It happened so fast, it was the last thing Adira expected. Her heart leapt into her throat and threatened to burst from her chest as she struggled for a moment to comprehend the swift action. Was she dreaming? Or perhaps, drunk again? Or was Nikolai really kissing her? How was it possible? How was this possible when she wasn't even drunk? A tremor of coldness swept through her like an arctic river, freezing from her within. It was just like the first time he kissed her; that very night. Yes, she was drunk but she remembered every bit of it. Nikolai wasn't thinking straight. He couldn't explain how he had lost so much control to kiss her. Damn it! He thought this was going to be easy - getting married and divorcing her in a space of two years. Not until a while ago, he never understood the depth of his obsession over her. It drove him nuts to find her in the company of another. No man should have the privilege of spending so much time with her. He knew it wasn't right. He needed to let her go, but why was it so difficult? He forced himself to break free from the kiss, his breathing uneven. Looking at her, he found so much confusion in her eyes. Of course, she should be confused. He broke his own damn rule himself. Her lips were still wet from his touch and a wild sensation almost pushed him for more. It was crazy that he wanted more of her when he knew how dangerous that might be. He unwrapped her waist and took a step back, his eyes slowly falling to the floor. Only then did he realize the full impact of what he just did. Things might never remain the same between them again. He just created a mess he might never be able to undo. "Go with the guards," he said finally, walked pass her and into the car. Adira was dumbfounded. Hearing the car get started behind her, she forced herself to step aside and watched behind blurry eyes as Nikolai drove away, going a different direction. Until that moment, she was tongue-tied. What just happened? *** It was hell trying to sleep for Adira. From time to time, she kept tossing on the bed and at some point, even stood up to pace around the room. Nikolai didn't come home. That hurt her even more. But the impact of his hands around her waist and his lips on hers didn't left her. Back then at the pool, Nikolai was the one that saved her? So, it was him all along and not Lancelot? So, why the hell did Lancelot lie to her the whole time? Why did her make her believe he was hero? She beat herself with the thought of it, beginning to feel so guilty. She felt guilty that Nikolai had been around the whole time, yet she never noticed him. Even until that moment, she was still trying to recollect how he saved her. Why was it so difficult remembering him? The kiss and his obsession from the previous night, was it possible that he actually loved her? A man like Nikolai loved her? Perhaps, that would explain why he chose to help when she was a nobody. That would explain why he gave her so much power and influence when she should mean nothing to him. It was all because he... loved her. Or was she wrong? *** By morning, heavy shadows adorned her weary eyes due to her lack of sleep. She was extremely weak and couldn't make it to work. Although, she had important clients to meet up with, she texted Bonnie to reschedule. So, for hours, she laid weakly on the bed, just drowning in an ocean of conflicting thoughts. Yvonne came in along the way and expressed surprise upon finding her still on the bed. "Ma'am, are you alright? Are...Are you sick?" She panicked. It was very unusual for Adira to stay in bed on a working morning like that. Yvonne went forward and placed a hand on her forehead. "Oh, my! Your temperature's a little heated up! I should call the doctor!" "Please, don't," Adira mumbled. "I just want to be alone for now." Yvonne wasn't completely satisfied, but she knew she couldn't disobey her. "Al... Alright. I should get you breakfast, then." Yes. Breakfast might work. "Is Nikolai home?" Adira asked just before Yvonne would open the door. "I'm afraid not, ma'am. I haven't seen him." This broke her even more. Was he intentionally avoiding her? She buried her face in the bed and heard Yvonne leave. A minute later, her phone beeped beside her and she jerked up immediately, grabbing the phone in one swift move. But her excitement died down when it turned out to be a message from Jared. Foolish of her to think it was Nikolai.She opened the message morosely. 'Good morning, Adi. How did it go last night? Hope you didn't get hurt?' Adi? She scoffed. He was now calling her Adi? She dropped the phone, having no strength to reply. Her mind was totally blanked out. After a while, her phone rang again and just like the first time, she glanced quickly, only to be disappointed that it was Bonnie. Goodness; why was her mind playing tricks on her today? She was tempted to ignore the call, but when it dawned on her that it might be work-related, she picked it up. "Good morning, ma'am. I got your text. Are you fine?" Bonnie spoke in a rush. "I'm fine. What is it, Bonnie?" The debility in her voice belied her response. Bonnie wanted to persist, but she knew her boss hated being disturbed in such mood."Uh... I actually wanted to inform you that there's been little changes in the contract with Mr. Jared." Adira sat up, curiosity building up in her. What changes? "Mr. Nikolai has assigned Mrs. Bruno from the second department to take it from you. He... doesn't want you involved with Mr. Jared anymore." For the next three seconds, Adira's mind was blanked. "Are...Are you serious?" She tucked her hair behind her ear. "Yes, ma'am. I just deemed it necessary to inform you about it." More silence. "Okay, then. Call me if anything else comes up." Dropping the phone beside her, she snaked her fingers into her hair. Nikolai transferred the contract to someone else? This guy could be this jealous?Another call came into her phone. And glancing at the screen, it was Lancelot. At this point, Adira was becoming irritated. Why does he keep calling? Yes, she knew she had plans of ruining his family, but a lot of things has been keeping her busy lately. But, was he so eager to get destroyed? Moreover, she was really mad at him for lying to her, her whole life that he was her childhood hero. She was definitely going to make him pay dearly for it. But not now. Soon. Angrily, she switched the call to silent mood and laid on the bed. *** Lancelot clenched the phone tight in his hands, his knuckles turning white. "Damn it, Adira" He grunted. Why the hell was she ignoring his calls? For weeks, he's been trying to reach her. It was him who got offended. So, why was she acting like she was mad at him?He shoved the phone to the bed and stood up, pacing tho and fro the room. He knew it was wrong - trying so hard to reach her. But no matter how hard he tried, he had no idea why he couldn't get her out of his fúcking mind. After the dinner he had with her, his dreams had become filled with the beautiful monkeys they shared when they were married. It suddenly dawned on him that he had truly loved her, but left her to fulfill his parent's wishes. He was a fool, to be honest. He let himself lose such a gem. Now, he couldn't stop thinking about ways to get her back. The door opened, revealing Jardine. She had a hair bonnet on which indicated she had been busy in the kitchen. Standing at the door, she shoot him a suspicious stare. "Are you alright?" She asked. "I'm fine." Lancelot's reply was a low grumble. After Adira sent those images to Jardine, things had not really remained the same between them. Although, Jardine had forgiven him and was trying all she could to re-build their relationship, but Lancelot was now the one feeling bugged. "Breakfast is ready. You should come downstairs and eat," She lowered her gaze before exiting the room. **** Lyra stepped down from the sleek black car, adorned in an all black outfit with dark shades concealing her eyes. The intensity of her scowl etched deep lines on her forehead as she marched into the duplex, the house maids lowering their heads as she walked past them. "Where's my brother?" She asked indignantly, glaring her eyes at the staircase. "He's in his room, ma'am. I can go get him from you." One of the maids responded fearfully and turned towards the stairs. She was about climbing onto the stairs but paused when she noticed the young man already coming down. Lowering her head, she stepped away from the staircase."And what do you want with your brother?" A scheming voice was heard, revealing Jared.