ONIKA'S POVThe look on his face was priceless and I secretly marveled at how easily I had changed his mood severally in an hour.Starting from the defeat on his face downstairs to the smile on his face when he came upstairs then cocky look on his face as he proposed to the confusion when I said no and now the shock and anger warring in his face.“Deal?” I asked to be sure, wondering how he expected to do it.He shut his eyes, his lips pressed into a thin line. “Yes” he gritted out.I smiled at him, folding my hands. “You can now leave the room. Two days” I reminded but this time he didn't bother to answer me about that, he simply muttered a good night and stalked out of the room, his steps filled with determination.As soon as he left the room, I let out a deep breath that I didn't know I was holding before. That was one thing out of the way now. The question was that “would he do it?” His mum would rather die than do that but either way, I wouldn't care what she said. If she wanted
NATHAN'S POV“Drive fast. I need to be at the office in an hour” I grumbled to my driver, not really feeling in the mood to drive myself today.Everything has been going shitty but the worst of all was my mum's reaction when I had told her that she had to apologize to Onika. I hadn't even gotten to explain to her before she went ballistic and said she would never apologize to Onika and then she called her names that were far from appropriate.She had not let me say another word before she cut the call so I had to call her back again. She had accepted at last and I promised to see her after work. She would have to do it, I couldn't afford to risk Onika getting angry over this and I could understand Onika's anger, she has always endured my mum's words in the past since she didn't want to anger me but now, there was nothing left to lose so she refused to be insulted by my mum again and now, I was caught in the crossfire because I couldn't put a leash on my mum around her.Fuck, I was rea
ONIKA'S POV“Up or down…?” I muttered, looking in the mirror that evening, my hand in my hair as I mulled over how to wear my hair for the evening.Nathan wasn't still back so I guessed that he had gone for the business trip already meaning there was no one to bug me.Kent had sent the details for the dinner and it was at this really fancy restaurant. This wasn't a date, it was a celebratory dinner and I just wanted to forget everything and have fun this night.The paparazzi was already aware of Kent's and I relationship before the announcement of my engagement to Nathan so it wouldn't be too surprising if people saw Kent and I in public, we were friends before and we went out for stuff like this so I knew that this couldn't implicate me.As I finally decided to leave my hair down, I quickly put on my gown, a fairly long dress that was loose and pretty comfortable. I had paired it with black boots and my small silver bag then I was ready to go.As I got downstairs, I looked around the
ONIKA'S POVBy the time dinner was over, I was still staring at Damien, a frown on my face. He hadn't still explained what he was doing here.I had thought he would stay behind. Did Nathan ask him to come with me even though I had told him not to?The thought made me mad instantly and I felt like calling Nathan, not caring if he was busy or not.Laura who was still sitting beside me, kept staring at Damien, a dreamy look on her face. “You look really hot right now…” she whispered, a smile on her face.That was the fifth compliment that she had thrown at him in the last two minutes but he hadn't replied to any one of them.I was more focused on my food and just enjoying this night but I knew that Kent wanted to say something.He was staring at me pointedly and when I couldn't put up with it anymore, I sighed and spoke up. “Kent, can I see you outside?” I asked.He looked taken aback by my request, his eyes widening slightly. “What? Oh yeah sure” he quickly said.I nodded and stood up,
NATHAN'S POVThe meeting was stressful as hell and by the time I had come back to the hotel that night, I was exhausted and ready to just have a good night's rest yet several thoughts plagued my mind, making sleep flee from me.Gina had been in my office as she had said yesterday and for once I thought the woman would have something to say but just as guessed, it was just to throw shade on Onika and say that I was making a big mistake by choosing Onika over her but it wasn't too late to change that.Luckily, I got her led out of the company before I could hear any more of that bullshit.Going to see my mum was another hill on its own and the conversation was seared into my brain.When I had gone there, she looked mad at me but she offered me food and made me sit down before she started telling me all the reasons why Onika wanted to ruin our lives but I had just cut her short, wanting to explain to her what I had said over the phone.“Mum, that's not important” I had cut her off impati
ONIKA'S POV I was scared as I sat down in my office that morning, my mind kept mulling over the news, the gazes that my employees had given me when I walked into the company that day.This wasn't looking good for me right now.Amara knocked on the door to my office and walked in, her eyes tired but a smile on her face.“Good morning, ma'am” She greeted cheerfully, a smile on her face as always.I rubbed at my face, not wanting to look as wanton as I felt. “Is there something going on? I don't have any meetings scheduled for now” I said, my voice hoarse Should I call Nathan? I had received his text but I had ignored it because I knew ri was certain that he had seen the news already so how would I explain it? Be knew that there was nothing between Kent and I, not like I cared what he thought but this was looking bad for my company.Fuck.What would people say? The press had made it like Kent and I were a thing which was far from the truth.The sound of Amara's voice brought me out of
ONIKA'S POVIt had been five whole hours,, and I had been occasionally checking my phone to know if the news would somehow come back, but it never came back, and I began to wonder if it was all just a dream.But as Amara came to inform me that the meeting would soon start, I realized it wasn't a dream,, and I would have to explain my partnership with M.r. Sam Damon and then this new issue that had just arisen.“I'll be there in 5 minutes” I muttered to her, grabbing my phone from the table as I prepared to go to the meeting room.As I walked out of the office, I went straight to the meeting room and Amara was at the door already waiting for me.“Mr Sam Damon has sent someone from his team to represent him as he's currently not in the country. His name is Mr Liam. He's inside with the shareholders” She informed me, giving me a heads-up.I nodded, thanking her before I walked in with her following closely behind me.Amara had taken her seat near the corner, her notepad in hand, ready to
ONIKA'S POV I wanted to protest and insist on using my car to go back to the mansion but the look on Damien's face as I opened my mouth made me stop and grudgingly hand over my car keys to him.“Keep it safe” I grunted to him, suddenly feeling my happy mood float away into the sky at the recent change of things.He smiled and collected it, the sight a bit weird to look at. “Don't worry, I'll keep it safe” He smirked. “That's my job”Without waiting for a non existent reply, he walked out of the company, leaving me in the corridor.Silently muttering a curse under my breath, I walked to Amara where she was still talking to Mr Liam but she excused herself to come to me, leaving him to go over the documents she had given him for the financial reports fo finalize everything in that aspect.“Yes ma'am?” She asked, her eyes curious and confused.I pointed to behind me. “My fiance is here right now so I have to go now. Make sure to clock out once it's time, okay? Get some rest and please go
NATHAN'S POVThe way her eyes lit up as I pulled to a stop made every doubt I had about choosing this place for our date disappear. She looked ethereal with that goofy grin on her face.I knew she would love it. “Like it?” I couldn't stop myself from asking.She turned to look at me and her gaze softened before she leaned as far as the seatbelt would allow to press a soft lingering kiss to my lips.Instinctively, I froze for a brief second before I melted into the kiss and just as I was reaching a hand to pull her closer to me, she pulled away with a small smile. “What was that for?” I asked breathlessly.She shrugged. “Just to show you how much I love it” She chuckled seeing the dumbfounded look on my face.“I should really surprise you more” I muttered under my breath as I tried to unbuckle my belt.“Why? So that I can kiss you?” I heard her ask and I turned to look at her, my brow raised.“That and to see that priceless look of happiness on your face. I want to see it more often” I
ONIKA'S POV Laura came over to me and the first thing I heard was a low whistle from beside me before she spoke up. “I watched the entire conversation and I swear that I can't determine the outcome from the look on your faces. What the hell happened? Good or bad?” She asked, sliding in the seat beside me.I looked at her, a sad smile on my face. “Just there, I guess. He understands, I hope he does but we're cool. Maybe we'll have dinner again tomorrow or something or catch up properly”Laura sighed and placed a hand on my shoulder, her fingers digging into my flesh from how tight she gripped me. “Honey, don't punish yourself, okay? It's not your fault that you don't like him and let me tell you now. You don't have to feel shitty in any way for it, understood?” She asked, her eyes peering into mine as she waited for an answer.I couldn't help it, I laughed slightly at that and nodded to that. “Yes ma'am”She leaned back in her seat. “Man, who would have ever thought your love life wou
ONIKA'S POVI was silent for what felt like a whole minute, unable to bring forth any words.He looked embarrassed, his foot lightly tapping on the floor. “Should I leave?” He scratched the back of his neck sheepishly.I needed to get my shit together. “Okay… I mean no, don't leave. Sit with us”Laura glared at me as I said that and she stood up, carrying her bag. “I think I should give you two some privacy. Onika, I'll be at the counter, inform me when you're done” That was all she said to me before she walked off the counter, setting herself on the low stool.I looked back at Kent, forcing a smile. “So you're here. I wasn't expecting you to be here”He glanced down and back up at me again. “Iㅡuhㅡ I just wanted to see you and your employees said you weren't at the office again so I decided to try here and if you weren't here, I'd come over” He explained.“Yeah sure. I know I said I'd call you so we could meet up but I wanted to have coffee with Laura first, sorry if that delayed your
ONIKA'S POVDamien held the door open for me and I got in, dropping my purse at the back seat before I gripped the steering.“Okay, right behind you” Damien muttered, getting on his bike, reaching out to grab his helmet before he put it on, making sure the straps were okay before he gave me a thumbs up.I nodded at him and pulled out of the parking lot, my focus on the road as I started driving out of the company.First day at work after what felt like ages and thankfully I didn't feel more shitty than I already did before coming to work.My thoughts were spiralling even as I neared the cafe, my fingers lightly tapping on the steering wheel as I took a sharp swerve.Damien was right behind me as I pulled the car to a stop at the cafe, unbuckling my seat belt as I switched on the ignition.With that, I got out of the car, locking the door behind me. “Are you going to wait outside or are you coming in?” I asked Damien whose hands were tucked in his pockets.A conflicted look crossed his
ONIKA'S POVAs soon as I stepped into the meeting room, all eyes turned to me. The long table was filled with shareholders, executives, and key members of the project team. At the head of the table sat Mr Sam Damon, his hand resting on the table. As soon as he saw me, he sighed almost visibly, clearly relieved to see me.He stood as I entered, offering a small smile. “Onika.”I nodded in acknowledgment and took my seat. “Mr. Damon.”His sharp gaze studied me. “I would have called you in sooner, but I wanted to make sure you had time to recover from… everything.”His tone was polite, but the intentions behind his words were clear. Everyone in the room knew about the scandal, the drama, and the mess Regina had caused. Even if they pretended otherwise.“I appreciate that,” I said evenly. “But I’m fine. Business doesn’t wait.”A few murmurs of approval circled the table, but one of the shareholders, a middle-aged man named Greg, cleared his throat. “Actually, since we’re on the subject of
ONIKA'S POVConfusion warred with anger and disgust in me. Was she really going to come talk to me now?I folded my arms, tilting my head at Damien. “And what exactly does she want?”He shrugged. “Didn’t say. Just that she needed to speak to you urgently.”I scoffed. “Oh, I bet she does.”There was no doubt in my mind that this was about Regina. That viper had finally met her downfall, and now Nathan's mother was here, hoping to what? Plead her case? She couldn't talk to her son again? Pathetic.I moved back to my chair, dropping into it and rubbing my temples. “Tell her to leave. I have nothing to say to her.”Damien hesitated for a second, as if considering arguing, but then he nodded. “Alright.”He turned to leave, but just before he could step out, I heard her voice.“Damien, please… just give me a moment with her.”Was she seriously begging him? Oh how the mighty have fallen.I clenched my jaw, already irritated. Damien glanced back at me, clearly waiting for a final word.“She s
ONIKA'S POV “Welcome back, ma'am” Amara said, following after me the next morning, her gaze burning into my back as I walked into my office, my heels clacking against the tiled floor.“Thank you. Is everything that I emailed you about in place yet?” I asked, slumping down on the swivel chair. Who knew that I would miss this piece of shit eventually? It felt so comfortable under my touch now and I leaned my head back against the headrest.She looked through the stack of papers in her arms, pulling out a binded stack of documents which she dropped unto the table, pushing them towards me. “Yes, I tried my best to get everything ready and I just need your signature on that one” She nodded to the document she has kept on my table.I looked at it with an arched brow before I grabbed it, flipping through it, unsure where this had come from. “What is this?” I had to ask.I don't remember this. This was for contracting a new construction company, why would we need this?“We need the company t
ONIKA'S POVIt had been several hours on the flight and now we were on our way back to the mansion but surprisingly, it hadn't felt that way. Maybe it was the way Nathan kept throwing subtle glances at me when he thought I wasn't looking. Or the way he kept shifting in his seat, trying to get comfortable but failing miserably.Or maybe it was just the fact that I couldn't stop thinking about everything that had happened over the past few days.I looked out of the window. We were back in town meaning back with work and every bad thing that came with being in the country. Not like I could escape it anyways.Nathan was on a call, his voice low but firm as he spoke in hushed whispers. His fingers tapped against his knee, a telltale sign that something was bothering him.After what felt like a whole hour, he finally hung up and sighed, leaning his head back against the seat.I stretched my arms above my head and leaned back into the seat. "Is that work?"Nathan hummed in response, his gaze
ONIKA'S POVThe next morning, I woke up to the feeling of warm lips pressed to my forehead and my eyes fluttered open to see Nathan staring down at me with a smile on his face."Good morning, sleeping beauty" He grinned, sitting up and stretching his arms above his head.It was morning already?I groaned, sitting up also, a yawn escaping me as I tried to get myself oriented with my surroundings again then I looked at him. "What are you doing so early?" I asked, my voice still groggy and full of sleep.He stood up and looked over his shoulder at me. "We're leaving today, you remember that, yeah?" He asked, his brows pinched together.Oh right... We were supposed to leave today. "Right, sorry I'm not myself right now yet" I apologized, throwing my legs off the bed, my limbs aching as soon as I stood up.He nodded, understanding what I was trying to say but there was no judgement on his face, just sheer amusement. "Get ready, breakfast is already done. Also your phone was ringing and I f