Chapter 33: Serene.

A black car waited at Andersons' hanger while Nicolas and Victoria's plane landed. Nicolas didn't know what to expect from the 2-day vacation that his father organized, then he asked Victoria about it, expecting her to be just as uninformed as he was.
"Your father and I have planned out the events for the weekend," she answered, "Don't stress about it, Nick. Though, we are on schedule, so we shouldn't waste time."
Nicolas didn't mind the lack of information he had for the weekend, but it bothered him that his own father kept him out of the topic.

The two were driven to a luxurious hotel where the building was tall, and the floors were crystal. After unpacking their luggage in their room, Victoria spoke, staring out of the window, "There's a car waiting for us outside," she turned around, a soft grin on her face, "We should get going."
...

They headed to the mall first, and it wasn't crowded, but it wasn't empty either. Two guards walked behind Nicolas and Victoria, though only really 'guarding' the Henderson's daughter. It was a nice day, with the wind being fresh and the blue sky being clear. Nicolas wasn't stressed and enjoyed that feeling, yet somehow still feeling guilty.
Guilty that he felt at ease, whereas his assistant was probably feeling stressed from work.

Victoria headed into a clothing shop, the lights dimmed with blue LED lights hanging from the ceiling. Victoria smiled, turning to Nick, "I'm going to head over there," she pointed at the area where dresses were hung on the wall, "you can go ahead and look around, too. Don't be shy," she teased, nudging him. Nicolas smiled, nodding at her, watching her walk away.
The music being played in the store relaxed Nick, hearing the classical tune while the customers walked around the store. It didn't seem fitting for the shop, considering what he heard was violins and piano - and what he saw was party-dresses and outfits suitable for a high school gathering. He sighed, shoving his tanned hands into the pockets of his jeans, walking towards a shelf to the right. He gazed slightly to where Victoria went, seeing her and her guards chatting as they eyed a red dress.
Nicolas felt ill to his stomach, feeling uneasy. He cleared his throat, turning back to the shelf in front of him.

His eyes were fixed on a stack of shirts, tilting his head a bit. Despite that, his mind was spiraling into a domain of Deja Vu. With the store being dimmed, and the classical sound that was being played... Nicolas couldn't help but recall a memory he's been keeping at the back of his head.

Back at the donation party where the kitchen was dimmed, and chatter mixed with soft music. Nicolas was in a trance-like state during his time at the donation party just like he was now... standing at the side of the store, staring at the stack of shirts with the party in his mind. He can almost taste the alcoholic drink he had with Seven.

He blinked before coming to his senses, realizing how dumb he probably looks staring at some shirts. He stepped to the left, coming across some ties hanging on the wooden, brown wall. His eyes were caught by a navy blue tie, bringing another memory to his mind. His eyes widened, his hand lifting to grab the end of the cloth, feeling the soft fabric until it reached the end of his fingertips. Nicolas's throat stiffened, frowning at the sight.

The sight... of the blue tie.

The day after the party, Nicolas woke up naked, cold, and alone. It didn't bother him, though. It wasn't a new thing where he slept with someone, and it was a one-night stand. It also wasn't surprising that he woke up with no memory of the night before. With the raging headache that he felt that morning, nothing crossed his mind. It wasn't until he got off the bed and stepped on a piece of cloth when the memories of that night started coming back to him.

Seeing that navy blue tie that Seven was gifted was the only thing that brought back those memories and that feeling that Nicolas cherished oh- so much. Gazing down at the floor that morning, seeing his pale feet on the blue tie brought his heart to a stop and his stomach-turning. The remembrance of his naked assistant, beneath him, his pale, sweaty skin, blushed in pure pink... it was a memory Nicolas could never let go of.
A memory taped at the back of his head like he was trying to look for a WANTED person.

"Nice tie?" Victoria's voice sounded behind him. Though Nicolas kept his eyes on the tie, his mouth open as if he wanted to speak, but no words came out. Like he was in complete shock at seeing something so simple. His heart raced, feeling more ill every second that he realized how he felt.
Not ill about the feeling, but ill at what he's putting himself through with the marriage.

"Nick?" Victoria spoke again.

Nicolas blinked before turning around, taking a deep breath as if he were suffocating himself. He swallowed harshly and nodded at her, chuckling nervously, "Yeah. It's a nice tie."

"We can... buy it if you want." She tilted her head and threw her hands behind her back.

Nicolas shook his head, "No, no. It's fine. I have a couple of them at home."

Victoria hesitantly nodded before turning around and sighing, "Alright, if you say so~"
...

After shopping at the clothing store, they headed to a gaming shop. When walking around, Victoria talked about how her cousin's son was having a birthday party next month and wanted to gift him a video game.

The two walked into the shop, and Victoria spoke, "I was going to do this alone, but since you're from a video game company... I mean, who else is better to choose a video game for a kid, right?" she giggled, rolling up her beige sweater and walking towards a counter with stacks of video games.

Nicolas nodded, watching her walk in front of him.

The CEO sighed softly, putting his hands behind his back and following her. The shop was empty, with only three employees walking around. Indie music played in the scene, and only the noise heard was from Victoria humming to the same rhythm as the song. She held two games on each of her hands, tilting her head, "Which one do you think would fit a 13 year-olds interest?" she asked. Nicolas didn't answer, picking up a video game in front of him, seeing that it was one created by his company.

And it was something about seeing his father's name at the back of the game that brought back that ill-feeling to his stomach again. His thumb caressed over the company's title above his father's, feeling the smooth texture of the box.

And then another memory came up.

The memory of the day after the party when his father confronted him.

A horrible, aching memory that he should be used to by now.

His father shouting at him, and asking about his whereabouts during the party made Nicolas feel ill; sick to his stomach knowing that he disappointed his father.

And it wasn't like Nicolas was in the right.
He realized that; He realized skipping an important party like that was unprofessional.
Remembering it now, he grew guilty recalling the number of times Seven mentioned how a drinking game was not a good idea.
Being yelled at. Scolded. It was the worst feeling. Nicolas hated it. He hated being blamed and being targeted for something involving failure. No one - not any of his old assistants - stood up for him. No one has ever defended him from his father because they, too, were scared of him.

Scared of losing their job.
Even though Nicolas made his father promise not to touch his assistants, Joseph Anderson still somehow got them to fear him.

So when Seven stepped in, making up an entirely different excuse as to why the two of them weren't present caught Nicolas off-guard. Being defended like that on the spot... being able to trust another voice that isn't his own... it felt comforting to him.

A smile crept on his face before hearing Victoria's voice, "Nicolas?" she called, leaning into him.
Nicolas turned to her, setting the game down at its spot, "What's up?"

The girl pouted, realizing how out of it Nick was, "I was wondering if you could choose which video game would be great." She held up the two games in her hands and smiled shyly, "I'm not very good at this stuff like you are."

...

After leaving the mall, the two 'lovebirds' went to eat at a restaurant. The place was full and pretty, but Nicolas felt something missing in him. It was unsettling, sitting down on a button-tufted booth in a fancy place with someone he hardly knew. The covered, wooden table that sat in front of them was empty. The lighting in the restaurant was dark and simple.

A family of three sat beside them, laughing and contradicting how Victoria and Nicolas were feeling.
He glimpsed at the family. His heart warmed, seeing the 'perfect' imagery of what his father wanted: The wife holding hands with her husband on the table, staring at their toddler that colored on a napkin.

A smile plastered on his face until Victoria cleared her throat, grabbing the CEO's attention, "You want kids in the near future?" she chuckled a bit, looking at him.

Nicolas blinked before responding, shaking his head, "No, I don't. They're overrated."

Victoria circled her eyes, staring at the menu placed in front of her, "You seem like a father type, Nick. I think you'd want children sooner or later... especially if it's for the company."

Nicolas let out a small laugh, his hand running through his gelled hair, "The company is what's keeping me from having children. It's a lot to bear."

Victoria smiled, taking a glimpse at him, "Of course. By the way, how has the day been for you?"

"Good. Uh- eventful," he responded.

Victoria frowned at the lie, putting the menu down, "You weren't even there mentally half the time, Nick. What was going through your mind?"

The CEO's grin faded, looking down at his fingers that tangled together. He didn't know what to say. He didn't want to believe that most of the day he's been thinking about his assistant.

He didn't want to say that.

It was hard to believe that he, Nicolas, has fallen for Seven.

He inhaled deeply, standing up from the booth, "I'm going to go to the bathroom," he mumbled, not waiting to hear a response from Victoria.

Entering the bathroom was a rush. His heart pounded, thinking about the question. The stalls were empty, and the only thing that played in the scene was the classical music coming from the intercom.

Nicolas walked towards the sinks, staring at the puddled water on the counter. He sighed, turning on the faucet. He watched the clear water run down, seeing every drip get washed away with another drip.
He lifted his head, looking at his reflection. His cheeks red, and his eyes narrowed. Seeing every speck of stress on his face and hearing the faucet drop bits of water onto the sink caused his chest to tighten, making him turn around. He let out a sigh, his throat closing off as his eyes dropped to the tiled floor.

The scene brought back the sensation of when he leaned in to kiss Seven. His assistant was rambling on, blaming himself for everything that happened at the party, and it annoyed Nicolas.
It bothered him how he easily can cause chaos within his assistant, such as making him overthink, scratch himself, and stress about losing his job.
Nicolas knew he was to blame for his own actions. He didn't expect Seven to run into the bathroom, thinking about how he'd get fired. Nicolas wasn't thinking, but he leaned in and kissed him. Whether it was to calm him down or to feel that man's lips again... the CEO felt something.
....

It was Sunday night, and tomorrow was the day he'd get to see his friends again. He hasn't messaged Serene, considering the CEO spent the rest of the day with his bride-to-be at the beach.
The moonlight beamed through the window, shining on the two that laid on the bed.
Nicolas slept on his back with Victoria lying on his chest. The CEO's arms were behind his head as he gazed at the ceiling under the spinning fan.

He let out a soft exhalation, awaking Victoria, eyeing him, "You're still up?"

Nicolas didn't answer. Victoria pouted, patting Nicolas' chest a bit, wrinkling the black t-shirt that he wore, "Hey, what's on your mind? What's keeping you up?"

Nicolas frowned, keeping his gaze on the ceiling, "Serene."

Her hand gripped onto the shirt, hearing the soft voice say the name. She licked her lips and moved away from him, sitting up, "Serene?"

The CEO turned to her, realizing what he had said out loud, "Uh- sorry... I have a lot in mind. What did you ask?"

Victoria frowned, tilting her head, "You're thinking about someone named Serene?" She chuckled, "Isn't that your assistant?"

Nicolas gulped harshly, sitting up, still keeping an eye on her, "Victoria... I- uhm-"

She smiled, nodding at him, "I'll wait for you... to explain whatever it is on your mind."

Nicolas huffed, his shoulders dropping as his eyes moved away from her. He didn't know what to say, but he also had a lot to say. He turned to the edge of the bed, letting his legs dangle, feeling the soft carpet beneath his feet.

"Victoria," he conversed, his voice trembling. He took a deep breath and held it for a while, "I... am not in love with you, and this marriage... is going to mentally exhaust me... if I'm being honest."

His throat tightened, turning to look at her, seeing the woman's soft smile, "Saying that out loud... has gotta be the most terrifying thing I've ever said."

Victoria let out a soft scoff, "Because it's risky for your reputation?"

"Because my father is the only parent I have, and I don't want to disappoint him by saying no to his proposal."

The girl frowned again, hearing the words come out of the CEO's mouth.

"Why say it now? she asked.

"Because I realized that... my happiness doesn't lie within the company," he smiled, as if realizing that has lifted a weight off of his shoulders, "... but rather with him."

She blinked, her mouth opening, hearing the confession escape him.

"He's been on my mind this whole vacation, and I... I can't ignore it because... usually when I like someone, I let it be, and I let them go."

"But with him..." she continued for him.

Nicolas's smile grew, his eyes dazing off out the window behind Victoria, "I don't want him to go."

Victoria's eyebrows furrowed, nodding at him, hearing the words being spoken clear as day, "I understand, Nick."

His smile faded, now turning to meet her gaze, "I'm sorry Victoria-"

"No, don't apologize, Nick," she grabbed the CEO's hand and looked at him, a sad grin on her face, "You understand yourself and who you like and who you want... there's nothing wrong with that."

Nicolas swallowed, seeing her genuine response.

"Though..." she dropped his hands and turned her head, "I won't say anything to your father or mine, but... you've gotta bring up the marriage somehow because it's your arrangement."

Nick's heart dropped, his eyes falling to the side of the bed, hearing the truth come out of her mouth.

"You have to tell your father... and it has to be soon because..."

The CEO turned to her again, his eyes widening, "Because...?"

She blinked a few times before her shoulders dropped, "My father wanted to move the wedding to next Tuesday."