17

“Be a good girl, okay?” Drake gently caressed Amelia's head.




In that instant, Amelia was over the moon, feeling satisfied that she had gained Drake's favor. Unlike Nicole, Amelia was flattered by the sudden entitlement that came to her life.




However, she quickly decided to stop pressing on due to her fear of the repercussions that might follow her greed.




Furthermore, she was hoping to win Drake's heart with her meek character. She tried to be as gentle as possible since she didn’t have good looks that could make an impression on any man. Thinking she had won the battle, she believed Nicole was going to be laid off soon and put her mind to ease.




As soon as Amelia got out of sight, Drake reached for the phone and dialed the intercom.




“Hello.” Nicole's voice was heard.




“Come to my office at once,” the man responded with a voice that sounded angry.




At the same time, Nicole took a deep breath in her office, thinking her fate was sealed while preparing for the worst.




“ Well, I’ll just quit and leave Bourgeois if worse comes to worst. Then, she took the elevator to the 8th floor and made her way to the president’s office, whereupon she knocked on the door and entered the room.




In the meantime, Drake was sitting in his chair, giving off an intimidating aura that filled the atmosphere around his room. “Explain yourself.” The man questioned Nicole about her violent outburst earlier as a boss.




Nicole squinted, thinking there was no point for her to explain anyway since she reckoned Drake would believe everything his girlfriend, Amelia, said without question. “Who is Amelia to you?” Drake knitted her eyebrows and asked.




“Have you forgotten your place, Nicole? You’re my employee, and since you’re in the wrong now, you should be the one answering my questions,” Drake replied.




Knowing what the man was trying to say, Nicole curled her lips upward. “You saw what happened. I gave her a slap in the face, so what kind of explanation do you want to hear from me?”




“Why did you want to hit her? Was it because she wanted to complain about you?”




“It was personal, which was the same reason she came to see me today. I know it was my fault to get physical with her, but she deserved it.” Nicole stood her ground firmly, refusing to back down.




Drake stared at Nicole with a complicated look, wondering whether the reason behind her unreasonable nature was really because of her mother’s death and her father’s questionable parenting method. “If you’re willing to admit your mistake, I promise I’ll let you off this time, Nicole.”




“Admit my mistake? You mean apologize to Amelia?” Nicole sniggered sarcastically and clenched her jaw. “There is no way I will ever do that.”




“Nicole, this is an office, not someplace for you to settle your personal scores.” Drake angrily lectured Nicole, finding himself at the end of the rope while trying to reason with his life saver’s daughter. Moreover, Amelia was the lady he thought he had been missing and searching for the last five years.




“In that case, I’ll resign.” Nicole hardened her heart and made up her mind, thinking she should just walk away and leave all the problems behind her. Fine, I’ll quit.




"Stay right there, Nicole," the man

shouted out to her.




Nicole stopped in her tracks without looking back because she didn’t want to look at Drake's face anymore. Now that she realized he was Amelia's boyfriend, she couldn’t help but feel annoyed to even look at Drake. 




What a waste, Elliot! You’re such a handsome man, but sadly, you’re blind.




“I’m not going to terminate you. You can stay, but I want you to promise me that there is no next time. Do you hear me?” Drake tried his best to keep Nicole in his company, as he was bound by his grandmother’s wish to look after him.




Needless to say, Nicole couldn’t bear to leave her current position either because of her keen passion for designing. Moreover, she also loved her job at Bourgeois after having worked there for three years.




Soon, she looked back and fixed her eyes on the man who propped himself with his arms on the table, warning him to be careful about Amelia. “Amelia is not as kind-hearted as you think she is. I’m sure you don’t want to fall for one of her tricks one day, so keep your eyes open when you’re around her.”




“Well, you were the one who resorted to violence today,” Drake squinted and replied.







Unknown to Drake, Nicole wanted to do more than just beat Amelia up. Deep down, she wished she could just kill Amelia but decided to keep the thought to herself, considering how much Drake was concerned about Amelia. 




Soon, she returned to the office, while Felicia didn’t receive any notice about terminating her, which surprised everyone else in the company. After all, they were all wondering how Nicole got away with it upon hitting their president’s girlfriend.




Grace came over with a cup of coffee, comforting her superior. “Miss Chapman, are you sure you’re alright?”




“I’m fine.” Nicole was so mad that she almost lost all of her inspiration. Thus, she put down the pencil and rubbed her forehead. “What are the people gossiping about out there?”




"Miss Chapman, you should just ignore their

gossip," Grace said..




"Tell me what they're talking about.".




“They’re saying that you’re backed by someone so powerful that even President Butler can’t terminate you. Some of them even say you’re his mistress, which is why that lady confronted you after finding out about your relationship with him,” Grace answered while observing Nicole's facial expression.




Upon hearing that, Nicole felt amused as she nearly burst into laughter, disgusted with the idea of being with Amelia's boyfriend, no matter how dumb she was.




 Not long after that, Felicia summoned her to her office and lectured her about the proper manners of handling clients. Otherwise, she would be sure to kick Nicole out of the company, regardless of Drake's decision.







As speechless as Nicole felt, she didn’t feel like explaining the whole story because there was simply too much to talk about between her and Amelia. Furthermore, she was too ashamed to mention what happened five years ago to anyone. In spite of all the upsetting events, her mood took a turn for the better when her phone rang the moment she returned to her office. “Hello.”




"Why do you sound so tired?" A man's

voice was heard..




“Well, I’m tired indeed. When are you coming back?”




“A few more days, I guess. Anyway, I have some good news for you. There is a high-end jewelry fair coming up soon, and I’m going to add your name to my invitation list. By then, you’ll have a good chance to explore the fair all you want because I bet your favorite jewelry will probably be there.”




“Really? That’s awesome! When is it?” Nicole felt a rush of excitement all over her body.




"Itl be held this Saturday at 7 PM. It'll

probably take two hours and end around

nine. Is there anyone else who can look

after the kids for you?" the man asked in

concern..




“Yes, there is. I could tell my assistant or my dad to look after him.” Nicole didn’t want to miss the golden opportunity to explore the jewelry fair, where she could witness some quality masterpieces from some of the top-notch designers.




“Sure. Have fun. When I get back, I’ll treat you to a nice meal.”




“No problem. I’ll be waiting!” Nicole hung up the call just when an attractive figure flashed across her mind. It turned out that the caller was her good friend, Nigel Manson.




While the man was raised in a wealthy family, both of them came to know each other before Nicole returned to the country. Thinking everyone would encounter someone who would help them at some point in their life, she believed hers was Nigel. 




Saturday night? That’s two nights from now, isn’t it? Nicole began to look forward to the occasion.

______




On the other hand, Amelia was rubbing her swollen cheek with some ice in the luxurious mansion. Deep down, she couldn’t suppress her grudge against Nicole, whom she blamed for causing her a swollen cheek. 




My face is what matters the most to me, yet Nicole went for it straight. Damn her! “I’ll never let this slide so easily, Nicole!” 




Amelia then reached for her iPad and started browsing through the news just when she saw a female celebrity flashing her invitation card at a high-class jewelry fair.




At that instant, Amelia became tempted to attend the function, believing it could help heighten her status since she had been trying hard to fit in amidst the upper class of the society. Although she knew an event like that was no place for someone like her, she wondered whether she could use the Butler's Family as her ticket to attend the function.