Trouble in Paradise

I gazed past Nicholas's shoulder, staring blankly at the wall behind him. However, his touch didn't stir even the slightest ripple in my heart.Owned by NôvelDrama.Org.

A huge wave of despair washed over me. To think that, one day, I would end up in such a deal with him.

I inhaled deeply, my voice devoid of any desire as I met his gaze calmly. "If you won't help him, get up now and let me go!"

Perhaps my demand to leave only angered him further. He lowered his head and bit down hard on my shoulder, the pain forcing me to grit my teeth and endure it.

Glowering at me, he hissed, "I don't have sex without feelings."

As I heard this, I felt somewhat uncomfortable and felt a sting in my nose. But even when we were together before, how much feelings did he really have for me? How much of his feelings were fueled by hormones, and by the thrill of something new? I nearly couldn't resist asking him how intense his feelings were for me, but I held back. I didn't want to make things worse for myself.

"Nicholas, there's never been any feelings between us. Sex is the only thing that connects us. If you're looking for feelings, you've got the wrong person."

In fact, he could just go to Jasmine or Claudia. At this point, either of them would be more tender and loving than me.

"Help Pete first, then we'll talk about us," I said coldly. "I won't back down on this. Or you can force yourself on me right now. Otherwise, get off me. You're really heavy!"

Nicholas snorted and got out of bed. Standing beside the bed, he stared at me and said, "I'll make sure he suffers first."

I fell silent. After all, Pete was different from Yasmine. Nicholas was biased against Pete, and his prejudice wasn't something I could resolve by pleading. It was his sore spot.

The more I implored, the angrier he'd become. But still, I had to set my boundaries from the very first day.

Nicholas donned a jacket and shut himself on the balcony. Throughout the night, I kept hearing the sound of his lighter clicking. Even though the balcony door was closed, the stench of cigarettes still drifted into the room.

The smoke made me tear up. It seemed like after everything fell apart, even the smell of his cigarettes changed.

"Nicholas, if you don't simply want to keep me trapped and you still want me, please help Pete," I begged inwardly.

But I wasn't sure. Would he really help?

...

The next day, just as Nicholas had said, I received a call from Yasmine. She had learned about my situation from Leila, and her voice was heavy with concern.

"I'm okay right now," I said, comforting her. "When you get back, come to Coral Villa to visit me."

Yasmine sobbed, "Ari, I was still clinging to the hope that if you hadn't said anything, it meant you still hadn't gone back. Nicholas isn't the right man for you-it's all my fault for dragging you into this."

I looked up, holding back a sob. "I'm really fine. As I no longer have the ability to love anyone, being with anyone is the same.

"When I agreed to be with Pete, you wouldn't believe how much of it was out of gratitude. But now, besides gratitude, there's also guilt-guilt I can never repay."

"He won't blame you."

"Ari," Yasmine suddenly called out to me in a solemn tone. "Can you take over the law firm for a while? I need some time to adjust and take a break."

I felt a bit conflicted. The incident this time had made me deeply aware of the importance of power. Just by leveraging Nicholas's power, Jane could exert her influence easily. I didn't want to end up being helpless if I were to be in similar situations in the future. "Don't keep me waiting too long. During the days I was with Douglas, he told me a lot about my mother. I want to find an opportunity to return to Jones Corporation. I still need you at the firm."