“I don’t think this was a good idea.” Joane looked at Nikolai as Micheal drove them to his family home. Nikolai reached over and placed a kiss on her knuckles, “Relax, I’m not taking you to a slaughterhouse.” “Your mother will definitely throw a fit. What will you tell her?” Joane asked as she placed her head on Nikolai’s shoulder. Nikolai's phone rang and he swiped right to answer. Joane watched as he listened without saying anything. It was only after a few minutes that he responded, "That's fine. You can proceed." Joane's heart was racing the entire time, her breaths coming in short, shallow gasps. A knot tightened in her stomach, and her hands trembled slightly. She felt a sense of impending doom, unable to shake off the feeling of dread that lingered in her mind. No matter how much Nikolai told her not to worry, she couldn’t help but feel the anxiety build. “I’m not sure yet. Let’s figure that out when we meet them. You won’t even see them anytime soon anyway.” Nikolai sai

“Mum, what are you talking about?” Nikolai asked.Marjory stood from where she was sitting and moved closer, “You need to get married. It’s essential for you to secure the CEO position.” She half whispered.“What if I don’t want it?” Nikolai ran a frustrated hand in his hair,Marjory laughed like she had just heard a joke of the century, “Are you trying to kill me?” She moved backward and took a step behind, “Oh Lord! The child you gave me. He wants to throw away all I’ve worked hard for. Do you think I married your father because I loved him?”“Why did you marry him?” Nikolai asked softly, the previous events flashing in before him as he felt guilty for avoiding her the whole week. Marjory sighed, “It was to merge the two companies so that we wouldn’t lose the MacAdams Group. So many people were depending on that. So many families would have lost their jobs and slept hungry had I not made that sacrifice Nik. I hate to put this kind of pressure on you, but I have no choice. It’s eithe

As Nikolai and Joane entered the hotel, they were greeted by the staff manager, who welcomed them with a warm smile."Mr. Cooper, welcome back. Your room is ready, as requested," the manager said, handing Nikolai a keycard. "And the table for your guests is all set."Nikolai nodded, thanking the manager before turning to Joane. "Shall we?" he asked, gesturing towards the elevator...Joane nodded, feeling a mix of excitement and nervousness. Her heart was racing as he placed his hand on the small of her back.She was looking forward to arriving but now that they had arrived, she couldn’t help but feel nervous. A part of her felt like it was her first time and she didn’t know what to do. ‘I’ll choose random sex over planned sex any day!’ She thought as she stepped into the elevator and Nikolai joined her.As they rode the elevator up to their room, Nikolai turned to face Joane and moved slowly towards her with a smirk on his face, “I can hear your loud beating heart sweetheart, I don’t

As the announcement echoed through the room, Joane felt a wave of shock wash over her. She looked at Nikolai, whose expression mirrored her own surprise.Isabella, standing beside Marjory, beamed with joy as she raised her hand to show off the engagement ring. The room erupted into applause and congratulations as people approached Isabella to offer their best wishes.Joane stood frozen, unsure of how to process the news. She had no recollection of Nikolai ever mentioning sharing romantic feelings with Isabella, let alone being engaged. She felt a pang of hurt and confusion, wondering why Nikolai had never mentioned this important detail to her.So many questions began to hit her and she felt her knees go weak.‘When did this happen? How could this happen? I’ve spent two weeks with Isabel and she even wished Nikolai and I would be together, so what is this I’m now seeing?’ The questions kept on coming but she couldn’t think of an answer that would fit any of the questions.“You even ga

“Is that Joane?” Isabella asked in surprise.“Seems like it. My girl is turning the city upside down.” Nikolai smiled proudly. “You looked gorgeous Sweetheart.”“Where did you get that dress?” Isabella pressed on curiosity building inside her.“Oh, you suddenly went mute so, I called Kiana for help.” Joane shrugged. “Kiana Reed, always reliable.” Nikolai laughed as he brushed Joane’s hair. A habit he had of playing with her hair anytime she was close to him.Isabella gasped, “Arthur Reed’s wife is your friend?”“Yeah.” Joane half laughed, “You seem pale, are you okay?” Joane asked.“Yeah. I’m good.” Isabella cleared her throat. Looking back at the TV.Joane's attention went back to the TV and was still shocked that her picture was the one that was making headlines, “Do they do this normally?” She asked.“Yes, they select one male and one female who stands out during the event and ask them to do an interview with Stay TV,” Nikolai explained.“Stay TV?” Joane asked. Still confused.“Ye