Chapter Four: After the night

**Nina**

“You really did something crazy,” Zoe laughed.

We were talking about last night, and honestly, I expected her to be angry. But she wasn’t. Instead, she was doing everything possible to make me feel better.

“Sleeping with a stranger is better than wasting years with Nolan,” she said, her expression becoming serious.

“Yeah,” I nodded.

Suddenly, my stomach growled loudly, reminding me that I hadn’t eaten anything since yesterday afternoon.

“What’s for breakfast?” I asked, holding my stomach with the expression of a hungry child.

Zoe rolled her eyes.

“There’s nothing prepared. Go make yourself whatever you feel like eating,” she said, pointing toward the kitchen.

“I feel like eating bread and eggs with tea.”

“Everything you need is in the kitchen. Make an extra one for me, too,” she replied, already focusing on her laptop.

I walked into the kitchen and started preparing breakfast. As I fried the eggs, memories from last night kept replaying in my mind. The stranger. His voice. His touch.

A strange feeling fluttered in my stomach, but the frustrating part was that I couldn’t remember his face clearly.

A few minutes later, I returned with a tray carrying fried eggs, sliced bread, and two cups of tea. The aroma entered the room before I did. Zoe looked up from her laptop and smiled.

“You’re still blushing, huh?”

“No, I’m not,” I denied, placing the tray on the bed. She gave me a knowing look but didn’t argue.

“I’ve been meaning to tell you something,” Zoe said after a moment. She shifted her attention from her laptop to me while I ate.

“I think you should visit your father.”

The moment she said those words, I choked on my tea and immediately started coughing.

“What? No… no way,” I said, rushing to the kitchen to grab a napkin.

“You know my father very well, Zoe. Once he makes a decision, he never changes his mind.” I wiped the spilled tea while shaking my head.

“That was because you chose Nolan after he warned you,” Zoe replied calmly while eating her bread and eggs.

“He still cares about you. If he didn’t, he would have completely cut you off. The fact that he never touched your shares proves that.”

I lowered my gaze.

“You’re right, but I’m scared. What if he doesn’t want to see me? What if he can’t forgive me?”

“Give it a try. You never know what could happen.” She took another sip of her tea before smiling.

“By the way, this is really delicious.” A small smile appeared on my face.

“Thank you, Zoe.”

“Before I forget,” I added, “how is your boyfriend doing now?”

A slight blush appeared on her cheeks.

“He’s fine. I still can’t believe he pretended to be sick just because he wanted to see me.” She smiled shyly.

“I see,” I teased, smiling back at her.

Silence followed. We continued eating quietly until I finally broke it.

“Won’t you go to work?”

“I took the day off,” she replied sharply.

She glanced at me. “I’m spending today with you.” Then she smiled. “And I’m taking you shopping.”

“Aww, Zoe… you know you don’t have to do this.” My voice became emotional. Zoe always knew exactly how to lift my mood.

“Don’t worry, Nina. You’ve been through enough lately. Let me spoil you today. This one is on me.”

“Thank you, Zoe.”

We spent the rest of the day shopping. We also went to the amusement park and played as we used to when we were kids. For a moment, everything felt normal again. I missed those days.

By the time we returned home in the evening, we were laughing and talking. For a while, I had almost forgotten about Nolan. Zoe went into the bathroom to freshen up while I decided to check my emails.

That was when I saw a message from my former high school teacher, Mr. Daniel. He had always encouraged me to study abroad.

The email contained an invitation to apply for a scholarship program in the United States. My heart skipped. Maybe this was my chance. Maybe this was the sign I needed to leave and start over, finally.

“What are you thinking about again?”

Zoe’s voice pulled me back to reality. She stood at the bathroom door, wrapped in a white towel, her hair still wet from her shower.

“Nothing too serious,” I replied.

I showed her the email.

“Mr. Daniel sent me an invitation to apply for a scholarship to study in the States.”

Her eyes widened.

“Wow, Nina. That’s amazing news.” Then her expression changed.

“But why do you look worried?” She gave me a suspicious look. “You’re not thinking of giving up on this, are you?”

“To make this happen, I need to see my Dad,” I explained. I looked down. “I know it’s a scholarship, but I still need to fix things with my father before I leave.”

“You’re right. You need to reconcile with him first.”

She placed a comforting hand on my shoulder. “But I think you should apply anyway. And whatever happens, I’ll help you.”

A small smile formed on my lips.

“Thank you.”

Silence filled the room for some time. Trying to change the topic, I asked, “How was the board meeting yesterday?”

“Well, we couldn’t secure a partnership with Carter Global Holding.”

She sighed.

“They’re one of the leading companies that could greatly benefit our business if we worked together.”

I nodded even though I didn’t fully understand.

“Don’t worry. It’s not a big deal,” Zoe continued. “Alexander is just a very strict CEO. One mistake is enough for him to reject a partnership, but we’ll keep trying.”

I stayed quiet.

I had heard my father mention the Carter Global Holding before. He once said that partnering with them could completely change the future of our company.

“If you’re done applying for the scholarship, go to sleep,” Zoe said, climbing onto the bed. “Don’t stay up too late.”

I nodded, “Good night, love.” I smiled and opened the scholarship application link.

Hours passed. I filled out every section carefully. Leaving the country, starting fresh, and building a life without Nolan. It was exactly what I needed.

Since I truly wanted to leave, I also applied to other universities with higher acceptance rates and better scholarship opportunities. Just as I was about to sleep, my phone vibrated.

Another message. But this time, it was from Liana.

I’ve been spending a lot of time with Nolan. He’s everything you couldn’t give him. This time it’s Nolan. Next time, it will be the family company.

My fingers tightened around my phone. A wave of anger rushed through my veins, followed by a painful ache in my chest.

The company. My mother’s company. The company she built with my father before she died. My mother owned the largest share as the founder, and she left it under my name.

But I could only officially claim it after turning twenty. I was already twenty. Yet my father refused to hand it over because he believed I needed at least a bachelor’s degree before taking responsibility.

I understood his reasons. But now… I couldn’t let Liana take what belonged to me. Never.