WARMING THE BILLIONAIRE COLD HEART

“How’s it going, Nick? Any news about Kimberly?” Edward asked as he and Nicholas sat in a restaurant this afternoon. After a meeting with one of their clients outside the office, they decided to grab lunch together first.

Nicholas, who had just finished ordering his food, leaned back against the chair. He took a deep breath and then shook his head slightly as a response to Edward’s question.

“I’m having trouble locating Kimberly. I don’t know if she went to a hard-to-reach place on her own or if Mario has tightened security,” Nicholas replied. His frustration was evident from his facial expression.

“You know, Ed, I’ve never been this hopeless. I feel like I just want to die,” Nicholas said, taking a quick sip of the coffee in front of him.

“Oh, come on, you idiot!” Edward exclaimed in frustration. “If you die, who’s going to fight for Kimberly? Your ghost in hell, is that it?” Edward grumbled. “Are you willing to just let the woman you love marry someone else? Is that what you want?” Edward fired off a barrage of questions while Nicholas chose to remain silent, staring blankly out the window.

Edward folded his arms in front of his chest, pondering what else he could do to help his friend. Nicholas had been in a rough spot a few years ago, and Edward knew how deep his pain and disappointment had been. But seeing Nicholas so lost and desperate, Edward admitted that this was the first time he’d seen him like this.

Edward tried to understand. There must be so much on Nicholas’s mind. Fortunately, during the earlier client meeting, he had managed to stay focused and prevent any unwanted incidents.

He also realized that Nicholas had been so foolish to doubt a woman as good as Kimberly. Despite warning his friend repeatedly to take care of her feelings, Nicholas had still failed. After knowing each other for so long and living next door, why had it taken Nicholas until the last moment to realize just how much he loved Kimberly?

Edward sighed softly, trying to comprehend Nicholas’s current chaotic state.

“It seems like you really need to ask Hans for help,” Edward suggested.

Nicholas shifted his gaze toward Edward.

“I’ll consider it later. You heard it yourself yesterday, Hans is currently assisting Kiano in London. Hopefully, after this, the detective I hired will bring us some good news.”

“Let’s hope so,” Edward replied briefly.

Afterward, the two of them chose to finish their lunch in silence.

After lunch, Nicholas decided to head back to his apartment. His mind felt extremely chaotic, and he needed some time to rest. Thinking about Kimberly was taking a toll on him.

Driving at a leisurely pace, Nicholas finally arrived and entered his apartment unit. However, as soon as he stepped in, he was suddenly ambushed by several burly men. He couldn’t fathom how they had managed to enter so freely.

“Who are you guys?” Nicholas exclaimed. His hands were tightly restrained by the burly men.

Initially, Nicholas had tried to resist with all his might, but because of the numerical disadvantage, he eventually chose to surrender and comply with whatever the men ordered him to do.

***

This morning, Mario and Arthur’s entire focus was on Kimberly. After her condition was reported as critical, the medical team promptly examined and treated her. According to the information, Kimberly’s blood pressure and heart rate had momentarily weakened. Fortunately, after medical intervention, Kimberly’s condition began to stabilize. The attending doctor had even left the operating room.

“How’s Kimberly doing, doctor?” Arthur asked anxiously.

The doctor first removed the mask covering his face. “Miss Kimberly’s condition is now stable. Her blood pressure and heart rate have returned to normal,” the doctor explained.

“Thank goodness…” Arthur and Mario breathed sighs of relief simultaneously.

“But…” the doctor continued.

“But what, doctor?” Now it was Mario’s turn to inquire.

“Miss Kimberly kept mentioning the name ‘Nicholas’ repeatedly before falling unconscious again. Is he a family member or a close friend?” The doctor furrowed his brow.

Arthur’s forehead creased in thought. “Nicholas? Who’s Nicholas?” he asked Mario.

Mario sighed softly. “I’ll tell Opa later.”

“So, what should we do, doctor?” Mario asked the doctor.

“My suggestion is that you try to bring the person she mentioned, Nicholas, here. Who knows, his presence might aid in Kimberly’s recovery process.”

Mario nodded in agreement.

“Very well, doctor. Thank you for the information.”

After the doctor left, Arthur returned to the waiting room. His gaze towards Mario indicated that he was waiting for an explanation of some sort. Understanding this, Mario took a seat right beside the elderly man.

“This is Nicholas, to be precise, Nicholas Alistair,” Mario handed over his phone, intending to show a photo to Arthur. He had intentionally kept a photo of the man since learning that Kimberly lived at Nicholas’s house.

Arthur took Mario’s phone and examined the displayed photo.

“Who is he exactly?” Arthur asked. His curiosity was immense now.

“According to an informant I assigned some time ago, Nicholas is the son of Robert Alistair, a British conglomerate. He currently holds the position of CEO at Alpha Beta, replacing Kenzi Maximilian, who is overseeing their subsidiary in London.”

Arthur nodded, then asked again, “So, what’s the connection between Nicholas and Kimberly?” he inquired, confused.

Mario sighed briefly before answering, “Kimberly is Nicholas’s personal secretary. Not only that, but they recently had a very serious relationship. They even got engaged in London,” Mario explained in detail.

Arthur was taken aback. He turned to look at Mario’s face. He never expected his granddaughter to become engaged to someone he didn’t know at all. In his eyes, in this world, only Mario was worthy of accompanying Kimberly. Only he truly understood and could protect Kimberly from all kinds of dangers.

“What about Kimberly, then?” Arthur asked, growing more curious.Content bel0ngs to Nôvel(D)r/a/ma.Org.

“Kimberly seems to love him, Opa. But they recently had a falling out. It made Kimberly sad, and she decided she didn’t want to see him anymore. In short, Nicholas hurt Kimberly quite deeply.”

Arthur growled in frustration. He didn’t want to see his beloved granddaughter being played with by someone, anyone.

“So, in your opinion, do we need to call that stubborn brat here?” Arthur asked. It seemed like he needed Mario’s advice.

Mario thought for a moment, weighing all the possibilities that might arise if he ordered Nicholas to come to Singapore.

Do I need to bring him?

But Kimberly had said she didn’t want to see Nicholas again.

“Mario, what do you think?” Arthur asked again. They needed to make a decision quickly for Kimberly’s sake.

This time, Mario took a deep breath.

“Let me handle everything. Opa, just sit here and pray for Kimberly’s speedy recovery.”