Rift in the perfect picture

Chapter 0112

Plenty of luxury cars zoomed down the bustling streets below my high–end

apartment complex. I scanned the streets, trying to search for Nicholas’s car, but it was nowhere to be seen.

I should’ve been unbothered, but a voice inside me still pierced through my facade.

“You still care about him, Arianal!”

My heart ached. Lowering my gaze, I crouched down and wrapped my arms around myself.

I wasn’t as fearless as I tried to appear. Every day spent with Nicholas was an unprecedented memory that would be ingrained in my mind forever.

This feeling of easily obtaining something I despised brought terror upon me instead of joy. Once the truth was unveiled, I’d lose everything. I didn’t know how I would feel then.

As I became lost in my thoughts, my nails sank deep into my palms. I suddenly snapped back to my senses, and a voice in my mind whispered, “Perhaps I’ll be hurt

100.”

Just then, a shadow loomed over me. In the next instant, a pair of exquisite leather

shoes came into view.

Nicholas bent down and slipped his arms underneath my arms. Lifting me off the ground, he smiled and said, “What’s with your eyesight, huh? You couldn’t find me, so you’re crying alone here?”

Crying? Did he think I was Claudia? I looked down, my lashes obscuring the look in my eyes. If he assumed that I had cried, so be it.

Returning his embrace, I replied, “I didn’t see you. I was tired, so I crouched down to rest for a while.”

He stroked my hair gently and asked, “Where did you go?”

“The law firm.”

“Don’t overwork yourself. I can support you.

Nicholas could drive any woman wild with his chivalrous words, let alone such a charming proposal.

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+25 BONUS

1 stood on my tiptoes and pecked his chin. “Thanks, honey. I just wanted to keep myself busy, or else I’d miss Mom too much.

Pressing his lips together, Nicholas brushed his fingers over my lips. For the first time ever, he complimented me. “You’re a perfect fit for a lawyer.”

When he led me to his car, I was stunned. “Why did you change your car?”

He had switched to a Rolls–Royce.

In fact, Nicholas resembled me in certain ways. He kept a relatively low profile and disliked crowds. He preferred not to use a driver for his personal schedule, and he usually drove a high–end, yet modest–looking, MPV. 2

Unless the occasion he had to attend included VIPs, he wouldn’t have considered grandeur.

He didn’t answer me. Instead, he shoved me into the car. Inside the car was at completely enclosed space, and the driver couldn’t hear anything between us once the partition was raised.

As he stared at me hungrily, I stopped his advancing ministrations and said, “We’ve been doing it a lot these days. You should take a break.”

“Come here.” Nicholas straightened up and patted his lap. Seeing that I didn’t move, he added, “Come here now, or I’ll spread your legs and make you sit on my lap.”

I froze, but I eventually gave in. After I shifted my position, I asked, “You went through the trouble of coming all the way here in a different car just to do this?”

“What else should I think about? I’ve gone a day without seeing you. Why can’t I hug you?”

My lips trembled. I mused inwardly, wondering if this was the power of lust. I had transformed the once indifferent man into this.

But the moment I wrapped my arms around his neck, it was no longer just a chaste hug between us. He suddenly dove for my lips and ravished them. His hands weren’t

idle either.

I sensed a twinge of his fury through his fervent kiss. He was rough, without so much as a hint of gentleness, so I instinctively resisted.

“It hurts, honey. Be gentle,” I crooned, my voice dripping with coquettishness.

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Chapter 0112

+25 BONUS

Nicholas glanced up and met my gaze, his eyes already burning with desire. His lips were tinged red by my lipstick, and the soft shade of pink on them was mesmerizing. Stroking his face, I admitted that I wouldn’t be at a disadvantage if I were with a man like this, even if it were just for physical pleasure.

He grabbed my hand, and his actions sent a jolt of pain within me. I looked into his eyes, only to be greeted with indiscernible emotions.

“What’s wrong?” I asked.

Nicholas didn’t answer me. Instead, he tugged open my collar and kissed my collarbone. I moaned in pain, and only then did he seem satisfied.

Releasing my neck, he attempted to go lower. I pressed his head down, equally as frustrated as he was.

“Ariana, this is bad,” he wheezed, his slightly muffled voice tinged with frustration.

My chest tightened. I instinctively wondered if I had done anything that made me lose his trust. Feeling diffident, I gave in to him and began tentatively, “You’ve been acting odd today too.”

“Indeed!” Nicholas jerked his head up and pushed me over to the seat beside him.

Opening the car window, he inhaled sharply and continued, “I can’t even focus on the meeting. For the entire day, I kept thinking about how I wanted to take you in different places!”

Blood rushed to my cheeks.