I didn’t go straight to Nicholas, but instead called Yasmine to meet me. By the time we arrived at Nicholas‘ office, it was already late
afternoon.
As we pushed open the office door, the first thing that came into view was him reclining in his executive chair 1 his eyes closed, resting.
He was bathed in the soft orange glow of the setting sun, and his white shirt made him look unusually gentle. His chin was slightly raised, and his once sharp profile was now softened.
The dark brown hickey on his long, sturdy neck was particularly noticeable against the sunset’s light, clearly showing the effort I had put in last night.
It was a rare, serene image of a handsome man, but Yasmine was not accustomed to such sights. As soon as she entered, she stumbled and kicked the corner of the coffee table in front of the
sofa.
Nicholas opened his eyes, immediately alert. His gaze hardened with a sharp intensity when he saw a stranger, but it softened once he recognized me.
It was as if the tumultuous thoughts in his mind had gradually settled, and he began to regain his composure and calm.
Frowning, he looked at Yasmine in displeasure with the kind of innate pressure that even I could feel from beside her.
“What are you doing here?” he questioned.
In their previous encounters, these two had never liked each other.
forward and safer to
had pervaded her
the shares to her due to the
weth Nicholas & seemed
directly
Far much openvencing the agreed to come, albeit belatedly
Mones.” I called out to Nicholas, stepping in front of his line of sunt
I moved to his side and gently massaged his temples, explaining the
purpose of our visit
Even though he was a stubborn man who needed to be placated, I did what i had to do to keep him happy. Otherwise, all my previous efforts would go down the drain.
Things went smoothly, perhaps because he was eager to get Yasmine out of the office, or for some other reason.
in less than an hour, Yasmine had become the new owner of Jay Caldwell & Co. She was holding the documents but didn’t seem very pleased.
“Ari, come with me. I’m treating you to dinner no matter what today,”
she insisted.
Does my wife really need your dinner?” said Nicholas with a hint of
disdain.
Out of the corner of my eye, I thought I saw him roll his eyes. But when I looked again, his expression was calm and indifferent, showing no sign of annoyance.
Yasmine was someone who wouldn’t hesitate to argue even with judges. With the signed contract in hand, I worried she might
escalate things further. So, I quickly pulled her hand and guided her out of the office
The pen rolled off the table and fell to the ground, causing Nicholas to huff in annoyance.
“What’s with the huffing? Did he forget how to spe
Did they leave him behind during the human purification process or something? Yasmine muttered irritably.
I could tell he was angry now. I wanted to turn around and offer some comfort, but Yasmine, in a burst of energy, pulled me out the
door.
She shoved the contract into my hands and said, “Ari, I don’t want this anymore. Even if you can tolerate this, I can’t. Come with me and divorce him.
“Look at that mark on his neck. Who knows if it’s from fooling around with his stepsister? If you hadn’t insisted I sign, I would have poked the pen right into his face!”
The atmosphere was awkward for a moment. I was at a loss for how to explain that the hickey was from me while still maintaining a serious demeanor.
Last night, I had intended to stir up trouble between him and Claudia. I couldn’t quite explain the uncomfortable feeling I had while doing it.
It felt as though, at that moment, I was no different from Claudia. Both of us were scheming and using tricks to assert ownership over
a man,
