WARMING THE BILLIONAIRE COLD HEART

Nicholas had just driven his car away from the Keraton Residence. This morning, he chose to drive himself without the assistance of Randy, his personal driver. Luckily, today was unlike the usual; the city streets appeared so empty that it made it easy for him to reach his destination quickly. The song “Thinking out Loud” by Ed Sheeran played softly throughout the journey to the office.

Beside him, Kimberly seemed to be enjoying the song while gazing out of the window. Her eyes didn’t blink as she watched the morning traffic hustle by. So engrossed was she that she didn’t notice Nicholas sneak glances at her several times.

After parking their car neatly, Kimberly and Nicholas hurriedly got out and walked side by side into the building’s lobby. There, some employees whispered while keeping a close eye on their every move. Unlike Nicholas, who appeared indifferent, Kimberly felt a bit awkward. She didn’t like the fact that some employees kept staring at her.

“If you’re still not feeling well, you can rest right away. Plus, there are no meetings today,” Nicholas said as they entered the executive elevator.

“I’ve told you multiple times, I’m fine. I promise not to bother you this time.”

Nicholas smiled wryly.

“I’m tired of hearing your promises, Kimmy. Every time you finish making a promise, at the same time, you manage to make my life more difficult.”

Kimberly looked at Nicholas in annoyance.

“No, don’t worry. This time, I’ll keep my word,” Kimberly said casually.

Just as they exited the elevator, from a distance, Nicholas noticed the presence of a man he had been avoiding. The man was now sitting casually at Kimberly’s desk.

“What are you doing here?” Nicholas inquired before fully entering his office.

Edward stood up and approached Kimberly.

“Waiting for you and also making sure that my beautiful secretary here is doing well.”

“Kimberly is just fine, Ed,” Nicholas quickly responded.

“It would be better if you come to my office now. There’s important work we need to complete,” Edward continued.

Seeing Edward standing his ground, Nicholas quickly approached and pulled Edward’s arm to get him to follow into the room. Meanwhile, Kimberly could only smile at the absurd behavior of the two adults in front of her.

“Nick, can’t you let me talk to Kimberly first? I’m really worried about her condition,” Edward looked annoyed as Nicholas forcibly pulled him and now instructed him to sit.

“I’ve told you not to disturb Kimberly, Ed. How many times do I need to remind you?”

Edward snorted.

“Well then, before we start working, please explain to me how Kimberly ended up living with you?”

Nicholas leaned back in his chair, momentarily silent upon hearing Edward’s question. This particular friend of his wouldn’t leave until he got a thorough answer. Edward was always like that, too curious about everything.

“For your information, I also don’t understand why Kimberly insisted on staying in my apartment. I’ve refused her multiple times and asked for an explanation, but she hasn’t been willing to tell me,” Nicholas said.

Edward stroked his chin thoughtfully. He seemed serious while listening to Nicholas’s explanation.

“This is somewhat strange. So, you just accepted her to live in your apartment like that?”

“You yourself said Kimberly is fine, right? Well, as she put it, let’s consider it a deeper role play before meeting my parents,” Nicholas replied casually.

“So, Kimberly agreed to be your temporary girlfriend?”

Nicholas nodded. “I thought it wouldn’t hurt, maybe it will add some chemistry between us.”

Edward chuckled at Nicholas’s response.

“Nick, you’re really something. Why don’t you just make Kimberly your real girlfriend?”

“I’m not ready for commitment, Ed. I’m afraid of getting hurt again like in the past,” Nicholas admitted honestly.

Edward fell silent for a moment. He glanced at the door when a knock was heard. Kimberly entered, bringing two cups of tea. After serving them, she politely excused herself to leave.

Edward raised his tea cup. “You saw it just now, Kimberly is quite different from Briana. I’m sure she won’t hurt you,” Edward said as he sipped his tea.

“We’ll see how things go in the future, Ed.”

Edward smiled in silence.

Well,

If you’re slow to realize,

I swear I’ll steal Kimberly from you, Nick.

***

Kimberly spent her lunch with her two friends. For her, something was missing if she didn’t share her day with them. Only Alex and Keyra knew about Kimberly being the sole heir to the Rayder business empire. So far, Arthur Rayder had kept Kimberly’s existence hidden. Not many people knew that Kimberly was the sole heir to the Rayder business empire. He did it on purpose to protect his only granddaughter from rivals who wanted to bring her down. This was also the main reason Arthur wanted to marry Kimberly off quickly, so that someone would take care of and continue his business after he was gone.

“Are you sure they’re Mario’s men?” Keyra asked.All text © NôvelD(r)a'ma.Org.

Kimberly nodded. “Who else if not Mario? I’m sure this is all Opa Arthur’s command,” Kimberly replied.

“Thinking about it, it seems like Mario has known about your whereabouts for a while. But why did he only send people to pick you up now, Kimmy?” Alex seemed puzzled this time.

Kimberly shrugged. “I don’t know, maybe he’s tired of playing hide and seek with me, Lex.”

“By the way, about your story yesterday, how do you feel about living under the same roof as Mr. Iceman?” Seeing her friend’s expression change, Alex tried to change the subject. As usual, he was always good at handling situations like this.

“Yeah, I’m curious about what you’ve been up to. Both of you are single, after all,” Keyra added.

Kimberly shook her head. “Nothing much. Once we got to his apartment, Mr. Ice Cube spent most of his time in his office. Just so you know, I only see him during dinner or breakfast.”

Keyra and Alex looked at Kimberly in disbelief.

“I swear, by anything sacred. You both know I’m a good girl,” Kimberly assured them.

“So, does Mr. Iceman know your reasons? Why did you insist on living in his apartment? Isn’t he suspicious of you? You initially declined, and now you suddenly accept and insist on living together? A sane person would definitely be suspicious,” Keyra remarked.

Alex laughed upon hearing Keyra’s comment. “I agree, if I were Mr. Nicholas, I would definitely be suspicious. Who wouldn’t when a sane person insists on living with their boss?”

Kimberly reached for a French fry on the table and playfully stuffed it into Alex’s mouth. “So, you think I’m not sane?”

Keyra and Alex laughed together. “Well, what can we say, you’re the weirdest and bravest woman we know, Kimmy.”

“Yeah, Mr. Ice Cube is definitely suspicious. He even rejected me flat out yesterday. Just so you know, I pulled out all the stops to persuade him, but it all failed,” Kimberly said.

Keyra looked puzzled at Kimberly’s words. “So, what made Mr. Iceman finally agree to let you stay in his apartment?”

Kimberly leaned in and whispered, “I threatened him. I said if he didn’t allow me to stay in his apartment, I would move into Mr. Edward’s apartment.”

“Did Mr. Iceman agree to your request?” Keyra asked.

Kimberly nodded. “Now I know, if I want my requests to be followed, I might just sell Mr. Edward’s name again.”

“You’re crazy!” Alex exclaimed, and they all burst into laughter.

“Oh, speaking of Mr. Iceman,” Keyra spoke up again. “His behavior yesterday, suddenly carrying you, caused quite a commotion in the entire building, Kimmy,” she continued.

“Yeah, in other words, you’ve broken the hearts of all the female employees at Alpha Beta, Kimmy,” Alex added.

Kimberly laughed. “I felt that way too when I entered the building this morning. It seemed like everyone was giving me unfriendly looks. But let it be, sooner or later, I’ll become Mrs. Alistair as well, right?”

“You’re a dreamer!” Keyra and Alex chimed in together, making Kimberly laugh even more.