Trouble in Paradise (Arianna and Nicholas)

"Nicholas, you jerk!"

As I uttered these words, my breath trembled and my teeth chattered. Nicholas walked toward me, grabbing my collar with his left hand and pulling me up from the ground. He yanked me close to him. His breath was as icy as frost, brushing against my neck. Even his long, narrow black eyes seemed to be veiled with a thin layer of mist. Despite hearing my insults, he simply smiled at me with indifference. But that smile carried a deep, threatening meaning no matter how one looked at it. Nicholas reached out and tucked a few stray strands of hair behind my ear. He adjusted my clothes, which he had messed up, as if he were fixing a beloved toy doll. I wanted to pull away, but his arm around my waist held me tightly. Any slight movement would have made it seem like I was inviting his advances.

Even at this moment, with his bare skin and our intimate movements, I felt nothing but fear between us.

Noticing my resistance, Nicholas furrowed his brow in confusion and asked, "What are you hiding from?"

He seemed to realize something and said, "You don't actually think I want to kiss you, do you?"

He then added, "Don't worry. I would never share a woman with another man."

I could bear it no longer and raised my hand to slap his face, but he caught my wrist.

"Ariana, whether it's feelings or anything else, don't even think about laying a hand on me until you've repaid your debt.

"I kept you in the dark about some gray areas when I helped you reclaim Jones Corporation, but I don't mind showing you now.

"I'll give you some time. Think about whether you want to listen to me."

I was momentarily lost in thought. "Nicholas, threatening me like this means we can't even be the most ordinary of strangers anymore."

His eyes were filled with resolve. He believed that our relationship could never return to what it once was. No matter how bad, it wouldn't be worse than it was now.

Since that was the case, why couldn't he keep me by his side? His intention wasn't to harm me but rather to prevent me from hurting him again.

He told himself it was just

self-protection, a safeguard that brought him joy and made him feel alive! He never wanted to go back to

those days of desperately living yet

feeling worse than dead.

It was better for me to be angry or upset when I saw him than to treat him like a stranger and dismiss him. This was all he could hold onto. Nicholas didn't directly answer my question. In fact, he didn't care about my thoughts or our relationship, even though our child, Tabitha, was still in the picture. But while he could ignore her, I couldn't.

I wasn't the same person who could boldly advertise Jay Caldwell & Co. even if my photos got leaked online. I had a weakness now. I couldn't let Tabitha see that her mother was anything less than perfect.

I looked into Nicholas's eyes, trying several times to focus but failed. I felt a bit disoriented.

I gathered my strength and asked, "Nicholas, tell me right now. What do you want me to do? I can pay you back for the amount you spent acquiring Jones Corporation." Nicholas cupped my face in his hands, his thumb brushing over my lips.

"I know you can pay me back. You helped Pete swallow his wife's company. Nearly a third of its market value ended up in your pocket. That amount is nothing to me.

"Those shareholders have spent

their lives being shrewd. I owe them

favors. From what I know, they

despise you. If you tell them you want to repay those favors, what do you think they'll do to you...

He pressed his finger against my chest. "Think about it."