From afar, Veronica just sneered at Sarah and Tom’s situation. She couldn’t hear anything, but she knew from Tom’s face that he’s been carrying a quite heavy baggage that Sarah is completely oblivious of.
Tom had no idea that the landlady was the culprit behind the dilemma he was facing in their business. Otherwise, he would not have considered going through the lengths and began a relationship with her. If he ever got caught cheating, this would definitely mess up Sarah. Moreover, the consequences won’t just stop there. It would affect everything that he had been holding together.
Tom has always been a good husband and father. Wrecking this relationship would cause a severe downfall, which he didn’t want to come around. Running a company meant having to risk a lot of things as well. You don’t just look at one side, but you must also look at hundreds of corners and angles before deciding. That was the reason why everyone adored and idolized Tom so much.
But once Sarah finds out about everything, the repercussions would be uncontrollable.
As their embrace loosened up, the satisfaction on Sarah’s face was seen so bright. Her smile and her faith on Tom were obvious from the way she stared back at his eyes. She sighed deeply as the two walked away.
As Veronica’s eyes wandered away, she saw Clare replacing her from her seat. “What are you going to do?” Veronica silently said to herself.
Clare gracefully and calmly spoke to Nick. “Mr. Cage, I know that you are the person in charge of the KING Group, and everyone is in awe of you. But even so, my appearance is not so bad that you would have to ignore my words, right? This is very unfair to me.”
Tom and Sarah heard Clare as they were walking by their table. They couldn’t help but interrupt and grab the opportunity to stop Clare from saying something worse.
“What is this?” Sarah exclaimed as she cut their conversation.
Tom hurriedly came forward and said, “Mr. Cage, I’m sorry, my daughter can be too forward sometimes, and she invades other people’s spaces too much without even noticing. I hope you could excuse her actions.”
Veronica started to walk towards the bread station, drawing herself closer to the situation as she listened carefully, watching it immediately turn into flames.
Nick looked directly at Clare Parker’s indifference and thoughtlessness, which made people chill from the bottom of their bones.
“My name is Clare Parker. It’s nice to meet you Mr. Cage.”, Clare said as she ignored her parents’ remarks.
“Your head is way above the clouds to think I would be considering you.” Nick coldly replied as he stared back at Clare with fury in his eyes. For him, it’s disrespectful for someone to approach him without feeling a bit of shame or humility. He didn’t want to waste his time dealing with the nonsense people like Claire is proudly holding.
Clare stood there like a corpse. She froze as she was left speechless from the situation. Hearing Nick Cage say these words onto her made her heart sink. She never expected him to treat her this way. She was desperate and appalled by Nick from the way she acted. But Clare thought that her actions would make her impossible to ignore. For a man who is as powerful as Nick Cage, it would seem as if he searches for those who can be bold and confident. However, it wasn’t what he was looking for at all.
But as Clare observed, she noticed Nick’s eyes floating around her. He seemed unattended and unaware of Clare’s persistence to be seen and heard. “Don’t block my view”, he interrupted Clare. She abruptly shut herself in confusion. Following his glances, she turned around and saw Veronica standing in his view by the bread station.
He glued his stare towards Veronica. He seemed furious, but he wanted her. “Ms. Veronica, come here.”, Nick said with a heavy tone as he called her.
Veronica was taken back by Nick’s angry voice, but she had to quickly walk over to join them. .
“Are you ready to go?” He asked.
Veronica was shocked as she couldn’t’ believe that Nick was inviting her to leave. She remembered her previous act of rudeness that she displayed in front of him. This alone would’ve given her a bad reputation to him. But now, it seems like things have turned around. Veronica put her plate down and nodded.
Nick got up and left as Veronica followed him away. She kept her eyes on him as she ignored the stares her family placed on them.
Claire squinted and crossed her arms as she mumbled in envy.
Veronica followed Nick towards the exit of the hall. From the door they were seen off by the Parkers, the two got into Nick’s Rolls Royce that was fitted with a high price license plate that can fetch nearly the 6 figures the car’s worth.
Clare couldn’t help herself but follow the two. She was agitated and she had to watch them wherever they were going. It was unlikely for her to get treated the way Nick had. For her, it was unbelievable and the betrayal she thought was done by her sister was something she couldn’t just accept.
“How could Veronica get in that car? Does she deserve it? A country girl who is nothing like Tom doesn’t deserve the attention of people like Nick Cage. Even if she’s now a part of a rich family, someone must teach her the right place she belongs to ” Claire thought to herself.
She was desperate enough to do everything to bring Veronica down. She was not going to let go of this situation without a fight.
As soon as they got in, Veronica could only stare on the outside as if it was another world that she could only watch from within. It was a different feeling as the atmosphere felt heavier on each second that passed by. She sat at the back seat as stiff as a board, ignoring the looks that Nick was giving her.
Nick was only sitting back, deeply staring at Veronica from head to toe. His eyes showed meaning. It was similar to a dangerous gaze, but he was only observing every detail of this lady beside him who won’t look back in his eyes.
“Nothing to say?” Nick Cage’s low and intimidating voice rippled in the enclosed carriage.
Veronica held her breath as she turned her head to face him. She exhaled as she leaned back with a firm look on her face. She was rather intimidated, but a simple and wrong expression could make the boat tumble and she would lose the opportunity in front of her.
“I don’t really know what to say. All I remember is that I was at a party my father forced me to come to and now I’m here in this Rolls Royce with you.” Veronica said.
” I can tell that from the jeans you’re wearing” Nick’s voice sank with a light chuckle.
Veronica ignored for a while. However, the longer she looked at him, the closer his hand got to her.
His eyes started to travel. From the simple, white shirt that she wore to the garter around her waist, he couldn’t help but notice the simplicity she was carrying in glamour. It wasn’t a grand outfit that would blind him from afar, but it was a kind of style that made him wonder and admire its effortless beauty.
“I came here on a temporary basis, so that’s why I didn’t change my clothes.” Veronica replied as she watched Nick’s hand grazing her waist. She felt uncomfortable for a second, but she reminded herself to act in a way that won’t affect him.
“I don’t think that’s the right answer” Nick replied as he pulled her closer against her waist.
Veronica has her eyes stuck towards him as this made her tremble in fear. She was unsure about what was happening, and she could no longer hold back the look she had been trying to hide.
“Just tell me” he whispered.
Veronica breathed deeply, looking away for a second to stare at the window behind him. Once she had herself under control, she put on a straight face. “The last time I had dinner with my father and his wife. Me and my sister weren’t usually allowed to come. It was always either for business or that he needed to show his family around to his clients. It was mostly for a matter of great importance. I was at the party not because I enjoyed being paraded by my father, but because of a contract I had to sign.” Veronica strongly said. “Give me the contract.” Nick demanded as he looked towards the folder Veronica was gripping on.
Veronica hesitated at first, but then she freely untightened her grip on the contract and handed it over to Nick.
He glanced at her and said nothing as looked through it.
Veronica noticed the slightly restrained gesture. Eventually after a short pause, he took the contract from her hand in an instant. She was well-aware of Nick’s knowledge when it comes to paperworks and contracts. People would say that he was smarter than any professional out there. He was too difficult to touch and not everyone would be as lucky to be in the same car as her. It was such a huge privilege.
For just a few seconds of looking through the paper, Nick handed it back to Veronica. “I’ve seen it. There’s no problem at all and I suggest you sign it right away” he said.
These words made her Veronica speculate and wonder in doubt. As Nick’s involvement in the contract could be easily seen, it wasn’t surprising to hear from him that there’s no problem to worry at all. She figured that she must feel comfortable right away from his comment. But she was unsure of how Nick was approaching the situation as if he insisted her not to bother at all.
Veronica pulled herself away from him as she took the contract back. She nodded and gave him a light smile to cover up the doubts that were circulating in her mind.