With a profound smile on his face, Grandpa Daniel showed his phone screen to his grandson, who perched nearby on the living room's black couch.
"Here's her photo, Nicolas. How do you see her? Isn't she pretty?" Grandpa asked, his voice excited as he smiled upon handing his Android phone over to Nicolas.
With a sigh, Nicolas glanced at the phone screen. His gaze settled on the pretty light-skinned young woman who was captured in a beautiful setting on the phone.
In the photo, the young woman wore a dazzling red dress, her ample bust exposed. Her smile radiated sweetness, though she had a worldly look and was not as docile as Cindy White.
Nicolas gazed at the young woman's photos for a while, sliding his phone screen over to the next to admire the rest of her photos.
For some odd reason, Nicolas felt like she resembled Cindy White. Or was she Cindy? Nicolas wasn't sure, as he had strode off with speed to the bathroom and not lingered to stare at Cindy's pretty face.
"What's her name, Grandpa?" Nicolas finally asked, his voice thick with acceptance, as he has no choice but to fulfill his grandpa's wish and make his old man happy.
"I don't know. Let me call them to ask so that you don't make a mistake with the person you're going to marry. At least, now that you have seen her photos, you will be sure who your wife is," Grandpa Daniel said, his voice gentle as he got his phone back.
Nicolas rose to his feet and waited for his grandpa to make a call. The living room was silent as the phone rang once and connected.
"Hello, In-law," Mr. Paulson said anxiously, as he was afraid that Grandpa Daniel had found out his deception.
"Yes, my in-law. My grandson has seen her photos. What's your daughter's name?" Grandpa Daniel asked, his voice calm and steady.
"Tasha Paulson," Rex replied swiftly. His wife seated next to him and smiled, as she was eager to marry off her daughter to a prominent billionaire. She could not wait to brag and share the good news with her family members. How fortunate for her daughter.
"Alright," Grandpa Daniel replied, his tone calm and steady as he added, "My grandson will come over to pick her up tomorrow to have the marriage registered. So let her get prepared."
"Alright. She is already prepared," Rex replied swiftly, not wanting any issues.
"Alright," Grandpa Daniel said, before the call ended.
Nicolas moved towards the stairs, and Grandpa Daniel called after him. His voice was loud and reverberating in the living room. "Nicolas, you didn't wait to hear her name. Her name is Tasha Paulson. So get prepared to go and bring her over by tomorrow."
Nicolas stood at the top of the stairs and glanced back at his grandpa.
"Alright," he replied calmly, before he made his way back to his room.
When he got into his well-furnished bedroom, Nicolas saw that the walls were painted white and featured some artistic paintings of himself.
Nicolas pulled off his black suit and sniffed it deeply. His suit was filled with Cindy's scent. He thought about her and wondered if she was safe. Pulling out his phone, he contacted his assistant.
"Robin, do you run a search for Cindy to find out where she is? I am bothered about her. Find out if she is safe or still held hostage by those men, and find out what they want from her," Nicolas spoke with a cold voice to his assistant, still restless over Cindy's predicament.
Knowing his boss was serious, Robin replied, "Alright, Boss. I will get to it."
The call ended, and Nicolas fixed his gaze on his phone screen. His hands clicked on the search, and he researched about Cindy White.
A few women with the same name as Cindy White popped up on the phone screen.
Nicolas scrolled through the photos, but he didn't see Cindy White, the real waitress who had dared to kiss him, among those images.
Keeping his phone away, Nicolas stripped off his suit and went to bathe.
A few minutes later, Nicolas got out of his bathroom, his thick honey scent enveloping him like a cloak, as he moved over to the closet to pull on his robe. His phone rang, and it was a call from Robin.
Picking up the phone with the speed of light, Robin informed him, "Boss, I already requested Cindy's address from her manager. I made some inquiries and also found out that she has returned home to her family, and she is safe. Should I forward her address to you?"
Nicolas was silent. His mind was thinking about accepting Cindy's address and also the fact that he was going to pick up his wife the following day.
Shutting his eyes to ward off his desire, Nicolas replied, "No. I just want to be sure that she is fine. Don't bother about sending her address to me."
"Alright, boss. Goodnight," Robin replied as the night had fallen.
"Yeah," Nicolas replied, seeing that it was past 6 pm. He wore his white robe and prepared to head downstairs to have his dinner with his grandpa.
When Nicolas arrived on the first floor, Grandpa Daniel sat on the dining chair, looking at his grandson, who strode up to join him at the table.
The maids stepped out of the kitchen to serve them dinner, as they had a professional chef at home.
With an amused smile, Grandpa Daniel asked, "Nicolas, how are you getting prepared to go and welcome your bride? I already ordered Jason to get some presents for you, as it will not be nice to arrive at your bride's home empty-handed for the first time."
Nicolas drew a breath as he settled across from his grandpa.
"Fine, if that's what you want me to do."
Grandpa Daniel saw that Nicolas looked troubled, but he didn't want to ask him what was wrong. He knew that his grandson had an aversion to women. So he smiled and said, "It's the right thing to do. I have prepared some lovely gifts of a bag of rice and other food items to deliver to them. Also, you have to present a lovely flower bouquet to your bride. Jason will hand it over to you by tomorrow."
Exhaling heavily, Nicolas smiled and asked, "Grandpa, must you put on a show? I don't feel a need to hold a flower. I am not in love with her."
"You will. In short, you just learn to love your wife, and a bouquet of rose petal flowers is a great start."
Pressing his lips, Nicolas shook his head. His eyes landing on the blushing maids nearby.
"Serve the dinner," he instructed them calmly, to which they swiftly moved over to the dining table to set up their meals separately.
The maid served Grandpa Daniel first, before her hands trembled to serve Nicolas Sullivan.
She could feel his eyes all over her, but she dared not meet his gaze.
After serving the dinner, the maid left the dining room, releasing the breath that she wasn't aware she was holding before she went to join her colleagues.
They were already aware of the fact that Nicolas was getting married soon, and they wondered who their new mistress would be.
What if the mistress was an arrogant woman who would fire them all upon arrival? The maids were worried, while Nicolas and his grandpa had their dinners silently in the dining room.