WARMING THE BILLIONAIRE COLD HEART

Exploring London in the morning turned out to be the perfect choice for Kimberly. The still very cool air made her comfortable even though she had to walk. Neat rows of old buildings lined the streets she passed by. The scenes that she had often seen in movies now felt so real.

Making the most of their time, Kimberly asked Nicholas to take her to almost all the tourist attractions in London. They visited the Tower of London, London Tower Bridge, Buckingham Palace, and even Westminster Abbey.

Now, the remaining destination was the London Eye. A never-ending smile graced Kimberly’s small lips. Nicholas, who had been sneakily stealing glances at her, felt his heart warm. Without Kimberly’s knowledge, he had discreetly taken several photos while she was enjoying the sights.

“Do we have to queue for this long? I might not be able to ride this giant Ferris wheel until evening,” Kimberly sighed as she stood in front of the entrance to the London Eye. There was a long line of tourists waiting to board the giant Ferris wheel.

Nicholas shook his head. “No need. What’s the use of having a wealthy fiancé if he can’t provide VIP access for his partner?” He said with arrogance and then pulled Kimberly’s wrist to follow him.

“You’re so arrogant. So should I thank you?” Kimberly replied while continuing to follow Nicholas towards the VIP entrance, which indeed seemed less crowded than the regular entrance.

Nicholas shook his head. “A simple ‘thank you’ isn’t enough.”

“So, what should I do?” Kimberly asked, puzzled, as they entered the waiting area for the London Eye. She observed Nicholas handing over the access cards to the attendant.

“Just be an obedient woman and don’t trouble me,” he replied.

“Is that all?” Kimberly asked to make sure.

Nicholas nodded. “Yes, quite easy, isn’t it? Now hurry up and get on; I’ll wait for you here.”

Seeing Nicholas relaxing in the waiting chair, Kimberly became confused. She thought he would ride up with her in the capsule.

“Aren’t you coming up?”

Nicholas shook his head again.

“No, just you. I don’t like heights.”

Hearing Nicholas not wanting to go up due to a fear of heights made Kimberly laugh unconsciously. How could a nearly perfect man like him be afraid of such small things?

“Oh my, this seems interesting, Nick. You should accompany me up there.”

“No! You can go up alone or not at all.”

“You-”

“Haven’t you promised to obey and not bother me?” Nicholas cut her off before she could finish her sentence.

Kimberly sighed.

“Okay, I’ll go up alone; just pray my illness doesn’t flare up when I’m up there.”

After saying that, Kimberly entered the capsule alone. But before the door was closed, Nicholas suddenly followed and joined her. Kimberly was once again puzzled by her boss’s unclear behavior.

“Why are you coming up?” Kimberly asked with a puzzled tone.

Nicholas replied calmly, “I just don’t want to take the risk of something happening to you up there,” then took a seat inside the capsule.

“Are you sure you want to come up?” Kimberly tried to confirm. Now it was Nicholas who made her uneasy.

Instead of answering, Nicholas pulled Kimberly’s body until she sat on his lap. He held her tightly as if he didn’t want to let go.

“Stay quiet and sit still. If you keep moving, don’t blame me for doing more than this,” Nicholas threatened, making Kimberly reluctantly sit on his lap.

Being inside the Ferris wheel capsule for a while left Kimberly in awe. She could perfectly enjoy the mesmerizing view of London from a height of 135 meters. From the Parliament building and Big Ben to Buckingham Palace, everything was clearly visible from inside the Ferris wheel.

“Wow, if you hadn’t brought me here, I might never have experienced a place like this,” Kimberly expressed her gratitude repeatedly, making Nicholas smile at her delighted expression, one he had never seen before.

“I’m hungry, Nick. I haven’t taken my medicine yet,” Kimberly complained as they had just disembarked from the Ferris wheel.

“Do you want something to eat?”

Kimberly nodded quickly. “I want seafood; I’m tired of bread and meat.”

Nicholas took a deep breath, thinking for a moment about which restaurant to visit, considering it was getting late, and Kimberly needed to take her medicine soon.

“I know, now get in the car quickly. I’ll take you to the restaurant you want.”

A 15-minute drive later, they arrived at Barner’s Tavern, a luxurious restaurant known for its special dishes like squid risotto and crispy fried calamari, which were very famous in London.

After ordering and finishing all the food they had ordered, Kimberly went to the restroom, leaving Nicholas sitting alone.

In the meantime, a woman suddenly approached Nicholas. Without hesitation, she sat down in the chair right in front of him. Nicholas froze for a moment. He didn’t expect to meet her again after all this time.

“Is this fate that I can meet you here?” the woman greeted him.

“Briana…” She smiled when Nicholas mentioned her name.

“I thought you had forgotten my name, Nick. How are you?” she asked casually.

Nicholas tried to keep his expression calm. He didn’t want to appear nervous, even though there was a pain resurfacing in his chest.

“I’m good, very good. How about you? Did you get married to your boyfriend from before?” Nicholas asked without hesitation.

The woman smiled. “No, I’m not married. After you ended our relationship, not long after, I also ended things with Mario. I thought he was only fit to be a friend for fun.”

Nicholas nodded. His face remained calm as before. In his heart, he hoped Kimberly would return from the restroom soon.

“How about you? If I may guess, you probably haven’t gotten married, right?”

Right after that question escaped Briana’s lips, another woman approached and walked directly to them.

“Sorry if I took long,” Kimberly said as she sat right next to Nicholas. She was convinced that the presence of this woman was very unwelcome, judging by Nicholas’s discomfort.

“Is she your friend?” Kimberly’s gaze shifted to the woman in front of her.

Nicholas nodded. “Yes, she’s my friend, Briana. Let me introduce you to her.”

After hearing the name, Kimberly understood why Nicholas had been uncomfortable.

With confidence, Briana extended her hand toward Kimberly.

“I’m Briana, Nicholas’s former fiancée,” she said, emphasizing her words and seemingly belittling Kimberly.

Kimberly gave a polite smile and shook Briana’s hand.Published by Nôv'elD/rama.Org.

“It’s nice to meet you. I’m Kimberly, Nicholas’s current fiancée,” she replied.

Before Briana could fully process the surprise of suddenly encountering a woman who then acted intimately with Nicholas, she had to accept the reality that Nicholas was already engaged. She had truly lost now.

She thought he wouldn’t forget her just like that, considering their long-lasting relationship. But hearing the fact that Nicholas had found someone else first, there was a creeping pain within Briana.

“Honey, I’m really tired. Can we go home now?” Kimberly broke the silence. She then got up from her seat and gently pulled Nicholas’s arm.

Nicholas agreed. He had been hoping to leave Briana’s presence for a while now.

“In that case, I’ll excuse myself. Nice to meet you, Briana. I hope you’ll come to our wedding early next year.” Nicholas intentionally mentioned the wedding in front of Briana. He just wanted to see the reaction of the woman who had hurt him in the past.

Briana remained composed. Shortly after, she smiled faintly, although the forced appearance was evident on her lips. Both Kimberly and Nicholas noticed it.

“With pleasure, I’ll definitely come if you invite me.”

***

After meeting Briana at the restaurant earlier that evening, when they returned home, Nicholas went straight into his room. Until nightfall, he didn’t leave his room at all. Worried that something might be wrong, Kimberly knocked on Nicholas’s bedroom door repeatedly.

“What do you want?” Nicholas asked when he opened the bedroom door.

“Are you okay? I’m worried about you,” Kimberly replied honestly.

Nicholas answered with a hint of irritation, “I’m fine; if there’s nothing important, you can leave. Please, just let me be alone.”

Kimberly shook her head and entered Nicholas’s room, then sat casually on his bed.

“Why were you acting strangely after coming back from the restaurant? Did you start thinking about your ex-girlfriend again?” Kimberly asked.

“It’s none of your business. Now, please leave my room.”

Instead of obeying what Nicholas had instructed, Kimberly instead pulled the man’s arm until he sat right beside her. Moments later, with boldness, Kimberly leaned forward and pressed her lips against Nicholas’s. She kissed him passionately, even devouring him with fervor. Nicholas, who had initially been surprised, slowly began to respond and enjoy it.

Kimberly broke their lip lock for a moment.

“Do you want to learn to love me, don’t you?” Kimberly asked in between their kisses. “From now on, there should never be anyone else between us. If you want me to love you sincerely, then do the same.” She continued afterward.

While trying to catch their still racing breaths, Nicholas nodded softly. Shortly after, he pulled Kimberly’s nape. Deepening their kiss, occasionally nibbling on her lush lips to satisfy all his desires. For a moment, they both were completely captivated. Nicholas only released their lip lock when he felt Kimberly’s breath beginning to quicken.

“Please don’t leave me, Kimmy,” Nicholas pleaded, then held Kimberly’s body tightly once again.