Chapter 124
He seemed perfectly composed, an effortless scent of cheap perfume clinging to him. Broad shoulders, slim waist, an essence that commanded attention. He was nothing like the arrogance they had expected. Instead, he carried himself like Vicolas, but the only one who could match Nicolas’s presence was Adriel.
They had expected a man angered, but the man standing in front of them felt different. More composed, more in control, but even they could tell something had shifted. The careless charm had been replaced by a smooth smile on his face as he nodded toward the Anderson family. “Mr. and Mrs. Anderson, I...” He stammered, then quickly reeled in the greeting. “It’s been a while. I have to say, you’ve changed quite a bit.” His voice was steady, unhurried. *Twas reckless before, I won’t deny in..." He educated himself. “Oh, don’t be so hard—”
Nicolas panned at Bryan, who immediately stepped forward with neatly wrapped gift boxes—two handed. His tone was light but polite. “Just a small gesture, please accept it.”
Vincent eyed the box and cut in with a hearty laugh. “No need for that. Your visit is enough. Don’t treat me like a stranger.”
Nicolas nodded. “It’s only right.” He handed a jewelry box to Kimberly and a larger gift box to Vincent, his posture respectful as the weight of the moment settled over the room. He smiled. “I heard Mr. Anderson enjoys collecting paintings. I recently came across a Van Gogh painting and thought you might like it.”
Vincent quickly opened the box. Inside was an authentic Van Gogh’s masterpiece. He was completely stunned, then looked back at Nicolas, his expression a mix of disbelief and excitement. “Are you serious? This is Gogh‘! And you’re just giving it to me!”
Van Gogh paintings were priceless. Even the smallest piece could be worth hundreds of millions. And Nicolas had...
Kimberly lifted the lid of her own box. A deep red gemstone, nearly the size of a pigeon egg, rested inside. Her breath hitched. “A Jupron Blood ruby!” A legendary ruby; it was the rarest and would easily go for hundreds of millions, and then it was nearly impossible to find, unless one had serious connections. They wouldn’t even get the chance to bid on something like this.
This “small gesture” left the entire Anderson family speechless.
“That’s way too much. We can’t accept these—” He quickly tried to put the painting back.
“Mr. and Mrs. Anderson, you are Noelle’s parents, and I have the utmost respect for you both. No gift...” Nicolas had a vacant sad redundancy... but he beat at it until it was arted.
Seeing how firm he was, Vincent hesitated for a moment before finally nodding. He carefully put the painting away, and when he looked up at Nicolas again, his expression was noticeably warmer.
“Well then,” Vincent said with a genuine smile, “since it’s just about dinner time, why don’t you stay and join us for a meal?”
Nicolas smiled. “I appreciate the offer, sir, but before dinner, I’d like to check on Noelle. How is she?”
Kimberly hesitated. “She’s still asleep. She wasn’t feeling well today, said she caught a cold. If you go in now, you might get sick too.”
Nicolas didn’t even flinch. “She is my fiancée. If she’s not feeling well, the last thing I’ll do is stay away.”
“Ban….” Kimberly still looked uncertain.
Vincent cut her off gently. “They’re engaged. It’s perfectly normal for him to check on her. No need to overthink it.” He turned to Nicolas with a smile. “Go ahead. Noelle’s room is the third one upstairs.”
“Thank you.” Nicolas nodded and made his way up.
Nicolas had completely stolen the show today in the Anderson family’s house. It wasn’t just his presence, though that alone was enough to turn heads. What really silenced any objections from them were the gifts he had brought. No matter how much they might’ve disapproved of him before, those concerns suddenly seemed a lot less important.
Eli watched Nicolas disappear upstairs and scoffed. “Wow. He really just bribed Mom and Dad. That guy’s got nerve.”
The Anderson family had strict rules. Normally, not even a fiancé would be allowed to visit Noelle in her room while she was resting. That was just how things were done. But Nicolas had walked in, given Vincent a priceless painting, handed Kimberly a rare gemstone, and suddenly, all those rules didn’t seem to matter anymore.
Damon, who had been watching quietly, finally spoke. “He knew exactly what he was doing. Dad loves paintings. Mom loves gemstones. He planned it.”
Charlie, who had been silent until now, added. “Those gifts are worth over 150 million dollars combined.”
“150 million dollars?!” Eli spun around, his eyes practically popping out of his head. “Are you serious?” He had known the gifts were expensive, but hearing the actual number hit different. “That’s insane,” he muttered, still trying to process it.
Charlie smirked. “The Sawyer family sure knows how to flex. Nicolas doesn’t even have real power, yet he’s still throwing around gifts like that.”
Eli rolled his eyes. “Yeah, because he was born into it. He doesn’t have to do a damn thing; his brothers run the business, and he just sits back and spends their money. I heard he owns 40% of the family’s shares.”
Damon chuckled. “Sounds like someone is jealous. Why don’t you go be a Sawyer if you want it so bad?”
Eli scoffed. “Pass. I’d rather make my own way than be some rich kid living off his family.” Despite his words, he couldn’t shake off the envy. Damn, Nicolas is loaded.
Leia listened to her brothers argue while their parents fawned over the gifts, unable to put them down. Her eyes drifted toward the stairs, and for a moment, a dark shadow crossed her face, leaving an unexpected sting in her chest.
She loved Harley, or at least she told herself she did. But watching Nicolas tonight, so different from before, left an unexpected sting in her chest. If she hadn’t turned him down all those times, everything he had now—the wealth, the prestige, the admiration—would have been hers. From the moment Nicolas arrived to the moment he went upstairs, he hadn’t spared her a single glance.
She was supposed to be his fiancée. And yet, to him, she might as well not exist. Leia felt a wave of bitterness wash over her. It was as if Noelle had stolen something from her again.
How much more does she have to take from me before she’s satisfied? Do I have to destroy her to get my life back? Her fingers curled into fists.