Chapter 8

MAY

It was a king sized bed so there was enough space for both of us. We stayed further apart and I turned to peek at him at times. The thought of him touching me while I was asleep almost made me run wild. Well, he didn't look like one to do such a thing anyway. Even at that, I couldn't get any sleep. I struggled between nightmares until it was morning. Nicholas was up first. He was coming out of the bathroom when I woke up.

“Good morning, sweetie!” He told me as he hung his wet towel.

“Good morning…” I muttered. “I'm not your sweetie though!”

“Get used to it. We will have a lot of guests today,” Nicholas smiled. At that point, I thought he was just goofing around. It was shocking to find out that I really had so many guests. Many people wanted to see Nicholas so he strategically threw a party that same day so he could introduce me to the world.

“You are so pretty!” That must have been the hundredth time I was hearing it today. Nicholas had guests from home and abroad and some of them had gifts for me. One of them in particular, an Asian lady left an impression on me.

“Everyone calls me Madam Kang! You can do that as well,” She told me confidently as she raised her glass. I clinked glasses with her and smiled politely.

“You are from South Korea, right?” I asked, trying to initiate a conversation.

“Right! I lived part of my life there and the rest in France. I am fluent in six languages including French, English, Chinese, and Korean. What do you think?” She smiled.

I felt like telling her she talked too much. I asked a question, she gave too much information. Now, why was she asking what I thought of it?

“It is wonderful. To be fluent in so many languages is rare,” I muttered. I had to appease her ego.

“Everyone says that too!” She blushed. “I am pretty successful, you know. I co-own one of the best fashion brands in Asia and Europe. The brand is growing pretty well in America so you'd get to know us soon enough.”

“Oh, is that so?” I cut in.

“Yeah, we are growing pretty well,” She replied.

One more “pretty” from her and I'd growl in annoyance. It was a nice thing that this beast-like frustration of mine was concealed within.

“How did you start your business?” I really didn't want to know. It was just something to keep the conversation going. She turned to me and looked pretty serious as she would say.

“I had similar opportunities like you!” She replied without beating around the bush.

“I'm not sure I understood that…” My voice trailed off.

“My ex-husband is Roberts Greene,” She began to narrate. “He was a multimillionaire then. I married him for my career actually and well, he funded it pretty well. He was the building block of my fashion company. Man, he loved me pretty much!”

“What happened?” I asked.

“What else would happen?” Madam Kang laughed. “Of course, I got a divorce and left with the majority of his fortune. I heard he became depressed and wrapped up his business.”

“That's sad,” I meant that. Madam Kang tapped me and made me look into her eyes. Her gaze seemed dangerous but I didn't look away.

“Don't feel pity for men!” She told me. “You have a billionaire and famous husband which means you will have access to more than I did. You are pregnant too, is that correct?”

I nodded.

“Very good!” She smiled. “That means your child will inherit whatever fortune you didn't get from him originally. You have better luck. All you have to do is be ruthless.”

What in the world was this woman proposing? I couldn't wrap my head around it.

“Ruthless?” I asked.

“Don't you want to become a billionaire too?” She asked me fondly. “I am sure you are a wise lady. Be ruthless and calculative. I will be rooting for you!”

Madam Kang left me high and dry. I wondered if what she meant was that I should rob Nicholas of his fortune the way she did with her husband. Would Nicholas even allow me to do that? Impossible. It was a contract marriage anyway.

“Sister-in-law!” I heard from behind me. I turned only to find a tall, good-looking young man behind me. He had brown hair with a funny looking moustache that made him different from the rest. One of the waitresses passed and he picked up a glass of champagne.

I stared at him, dumbfounded. Was he Nicholas's brother?

He must have found out I was confused because he continued, “My name is Austin. I guess my brother didn't make mention of me at all. Nice to meet you!”

He offered me a handshake and I shook hands with him smiling politely as I had done all through. Out of nowhere, Nicholas appeared, pulling me towards him. I was so shocked that my glass fell, shattering into pieces. All eyes in the room must have fallen on us.

Nicholas looked alarmed. He was breathing hard as he stared at Austin. I could sense the bad energy between them. Austin was so calm with a smile while Nicholas was the one who looked disgruntled.

“What are you doing here?” Nicholas asked, keeping his voice down.

“I had to see my new sister-in-law. Did I move out of bounds?” Austin wanted to know. A waitress came by to clear the broken glass. Austin winked at her and she only nodded.

“You should leave now that you've satisfied your curiosity!” Nicholas told him, his voice sounding grumpy. He grabbed my hand firmly and led me out of the room. He didn't let me go until we were in a private room, away from everyone's ears.

“Why did you do that?” I shouted at him. “You made me feel embarrassed and I'm sure your brother felt bad too!”

“Stepbrother,” He corrected. “You think I would have that monster as my real brother!”