Clayton did not take Floyd’s words to heart.He swept a glance at Nicole with a gentle gaze and continued to answer Floyd’s question.Floyd said, “Since you’re friends with Nicole, you can scout around for a suitable partner for her. I can’t be assured if she stays single forever.”He laughed heartily, but even Grant’s fingers froze for a moment.Grant slowly picked at a slice of fish with his fork and savored it without a word.Clayton laughed naturally. “Ms. Stanton’s an excellent lady, so she’s not short of admirers, but those who can match Ms. Stanton are very rare. I see that Ms. Stanton enjoys her life with her family. Chairman Stanton, you must’ve treated her like a princess, so no one can be as attentive to her as her family.”Floyd raised his eyebrows and wholeheartedly agreed with Clayton’s words.He was extremely delighted with what Clayton said.Floyd nodded repeatedly. “Yes, that’s true. Our whole family lets Nicole get her way. We’re happy when she’s happy.”This
“Let go of me.” Nicole warned Eric.Eric did not let go of her. Instead, he hugged her tighter.His voice carried a coldness that was hard to conceal. “Who did you go to dinner with, huh?”Eric was uncomfortable and was afraid that he would really lose her.Nicole wrinkled her eyebrows. Eric spun her around and met her gaze. The two were in extreme proximity that was beyond the usual safe distance.Nicole’s gaze was clear and cold as she tried to see what was wrong with Eric, but she did not notice any abnormalities.He did not smell of alcohol.She answered his question. “It’s none of your business. I don’t need to explain anything to you, right?”Eric narrowed his eyes and smiled. A cold light flashed in his eyes.He knew who she was out with, but he still wanted to hear that name from her mouth like some sort of masochist who enjoyed torturing himself.“Where’s my stuff?” Nicole reminded him.“What stuff?”“You tricked me?!”Eric laughed. He only wanted to find an excus
Eric’s deep eyes stared intently at Nicole’s perfect lips. She did not put on lipstick, but her lips were pretty, pink, and peachy.He wanted to taste it.When he lowered his head, Nicole suddenly kicked him viciously in the shin.Eric stumbled two steps back and looked at her in shock.She was extremely cold and did not want to speak to him, so she turned around and left.The veins on Eric’s forehead jumped abruptly. He stepped forward and clutched her wrist.“Nicole, you said that you’ll forget about the past, so why can’t you give me a chance? You can even accept Clayton Sloan, so why are you rejecting me?”Nicole turned to look at him quietly. “Can you even compare with Clayton?”Eric was transfixed with a single sentence.He stood there stiffly. ‘Is she angry because I threw away that trash gift, or is it because of my display of affection?’The man did not say a word. His jaw tightened, and he did not let go of her.“You’ve decided to stay with him?”Nicole stared at
Nicole was stunned for a moment when she saw Eric standing at her door.Eric was holding a slightly soiled navy-blue gift box.It looked a little out of place from his clean, slender hands.His eyes were red.He handed the box to her and said in a soft voice, “I picked it up, so don’t reject me, okay?”His voice was hoarse. His throat felt astringent.He felt like he was going crazy for her, so much so that he could disregard his reputation and rummage through the trash can.However, Eric knew that if he just walked away, he would not even have the luxury of meeting Nicole again in the future.Nicole was silent for a few seconds and did not move.Eric also remained in that position.After a long time, Nicole smiled and took the gift box from his hand.She took out the contents and put them on a table at the side, then threw the box on the floor.Nicole swept a glance at Eric and said, “You can get lost now.”Eric met her gaze and stepped forward. “I’m sorry.”He was too i
Nicole thought, ‘Old classics?! How old are these songs?’She wrinkled her eyebrows. The folders in the flash drive were all songs that Eric liked.This was certainly not her flash drive.Nicole’s face turned glum as she turned to look at Eric.“This is the flash drive I left behind?”Eric walked over, pretending not to know anything, and glanced at the folders.When he saw “President’s Favorite Songs”, his eyes narrowed slightly. ‘This driver is too detailed!’“Perhaps I was mistaken…” Eric touched his nose and spoke calmly.Nicole threw the laptop aside and went to her bedroom to wash up. “You can sleep on the sofa, or in your car.”“I like to sleep on the sofa.” He quickly stated his preference.Eric’s face sank when he swept a glance at the gold flower on the table by the door. He took advantage of the free time to reply to some work emails.Nicole’s apartment had two bedrooms, but since Kai left, the second bedroom was converted into a study, so there was only one bedro
Eric silently went back to the sofa.He was anxious, resentful, and helpless, so much so that he simply could not sleep that night.It was just after dawn when he fell into a deep sleep.Nicole woke up because of Yvette’s phone call.“Is Eric Ferguson in your house?”Yvette asked such a direct question as soon as Nicole picked up.Nicole frowned. Her brain was still muddled as she answered, “Yes…”“F*ck! Are you really back together?! You’re living together now? Is it serious or just a fling?”After a moment of trance, Nicole finally came to her senses and caught the point.“How do you know that he’s here?”“Eric Ferguson posted a picture on his page, so everyone in the circle knows that you were together last night!”After Yvette said that, Nicole hung up and looked through Eric’s social media, but it was blank.Nicole took a deep breath and called Yvette back.“Send me a screenshot of his post.”“No way! He blocked you?! Hahahaha! His tawdry move is too funny…”He even
Gerard Lichman was already there when Nicole arrived at the restaurant’s private room.Several familiar faces came back with Gerard.She smiled and went up to hug Gerard. “Good work, Mr. Lichman.”Gerard laughed. His elegant face was a little haggard, but he was more excited.“It’s my job. Fortunately, we weren’t a disgrace to the Medianian artificial intelligence scene.”Nicole thought, ‘He’s got quite a big picture.’After everyone exchanged pleasantries, they were relaxed and started chit-chatting.“Let’s order some food.”Nicole said, “It’s on me today, so order whatever you like.”Gerard hesitated for a moment. “It should be my treat since I have to apologize to Mr. Ferguson.”Nicole was surprised. “Apologize for what?”Gerard thought that perhaps Nicole could help him out, so he told her about what happened that day.When Nicole heard about Eric’s reply, she could imagine what Eric felt at that moment.Eric used to be in the military, so even if he became a businessm
Gerard said, “Mr. Ferguson, we’ve known each other for so long now. I’d like to apologize to you for my previous slip of the tongue.”Eric was silent for a few seconds. He then picked up his glass and downed the wine.Gerard laughed and winked at Nicole.Nicole cleared her throat and said, “Mr. Ferguson is not a petty person, so you don’t have to take it to heart, Mr. Lichman.”This was the first time she mentioned Eric during the entire meal.Eric answered. “Yes, it’s all in the past.”Nicole thought about it. “Mr. Lichman, this also means that you’re a bold and daring person who is very affectionate and loyal.”“Is that so?” Eric’s tone was cold.Gerard was shocked by Nicole’s sudden praise and returned to his seat.Eric did not say anything. He only repeatedly thought about Nicole’s praise to Gerard and the small interactions between them. ‘When did they become so familiar with each other?’......Nicole ignored Eric and only looked at Gerard during the dinner. Eric was