"Do you have anything to say to me?" Nicolas just looked at her and hesitated, "Say it quickly, it's cold out here," she said, irritated.

Nicholas removed his coat and placed it on her shoulders to warm her up. "Did you mean what you said?" He asked.

​​

"What?" she looked at him confused, they didn't have any conversations earlier, so what was he talking about?

"You said you loved me. As you learned, I'm not just a businessman. My family is deeply connected to the underworld. Being with me will be more dangerous than you've ever imagined," he looked into her eyes to see if she was getting his point.

"I want you to be sure you know what you are getting into. Once you agree, there will be no backing out." He added.

She looked at him with sincerity in her eyes, "My feelings for you are very genuine. I don't care about your background, I know you will be there… Wait!" It finally dawned on her, "So, this means that you like me too?" she grinned as she asked him her question.

"Yes, but I…," Adelyn jumped to hug him tightly before he could finish.

He slowly hugged her back and whispered, "I love you too."

"Oh Nick, I'm so happy," she cried as she touched his cheek.

"Stay away from those pests," he glared at her, remembering the men circling around her.

"Of course. I've been avoiding these guys all this time, and nothing is going to change," she replied, "You should stop going on blind dates too."

"Blind date? How did you know about that? I went once," he frowned, wondering if she was stalking him.

"Your driver told me. Hmm.. that's good to know, no more dates," She became close to his driver that night they had an altercation with the men who tried to take Nicholas. He was trying to divert her attention from what was happening outside, so he talked about his boss, then accidentally blurted out the information about his blind date.

Nicholas cursed under his breath, "Such and f*ing big mouth." He caressed her cheek and told her to go inside as it was getting late.

Adelyn tried to give him back the coat on her shoulders, but he told her to keep it. "Good night Nicholas," she was walking towards her house when she came back.

He raised his brow, wondering what she was coming back for. She went on her tippy toes, and when Nicholas thought she was going to whisper something in his ear, she kissed his cheek instead, ran away. All he could do was shake his head as he watched her safely inside.

-=-

On his way home, Nicholas touched his cheek, recalling the way Adelyn kissed him earlier. When they first saw each other, he never gave her much importance, she was just another person passing through his life.

Then when she asked him to pretend they were in a relationship, Nicholas knew for sure she had ulterior motives. It was not the first time a woman has approached him, telling him she loved him, promising him the world, but only if he agrees to their demands. And this has made him spurn love even when they promise to be sincere.

He lost everything at a very young age when people they trusted as friends almost cost him the life of his dear sister. And since then, he had been careful, cautious to the point of being obsessive. He had taught his heart to feel nothing so nobody could hurt him ever again, it was as if his heart was made of steel.

His tender side was reserved only for his family. When they lost his sister, they went into hiding for a while to build their reputation back up. And to do that, he had to be ruthless, merciless, and aggressive, to show everybody that nobody can touch his family ever again.

Because of business, he didn't have time for romantic relationships, not enough time to explore his options and opportunity to meet the woman of his dreams.

Adelyn had always been outspoken, saying whatever was on her mind. Though he thought she was a little peculiar, it still felt refreshing to have someone spell out what they want instead of having him guess every time if she was telling the truth. She was very relaxed the way she lived her life, working to survive and get out of boredom. To save money, she was very practical, spending money only when she needed to. She could have made a name for herself any time, given her beauty and more than average acting skills, but she would rather relax and take life as it is.

Nicholas did not know he was slowly changing his attitude towards Adelyn until he visited her in one of her shoots. It was a historical drama, and she played the role of an evil antagonist who was going to bully the female lead. Adelyn was wearing a traditional red silky gown that molded her figure, and while everybody sympathized with the female lead being abused, Nicholas was getting other ideas. Her expressive eyes that showed her anger and contempt drew him in, feeling the emotions she was portraying, and her lips, soft and pink, made his throat go dry.

Adelyn never knew about his visit because he left without seeing her, but from that day on, he would think about her character and how he learned a new aspect to her personality and that there was more than amusement that caused him to seek her out from time to time.

She was haughty and conceited, but she had a reason for her attitude. Though her IQ sometimes equaled that of his nephew Enzo, one can never argue with her because she had an answer to everything. She lived as if the whole world was made up of rainbows and sunshine, never revealing any untoward experiences in her past.

On the set, she was talkative and bubby, treating everyone around her with courtesy. She conserved her expenses by never saying no to a free meal, and instead of hiring a driver, she made excuses to get a free ride from him the whole time.