke again, his voice wa
I pretended not to hear Nicholas' words, turning my back to him and closing my eyes. Yes, I had no conscience. If I were too sentimental, his care would only drag me back to the past. It would reopen old wounds and spark pointless debates about who was right and who was wrong. But without a consci
I easily dodged the kiss aimed at my forehead, and the disappointment on Nicholas' face was evident."I want to sleep," I said, cutting off whatever he was about to say.He let out a silent sigh. "Alright. Sleep first. When you wake up, I should be able to give you an explanation."I widened my eyes
"Nicholas, how could you do something like that?" I looked at him with utter disappointment."She's not dead, is she? Or were you expecting me to beat her up?" Nicholas laughed lightly as he stepped closer, raising a hand to touch me."Don't tell me you feel sorry for her.""Don't touch me!" I slapp
An undercurrent of tension brewed in our gazes.Perhaps neither of us could convince the other to stand unwaveringly by our side, leaving both with a sense of disappointment.To me, Nicholas was being utterly unreasonable! Comparing this situation to what happened with Pete was absurd—they were worl
The cries of "Nick" over the phone grew increasingly desperate. Yet, Nicholas just listened with a blank expression. He didn't offer any response or decision.I didn't feel much sympathy for Claudia. But in that moment, I understood the hope laced in her voice. Because I, too, was once someone who
As the door opened, several gazes turned toward me."Ari, what are you doing here?" Yasmine quickly approached, taking my hand into hers and giving it a firm squeeze."Nicholas said you were unwell, and your face does look pale. You should head home and rest. I'll handle everything here."I gave her
The auctioneer initially thought starting the bid at zero would ignite a frenzy in the auction room, given that this was a plot of land worth over 100 million dollars.But the moment he announced the starting price, the entire venue fell into an eerie silence.With Nicholas present, no one dared to
On our way back, Leo was still standing beside Yasmine. When he saw us approaching, he surprisingly nodded at both me and Nicholas—a rare acknowledgment.I frowned and glared at him. He had upset Yasmine again! I had expected Nicholas to ignore him entirely, but to my surprise, he nodded back sligh
Dressed in a black coat, the hem of Nicholas' garment billowed as he took a long stride forward.He walked toward me, his dark eyes seeming to hold an infinite power. At the moment our gazes met, a sense of calm washed over me.Only Nicholas made me truly think of this word. He was my calm, but he w
"Yasmine, check the brooch. Claudia will probably reveal my photos in the second half," I said.Yasmine had worn a sunflower brooch on her outfit today, equipped with a portable recording device to capture the events at the scene.She nodded with a serious expression. "Don't worry. It's all set."Sh
An auction naturally features more than one item. At first, there were some insignificant small plots of land with very low starting prices, serving as a warm-up. The attendees showed little interest, though some took the opportunity to bid on the cheap properties.Before the main event began, Beth
I lingered in the guest room until the time I had agreed upon with Yasmine before finally leaving the room.Originally, I had intended to avoid Nicholas for a while, but to my surprise, he was already gone from the Coral Villa.After bidding farewell to Tabitha and Cory, I drove to the firm to pick
At dawn, Nicholas and I finally drifted off to sleep, but suddenly, something jolted me awake, erasing all traces of drowsiness.I traced the contours of his features with my eyes, silently repeating his name in my mind. Curling up, I felt a deep ache in both body and soul. The wildness of the nigh
It was my first time being a mother. One child already left me feeling overwhelmed, and I had no idea how to handle conflicts between the two.That night, after both children had fallen asleep, I lay beside Tabitha, tossing and turning. My ears tuned to the sounds outside the bedroom door, waiting f
During breakfast, Nicholas' medical team arrived. To avoid making Tabitha feel anxious, they wore casual clothes instead of uniforms.The two little ones hadn't finished eating, so I sat with them in the living room while chatting with the doctors.The team handed me a printed booklet with Tabitha's