Nicholas smirked then ordered, "Jean, bow and kiss my feet!"Silence. No one said a word but marveled at Nicholas audacity. Jean growled. "You filth. Why the hell would I ever bow to you?""Remember when you said I could never raise twenty million dollars?" Nicholas reminded him. Jean's eyes widened. "Huh? What did you say?""We made a bet between ourselves," Nicholas continued. "If I succeed, you will bow and kiss my feet."Jean was quiet. He didn't know if he was coming or going. Of course he remembered the bet. Nicholas grinned broadly. "You're awfully quiet, Jean. Where was all that spirit, huh?"Jean bite his lips. If he bowed to Nicholas and kiss his feet, he would lose his face in front of his family. Also if he didn't fulfil his part of the bet, his family would consider him untrustworthy and unfit to be a leader. He must find a way to escape such humiliation. "What are you waiting for Jean?" Nicholas said, his eyes growing darker. "Bow and kiss my feet. Then apologize t
Nicholas felt anger and embarrassment boil inside of him after being slapped by the jewelry attendant. He was used to being treated this way but never by a stranger. Being treated so disrespectfully in public was a blow to his ego.As he tried to compose himself, Nicholas' phone rang. He took it out of his pocket and saw that the caller ID was from his advisor, Julia. He answered the call, eager to hear what she had to say."Lord Niklaus," Julia began explaining. "The jewelry store you're in buys its jewelry from Liberty state."Nicholas eyes widened. How does she knows he was buying jewelries? Was he being watched?"Is that so?" Nicholas asked, feigning surprise. Julia sounded embittered with what's just transpired between him and the attendant. "Yes my Lord," she continued. "Seventy percent of the jewelries were bought on credit with loans from our bank."Nicholas felt a sense of glee and satisfaction as he heard this information. It was the break he needed to turn the situat
Nicholas was caught off guard as Kimberly, caught him stepping out of the car of a woman. He tried to act nonchalant, but his heart was racing as he wondered how he was going to explain this to her. Kimberly walked up towards Nicholas with a look of disbelief on her face. She was curious and angry, feeling betrayed by her husband's actions."My beloved, what're you doing out here?" Nicholas asked, trying to keep his voice steady. "I should be asking you the same question," Kimberly said, her eyes darkened. Nicholas quickly hide the diamond ring in his pocket just in time before she was closer. "What were you doing with her?" Kimberly asked, pointing at Julia in the car. "Are you cheating on me with another woman?"Nicholas immediately saw the danger in that. Of course it's the only logical conclusion to jump into since she had caught him with another woman. If she gets too suspicious, she might file for a divorce. That would be bad for Nicholas cover because he needed his ba
Later that night, Nicholas walked up the stairs to Kimberly's room to deliver the coffee she ordered. Kimberly was seated before her mirror, titivating herself. She looked so beautiful, Nicholas thought, smiling to himself. Tomorrow was their wedding anniversary. He still felt the diamond ring burning a hole in his pocket. What a surprise it'd be when he gets down on one knees and slip the ring in her finger. Their marriage wasn't yet consummated. He planned to propose to her tomorrow and have a real wedding done. As he dropped her coffee on the bedside table, Kimberly suddenly stopped him. "Hold on, Nicholas. I want to talk to you."Nicholas waited, unsure of what she was going to say. She had her back turned to him but he could see her expression through her mirror reflection. "Yes my beloved?" Nicholas said. "Do you know why you're still in this family?" Nicholas asked. "Yes," he answered. "It's because I'm married to you."She grimaced, then turned around slowly to fac
Sir Harold and the Goldstein family purchased a ten floor towering skyscraper in North Hills City, and they were determined to turn it into a profitable bank. The skyscraper costs about $20 million per floor but they saw the potential for growth in the area.Kimberly was tasked with overseeing the renovation of the building. She walked through the construction site, checking on the progress of the workers and reminding them of the tight deadline they faced. The workers were hard at work, despite the noise and dust, but Kimberly was determined to ensure the project was completed on time.As Kimberly was inspecting the site, she received an urgent call from Sir Harold. He asked her to come to the top office of the skyscraper as soon as possible. She quickly made her way to the elevator, which was in good condition and took her smoothly to the top floor.The top office of the future bank was undergoing renovations, but it was still possible to see the potential of the space. The wa
Jean was a nervous wreck as he prepared to meet and usher Lord Niklaus to the ballroom. He was the one responsible for making a good first impression and he was terrified of messing things up. This was the biggest moment for their family, and the stakes were high.Just as Jean was starting to gather his nerves, Sir Harold barged in. Seeing Jean's nervousness, Sir Harold chastised him for having cold feet. "What's the matter with you?" he asked, his voice stern. "You can't let a little stage fright get in the way of this opportunity. Lord Niklaus is important, and you need to make a good impression."Sir Harold reminded Jean of the importance of Lord Niklaus's visit and why he mustn't mess things up. He explained that this was a once in a lifetime opportunity, and if Jean didn't make the most of it, their family could miss out on a great opportunity.Sir Harold had made arrangements for Jean to meet and build up a relationship with Lord Niklaus instead of Kimberly. Jean knew that
Kimberly held Nicholas' arm. Her eyes darkening, she demanded, "What are you doing here, Nic?!"Her heart was pounding as she finally found him after he had disappeared. She had wondered where he had run off to, but she never expected to find him in a place like this.Not at such an important event like this. Nicholas couldn't give her an answer. He just stared at her in silence, with an expression that was unreadable. Kimberly took note of his tuxedo and the suspicion on her face grew. She asked, "Tell me the truth, Nic. Who gave you this tuxedo?""Such an embarrassing questions," Nicholas replied. "This is my tuxedo. I owned it."Kimberly didn't believe him. She thought that he was lying and that he had stolen the tuxedo. "You're lying," she told him, as she started dragging him away from the ballroom.Nicholas jerked his hand back and asked her what she was doing. Kimberly crowded him out from the view of Lord Niklaus, who was nearby. She was afraid of what would happen if
There was a stir of surprise as Nicholas, who had been sitting in the front row, stood up. The Goldstein family went white with shock, wondering what Lord Niklaus was up to."Nicholas, step up to the podium," Lord Niklaus continued, gesturing for him to approach the front of the room.Nicholas stepped up to the podium, facing the sea of faces before him. Lord Niklaus continued, "I want to take a moment to thank Nicholas, without whom this project with the Goldstein family and the establishment of the Phoenix family would not be possible."The shock was palpable in the room as everyone absorbed this news. No one had expected this, and everyone was left speechless.Lord Niklaus went on, "And so, I would like to hand the microphone to Nicholas and ask him to do the honour of passing a decision on who will become the director of the Phoenix bank."Nicholas took the microphone, looking out at the crowd. Everyone held their breath, wondering who would be choose?He took a deep breath an