CHAPTER 846. MY LITTLE BELOVED. A Step ForwardGigi fell silent at Niko’s question. Something she truly liked? She couldn’t remember the last time she had thought about something like that. She had always been worried about surviving, about meeting other people’s expectations, but… her own desires? That was something new, almost unsettling."I don’t know…" she murmured, avoiding his gaze. "I’ve never been good at anything in particular."Niko frowned, irritated—not at her, but at what her words revealed. He knew that kind of low self-esteem didn’t come out of nowhere and had probably been fed for years. It was frustrating, but he also understood that the only way to help her overcome it was with patience."That’s not true." His voice was firm as he leaned toward her. "Gigi, what you did for the American bench kids today… that was incredible. You gave them something they needed; you made them feel valued. Not everyone can do that.""But you were the one who set up the café!" she exclai
CHAPTER 847. MY LITTLE BELOVED. Sweet IronyGigi's eyes widened as she saw the package on her bed. She stared at it with curiosity and a hint of nervousness. Even though she was feeling more comfortable with Niko, his generosity still unsettled her. Carefully, she removed the wrapping paper, and when she saw what was inside, she couldn't help but burst out laughing."A Road Runner pajama set!?" she exclaimed between giggles, holding it up.It was exactly like the one she had worn the night before—only new and actually her size this time. She had owned her old pajamas since she was twelve or thirteen, and they obviously didn’t fit anymore, but it was sweet that he had wanted to get her the same one."This man is unbelievable," she thought. She placed the new pajamas on the bed, took a quick shower, and then, without thinking twice, put them on. They fit perfectly—comfortable and, though she didn’t realize it, ridiculously adorable.When she walked out of the bathroom, she headed to the
CHAPTER 848. MY LITTLE BELOVED. Sugary TemptationsNiko was still clinging to Gigi’s leg, putting on a whole spectacle while devouring that little pastry, pouting dramatically and getting his face covered in powdered sugar."Niko, please!" Gigi could barely speak through her laughter, trying to regain her composure. "Stop exaggerating!""Exaggerating, she says." He placed a hand over his chest as if his heart had just been broken. "You are a danger, a criminal, a… six-pack murderer!" he grumbled. Then, under Gigi’s puzzled gaze, he lifted his shirt halfway up to reveal his abs.And if it hadn’t been for the fact that it was tragically funny seeing him there on his knees, clinging to her leg and showing off his perfectly sculpted abs, Gigi might have actually swallowed hard—because, honestly, it was quite a sight.She smiled in disbelief, but that disbelief faded after half a tray of pastries was mercilessly devoured. The sweet aroma of butter and chocolate filled the kitchen, and as s
CHAPTER 849. MY LITTLE BELOVED. Dangerous Moments"No, no, no! Niko, not like that!" Gigi shouted, waving her hands frantically when she saw Niko punching the dough in the most disastrous way."Not like this?" he repeated, furrowing his brows in frustration. Gigi had been giving him instructions for half an hour, but nothing was turning out right. Now it seemed like he was the clumsy one! "But aren’t we supposed to soften it? Or not?!" he huffed.Gigi sighed with an affectionate smile."Well, yes, but you don’t have to soften it by hating it. It’s not your arch-enemy.""Speak for yourself!" Niko shot back. "This is between her and me... and one of us isn't making it out of here alive!"The girl couldn’t hold back her laughter, and Niko was melting faster than caramel just listening to her."Okay, listen to me. You don’t punch the dough," Gigi said, stepping closer to him. "You caress it, gently, slowly, with softness," she instructed, her tone as patient as a teacher’s, guiding one of
CHAPTER 850. MY LITTLE BELOVED. A Problem SolvedThere was no way to describe the scene other than tragicomic.Logan stared at everything, wide-eyed. Niko had dropped Gigi out of sheer shock. And Gigi winced in pain, having landed on her poor backside, with all her hard-earned money falling around her like some sort of surreal rain, while she still held a few bills in her hands."What the hell is this?" Logan snapped, crossing his arms, his tone a mix of reproach and confusion."It's not what it looks like!" Niko rushed to say, though he honestly had no idea how to explain the spectacle without making Gigi feel even more embarrassed.But apparently, Logan wasn’t done. He raised an accusing finger at his brother, silencing him."This is a scandal—indecent, humiliating…! Nothing like this has ever happened in this company!" he said, striding forward with firm steps and helping Gigi up from the floor, only to turn directly to her. "Gigi, sweetheart, you are a beautiful and perfect creatu
CHAPTER 1. More than one way to break a heart**JANUARY SEATTLE**"How could you do this?!" Zack Keller's furious roar stopped his girlfriend right at the door as soon as he saw her arrive.Giselle saw a piece of paper in his hand and had no idea what he was talking about, but she had never seen him so upset as he was at that moment."I don't know what you're talking about...""Of course you do! You aborted my child! You lost it on purpose!" he accused her angrily. "Did you at least have the damn intention of telling me anything?!"The woman in front of him turned pale."How... how do you know...?"Zack threw the paper in her direction and looked at her with disappointment."Do you forget you're on my company's health insurance?" he spat, approaching her. "As soon as your last name appeared in the payment records, they notified me. Imagine my joy when I found out the insurance had paid for a pregnancy test and then for an ultrasound!"Giselle stepped away from him, her face red with e
CHAPTER 2. Something is Very Wrong...**NOVEMBER. VANCOUVER**"Andrea! To my office! Now!"The shout from her boss, a middle manager at SportUnike, made her jump in her seat, anxious because she knew he was in a very bad mood that day."Is this a damn joke?" he growled, throwing a folder of documents at her face. "I clearly told you I needed the budget reports for the water sports division from last month!"Andrea's eyes widened."But... Mr. Trembley... I'm sure you said you wanted this month's reports...""Don't argue with me, you useless idiot!" her boss snapped. At fifty years old, Peter Trembley was as unpleasant as his bulging belly, but Andrea had to endure him because she had barely managed to get a job as his assistant, and she and her daughter depended on it to survive. "Don't you realize what's happening? SportUnike is gone! A Swiss bastard bought it, and now we'll just be a part of his company! Do you know what that means?"Andrea knew. The arrival of a new owner had create
CHAPTER 3. A Possible AllyBut if Zack thought something was wrong with the company, his instincts went on high alert when he went down to the parking lot and saw the woman leaning against one of the walls. She was trying to change from high heels to low sneakers, but her hands were shaking.He was tempted to go talk to her, but something in him still resisted getting involved in other people's problems. He had a new company to run; if he wanted Andrea to feel better, he just had to fix his company, not the woman's personal life.Finally, he saw her adjust her coat and step out into the cold street.He watched from a distance and saw she didn't take a taxi or a bus, so she probably lived nearby. He had no idea how wrong he was because Andrea didn't live remotely close; she simply couldn't afford any form of transportation.For forty minutes, the young woman walked through the cold of a Canadian winter, and by the time she finally reached her building, it was almost dark."Good evening