Trouble in Paradise (Arianna and Nicholas) novel Chapter 471

"Is that so? If you're having trouble, Mr. Hawk, feel free to have a chat with my assistant. Given our past, I won't just ignore you."

I understood Nicholas's sarcastic tone perfectly. I lowered my voice and added, "Even if it's a 30-year case, I'm confident I can handle it."

He chuckled coldly and fell silent. I truly didn't hope for anything good for him.

A 30-year lawsuit would mean countless deaths tied to his name, assuming he had been killing continuously for three decades.

But Nicholas knew full well that I could do it. Everything I had now had nothing to do with him, and he couldn't accept that fact and just let it go.

He couldn't bring himself to wish me well, especially after how ugly their parting had been. My decisiveness had been brutal. Even now, I hadn't uttered a single "sorry" since we met again.

His heart felt as though two invisible hands were tearing it apart, pulling him in opposite directions—half agony, half relief. It twisted his face in the dark.

"You should leave now."

In the silence, I had no idea what Nicholas was thinking, nor did I care to know. The only thing I needed to understand was that he didn't belong here.

I picked up the glass I had set down for Nicholas, pouring out the water, hoping he'd get the hint not to linger.

But the moment I touched the glass, he moved. His large hand covered mine, gripping it tightly. The next second, my body was pulled uncontrollably into his chest.

I braced one hand against the couch, but my posture was anything but graceful. When I lifted my head to glare at him, I found myself staring into a pair of cold, merciless eyes.

The summer heat seemed to vanish in an instant as if we had fallen into an icy pit. The chill crept up from where he held my wrist, freezing me like a hard stone. I didn't know how I should react.

Nicholas said, "Tomorrow at 9:00 a.m., meet me at my office."

Nicholas raised an eyebrow and stepped back, raising both hands as if in surrender.

"You don't actually think I'm still interested in you, do you? Don't get the wrong idea. I only came by to compliment you. You've done a decent job running my Jones Corporation these past three years."

He turned and strode out with an air of indifference, but a sense of foreboding rose inside me.

I rushed to block his path. "Nicholas, explain yourself! What do you mean by your 'Jones Corporation'?"

Nicholas's face was expressionless, but for some reason, I felt like he was laughing wildly inside. His tone wasn't harsh. In fact, it was soft and almost pleasant.

"Tomorrow, I'll be waiting for you in my office."