Despite her suffering in silence she cannot totally blame her husband. Her thoughts turned back to the time after they sleep together.
Flashback:
Nicole woke up in the afternoon, when Ginger came to her room bringi her lunch. After a sleepless night and a dawn of crying she felt lazy to get up in her usual time.
"Ginger it's blinding close those curtains!" She shaded her eyes from the reflection of the sun coming from the window.
"You skip breakfast, I have to be quick or you will skip lunch too!" Ginger complained.
"Anyway I have to remind you that I will be returning home today, I cannot leave without saying goodbye." She added.
"I'm sorry Ginger, I feel so tired. I overslept."
"Are you not feeling well Nikki? You're eyes are puffy and have dark circles under it. Did you spend the whole night crying over your late father?" She asked suspecting the cause of her distress.
"Did Tristan left already?" She knows that whatever Tristan do , he doesn't care if she is aware or not. But she had to change the topic to avoid answering Ginger's queries.
"Gone ." Was all she said, Ginger cannot help but pity her ward. But she cannot blame the late Joshua Hayes how he raised his daughter leading to a marriage in the absence of affection.
"He left without telling me?" She asked the woman who answered the phone not knowing that it was Samantha his mistress who he had his phone the last they were together. It was his personal number that his secretary gave her thinking that her boss' wife must obtain his private number.
After that encounter with Samantha on the phone. Nicola constantly received photos and videos from anonymous sender sometimes from his personal number depicting various romantic and lewd moments of the two lovers. Nicole always reduce herself to crying and sad, pitying herself.
When Tristan return the issues between them was never raise
"We will be attending a dinner invitation by one of my partners you must dress up my secretary will send you the things you need be ready at seven sharp." With that he left without waiting for her reply.
His bussiness partner was the couple who help Tristan solved his problem recently. They wanted to meet his wife though he hesitantly agreed. Because he knows that Anna and Anthony George are very conservative people, and introducing Samantha would mean a disaster since they are friends with his grandfather, it might jeopardize his partnership with their business.
The dinner meeting was a success the Georges couple have nothing but praise for his wife. Nicole in the other hand had been putting into practice what she had learn to entertain the elder couple, that made Tristan saw her in a different light.
When the couple said their goodbyes, she excuse herself to go to the washroom. She was surprised when Samantha entered and locked the door.
"At last I got you cornered." She said dissapointedly.
"There something you want from me?" She said a cool manner to cover her anxiety.
"There's nothing that you have that I want. Just to remind you don't raised your hope just because Tristan introduce you to his business partner that you go acting like you own him."
"Don't worry I don't go on possessing people. People or Tristan for that matter is not a toy to be own." She can see that it angered Samantha.
"You!..."
"Don't waste you energy on me I'm not the competition." Nicole replied as she open the door and walk away leaving the other woman fuming with anger. Deep inside she felt sad that Samantha came to wake her up from the hope that was building up her confidence.
Reaching home Tristan can't help but thank Nicole for her effort, but having been verbally attacked by his mistress, she is pissed off and didn't knew how to react.
"What for?" She said instead.
"You give a good impression to the George couple. It strengthen the partnership." He replied.
"It was my duty to help you with your business remember I have shares in that too. My father endorse my inheritance to you, so that you will marry me for my protection." She simply sai emotionless.
"What the?" Tristan gets irritated with her reply. He was shocked to learn of this side of his submissive and not so naive wife.
"I know what my father had to give up in my expence." She countered.
"I never asked for it!" Tristan raised his voice.
"But you accepted it!" Nicola replied matching his tone.
"I'm not interested in your wealth, I can make more than that."
"Yeah well, but it remains to be seen, Mr. Hewitt." She saw the play of emotion on his face, it's fearful, but she had to stand for herself.
"I will return it to you the sooner the better." He said angrily.
"Suit yourself but let's just say I keep my end of the deal."
"What do you mean?" He is confused in what she is get at.
"The deal is If I stay married after two years I'm getting back my inheritance. And two years is just a few months away, I might as well finished it. I'll be waiting to sign the divorce paper you have prepared."
"Get out!" Unable to control his anger, he shouted.
"Ok." She walked away without looking back.
Upon reaching her room. She dropped down to the floor. Feeling drained out. She never knew that she had it in her to be able to cross words with the mighty Tristan Hewitt.
It feels overpowering at the same time frightening, of what tomorrow will bring.
How will she face her husband when tomorrow comes.
But then tomorrow always comes.that was one of the most devastating moments of her life.
"You! What are you doing here?" The lady bodyguard made gestures with her hands , behind Tristan, that silenced Nicole.Tristan understood that he was to whom she addresses answered. "We had an agreement to meet again to discuss business.""Yes, I mean. That's right." She agreed to the bodyguard's pleading."So what can I do for you Mr Hewitt. Your visit is so sudden, my assistant is not around so if you want to discuss about the, ahh regarding your interest with our company, it won't be possible right now." She explained a little breastlessly."I've been meaning to discuss it more private just you and me." Nicole's heart pounded overtime with what he said."I'm sorry but I believe in transparency I need someone to be present as witness. My assistant is perfect person for that." She contradicted."What's wrong Ms. Nicole are you afraid of me?" He challenged."Is there a reason for me to be afraid of you?""Beats me that is why I'm asking. As for me you don't have to worry from a
"I... I just want us to be successful that's all!" Ryan/ Tristan had noticed the sudden defensive reaction from Adora something he seldom observed. But he ignore it.During Adora's absence he slipped back to Santa Elena, with the aid of his female bodyguard and secretly visited his family.He knows that this is an opportunity since Adora won't be present to watch him while he avoided drinking the medication that affects the mobility of his legs.First he visited Moira's room. The twins had already have their separate rooms. She sleep so soundly and peacefully that she barely notice Tristan touching and caressing her hair.Next he went to Mark's room. He didn't attempt to touch him he just look longing to talk to his son who grew to be more and more look like him. He knows that among his kids Mark is the most light sleeper. He avoided waking him up.Then he visited their room he saw Nicole sleeping soundly beside their youngest daughter. He misses her so much that he was unable to co
"So what do you think Adora?" Adora is in secret meeting with another man. In their special rendezvous."So far so good." She said said handing him a glass of wine."Are you sure that Tristan will not suspect your absence?" "No he will not, I told him I'll be visiting my parents. Even if he will call to check those two will confirm my alibi." She refer to the two servants that she introduced to Tristan as her parents.She sat beside the man seductively playing with her hand on his bare chest, raining kisses on his neck."So what is the news you want to convey. That cannot be told on the telephone?" The man asked."This..." She immediately straddle him and kissed him. Tasting the wine on his lips."I miss you so much babe!" Her moans intensified by her movements of seduction had finally made the man surrender to her."Adora you're a tease." Adora travel to meet this man to report the development of their plans to break-up Tristan and Nicole's family and take over their business.Th
"What! Nicole it's too late to back out. It would not look good on us." Charles. reacted when Nicole told him of her plan with the Taylors."We are not selling any of the Hewitt's share. Not while I'm still here." Nicole insisted."Does the Chairman knew about your decision?" Charles asked, he had thought of strategues to avoid the company be in a bad light because of her refusal to sell. But he will suggest this only if Jacob is aware."Yes! He left it in my hands to make a decision. That is why I need your help." "I wonder why he deliberately guide us to accept their offer only to allow us to decide." Charles is baffled."Because he want us to meet Tristan." She replied."He knew about him?" Charles was surprised."He suspected a while ago he just want confirmation." She replied calmly."I don't know what's going on in his mind, why he subjected us to the test." He is still confused."Whatever is going on with him I think he wants his grandson back, but doesn't want to engaged h
"Nicole be calm, there must be a reason that Tristan acted that way." Charles commented."So you admit that it is Tristan himself." Nicole seek affirmation."Aside from some differences I must admit that it was him. But there is still some thing that I cannot comprehend." He reason out."What?" She asked."He kept a straight face as if he doesn't know us there is no indication that he recognized us. But his wife, I sense there is something that amuse her. As if there is something she want to prove and satisfied with the result.""I am his wife Charles did you forget?" Nicole insist."I know, but don't you think that l, that we, have to prove that it was really him, and it is impossible to do so if he himself don't acknowledge it.""Do you think he is playing us for a fool.""It's not his nature to do so. I'm thinking that he must have meet an accident, resulting to his lost of memory and the mobility of his legs." Nicole stop and realized what Charles had been saying.There are a lo
"Tristan!" Nicole wasn't able to control her emotion seeing the man on the wheelchair. She was about to rush to him but Charles held her arm to stop her. "But Charles it's him." She tried to wiggle out of his hold but was stop when she saw Charles gaze restraining her."I know he looks a lot like him but don't you think if it's him, he would have approached us earlier? Restrain yourself Nicole , we cannot afford to cause a scene." Charles lower his voice audible only to Nicole."What do you think I must do?" She asked feeling uncertain."Let's play it on their terms, we will observed." He advised.The meeting commence as soon as the Taylor couple settled in their seats. Both parties were introduced Nicole observed Ryan Taylor looking for signs that will prove he is indeed her missing husband.Both teams had presented their proposition. Nicole kept her silence listening to the negotiations going on. At the end of the meeting they were not able to dissolve some issues that they d