Chapter 132

Nicolas sighed faintly. "Are you angry?"

Thea felt like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. She retorted, "I'm not angry. What's there to be angry about?" Immediately, she felt vexed. "Nicolas, it's too late; I have to rest."

A commotion erupted on the other end of the phone. Darwin's voice followed: "I'm sorry, Mrs. Hendrix. Mr. Hendrix is a little…under the weather. He went out socializing and had a few drinks. You know how he is; a few drinks and he's out cold. Do you have time to come?" Thea was in a difficult position. Aside from the lack of cars at this hour, even if there were, it wouldn't be convenient for her to return immediately. Still, she worried.

A delicate female voice cut in: "Darwin, why are you bothering Miss Rowland? I'm here. It's okay, I'll take good care of him. I'm quite good at it." The implication was clear: she was the one who handled this sort of thing; Thea was an outsider, temporarily involved with Nicolas. Stephanie's words suggested she and Nicolas were the perfect match.

Thea gripped her phone, masking her unease. "If that's the case, I'll leave him to you, Ms. Ralap. Thank you. I'll rest first." She hung up.

Darwin rubbed his temples. Stephanie, meanwhile, beamed. She approached Nicolas, offering her arm. "Nicolas, shall I take you back?" Nicolas's eyes, though less sharp than usual, were cold. "Why did you say that to Thea?"

Stephanie feigned innocence. "It's true she can't come back now. If she wanted to, she wouldn't have stayed silent. Nicolas, I'm just worried about you. I feel you don't have a good relationship with her. I'm afraid you'll suffer." Nicolas coldly removed her hand. "Regardless, it's my choice. You don't need to worry about her and me. You're tired; I'll have Darwin take you home."

Stephanie bristled. "Nicolas, in the past, my brother was always there for you when you were drunk. I just wanted to do what he did."

Nicolas frowned, impatience evident. He helped Stephanie out of consideration for her brother, but her constant appeals to his guilt were irritating. Darwin saw this clearly, but Stephanie did not.

Chapter 139

Seeing his refusal to yield, Stephanie stormed off, Darwin following. She unleashed her anger on him. "Do I need you to follow me? Go back!"

Darwin, usually patient with Stephanie only out of respect for Nicolas, lost his patience. "Ms. Ralap," he said, "you pride yourself on intelligence, yet you fail to grasp Mr. Hendrix's feelings. Perhaps you can't see it, or perhaps you refuse to admit it. You know very well that if it were possible between you two, you would have been together in Yurtinas. But Mr. Hendrix chose Miss Rowland, despite limited contact, instead of you. Don't you understand why?"

Each word pierced Stephanie's heart. She clenched her fists, fighting to maintain composure. Darwin's lips curled. "Since you don't need me, Ms. Ralap, I'll leave you to hail a taxi."

Watching him go, Stephanie lost control, throwing her belongings to the ground. The hatred in her eyes was palpable. Originally, Nicolas and I could have been together, but Thea appeared. How could someone like Nicolas fall for her? she thought. He only feels a husband's duty towards her. Even so, Thea remained an eyesore. Slowly, a dangerous idea took root.

Returning to the private room, Darwin found Nicolas massaging his temples. Nicolas opened his eyes at the commotion. "Did you send her away?"

Darwin sighed. "Mr. Hendrix, Ms. Ralap seems very unhappy. We can't continue like this."

Nicolas groaned. "I've made it clear there's no possibility between us. She's always been like this. If not for her brother, I wouldn't care. Keep an eye on her. We can't let her do anything rash."

Darwin sighed. Nicolas, though seemingly cold, valued friendship above all. Stephanie's brother was a thorn in his side; only death would absolve him of his obligations. "And Mrs. Hendrix?" Darwin hesitated.

A complex expression crossed Nicolas's face. "Check her location and send it to my email before tomorrow morning."

"Immediately, sir," Darwin replied.

That night, Thea slept soundly, waking refreshed.

Chapter 132 (continued)

Her good mood vanished at the sight of Chad at her door. Her expression darkened. "Why? You can't contain yourself; you want to hurt me?"

Chad looked innocent, but his eyes were cold. "Miss Rowland, you misunderstand. This is Mr. Sandy's doing. Didn't you feel insecure, think someone wanted to harm you? He sent me to protect you. If anything happens to you, I'm held accountable. Will that ease your mind?"

Thea took a deep breath. "I'll be more at ease if you follow me."

Chad simply smiled, his cold gaze unwavering. She felt goosebumps. Fortunately, April arrived, stepping between them.

"Corey wants to have a meal with some people before the competition. Do you want to go?"

Thea declined. "No need. I'm just here to compete."

But Chad insisted, "Miss Rowland, Mr. Sandy wants you to go."

April intervened, impatiently. "She has a choice. Do you have the right to tell her what to do? Even if Corey asks, I can explain if she's unwilling." She looked at Thea. "Don't be afraid. Tell me what you think."

Thea glanced between April and Chad. Chad remained impassive. April nudged Thea. "Tell me quickly. Don't worry, Corey will listen to me."

Thea shook her head. "Forget it. It's just a meal. No big deal." She didn't want to owe favors. April pouted. "Alright, you decide."

Chad smiled, a glint of malice in his eyes. Thea knew something awaited her at this meal. Never mind, she thought. I'll face it.