Chapter 5

Nerissa had just arrived at Northwell Airport when she got a call.

"Hey, Aaron."

Aaron's warm voice came through the speaker, carrying a hint of helpless amusement. "Hey, Nerissa. I got a call from Galaxis Media, the one under Judd Group. They said the CEO position has been given to Martin Chapman."

Nerissa's footsteps faltered for the briefest second before she carried on walking, pulling her suitcase along. "Is that so?"

Aaron didn't seem to have expected her to be this calm about it. After his brief spell of surprise, he asked teasingly, "What's with your reaction? Are you not going to stand up for me? You're the one who recommended me for the job, you know. You're not upset that someone else has swooped in to steal it from me?"

Nerissa smirked. "Did you call to question me, Aaron?"

"I have far better things to do than that," Aaron replied before his tone grew serious. "I called to give you a heads up. You need to warn Samuel. Martin's a bad piece of work."

Nerissa paused in her tracks again.

"There are already rumors about him in the circle. When he was at his previous company, he'd taken advantage of a female celebrity he was managing. She was just starting out in the industry and had no background. She didn't dare tell anyone about what he'd done to her. In the end, she fell into heavy depression and jumped to her death."

Aaron's voice was grim and disdainful. "Technically speaking, scum like Martin isn't even worthy of entering my radar. I only agreed to consider the position as a favor to you, my dear college junior. Who would've thought that your boyfriend would end up pulling something like this?"

Nerissa lowered her gaze. She'd heard the rumors about Martin's prior dealings before and had also told Samuel about them. But she didn't think he would still pick Martin anyway.

After a few seconds of silence, she said, "I got it, Aaron."

Aaron picked up on the unusual tone in her voice and asked tentatively, "What's the matter? Are you and Samuel…"

"We broke up."

The call went quiet for a short while before Aaron's chuckle rang out. "Now that's good news."

Nerissa was puzzled for a moment.

"Samuel isn't good enough for you," Aaron continued.

Nerissa didn't comment on that.

Just then, the airport broadcast echoed overhead, urging passengers to board their flight.

"You're at the airport?" Aaron queried.

"Yeah. I'm heading back to Shorehaven."

"I see. I won't keep you then. We'll talk another time."

"Okay."

After the call ended, Nerissa stood in the bustling airport terminal. As she looked through the floor-to-ceiling window and stared at the tarmac, she let out a soft laugh.

Aaron was right. Samuel was nowhere near good enough for her. It was such a shame that she'd wasted two years of her life before realizing that.

At that moment, her phone vibrated with a message from Phoebe.

"Nerissa, I'm asking you one last time. Have you really decided to get married in Jennifer's place? I don't want to force you…"

Nerissa's fingers hovered over the screen as she stared at the words for a good long while.

"I have."

Phoebe's response came almost immediately.

"Here's Mr. Hamilton's phone number, Nerissa. Maybe you should get in touch with him and… get to know him first."

Pursing her lips, Nerissa saved the number. She saw his WhatsApp profile picture, which was just a black image. Even his name was just the letter "H". He didn't write an introduction or upload any status updates. She was even starting to wonder if he actually used this WhatsApp account.

Now that she'd added his number, she tossed her phone back inside her handbag and paid no further attention to it.

It was rumored that Lincoln was an unpredictable man who didn't like socializing. Plenty of people were keen to establish a connection with him, only to fail to even get his assistant's contact information, let alone his.

Nerissa didn't feel particularly hopeful either.

"Attention, passengers. Flight 138 to Shorehaven is now boarding…"

As the boarding announcement echoed through the hall, Nerissa pulled her suitcase toward the gate. After boarding the plane, she leaned back in her seat and looked out the window.

Northwell housed many of the idyllic fantasies she had about love. She'd once thought the city would eventually be her home, but from the looks of it now, it had only been wishful thinking on her part.

Snapping out of her thoughts, she took out her phone to put it on airplane mode, only to see that there'd been a slight change in Lincoln's WhatsApp profile. She could now see a bit more of his details.

Did that mean he'd added her to his contacts list as well?

It looked like it was indeed him, then, but what did this mean? Was he the one who added her, or was it his assistant?

But she decided to drop it. It wasn't as if he was waiting for her to message him or anything.

Nerissa pocketed her phone without giving it any further thought.

…

It was 3:00 pm when Nerissa finally entered Shorehaven International Airport. As she walked out of the terminal, her phone buzzed with a call from a local Shorehaven number she didn't recognize.

When she took the call, a deep and respectful male voice rang out. "Good afternoon, Ms. Reese. I'm Albert Cranson, Mr. Lincoln Hamilton's driver. You can call me Al. He has instructed me to pick you up from the airport. I'm now waiting with the car at Exit 3."

Nerissa stopped in her tracks.

Lincoln?

How did he know she had returned to Shorehaven?

"Okay. I got it," she said before dropping the call and heading to Exit 3 with her suitcase.

A black Maybach was parked right by the curb. The sleek car with its tinted windows looked understated and imposing at the same time.

Seeing her come out, Albert quickly got out of the car. He looked about 20 years old and was wearing a dark gray suit. His manner was respectful without seeming overly subservient.

"I'll take your suitcase, Ms. Reese." Albert took the suitcase before opening the rear passenger door.

The moment the door opened, the clean scent of cedar mixed with a faint trace of tobacco hit Nerissa, making her freeze.

The interior of the car was dimly lit. A man was sitting inside, wearing a black silk shirt with two buttons undone at the collar, revealing his pale neck. His long legs were cloaked in tailored suit pants, crossed casually in a way that took up most of the space.

Hearing the sounds, he opened his eyes.

The moment his gaze landed on her, Nerissa's breath caught.

How could a pair of eyes be so breathtaking?

His eyes were sharp and dark, his brows straight and bold. Every inch of his face gave off a cold, indifferent air that made him seem unapproachable.

Even though Nerissa had never met Lincoln in person before, she recognized him right away. This man in the car was Lincoln Hamilton, the second son of the Hamilton family.

"You're… Jennifer Reese?"

Lincoln's voice was deep and slightly husky. A hint of amusement seemed to color his tone as he asked that question.

Nerissa's heart lurched. She snapped back to her senses and pressed her lips together before nodding. "Yes, that's me…"

Lincoln's gaze slowly rolled over her, from her head right down to her feet. She squirmed a little under the gaze, but before she could avert her eyes, he asked, "Did you bring your ID?"

Startled, she nodded out of habit. "I did."

Only after she'd responded did she find the question a little peculiar. Why was he asking about her ID when it was their first time meeting?

Immediately, she tensed up.

Was Lincoln about to check her identity?