Found her
As the door swung open, Jayden’s eyes widened and his breath seemed to have been caught in his throat.
His gaze settled upon the figures within the room, and a whirlwind of thoughts swirled in his mind like a turbulent wave.
The woman he had feared to see inside was not Nina, and at that moment, a glimmer of relief shone through the darkness that had consumed him.
He released a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding, feeling a slight reprieve from the turmoil that had consumed him just moments ago.
Fortunately.
Fortunately, it wasn’t her.
He did not care about the scandalous scene before him and left the room, his gaze scanning the surroundings once more.
After all, even though the woman inside was not her, he still had to find Nina.
Turning around a corner, Jayden’s gaze instinctively veered towards the window and caught a glimmer of the familiar figure in the distance.
And who could it be other than Nina herself?
A surge of relief coursed through Jayden’s veins, washing away the fear and uncertainty that had plagued him.
However, the sight of her lonely back walking alone in the darkness tugged at his heartstrings. He couldn’t help but feel a twinge of guilt for his previous actions, for not being there when she needed him the most.
Without wasting a second, he turned around, running to the exit.
In one swift motion, he caught up to her and wrapped his arms around her from behind. Drawing her into an embrace that conveyed both desperation and a deep longing.NôvelDrama.Org owns © this.
His hold on her was tight as if he feared that she would slip away from his grasp.
The night air was cool against her skin as she traversed the streets.
Caught off guard, Nina stiffened for a moment when a strong force enveloped her from behind.
But as the familiar figure pressed against her, she slowly relaxed, allowing herself to melt into his embrace.
Jayden buried his face in the crook of her neck, his breath mingling with hers.
The world around them seemed to fade into insignificance as Jayden felt the warmth of her body against his.
Just the mere thought of Nina being entangled with another man felt like a sharp blade piercing through his heart, leaving him breathless and consumed by indescribable anguish.
The image of another man touching what was solely his left him reeling with a mixture of anger, hurt, and hatred.
His mind raced, trying to make sense of the swirling emotions that threatened to engulf him. He did not say anything for a long time and only stood there hugging her tightly.
For the first time in his life, he had lost control of himself.
Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath to steady himself.
“Thank goodness I found you. Are you all right?” he breathed, his voice filled with relief and concern.
When he got no answer from her, Jayden let go of her and spun her around, checking her for any injuries.
“Are you all right?” he asked again.
Nina was in a daze in his arms as she stared at the man’s handsome yet cold face.
His piercing black eyes were slightly red, looking scary.
The light blue suit jacket on him was a little messy, and he looked like a fiery beast about to lose control.
A whirlpool of emotions suddenly flooded her, and she choked. Silent tears escaped her eyes, and she immediately threw herself into his arms.
Jayden’s chest tightened, a suffocating wave of pain washing over him. He felt the dampness of her tears against his chest and pressed her tightly as if trying to fuse their souls.
Seeing her cry so badly, he felt as though an invisible hand was squeezing his heart and trying to dig it out.
Jayden has always had difficulty expressing emotions. He was at a loss and didn’t have the words to express his remorse or offer the solace she deserved.
He could only hold her tightly in his embrace as he pressed his cheek against the crown of her head.
The warmth of his touch and the tenderness in his hold were all testaments to his sincerity. He wanted her to feel his care and reassurance in every beat of his heart.
The embrace lasted for what felt like an eternity.
The chaos within Nina’s heart began to subside. The tightness in her chest gradually eased, replaced by a longing for the comfort and security that she found in his arms.
She pulled out from his hold, her deep amber eyes meeting his gaze, and hiccupped. “Jayden, let’s push the divorce date forward.”
“No.” Jayden’s voice was low and hoarse. Looking at her, his eyes were a little fearful.
“Why not?”
“We’ll talk about this later, all right?”
Nina felt sad at his words. Pushing him away, she walked away.
However, before she could leave, Jayden forcefully pulled her back into his arms again.
Lowering his head, his thin, cold lips met hers.
His actions were none too gentle as he invaded her mouth. Nina’s body became weak under his possessive kiss.
It was only after he had enough that he gently let go of her.
With his dark eyes fixated on her, he asked. “Now, can you tell me what’s going on?”
Nina paused and looked back at him.
Throughout the night, Mr. Johnson’s gaze remained fixated on Nina as he was unable to tear his eyes away from her captivating beauty. Her radiant smile, her graceful demeanor, and the allure she exuded had ignited a fire within him.
Compared to Alyson, who had countless plastic surgeries on her face, Nina was an ethereal goddess, captivating him in ways he had never experienced before.
Alyson was not bad, but when compared to Nina, she wasn’t even worthy to hold a candle for her.
And when Victor humiliated him mercilessly, he was ready to abandon her.
However, Alyson’s desperate plea for forgiveness had given him a pause, planting a seed of temptation within his mind.
He saw an opportunity to use Alyson as a pawn to get closer to the woman who had captured his attention.
Mr. Johnson ordered Alyson that as long as she sends Nina into his bed, he would not abandon her.
Alyson’s heart raced with fear as Mr. Johnson’s words echoed in her mind.
She knew that losing his backing would mean the end of her luxurious lifestyle and the downfall of her ambitions. She didn’t want to lose the support and protection that Mr. Johnson provided.
The proposition he had laid out before her was both enticing and terrifying. She knew the consequences of failure, and she dared not imagine the wrath that would befall her if she couldn’t deliver Nina into his bed.
Her mind flashed back to that humiliating moment when Nina had boldly confronted her in front of the crowd. The shame and embarrassment she had felt were still fresh in her memory, fueling her desire for revenge.
She yearned to see Nina’s downfall and wanted to tarnish her reputation!
And hence, without any hesitation, she took the drug from Mr. Johnson.
Ever since her so-called family had drugged her last time, Nina had learned to be cautious and prepared herself for any unexpected circumstances. Since then, she always carried an antidote, a safeguard against the aphrodisiac wherever she went.
And tonight, when Alyson and Mr. Johnson walked up to her, she instinctively knew that they harbored ill intentions.
Having lived with Alyson under the same roof, Nina had a deep understanding of her manipulative nature and the lengths she would go to achieve her desires.
She would be stupid to let herself fall into the same pit again.
When Alyson extended her a drink, with a seemingly innocent smile, Nina’s intuition kicked in. She knew that the drink was most likely to be spiked, a trap set to compromise her.
Without skipping a beat, Nina accepted the glass, playing the role of a compliant guest.
As she emptied the contents of the drink, a wave of heat swept over her.
Sure enough, she had been drugged.
She immediately excused herself and walked away before the drug could take its effects.
With swift movements, she retrieved the small vial containing the antidote from her purse and carefully injected herself.
Unaware of Nina’s vigilance, Alyson naively believed she had successfully achieved her goal.
What surprised Nina was that Mr. Johnson had not only drugged her but also Alyson.
As the drug started to kick in, Alyson felt something amiss with her body. However, before she could figure it out, it was already too late.
At that moment, she had lost control of her mind and body and immediately jumped on Mr. Johnson, groping and kissing him in front of the entire crowd.
At the same time, Nina pretended to be under the influence of the drug and entered an empty room. As she had calculated, Mr. Johnson and Alyson soon followed suit and entered the room after her.
The two promptly started making out without even closing the door. Taking advantage of the moment, Nina swiftly made her way out of the room and locked it from the outside.
After she had finished recounting the incident, the surrounding temperature seemed to have dropped a certain degree.
Jayden’s face hardened and his countenance turned increasingly chilly. His ink-black eyes glinted coldly as he let out a contemptuous sneer.
Ha!
The Santiago family.
Perhaps he had gone too easy on them earlier that they dared to touch his bottom line.
Previously, on account of Nina, he had not dealt explicitly with them. But now, he would make them cry until they saw their coffins.
Nina did not know what was going on in his mind, or rather, she did not care.
Because at that moment, her mind was preoccupied with something else.
As he felt her stare, Jayden immediately knew what she was thinking. His hold on her waist tightened as he pulled her closer to him.
“The contract is just a piece of paper. As long as I don’t agree, you cannot leave me.” He said, enunciating each word.
Nina felt as though a bucket of ice water had been splashed over her and her heart turned cold.
Seeing that he did not seem to be joking, she was about to bitch at him when a sharp voice cut through the air.
“Jayden?” a crisp and mellow voice of a woman called out in the distance.