Ambition and obsession - Season 1 Episode 25

Colton was immediately taken aback. He could feel Nicole shaking helplessly in his arms. His arms stiffened, but he finally lifted them and gently stroked her, comforting her with his husky voice. “It’ll be okay.”
After crying for a while, Nicole sniffed and accidentally smelled a unique scent on the man. It was a subtle tobacco smell, but it wasn’t terrible. She then nodded and raised her head.

At that moment, Zachary came over and found Nicole and Colton snuggled up against each other under the tree, and also how Colton’s hand was on his back. The sight was quite intimate. Looking away, he ran over and stood beside Nicole. With a sympathetic tone, he murmured, “Are you okay, Nicole?”

Blinking her sore eyes, Nicole lifted her head and revealed her wet eyes that were stained with a hint of redness. She looked terribly pitiful. Consequently, she freed herself from Colton’s arms, and since she had been crouching for too long, her legs began to feel numb. Then, as she tried to get up, she stumbled and almost fell, but luckily Zachary managed to catch her. Exhausted, she closed her eyes. The makeup on her face was smeared by her tears and ruined her appearance.

Looking at her captivating face, Zachary bitterly stroked her cheek as a trace of guilt flashed across his eyes.

Nicole had her eyes closed. Because of her tears, her long eyelashes had clumped together and stuck to her skin.

When Zachary came, Colton stood up and looked softly at the two of them as they hugged each other. He pursed his lips without saying anything.

On the other hand, while Zachary tenderly stroked his head, he looked at Colton as if he was looking at a stranger. “President Gardner, thank you for taking care of Nicole. Let’s postpone the discussion of our partnership until later. It’s not very appropriate to do so now.”

Colton’s ebony eyes twitched. Looking at Nicole, who was in his arms before and now in Zachary’s arms, he, for some reason, felt unsettled, but it might have been him overthinking things. Regardless, he didn’t reveal his thoughts and simply replied with a slight smile and a nod. “I’ve had my men investigate. I’ll give Miss Lisa an answer as soon as possible.”

Zachary was relieved. “Thank you very much, President Gardner.”

Beaming, Colton replied, “Don’t worry about the meeting. After all, it shouldn’t be hard to get the partnership between Gardner Corporation and F&M Apparel going.” With that said, without further ado, he made up an excuse before getting into his car and leaving.

Seeing him leave, Zachary lowered his head to look at the woman, who had stopped crying but was still hyperventilating, in his arms and sadly wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes. “Nicole, how is Hayden?”

Nicole lifted her head and looked at the man’s benign smile as she blinked her irritated eyes before rubbing them and shaking her head. “I don’t know either. During the annual dinner, Hayden called and told me that there were some bad people at home. But when I got home, my house was already a mess. I couldn’t find him and my calls wouldn’t go through.” She gritted her teeth and as she spoke, her eyes once again began to moisten.

Zachary had known her for about four years, but this was the first time he had seen her crying and looking dejected. This was also the first time he had held her in his arms and let her depend on him. Then he grabbed her shoulders as determination showed in his eyes. “I asked some of my friends in the countryside to investigate the matter on my way here. We will definitely find him. Don’t worry, okay?”

Nicole nodded and wiped away her tears. Right now, Hayden was her only hope. Her previous emotional outburst might have been too much. “Yes, Hayden will be fine,” she stated resolutely, as if she was also encouraging herself at the same time.