All Chapters of Protecting The Heiress : Chapter 31 - Chapter 40

LIAI have kept to the promise I made yesterday. Every interaction between Nikolai and me has been strictly professional. We only exchanged a brief greeting when we saw each other this morning. Neither of us acknowledged whatever the hell happened yesterday—not that it hasn't consumed my thoughts all night. When he suggested making breakfast, I turned it down, though it hurt my heart. As much as it was a friendly gesture to him, I would latch onto it and twist it into something much more. And I don't want that. Not when I'm trying to build boundaries between us. We're currently in the car, and the silence between us is heavy. I'm sitting in the backseat, and I have caught Nikolai glancing at me three times now. Maybe he's wondering why I'm acting so distant. Or maybe not. Maybe he doesn't think about me at all. Maybe I don't matter to him outside of work. Maybe I'm the least among the things he cares for. Yet here I am with my thoughts spiraling around him, unable to shake him away

LIA I force myself to walk away from Nikolai so that I don't blurt out questions eating away my inside. I don't understand why he keeps doing this to me. Why can't he just let me set boundaries between us for the sake of my sanity? His gaze sears into the back of my head as I cross the living room. The moment I'm out of the view, rounding the corner, my legs give out and I stagger against the nearest wall as I release a frustrated sigh. It's utterly stupid to feel this wave of longing every time Nikolai takes a call from his girlfriend. As if I could ever stand a chance with him even if he were single. He is hot and handsome and so freaking huge while I'm just... painfully ordinary and very average looking. My shoulders slump as I start to make my way to my room. I have a whole lot of things that should occupy my mind, a lot to achieve like ensuring the success of the new project, winning over the board of directors, securing the CEO position of ROQ, finding a lead as regards

NIKOLAI"It's true." Lia interjects quietly from behind me, freezing me in place. A dark wave unfurls in my chest as I turn my head in her direction, still crouched on the man. "I asked him if he wanted to have sex... so, here we are." I can see the dark blush on her face. "Can we leave now?"My head is swirling as I shove the man away, rising to my feet. I motion for Lia to come forward and she does quickly, without hesitation."Don't I deserve an apology?" The man mutters out a pained voice. When I glare at him, he says,"Or not."“I’m sorry,” she whispers as I turn my bike toward the road, my jaw clenched so tight it might crack. The man clearly doesn't seem to have done anything wrong, but I still feel the urge to leave him in a much worse state for some reason.“Should’ve told me you had a psycho boyfriend," he mutters, "Not cool at all.”I chance a look over my shoulder as I press down hard on the pedal, the engine roaring back to life. The man quickly looks away.As we pull awa

Hannah’s voice floats out from behind the book covering her face. “She’s pretty.”I pause mid-action, the nail clippers hovering over her fingers. “Who?” I glance up. "Your boss. The book lowers just enough to reveal her mischievous grin and her sparkling eyes. “Your boss. I did a little digging.”"How do you know about my boss?" I shake my head as my fingers resume clipping her nails.Hannah plucks out a cut apple from the container I prepared for her. "Xander mentioned it. You know, during his usual yapping.” She pops it into her mouth, her eyes twinkling the same way they usually do when she eats apple—her favorite."Yapping?" I raise an eyebrow.She rolls her eyes like I’ve just committed a grave offence. “Excessive talking, Niko. I’ve explained this like a hundred times.”I scoff. "Yeah, he talks too much."She gives me a knowing smirk. "I know right? He has something to say about everything. Apparently, he’s worried about your new job too. He’s worn my ears out about it." Hanna

Waking up this morning feels different, feels refreshing, unlike every other day. There’s something in the air today. Something I can't pinpoint, but it makes me want to deep clean my house today just for the fun of it.It definitely has nothing to do with finding out that Nikolai is in fact single and I mistook his younger sister for his girlfriend. Nor does it have anything to do with the fact that I no longer have to feel that pang of guilt when I catch myself checking him out. And it certainly has nothing to do with me being delusional enough to think I might have a chance with him.I don't, by the way.And I don't even have time to entertain such thoughts. I have so much on my plate to think about like pitching my project idea to the market research team for one, winning over the board and finding leads about my father's case.I would say I miss when life was simple for me, but I don't. I don't long the days where I was living a lie, where ever