Trouble in Paradise (Arianna and Nicholas) novel Chapter 473

Seeing Nicholas act so nonchalantly almost made me lose my composure. It felt like an invisible force was pressing down on me.

If I stayed with him for even one more minute, the facade I was desperately holding up would crumble completely.

I forced myself to shake my head and said as calmly as possible, "You should go ahead, Mr. Hawk. I'll be there by 9:00 a.m."

Nicholas took his last puff, tossed the cigarette to the ground, and elegantly crushed it with his toe before speaking.

"Since when did Ms. Jones become so hesitant? The Ariana I remember was bold and straightforward."

His tone had a hint of teasing, making me think of our intimate past. But when I looked up at him, his face was expressionless as if the words had come out without any deeper meaning.

He asked me, "Do I need to invite you?"

I quickly glanced over his face before turning away in disgust. I remembered how he had once stood not far from me in the underground parking lot, making a gentlemanly gesture of inviting me into the car.

I gritted my teeth and lightly said, "Thank you, Mr. Hawk."

I tried treating Nicholas like any ordinary acquaintance. If I kept retreating, it would seem like I was the only one still trapped in our past, which was an embarrassment I couldn't bear.

I had no intention of sitting in the front passenger seat, so I reached for the back door.

But before I could open it, his hand grasped mine. I heard Nicholas's voice saying, "Three years of being waited on, and now you think I'm your chauffeur?"

I froze. Before I could react, he had already pushed me into the passenger seat.

However, after recovering from his illness two years ago, the moment he appeared in that interview, his entire demeanor had changed. Now, he was a wolf through and through.

Hawk Corporation's position in Radiant City had always been strong. In the past, there were still a few large companies in the city, but over the last two years, many had gone bankrupt or been merged.

Shelman Group, in particular, had suffered devastating blows. If Pete hadn't been supporting them from abroad, the Shelman family might have fallen apart by the time he returned.

From what Douglas told me, Jones Corporation hadn't had a smooth run either, but at least it hadn't reached a breaking point, and he could still manage.

So, I had prepared myself for the meeting today. But I hadn't expected Nicholas to show up at my doorstep so early.

Wherever he planned to eat breakfast, I kept silent. I didn't mind letting the strange tension between us become even stranger.