127

127

Alesya blinked and searched the empty spaces on both sides of her. She was looking for the comforting figure that usually held her through the night but now seemed to have disappeared.

"Nicholas," Alesya's eyebrows furrowed. She spotted Nicholas sitting in a chair with his laptop on, his head resting on the table.

She cautiously got out of bed and walked over to see what Nicholas was working on. Her heart ached when she realized he was going through the restaurant's finances, listing two restaurants there.

If she hadn't whined to be accompanied to sleep last night, Nicholas wouldn't have had to work late into the morning like this.

"Nicholas..." Alesya lowered her gaze, gently rubbing his arm to wake him up. He was due to leave for the restaurant soon. Even though it was the weekend, Nicholas wouldn't have a day off, especially when the restaurant tended to be busier on such occasions.

"Mmm... Hey, Al." Nicholas yawned and stretched. He tugged Alesya onto his lap, resting his head on her shoulder. "How did you sleep?"

"Soundly, as usual."

"That's good to hear."

"Since when have you been sitting here?"

Nicholas shook his head. "I'm not exactly sure what time it is. All I know is I woke up and started working. Oh, by the way, today I'll be preparing some things for Devin's catering. He wants box meals to distribute to orphans and the less fortunate. He also wants to use different plates for the guests, so I have to go shopping again while he covers the expenses. And... I might come home late."

Nicholas tilted his head and lifted Alesya's chin with his hand.

"Why, Al?"

"Devin wants white plates with gold trim. There are initials, his name and the girl's name. Those plates will be displayed in his house once the wedding is over. For the orphans, there are a hundred boxes, and for the less fortunate, a hundred as well. The menu for the boxes is rendang, rice, fried chicken, bread, an apple, and a bottle of mineral water. Is that correct?" Alesya asked, her eyes welling up with tears now.

Nicholas nodded.

"Devin's wedding decor has a fairytale kingdom theme."

Again, Nicholas nodded, confirming everything Alesya was saying.

"Later..."

"Why? Is everything Devin's planning right now exactly the way he planned with you?"

Nicholas interrupted, breaking the painful memories looping in Alesya's mind.

How Devin used to design a wedding concept together with her. And they even chose their anniversary as their wedding day.

"It's quite interesting, isn't it? Our birthdays will be celebrated together with our wedding anniversary in the future," Devin had said back then.

It used to sound incredibly sweet, but now it was incredibly painful. All those hopes and dreams had been shattered for Alesya. Yet for Devin, everything continued as planned, even though it wasn't Alesya the girl he would marry.

Alesya didn't answer. She just hugged Nicholas tightly and used his shoulder as a support. She stayed silent, laughing at herself for believing Devin's sweet words.

Indeed, she was the one who was at fault here. She had unilaterally ended their relationship, married Bryan, and buried all their stories. However, Alesya had her reasons for doing all of this. She had also asked Devin for help and guidance.

Instead of finding a solution or providing assistance, when she heard that the remaining loan was over a billion rupiahs, excluding the interest, Devin asked her to simply let go of the last remaining assets.

There was no way Alesya would agree, because this wasn't just about money; it was about the memories within that house. It was where she could reminisce about her parents, her happy life, and where she would return one day.

The father has also ordered. Even though she doesn't want to go the way she wants, Alesya must be able to defend their home. The grave where the mother rests, using Alesya's own method. If removed? Alesya squeezed the t-shirt Nicholas was wearing tightly.

"I'm sick," he whispered. Crying then, without making a sound.

However, Nicholas knew that Alesya was now crying in his arms. He just let Alesya cry if that was what she needed at the moment. However, Nicholas' brain didn't stay still. She thought about how to erase Devin from Alesya's memory.

"It's okay if I come back late, right?"

Alesya shook her head.

"Yes, yes, I'll go first. You're fine at home, if you're bored call me. I'll pick you up later." Nicholas handed his cell phone to Alesya.

“Uh, this?”

“Later you contact my assistant. The number is there.”

"It is okay?"

“Everything I have is yours.” Nicholas hugged Alesya tightly. “I sure missed you a lot.” He kissed the top of Alesya's head for a long time. Forehead. Left and right cheeks. Finally, a little smear on Alesya's lips. Then the hug was released.

Only then did Nicholas tug at the corners of his lips. Waved to Alesya before actually getting into the car. Leaving Alesya at home. Nicholas wanted to take Alesya wherever he went, but today there were so many places to go. Nicholas couldn't possibly leave Alesya at the restaurant.

Instead of Alesya being surrounded by lots of men, it would be better to leave her at home. Even though there is Bryan, there is also Shabila at home. There was no way Bryan would dare do anything wrong when Shabila was there. It was safer to leave Alesya with the crocodile who had a handler. Instead of being with a cat who likes to take food secretly, with an innocent face.

"May God always protect you wherever you are, Nik."

Alesya echoed one hope before Nicholas' car disappeared from her sight. Only then did he return home. Go straight to the room, and sit on a chair. In order to get rid of boredom, Alesya opened Nicholas' cellphone to look for games. Rather than him just staring alone, with no one to talk to.

Their household assistant was doing her job, and Nicholas strictly forbade Alesya from helping. Bryan and Shabila were still at home in their room, spending breakfast time biting each other. Chasing pleasure and the point of release for both of them. Not caring about the sweat that had made his body damp, Bryan just kept pushing, thrusting deep. Give Shabila satisfaction until they are both satisfied.

"If Nicholas doesn't take Alesya to work, I want to take her to the hospital."

"What for? It's rare for a doctor to come in these days.”

Bryan guided Shabila to sit down. “Besides, it's only been three days, right? So there's no way she could get pregnant that quickly."

“I didn't check her pregnancy. I actually wanted to see whether there were seeds in my uterus or not. At the same time checking whether she was still a virgin or whether Nicholas had used her. Your sister is not normal, sorry, I can't believe it yet."

Bryan shrugged. "Up to you. I don't care about him.”

“But you still have to care, Yan. If she's not pregnant, let alone still a girl when your father comes home, it's all over. Do you want to be unemployed?!”

“Long live,” snorted Bryan. Instead of answering Shabila's question, he cursed his father who suddenly contacted him.

“How long do you live?” Shabila did not accept the answer Bryan gave.

“My father.” Grabbed the cellphone that was on the nightstand. Bryan sighed. Annoyed to see his father using video calls when contacting him.

"Where have you been? "I've been calling you for a while but you just picked up."

"I just woke up, Dad. So I didn't know the cellphone was ringing."

“Oh, excuses.” Handoko waved his hand. "So how? Is Alesya pregnant?"

"How could she be pregnant? We've only been married a few days, Dad, don't make things up."