WARMING THE BILLIONAIRE COLD HEART

Alex and Keyra couldn’t stop laughing as they listened to what Kimberly had shared in her office earlier this afternoon. As known, almost everything she experienced, she always shared with her two friends. To her, in this world, the two of them were the ones who always faithfully listened to Kimberly’s complaints. They were also the ones who were always there when Kimberly needed help.

“Why didn’t you just accept it right away?” Keyra protested.

“Even though this is beneficial, Kimmy. You won’t have to make an effort to chase Mr. Nicholas anymore. Moreover, if you reject it, you might get fired, right?” Alex chimed in.

Kimberly sighed in frustration.

“Okay, I do want to be Mr. Ice’s partner. But it’s not the way to go about it. This is like he’s using me as a shield to avoid his parents. I want him to be sincere and genuinely be my partner, not because there’s an ulterior motive like this!”

Alex smirked.

“Weren’t you the one who used to treat Mr. Nicholas as a bet? So now you really like him?”

Kimberly was taken aback. She had indeed sought Nicholas’s attention often, but she wasn’t sure if she genuinely liked him or if it was just an obsession from the previous bet between her and Alex.

“I don’t know, Lex. Actually, I’m more interested in Mr. Edward than Mr. Nicholas. He’s friendlier and more hospitable. He knows how to make people around him feel comfortable.”

Keyra shook her head in disagreement.

“Don’t forget that Mr. Edward is known as a playboy, Kimmy. Do you want to be his next victim?”

“Well, who knows, after being with me, Mr. Edward might repent and be faithful. No one knows, right?”

Before Keyra could respond, Nicholas passed by the three of them. The atmosphere instantly became silent. He paused briefly in front of Kimberly’s desk and then spoke.

“Alex, please come to my office right now.” Then he walked towards his office.

Alex stared at Keyra and Kimberly, slightly puzzled because Nicholas usually didn’t directly ask him to come to his office.

“Is he serious about asking me to his office?” Alex asked in confusion.

Keyra shrugged.

“Maybe you’ll be interrogated like I was yesterday. It’s better to go in now before Mr. Nicholas gets angry for waiting too long.”

Alex laughed and then stepped into Nicholas’s office.

He knocked once before opening the brown door in front of him.

“Excuse me, Mister,” Alex said.

“Have a seat!”

Casually, Alex took a seat that was facing Nicholas’s current position.

“Could you please help me review these financial graphs before I sign them?”

Alex accepted the papers Nicholas offered and started reviewing them one by one, making corrections and marking which ones were ready to be signed. This was actually part of Alex’s job, but as Keyra had suggested, he felt there was another reason why Nicholas had called him into his office.

“It seems like you and Keyra are quite close to Kimberly.”

Alex, still busy with the numbers on the graphs, unintentionally smiled. Nicholas’s gaze shifted to Alex’s face, and he continued, “You could say that, Mister.”

Nicholas nodded.

“Does Kimberly have a boyfriend?” Nicholas asked while sipping the tea he had been holding.

“As far as I know, Kimberly doesn’t have a boyfriend. But many employees from various departments like her.”

“Ahem…” Nicholas choked on the tea he was drinking.

Realizing it, Alex asked, “Are you okay, Mister?”

Nicholas raised his right hand to signal that he was fine.

“So, Kimberly has a lot of admirers?”

Alex chuckled inwardly; it was quite interesting to tease the famously cold foreign boss.

“Not many anymore, Mister. Perhaps almost every man in various departments likes Kimberly. According to the gossip, even Mr. Edward has shown an interest in Kimberly. Many employees have seen Mr. Edward send lunch to Kimberly several times.”

Actually, Alex wasn’t entirely joking. Many employees from various departments had indeed been trying to get Kimberly’s attention. After all, who wouldn’t be interested in a beautiful, independent, and friendly woman like Kimberly?

As for Edward approaching Kimberly, that wasn’t entirely a joke either. Because some time ago, the Scottish descendant had brought lunch for Kimberly. Well, even though it was only once. For this one, it seemed okay for Alex to exaggerate a bit. He was just curious to see Nicholas’s reaction.

And indeed, Nicholas fell for Alex’s words. He clenched his jaw. It was clear he didn’t like it when Alex mentioned Edward’s name. Nicholas knew that Edward had been openly trying to flirt with Kimberly.

Damn! It turns out Edward has been sending Kimberly food behind my back. Haven’t I warned him repeatedly?

Nicholas took a deep breath.

Wait a minute, am I feeling jealous?

Unconsciously, Nicholas vigorously shook his head.

No. This isn’t jealousy! I just don’t want my secretary to be hurt by a jerk like Edward.

This time, Nicholas nodded.

Yes, that’s right. I don’t want my secretary to become Edward’s next target. Never!

“Mister…”

Alex’s call snapped Nicholas out of his reverie.

“Yes…”

“Everything is done on my end. Is there anything else I should do?”

Nicholas glanced momentarily at the stack of papers that Alex had completed before shaking his head.

“No, you can go back to your office now.”

Just as he was about to leave, Nicholas called Alex back.

“Oh, Lex…”

“Yes, Mister?”

“… please tell Kimberly to come in and see me.”

Alex nodded and then exited the room. Not even a minute after Alex’s departure, it was Kimberly’s turn to enter Nicholas’s office. Judging by her expression, she still seemed upset with Nicholas.

“Have you thought about my offer?” Nicholas asked without looking at Kimberly. He was busy checking stock market news on his tablet screen.

Kimberly took a deep breath before answering.

“I’ve said it multiple times, I don’t want to get involved in your personal affairs, Mister.”

Nicholas’s gaze shifted to Kimberly. It didn’t take long for him to wear a wry smile.

“Does that mean you’re ready to accept the consequences I’ll give you?”

Kimberly stared at Nicholas intently, slightly puzzled by the man’s thought process. How could he threaten to fire her if she didn’t comply with his wishes?

Kimberly thought she would succumb to his threat.

Nicholas was mistaken.

Kimberly was an independent woman who didn’t like being pushed around by men, especially arrogant men like Nicholas, who relied on his power to carry out his plans.

In fact, Kimberly could have helped him if Nicholas had been a bit more humble and persuasive yesterday instead of issuing threats when his request was rejected.

Kimberly nodded.

“If Mister wants to fire me, go ahead. I will accept that decision.”

Nicholas was momentarily stunned. He was just confused about how to make Kimberly comply with his request.

“I’ll give you until tomorrow. If you still refuse my offer, I will reluctantly fire you.”

Kimberly scoffed.

“Why wait until tomorrow if the answer remains the same?”

“Who knows, maybe after this, you’ll change your mind. No one knows,” Nicholas replied with a calm expression.

Change her mind? Of course, it’s possible, as long as you know how, Mr. Ice.

Kimberly sighed in frustration.

Beg me, you fool! Don’t leave me like this. You’re so clueless.

Kimberly lazily glanced at Nicholas.

“If there’s nothing else you want to discuss, I’ll return to my desk.”

Nicholas shrugged.

“No, you can go back to your desk.”

*****

Keyra: [Kimmy, do you want to go home together?]

Kimberly quickly replied to the message her friend sent.

Kimberly: [You go ahead, I still have a lot of work]

Keyra: [Okay. Alex and I will leave first. Bye]

Kimberly then proceeded to place each folder containing agreements into the cabinet not far from Nicholas’s office. After that, she organized all her belongings on her desk. She thought that if she were indeed fired tomorrow, she wouldn’t need to bother arranging her things.

I can’t believe I might get fired over something so trivial.

That darn Nicholas!

After organizing all the documents, Kimberly grabbed her work bag and prepared to leave. The clock had just struck 7 PM. The building was still bustling because some employees hadn’t left yet or were working overtime.

Upon reaching the lobby, Kimberly reached for her phone in her blazer pocket, opened the app, and ordered a ride-sharing taxi to take her home. She didn’t want to take the risk of using public transportation when it was already late at night.

She didn’t have to wait long; the taxi she had booked arrived promptly. Kimberly got in quickly.

After a journey of about twenty minutes, Kimberly was almost home. However, from a distance, she spotted several burly men loitering in front of her boarding house.

Kimberly knew exactly who they were and what their purpose was for waiting outside her boarding house. Instead of stopping, Kimberly asked the taxi driver to turn around before the burly men noticed her and gave chase.

Arghh!

This must be Mario’s doing.

It seems unsafe to go back to the boarding house tonight.

Sooner or later, Grandpa will drag me back home.

Kimberly rubbed her face in frustration.

It’s not going back to Grandpa Arthur’s house that I’m truly afraid of. Since the passing of her parents, Kimberly had been living with Grandpa Arthur. But if she were to return now, she was certain that she would be forced into a marriage with Mario.

“What should I do now?” Kimberly wondered. Staying at Keyra’s house was highly unlikely. Living in Alex’s apartment? His girlfriend would definitely disapprove. Should she sleep at the office? Kimberly shuddered at the thought. She imagined ghosts haunting the place.

Kimberly kept racking her brain, trying to figure out where she could go tonight. Staying in a hotel wasn’t the right option either. Then, a crazy idea suddenly popped into her head. Kimberly quickly grabbed her phone from her bag, found a contact, and dialed.Ccontent © exclusive by Nô/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.

After three or four rings, the call was finally answered. “Hello, Randy. I need your help.”