Nicolas
"Jesus Christ." I muttered under my breath.
"You think Nicolas is dangerous? Fucking wait till you see me." Nora's voice echoed in the four walls of my office. "I understand you want his attention. Honestly, everyone does. But the kind of attention you want, he's not gonna give it to you, honey. That's for me. You lost it when you betrayed him. And I don't fucking share, definitely not him."
I stared at the phone in amazement, jaw almost dropping down to the ground. Looking up closely, I noticed the shadow of a smile on Lorenzo's face. He bit his lip, a poor attempt to hide a laugh. I blinked, still amazed. "I- where is she now?"
"She is at the penthouse." He replied, then smirked. "I've already got a car waiting for you downstairs."
I got up in bewilderment, clearing my throat, snapping myself out of the trance. I was surprised because no one had ever fought for me like that. I was surprised because I couldn't believe I'd landed myself a woman like her, that she was mine and she wanted me just as much as I did.
"She's good for you." Lorenzo murmured. "I saw her when she was with Sydney. She showed her that she won't tolerate shit when it comes to you. A possessive woman is the best kind."
"She's too good for me." I murmured. "I never thought-"
"Nora isn't the woman who takes these things lightly, Nicolas." He said. "You obviously know her better than me, so you know. Sydney didn't deny the allegations. She told people with the intention of letting the world know. Nora's reducing my work." He chuckled. "Now I don't have to back off people from you, women especially."
"I don't want anyone except her." I buttoned my blazer, walking out with him behind me. I asked Peter to cancel my schedule for today. We rode down the elevator in utter silence, my mind too focused with the thoughts of my beautiful little tigress. Paul opened the door to the car for me, then we were off.
When I punched in the code for my penthouse and opened the door, the sound of a soft laughter reached my ears. I took a moment to let in sink in. I lost my breath when I went into the drawing room. Nora was on the phone, sauntering around the room. Her lips were pulled up into a huge smile, her face so vibrant and bright that she blurred everything. Her posture was cool and carefree, like she was at home.
Her eyes snapped to mine and her already wide smile widened more. "Hi, baby! Lydia, I'll call you later."
I reached her in three steps, grabbing the back of her head and smashing my lips on hers. She didn't react for a second, surprised by my sudden gesture. I kissed her simply because I couldn't do anything else. I needed that breath she was holding. She held my shirt, her mouth moving fiercely against mine. When she pulled back, I was panting. "What was that for?"
"I love you."
"Are you alright?" She asked me.
I nodded, lifting her up. Holding her tight, I buried my face in her neck and inhaled. This was home. She didn't even know what kind of power she had over me. She didn't understand just how much I needed her. "Say it back."
She giggled. "What if I don't?"
I tightened my grip, biting on her neck. "Say it."
Her chest vibrated as she chuckled. "I love you, Nicolas."
"When I heard what you'd said to her, I just- god, I love you, Nora."
"You heard?" She asked, then shook her head. "Of course you did. She had it coming. If she thought I'd just let her bring you down-"
I impatiently connected our lips again, desperate for a single touch. The fact that she had willingly put herself out there in front of my ex fiancee, just to protect me, was too overwhelming. No one had ever done that before. I was used to handling my problems, but when she took control, I absolutely loved it. I didn't understand how I got this lucky to call her mine. She was the most beautiful part of my life.
"Hey, Nico." She cupped my face, bringing my face to look in her eyes. "What's the matter?"
"I don't know. As much as I didn't like you going to talk to her, when I heard you, I just- I don't know. No one's ever done that, Nora. I fight my own battles, no one's ever fought for me. But you did and I fucking loved it. I can't express it-"
"You liked me fighting for you because it made you feel wanted." She said softly. "I want you. I need you. I'd fight for you without a doubt, Nico. I'd fight the entire world for you. You're not alone anymore."
I hadn't known how much I'd wanted to hear that sentence till she said it. I held her tightly, trying to absorb her, but failing. I'd held her in my arms everyday, but it was never enough. She consumed me. She held every single inch of mine. There wasn't a second when I didn't think about her. If tomorrow she asked me to give her up, I didn't think I was capable of doing that.
"I'll always protect you." I murmured. "Always." Then I chuckled. "We make a perfect team."
She smiled, lightning up the room, lightning up my entire world. "Me and you, Reid. We are a team. We'll make the whole world jealous."
~~
"You know I don't like this, right?"
"Deal with it." Nora stuck her tongue out at me.
I gripped the edge of the table, fighting back a smile. "You've been using your mouth a lot these days. Maybe we should put it to different uses, yeah?"
"Uses! Fuck, uses!" She jumped up from the chair, her face now way more excited than before. "You're a genius."
"Thank you?" I raised an eyebrow. "I don't understand-"
"We'll continue this conversation later! I need to drive to Lydia's place." She grabbed her bag from the table in a rush, pressing a chaste kiss to my cheek. "I'll see you later."
"What the fuck? Come back here right this second." I scrunched my eyebrows when she didn't comply. "Nora? Come back-"
"No time, Nico. Later, I promise."
I reached her before she could leave, gripping her elbow and turning her around forcefully. Holding the back of her neck I brought her lips to mine, kissing her hard and fast. "Don't leave without kissing me goodbye."
"I did!"
"Properly." I said firmly. "On the lips."
She shook her head in disbelief, kissing me again. I felt her lips turn up against my mouth when I cupped her face to deepen it. "Nuh uh, none of that. I've gotta run."
"Later." I gave her a hard stare.
"Promise."
I sighed, eyeing her ass as she strutted away. As if she knew my intentions, she shook her head in exasperation, giving me an amused look. When she was out of the door, I dropped down on the couch, looking up at the ceiling. My phone rang, and I closed my eyes as I brought it to my ear. "Reid."
"Nicolas. We need to talk."
I straightened up, narrowing my eyes. "Tiffany."
"Your girlfriend assaulted my daughter today. We won't take that lightly."
"Assaulted?" I gave a chuckle. "I assure you she had a mere chat with her, where she conveniently asked her to back off. I didn't realise Sydney was so weak that she'd label it as an assault."
Tiffany scoffed from the other side. "She threatened to-"
"She didn't threaten anyone. She stated facts. If you want to discuss this further, please do it with Nora. She has more knowledge about the issue, and she doesn't need me to defend her."
"Sydney is very upset." Her mother said. "She didn't like the way your girlfriend-"
"Nora. She has her own identity. Respect it."
"She didn't like the way Nora spoke to her." Tiffany said. Her voice was sharp and hostile. "Ask her to stop harassing my daughter-"
"Since when do you fight her battles?" I asked. "Last I checked, Sydney knew how to handle her problems."
"She was visibly disturbed because she had no intention of doing a lot of things she was accused of. She was very distressed, Nicolas."
"I send her my regards. I'll ask Peter to give you Nora's number. All further communication you want can be done through her. She'd be delighted to talk to you." I said.
"I just wanted to let you know we're pressing charges against her."
My blood chilled. I gripped the phone tightly in my hand, reminding myself to stay calm. "I'd like to see you try." I drawled out, almost in a purr. My voice was sharp and icy.
"Hm?"
"I really don't think you wanna go down that lane, Tiffany. You know what I'd do to protect what's mine." I said. "Sydney won't like the outcome of me taking control of this."
"Are you threatening-"
"I call it mere negotiation. You could take it as a threat. You go against Nora, you go against me. It's as simple as that." With that, I hung up.
Taking a deep breath, I closed my eyes again. I'd sworn to protect Nora until my last breath. I didn't think Sydney, or her mother for that matter, would be dumb enough to press charges. I could ruin her career with a snap of my fingers. They knew they'd be digging their own graves if they made an enemy out of me.
Still, I called up Matthew for safety measures. He understood the situation and assured me he'd prevent Nora from another confrontation anytime soon. As much as I liked her possessiveness, her safety was my topmost priority. She was the most cherished part of my life, going against her was like directly crossing me.
There was a knock at the front door. I pushed at the button beside my couch, effectively opening the door without standing up. I was proud of the technician who'd installed it. My attorney walked in without a word, dropping down a thin, blue coloured file on my desk.
"You got it?" I stared at the file, a strong feeling of relief passing down my body. I'd known he would, he'd never disappointed me. But I needed to confirm it was what I'd asked for before getting my hopes up.
"He accepted." Greyson said in response. "Everything's in it."
"You checked?"
"I had someone check it. There's not much information, but it's enough."
I picked up the file, flipping through the pages. My eyes took in the words, running down the lines. My phone rang constantly, I had no doubt it was the person who's employee I'd just stolen. When I was satisfied with what I read, I dropped it down on the table again. "Release it."
Greyson widened his eyes. "What? You can't be serious. We'll make an enemy out of them-"
"Do I look like I care?" I raised an eyebrow. "A million dollars won't hurt me."
He was about to say something when my phone rang again, this time a different ringtone. I snapped my eyes to the caller id, a picture of my girlfriend standing in my shirt, in my kitchen meeting my eyes. She was a sight for sore eyes and I loved showing it off. I picked it up, motioning to Greyson. "Nora."
"Clear out your schedule for the 15th, alright?"
I raised an eyebrow. "I thought they wanted to get married in a week?"
"They realised the wedding would happen only once. One week wasn't enough to pull it off gracefully. So we're going for the 15th instead. There's still a month left."
"I'll clear out that entire week for you, okay?"
I felt her smile on the other end. "You're awesome."
"Hm? Show that to me once you come home." Greyson pretended to gag, making me roll my eyes. He acted so extra sometimes that I couldn't believe he wasn't child, that I paid him to get me out of trouble.
"And suddenly it makes sense." He said once I hung up. "You're doing it for her, aren't you?"
I got up, unclenched my back muscles. "Call Lorenzo. Release it to the media."
Greyson nodded, pressing his phone to his ear. I stared at the picture which adorned my table. Nora's hair was flowing down her shoulders, a bright smile on her face. She'd accompanied me to another formal dinner, her lips red and swollen from when I'd fucked her in the limo. She was dressed in a long gown, a deep slit at the side, giving me a view of her long legs. She looked confident and radiant. She looked like a dream, like my dream, one I couldn't believe I'd achieved.
I clenched my jaw, stepping forward in the direction of the file that was kept so innocently beside her picture.
You made my girlfriend suffer. Now you pay.
*
What do you think Nicolas means by making them pay? And who's them?
Do share your opinions! I read all your comments even if I don't reply to each one, and I love reading them. We're only left with a few more chapters and I'm finally starting to accept this journey is coming to an inevitable end. *sniffs*