WARMING THE BILLIONAIRE COLD HEART

Tears continued to flow from Kimberly’s eyes. The day had turned into night, but she remained seated beside the closet, hugging her knees, releasing all the tears and disappointment that filled her heart.

She wondered if she was so repulsive that Nicholas had never wanted to touch her. Or perhaps he had never desired her.

“You’re truly pathetic, Kimmy,” she muttered.

At the time when the doctor had diagnosed her with a life-threatening illness.

At that very moment, the man she referred to as her fiancé seemed to want nothing to do with her.

“You should know better.”

Kimberly let out a bitter laugh, mocking her fate. To this day, she realized that maybe she was the only one who loved Nicholas, and it was not reciprocated.

“Damn the disease. Damn love. Why dwell on all this?”

Kimberly wiped the tears from her cheeks and forced herself to stand. She steeled herself to forget the recent events. Shortly after, Kimberly decided to change her clothes, apply some light makeup, and hurriedly left her room. Her steps briefly halted when she saw Nicholas’s room tightly closed, but she decided to leave the apartment without saying goodbye to him.

Walking aimlessly and using a ride-sharing service, Kimberly eventually stopped at an exclusive bar in the city center. There was no raucous noise here, only a few people quietly sipping their drinks.

Kimberly couldn’t explain what had possessed her to come to a place she had never visited before. It was her first time in a bar. However, she didn’t care. With confidence, she walked up to the bartender’s table and took a seat. Her eyes scanned the row of bottles displayed on the shelf just behind the bartenders.

“Can I get you something, miss?” asked the bartender with cropped hair, flashing a smile at Kimberly.

“Give me anything you think is good. I’m a mess right now. Or if you can, give me a drink that can make me forget my sorrow in an instant.”

The bartender chuckled and nodded. He began mixing a drink and placed it on the table.

“Please enjoy, this margarita seems suitable for you.”

Kimberly shrugged, then without hesitation, she grabbed the glass and took a quick sip. The next moment, her face turned red. She tasted the unfamiliar drink on her tongue.

“Oh my, miss!” the bartender exclaimed. “That’s not how you drink a margarita.”

Kimberly furrowed her brow. “What kind of drink is this? And how should I be drinking it?” she asked, confused.

Observing Kimberly’s behavior, the bartender deduced that this was her first time drinking alcohol. He shook his head and answered her previous question.

“It’s a margarita, a drink made by mixing tequila, triple sec, and lime juice in equal parts. It’s also garnished with a little salt on the rim to enhance the flavor. And for alcoholic drinks, you should sip them slowly, not gulp them down like you just did.”

Kimberly nodded in understanding. “In that case, give me a different drink. This one is too salty. It might make my hair fall out if I consume too much salt like this.”

The bartender had been amused by Kimberly’s antics from the start. He turned his body to observe the array of drinks behind him, contemplating what drink to serve to a woman who was clearly drinking alcohol for the first time.

“How about that?” The bartender turned back and followed Kimberly’s pointed finger. “You mean the white bottle?”

Kimberly nodded. “Yes, give me a glass of that.”

“That’s vodka. It has a very high alcohol content, miss. You might get very drunk,” the bartender tried to caution her.

Kimberly was adamant. “It’s okay. Just give me a glass. I won’t die from drinking it.”

But in reality, after finishing a glass of vodka, Kimberly asked the bartender to refill it. She kept drinking, occasionally muttering, and sometimes crying softly. Before long, a man who had been at the bar for some time approached her.

“For God’s sake, Kimberly! Why are you like this?” he exclaimed.

“Miss here has had too much to drink. She finished one margarita and four glasses of vodka,” the bartender joked, trying to provide an explanation.

The man took a disbelieving breath. “What did you say? She had so many drinks?”

The bartender nodded. “Not only that, she was heard crying and then laughing to herself. She seems like someone with a broken heart. You should take her home immediately before something unwanted happens,” the bartender advised, considering Kimberly’s current state.

***

The continuous knocking echoed throughout Nicholas’s apartment. There was a doorbell right next to the door, but for some reason, the visitor outside chose to knock repeatedly.

Feeling annoyed, Nicholas exited his room, turned the doorknob, and opened it.

“Sorry, Mister, someone is looking for you in the lobby. She said it’s an emergency.”

Seeing the receptionist’s serious expression, Nicholas didn’t say much. He immediately left his apartment, following the receptionist to the lobby.Text property © Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org.

“You scoundrel! Nick! How could you ask the apartment management to blacklist my name? Do you think I’m a terrorist, huh?” Edward exclaimed. “You can see for yourself, because of your actions, I couldn’t escort Kimberly directly to your unit!” he continued, irritated. But Nicholas paid no attention to him. He even ignored Edward’s angry rant. His gaze was locked onto the woman Edward was carrying.

“Why is Kimberly with you?” he asked, puzzled.

“Don’t tell me you didn’t know that Kimberly went to a bar tonight?” Edward retorted.

Nicholas was taken aback by Edward’s words. “What did you say? Kimberly went to a bar? How is that possible?”

Edward sighed in frustration, convinced that his clueless friend had no idea that his fiancée had left without a word.

“We’ll talk about that later. Let’s get Kimberly to your apartment first!” Edward ordered.

Without being told, Nicholas picked up Kimberly’s limp body and carried her. He disregarded the curious looks of the people around them.

Once in his apartment, Nicholas laid Kimberly down in his bedroom and then pulled Edward out to demand an explanation.

“Can you tell me what actually happened?” Edward sighed. “It’s hard to believe you didn’t know your fiancée left your home. Is there some problem between you and Kimberly?”

Nicholas raised his gaze. “I think whatever issues there are between Kimberly and me are none of your business,” he said arrogantly, remaining unfazed in front of Edward.

“Fine, it’s your right not to tell me the whole story. But you should know, Kimberly drank a lot of alcohol tonight. She’s a mess. She kept mentioning your name throughout the way back home. Occasionally, she even cried hysterically. She seemed insane tonight, Nick!” There was emotion in Edward’s words. He felt both frustrated and pity for what Kimberly was going through.

Nicholas took a deep breath. “Kimberly is indeed angry with me. She’s upset because I refused to touch her at all.”

“Why? Because you still remember Claire?” Edward commented bitterly. “When will you truly forget that woman? Maybe you still love her!”

“I swear to God, I don’t love Claire anymore, Ed. It’s just that I’m not ready yet,” Nicholas lowered his head. He looked melancholic now.

Edward squinted his eyes. “What about Cinta? Don’t tell me you haven’t truly fallen in love with Kimberly.”

Nicholas remained silent. He didn’t answer or deny what Edward accused him of. He seemed lost in his thoughts. Nicholas was indeed unsure if he truly loved Kimberly or not.

“No need to answer it,” Edward murmured. “I can draw my own conclusion. You’re really a mess! Don’t wait for Kimberly to leave and then regret your feelings. Don’t wait until Kimberly’s feelings shift to another man for you to realize your own feelings. Because when that happens, it’ll truly be too late.” Edward patted Nicholas’s shoulder gently and walked away, leaving his friend standing in silence.

After Edward left, Nicholas went to Kimberly’s room. He sat down beside her as she lay there, slowly undoing her clothes one by one. It wasn’t for any indecent purpose; he just wanted to help her put on the nightgown he had prepared.

“Nick, please…”

Nicholas’s hand paused as he was about to put on Kimberly’s nightgown. She was muttering his name in her sleep.

“Nick, please…” Kimberly repeated the plea multiple times in her sleep, tears staining her cheeks. Nicholas wondered how she could sleep and cry like this. What kind of pain and disappointment was she feeling deep inside?

“Hey, I’m here. Why cry?” Nicholas whispered into Kimberly’s ear and planted a kiss on her cheek. He then cradled her in his arms.

Forgive me,

It seems I can only hurt you, Kimmy.