Advance birthday gift

Los Angeles, US:

''Is he here yet?'' Bella shot up from the chair as she twisted the ring sitting on her index finger. 

''Well…'' coughed the man dressed in a black suit who appeared to be somewhere in his late 20s. He adjusted his glasses before nodding, ''Almost here.'' 

Bella paced back and forth in the office room with question marks hanging above her head. 

''President, you need to calm down,'' said Ben having never seen the calm and composed woman in this state before. Not that he didn't but it has been a very long time. 

Bella kept twisting the ring on her finger quietly before she turned around to glance at him, ''How do I look?" 

Ben glanced at the woman from head to toe. She had long wavy hair that was tied in a ponytail and a pair of clear dark eyes. Dressed in a burgundy business suit, she looked…'' Pretty,'' he said while adjusting his glasses.

Just as she was about to let out a sigh of relief, the man added, ''Like you are about to attend a meeting. Prim…'' he gauged her from head to toe again before looking back at her face, ''...and proper,'' he nodded, pleased with his evaluation. 

Bella frowned and she walked back to her desk, ''But he is not a meeting,'' she slumped on the swivel chair as she mumbled under her breath. 

Ben did not know whether to laugh or cry. He rarely saw the soon-to-be 25-year-old girl being so nervous about anything. As Daniel Ashton's only granddaughter, Bella can have anything she ever laid her eyes on. And that made people underestimate her, most of them assumed that, unlike Daniel Ashton who has been a living genius, Bella was but a spoiled brat. 

That illusion lived with most of the people until Bella proved them wrong by taking over her grandfather's business and by becoming the CEO of AD corporations. 

Since then, Ben had only witnessed her improving every day without looking back. 

Little did he know that he will get to witness this amusing scene one day. 

''Grandpa could have given me a little warning,'' Bella sighed twiddling with the ring on her index finger, ''My birthday is in three days. Who asked him to prepare the birthday gift in advance?" 

Here comes the point. Ben shook his head inwardly. Grandpa's calm and composed princess had a little weakness…. A very little weakness that nobody was aware of. 

''Don't laugh at me, Ben,'' Bella's eyes narrowed at the secretary. Her birthday was in three days and her crush was sent to her as a birthday gift in advance. She did not know what was going on in her Grandpa's mind. 

All this time, she has been sneakily trying to look for that man everywhere and he was being delivered to her doorstep. What now?

Looking at her anxious face, Ben sighed, ''How about the comics and the novels I got you before?" 

The corner of her lips twitched. As far-fetched as the idea was, Bella was afraid that one day she will stand in front of her crush, unprepared for everything. And for that, she asked Ben to get her trending romance novels and comics so that she can learn a thing or two. 

She pulled open the drawer and took out the comic book on the top, ''Let me try this.'' 

''President, he should be here,'' Ben said as he glanced at the time on his watch. 

Bella nodded, ''You go, I will be there in some time,'' she cleared her throat. 

The secretary speechlessly glanced at her nervous expressions before he nodded and left. 

Bella slumped on the chair as she opened the comic and glanced at the male lead's picture. Her gaze wandered to the man's azure blue eyes and her thoughts gradually drifted elsewhere. 

Be it her grandpa or be it Ben, everyone always wondered why she had a crush on this man.

Truth to be told, she has never seen him before. The one she had a crush on was the young version of him, the boy who once saw her getting drenched in the rain and…

She snapped out of her thoughts when her phone buzzed, receiving a text from Ben. Realizing that he should be here now, she pushed herself to her feet but her knee bumped into the lower drawer of her desk. 

''Ah…'' Bella squatted and the comic in her hand fell on the floor. She rubbed her knee with her palm, trying to calm the painful tremor but suddenly her head felt dizzy and her vision got blurry. 

…

''Ahhh…'' she opened her eyes slowly and faced with the glaring lights, she instinctively covered her face with the back of her hand. She shuddered, feeling her back aching like crazy. 

Bella inhaled a deep breath as she slowly tried to move only to feel a crushing strength on her body and she struggled slightly.

"What do you think you are doing?" came a deep masculine voice above her head and Bella froze.

Her palm which was resting on her eyes gradually slid down and she was greeted by the sight of a breathtakingly handsome face.

The man glanced at her awestruck expressions and his eyes narrowed slightly. 

He pushed himself to his feet and slowly rubbed the back of his head while glaring at the woman. 

"When did you come? I was going to greet you…" She stopped speaking as her gaze gradually shifted from the man's face to her surroundings.

This...did not look like her office. Her expressions morphed into confusion before shifting to shock as she noticed that it was a bathroom. 

She blinked slowly before looking back at him, "You…" He was standing in a towel, her eyes could not help but roam on his body once more. His neck, his collarbones, her gaze took in the sight of the water dripping down his chest and gliding across his pectoral muscles. 

Bella gulped. She did see his picture before but this was not what she saw in those pictures no? She closed her eyes for a moment and shook such thoughts out of her head before looking back at him, "Mr. Niklaus, what place is this?" her voice turned a bit professional even though she was trying to make it neutral.

The man named Niklaus narrowed his eyes as he glanced at her. Mr. Niklaus? "Miss Bella, as you can see, I was taking a shower until you brazenly barged inside the bathroom saying that you have a few things to discuss with me," the man paused as he glanced at the woman lying on the floor, "And all of a sudden, you pulled me down with you," he caught her in time but due to the slippery floor, both of them ended up falling on the floor, with the side of his head hitting the wall. 

Bella was speechless. This man… Niklaus Kinglsey might be her crush but she was not such an immoral person. And why can't she remember any of this? 

It took her a moment to endure the pain and stand up.

"I think there is some misunderstanding here…" she trailed off, noticing his towel and the unfamiliar surroundings. It did look like a bathroom and she was in a bathroom but what was going on here? Why was she here in the first place?

She was about to say something when her gaze landed on the yellow sleeves of her dress. Bella dazedly glanced at her body and something clicked in her mind but the flitting thought disappeared as quickly as it came and she ended up looking at the man again. 

Niklaus glanced at the woman who appeared like a clueless fawn and his jaws ticked, "Escort Miss Bella out," he snarled, his voice went a tone deeper, and immediately, two men with a well-built body, stepped inside the place. 

"W-What happened here?" came a gentle voice that had everyone's attention within an instant.

Bella turned around to look at the source of the voice and she saw a pretty woman standing in front of her. The woman had very delicate features and her doe eyes looked confused and intimidated at the same time. She appeared kind and gentle. 

Bella followed her gaze only to find that she was looking at… Niklaus. 

Her lips parted slightly but no words came out and the woman walked towards her, "Bella, are you fine?" 

Bella dazedly nodded and the woman then turned to look at Niklaus, "How about you…?"

"I am alright," the man raked his fingers through his hair, "Rose, what are you doing here?" he asked the woman.

The woman named Rose looked at Bella before looking back at Niklaus, "I was worried she would get lost in the mansion."

Bella was speechless. She was entirely lost at this point, what mansion is this woman talking about? She had yet to comprehend what place is this bathroom. 

Bella massaged her forehead and straightened up, "Can you people escort me to where I am supposed to be?" She glanced at the sturdy-looking bodyguards whom Niklaus called inside earlier.

Niklaus raised an eyebrow in contemplation before he nodded at the bodyguards who turned around and stepped out of the bathroom.

Bella blinked before she turned around and walked out of the bathroom, quietly following them. 

Her gaze roamed in the Master Bedroom that looked like a chamber of a royal castle. The extravagance of it did not faze her that much because she was not foreign to money and luxuries but Bella's mind continued racing with various thoughts. Just where in the world did she end up?

While Bella left with the bodyguards, the woman named Rose shyly glanced at Niklaus. 

"Rose, do you have something to say?" Niklaus asked her. 

"Uh…" Rose scratched the back of her neck, "Can you wear something first?" she whispered. 

Niklaus laughed helplessly before he reached for the bathrobe. Putting it on, he turned to glance at her questioningly. 

"We are getting engaged soon," Rose said as she looked at him with sparkling eyes.

Niklaus, who was adjusting the sleeve of the bathrobe, paused in his actions, "Are we?" he asked. 

Rose nodded as she hooked her arm around his, "Mom and Dad were here when you were showering. They discussed it with your parents. I can't believe we are finally getting married."

Niklaus held her hand before separating his arm from her grip, "When is the engagement?" He patted her head. 

"In 27 days," Rose smiled. 

"I see," Niklaus nodded and his gaze turned dazed for a moment before he looked at her. 

Rose glanced at him and she understood that he needed to get dressed. She stood on her tiptoes and kissed his left cheek before walking out of the bathroom. 

Niklaus stood there quietly. Feeling a dull ache on the back of his head, he stroked the spot which hit the wall when that unruly woman pulled him down with her.

"Mr. Niklaus, it is…" his brows tugged together as he recalled the way she addressed him.