WARMING THE BILLIONAIRE COLD HEART

The wind blew gently through the gap in the wooden window. The once bright sunlight had now turned dim, signaling the day was transitioning into night. The fear and anxiety stemming from the previous events still occasionally tormented her.

“Wind, can’t you carry away all these haunting feelings with you?”

As Kimberly stared at the bedroom ceiling, she was reminded of memories from over a decade ago. It was a time when she and her mother had been trapped in a room during a massive house fire.

“Mom, it’s dark. Kimmy is scared. Are we both going to die?” Kimberly cried in fear.

Her mother cupped her daughter’s face with both hands. “Look, my dear,” she asked, “we will both be safe. Now, Kimmy, let’s pray that the firefighters will come to help us soon.” Kimberly nodded after hearing her mother’s words.

Before long, shouts could be heard outside the window, coming from the rescue team. A sense of relief accompanied the two of them. However, before they could be saved, the sturdy wall of the room suddenly collapsed, burying both mother and daughter. After that, everything turned dark.

As far as Kimberly could recall, when she opened her eyes, she was already in the hospital after being in a coma for several days. Not only that, Kimberly also had to accept the fact that her mother had passed away. Serious burns from shielding Kimberly from the collapsing wall were the main cause of her mother’s demise.

Kimberly wiped away tears that fell without her asking. When she remembered that incident, her chest felt tight. It had been over a decade, but it still felt the same. Painful.

Still holding her tight chest, the sound of her phone ringing diverted her attention. She glanced at the name displayed on the screen, and Keyra’s name was clearly printed there.

“Hello…”

“Kimmyaaaa!” a voice shouted from the other end.

Kimberly instinctively moved the phone away from her ear.

“Key! I’m not deaf. So, please don’t scream. Can you do that?”

Keyra’s loud laughter could be heard from the other end of the phone.

“Sorry, I just wanted to ask how you’re doing. Are you feeling better?”

Kimberly took a deep breath. “I’m much better now. I’ll be back to work as usual starting tomorrow.”

“Thank goodness for that. Sorry if Alex and I haven’t had a chance to visit you. By the way, I have some important information,” Keyra said.

Kimberly unconsciously raised an eyebrow. “What important information?” she asked, curious.

“Do you really want to know?” Keyra teased Kimberly’s feelings.

“Key! I’m serious.”

Keyra laughed again but didn’t take long to speak. “Mr. Cool asked me to give him your phone number.”

“And then?”

“I gave him what he asked for. It seems like he was worried about why you weren’t coming to work. By the way, does Mr. Cool not know that you were sick?” Keyra asked.

Ah, you don’t even know that it was actually Mr. Nicholas who took me to the hospital.

Keyra and Alex had previously inquired about Kimberly not coming to the office. She had only given them the excuse of feeling unwell. Neither of her two friends knew that Kimberly had been taken to the hospital by Nicholas after fainting in the archives building.

“Kimmy, hello. Are you still there?” Keyra asked when she noticed Kimberly had been silent for quite some time.

“Yes, I can hear you. What else did you want to inform me? Is that it?”

“Yeah, I just wanted to check on you and share that information. Well, you should rest now so you can start fresh at work tomorrow.”

“Alright, don’t worry. See you at the office tomorrow,” Kimberly said, ending the call with Keyra.

Just as she was about to place her phone on the nightstand, the flat object rang again. An unnamed number forced her to pick it up promptly. Kimberly quickly touched the green icon on the screen to accept the call.

“Hello?”

Silence, there was no response on the other end at all. Kimberly briefly felt confused, wondering if the call had been disconnected. She waited for quite a while, feeling like no one was answering. When she thought no one was there, she decided to end the call. However, just as she was about to press the red button, a distinct deep male voice was heard.

“Can you come out? I’m in front of your house now.”

“Huh?”

****

Nicholas squeezed the piece of paper with Kimberly’s phone number and address written on it. His mind wandered, occasionally pondering. Should he call Kimberly or just go straight to her place?

No… no.

Wouldn’t it be excessive if I go to see her?

We could meet at the office tomorrow, right?

But…

I need to make sure she’s truly recovered.

Nicholas ran his fingers through his hair in frustration, feeling overwhelmed by his own thoughts.

Oh, come on, Nicholas, don’t be like this. Don’t overthink it.

But look at him now. After so much inner turmoil, the man had finally made up his mind to leave. So, here he was, standing right in front of a two-story minimalist building with a sign that read “Amanda’s Boarding House” on its gate. Quite indecisive, indeed.

Nicholas reached for his phone in his suit pocket. He hesitated a bit before dialing the phone number he had just saved. It took some courage, but he finally made the call. After just two rings, the call was answered on the other side.

“Hello…”© 2024 Nôv/el/Dram/a.Org.

That was the first word he heard. Nervous and confused were two things he felt right now. Was it really that hard to just say ‘hi’ or ‘hello’? Had his courage suddenly evaporated like a fragile cracker?

No, Nicholas wasn’t brave enough this time. He couldn’t figure out where all his usual courage had disappeared to. Was he too timid when it came to this woman? Well, only Nicholas knew the answer for sure.

There was silence for so long that Nicholas let the person on the other end wait, presumably puzzled. Finally, his courage gathered, and he spoke.

“Can you come out? I’m in front of your house now.”

“Huh?”

There was a tone of surprise on the other end. But Nicholas didn’t care. He chose to end the call quickly and put his phone back into the jacket pocket.

He didn’t have to wait long; the woman he wanted to see was now standing right in front of him.

“So, you live here?” Nicholas asked, trying to dispel the awkwardness creeping over him.

Kimberly nodded. “Yes, I’ve been living here for a long time.”

“I thought you were living with your parents.”

This time, Kimberly shook her head. “I’m an orphan, sir,” Kimberly replied softly.

“I’m sorry if I was too presumptuous.” A sense of guilt enveloped Nicholas. He shouldn’t have talked so much like this.

Kimberly smiled faintly, then spoke again after a while. “Sir, how did you know my address?”

“I don’t think that’s important. I came here to ask why you left the hospital without waiting for me.”

Oh my, Nick! What kind of question is this? You’re asking as if you’re her lover.

Nicholas cursed his own words. Meanwhile, Kimberly furrowed her brow, looking slightly puzzled by her boss’s question.

“I’m sorry if I left without informing you, sir. I just didn’t want to trouble you anymore,” Kimberly said honestly.

“At least you could have let me know so I wouldn’t worry about you.”

“Huh? What?” Kimberly was taken aback by Nicholas’s words. She felt unsure about what she had just heard. Did Mr. Ice finally show concern for her? Should she celebrate now?

Meanwhile, Nicholas looked embarrassed, once again misspeaking. He couldn’t understand what had gotten into him today. His heart and mouth weren’t cooperating as they should.

“Let’s forget what I said,” Nicholas waved his hand dismissively. “The important thing is that you’re doing better now. So, I’ll take my leave.”

Was it that quick? Coming all this way just to exchange pleasantries and words of courtesy, Kimberly couldn’t comprehend the thought process of her boss.

“Mister…”

Kimberly’s call stopped Nicholas in his tracks just as he was about to leave.

“Thank you for all your help yesterday. I’m sorry if I inconvenienced you,” Kimberly said sincerely.

“No problem. Isn’t it a boss’s duty to assist their subordinates when they need help?”

Kimberly nodded in agreement with Nicholas’s words.

“Alright then, please continue with your rest. I’ll take my leave.”