Chapter Forty-Nine

"I am sorry, but you cannot enter here or in the office without authorization."

He heard Cordelia's stern voice and her heels clicking against the ground as she tried to stop the individual. 

But, the person in question was as stubborn as an ox as they berated. 

"How dare you try to stop me again? Francesca, was it? I am on an important mission, so you can do whatever you were doing."

Nick spat the water from his mouth when the familiar voice reached his ears. 

'What was he doing here?'

He pondered while wiping the water from the desk.

"No, I will not."

He heard Cordelia's snarky reply as if she did not hear the man's dismissive tone.

"Why can't I go in, anyway? Is he naked?"

He heard the person's sarcastic drawl. 

Nick inwardly groaned. 

He was not ready to face the rude man. 

Cordelia's fingers itched to slam the handsome man's mouth with her fist. Through gritted teeth, she spoke with patience and poise. 

Though, she was far from it. 

"My name is Cordelia and not Francesca. And no, my boss is not naked."

Her words went through one ear and out the other. 

"Whatever, Martha. Move aside so I can go in."

Gritting her teeth, she stood her ground. 

"As I said before, I will not."

Satisfied when his face slightly fell from her defiance, she sternly uttered. 

"My boss requested me to keep everyone away from his office for one hour. So please leave." 

"Leave?"

Scoffing as if she had spoken gibberish, the man folded his arms on top of his chest. With a roll of his eyes, he pursed his lips. 

"Why should I leave? Isn't this a free country? I can go wherever I want. Besides, your boss is my best friend." 

Arrogantly retorting, he looked her up and down, but Cordelia did not look intimated. 

She had become sterner, her cold eyes gnawing through the handsome man's skull like a sharp knife. Her sophisticated glasses enhance her professional look.

"Whether he is your friend or not, the boss is busy."

"I see. Then I am not sorry for my action."

Murmuring, the handsome man frowned. 

Raising an eyebrow at his nonchalant words, she suddenly gasped when he side-stepped her brave stance and rushed with lightning speed towards the office doors. 

"Hey!"

She shouted with an annoyed vein popping on her forehead. Feeling her blood boiling, she barked as she hastily followed behind. 

"Stop right now!"

But running in her tiny heels was no match for his strides and long legs.

Sending a wink in her direction, he cheekily teased. 

"We both know who should stop, Cheery. Those contraptions on your feet are not for running!"

Wincing, when she had almost lost her balance, Cordelia grew angrier while the handsome man increased his speed. 

It was pure torture.

"My name is Cordelia!"

"Whatever!"

"I am sorry, but you cannot enter here or in the office without authorization."

He heard Cordelia's stern voice and her heels clicking against the ground as she tried to stop the individual. 

But, the person in question was as stubborn as an ox as they berated. 

"How dare you try to stop me again? Francesca, was it? I am on an important mission, so you can do whatever you were doing."

Nick spat the water from his mouth when the familiar voice reached his ears. 

'What was he doing here?'

He pondered while wiping the water from the desk.

"No, I will not."

He heard Cordelia's snarky reply as if she did not hear the man's dismissive tone.

"Why can't I go in, anyway? Is he naked?"

He heard the person's sarcastic drawl. 

Nick inwardly groaned. 

He was not ready to face the rude man. 

Cordelia's fingers itched to slam the handsome man's mouth with her fist. Through gritted teeth, she spoke with patience and poise. 

Though, she was far from it. 

"My name is Cordelia and not Francesca. And no, my boss is not naked."

Her words went through one ear and out the other. 

"Whatever, Martha. Move aside so I can go in."

Gritting her teeth, she stood her ground. 

"As I said before, I will not."

Satisfied when his face slightly fell from her defiance, she sternly uttered. 

"My boss requested me to keep everyone away from his office for one hour. So please leave." 

"Leave?"

Scoffing as if she had spoken gibberish, the man folded his arms on top of his chest. With a roll of his eyes, he pursed his lips. 

"Why should I leave? Isn't this a free country? I can go wherever I want. Besides, your boss is my best friend." 

Arrogantly retorting, he looked her up and down, but Cordelia did not look intimated. 

She had become sterner, her cold eyes gnawing through the handsome man's skull like a sharp knife. Her sophisticated glasses enhance her professional look.

"Whether he is your friend or not, the boss is busy."

"I see. Then I am not sorry for my action."

Murmuring, the handsome man frowned. 

Raising an eyebrow at his nonchalant words, she suddenly gasped when he side-stepped her brave stance and rushed with lightning speed towards the office doors. 

"Hey!"

She shouted with an annoyed vein popping on her forehead. Feeling her blood boiling, she barked as she hastily followed behind. 

"Stop right now!"

But running in her tiny heels was no match for his strides and long legs.

Sending a wink in her direction, he cheekily teased. 

"We both know who should stop, Cheery. Those contraptions on your feet are not for running!"

Wincing, when she had almost lost her balance, Cordelia grew angrier while the handsome man increased his speed. 

It was pure torture.

"My name is Cordelia!"

"Whatever!"

Nick's coughing subsided when the handsome man barged into the office as if he owned it. 

With a smirk on his face, he teased. 

"Well, hello, my friend. Don't you look like a red tomato today?"

He glanced at the glass of water in his hands, and his smirk broadened.

"Did the water go down the wrong hole?"

Agitated, Cordelia was finally able to catch up, her face grimacing from the strap of her shoes digging into her flesh. That increased her irritation, for she had not worn it today to run around the place like a headless chicken. Quickly, she side-stepped the handsome man with nervous dancing eyes and a broad frown. 

"I tried to stop him, sir, but he insisted." 

Nick leaned against the desk after drinking the remaining water in the glass. He refused to lift his head because he did not prepare for this unexpected visit.

"Why are your workers so daft? It is the same everywhere. No offense, Christa. You are easy on the eyes." 

The handsome man drawled as he winked at scoffing Cordelia. 

Moving to the other side of the room, he sat on the sofa closer to the window with a contented sigh. 

Putting his feet on the coffee table, he waved his hand in her direction while fanning his face with the other. 

Speed walking through the hallway to escape the pretty secretary's clutches had brought an insufferable heat on his body. 

"Bring me a glass of lemonade, Mary."

"It's Cordelia. C.O.R.D.E.L.I.A!"

Through greeted teeth, Cordelia seethed. 

She disliked his mannerisms and behavior. 

"Whatever. Just bring me my lemonade, shortcakes."

Glaring at the man, she refused to obey, her eyes looking at Nick for confirmation.

"Can you hold on a minute, Sharlene?" 

Speaking into the phone, he frowned. 

Sharlene, who had heard everything on the other line, quickly agreed. 

"Okay."

Pulling the phone from his ears, he placed it on the table. 

Calmly, he spoke. 

"It's alright, Cordelia. You can leave."

Sighing a noticeable breath of relief, Cordelia glared in the man's direction before walking out with a soft click of the doors behind her. 

"Hey! What about my drink?!" 

The man exclaimed but remained comfortable in his position. 

Folding his arms on top of his chest, Nick was annoyed. 

"What are you doing here, Chris?" 

Shrugging his shoulders as if he had asked him about the weather, Christopher sank deeper into the sofa. 

"I was passing by."

Raising an eyebrow, Nick did not look convinced. 

"You were passing by when you were eight hours away from your home?" 

Waving his hands in the air as if he wanted to discontinue the conversation, Christopher leaned onto his lap. 

"Okay. Okay. I got invited to some last-minute party here."

"You mean at some club?"

Christopher rolled his eyes. 

"Yeah, yeah. And I heard you came here for work from my father, so I decided to visit you. But your pretty secretary stopped me."

Nick skeptically muttered.

"Is that the whole reason for your rude visit?"

Smirking, Chris waved his hands in the air again.

"Fine. Fine. I met some girl called Jane, or was it? I can't quite remember. My memory was blurry at that time."

As Nick heard this, it was his turn to roll his eyes. 

'So this was the main reason for his visit, to tell me stories I did not find interesting?'

Nick asked, while his glare bored holes in Chris's head.

Chris would randomly visit his office. Whether Nick was at home or in foreign countries, he was everywhere.

Christopher Billion, Chris for short, was not a committed guy. 

A playboy-rich prince was a better description. 

With blonde hair, blue eyes, and slightly tanned skin, he was every woman's dream. Easy on the eyes, he had a million-dollar smirk that could make any woman, young and old, swoon. Yet, that was all there was, his handsomeness. 

As an individual, he had a crappy attitude and a crappier mindset. 

Laid back, carefree, and overly sarcastic, Chris lacked manners and was the number one jerk on every woman's list who knew the real him. 

Nick did not know why or how he became friends with him. Maybe it was because they grew up together. Also, Chris had a personality flaw where he grew on people.

That was the main reason why Nick tolerated him. Or barely. 

"We went to my father's hotel and…" 

Growing irritated, for he had no reason to hear him go into detail with his irrelevant story, Nick grabbed his phone from the desk, where Sharlene was still connected. 

"The point being?"

Muttering, he had no time to linger.

Frowning, Chris murmured while placing his arms behind his head. 

"You are no fun."

"I never said I was. Now get to the point."

Uncaringly scoffing, Nick wanted him gone as fast as he came so that he could return to Sharlene.

"Fine." 

Huffing, he quickly redirected the conversation. 

"When I was taking Jane home, I met my fiancé."

"Well, that's a first."

Murmuring, Nick was slightly astonished by his first punctuality of escorting one of his 'conquests' as he would proudly call them, home.

Farrowing his eyebrows, Chris was not pleased that was the only thing Nick heard. 

"Did you not hear the last thing I said, Nick? I met my fiancé in my father's hotel here in Italy. She was on some business interaction with her father."

Stressing on the words, he wanted the proper reaction from Nick, but he remained neutral. 

"So? Is that the second reason why you barged into my office? To tell me about that?" 

"Of course."

Chris spoke with confidence while passing his hands through his hair. 

"Then you can leave now."

Turning, Nick dismissed his presence. 

"Oh, come on, man. Hear me out. I do not want to get married."

Standing, Chris walked over to stand in front of him. 

Nick raised his eyebrows. 

"Getting married is not so bad, Chris."

Gasping as if he had said the most audacious thing ever, Chris sat up straight.

"What are you talking about, man? As a workaholic and never interested in dating and marriage, where did this reasoning come about? Do you know what being married to one woman means?"

Clearing his throat when he realized what he had said, Nick shrugged and did not waver from his conviction, for he had already accepted reality. He also kept in mind Sharlene was listening. He considered her feelings and wanted nothing to offend her.

"What's so wrong about that?"

Chris creased his eyebrows as he watched Nick from up and down. 

"What?"

Growing annoyed by his staring, Nick snapped.

"Are you done? If you are, the doors are behind you."

Shaking his head to rid the dubious thoughts due to Nick's action, Chris raises his hand into the air. Exclaiming, he continued the uninteresting topic. 

"Everything!"

"Then why speak to me about your problem?"

"I need your help."

Sighing, for speaking to Chris was always brain-consuming, Nick did not want to continue the conversation but complied.

"Why do you need my help? No, the better question I should ask is, why should I help you?"

Chris, as if waiting for such a question, quickly replied.

"Because you're my best friend, and best friends should help each other."

Rolling his eyes, Nick was not amused.

"That does not explain your reason, Chris." 

Frustrated, Christopher passed his hands through his hair again.

"I know, I know, but I would not have come to you if it was not serious, " he pressed. "Please, help me, man."

Nick became astonished, for he had never seen Christopher Billion so out of his element. Whatever was between him and meeting his fiancé was not an easy fit. 

After careful consideration, he sighed. 

"Then, I will rephrase my question: How exactly do you need my help?"

"I need you to speak to the father of my fiancé."

Raising an eyebrow, for he was puzzled, Nick muttered.

"Do I know him?"

"Yes, you do. His name is Augustus Presley."

Pondering on that fact, Nick slowly nodded.

"So, your fiancé is Mr. Presley's daughter, Princess Presley?"

He was beyond astonished by the news.

"Yes."

Remembering the brief interaction between him and Princess, Nick clicked his tongue.

"No wonder you are so out of your element."

Muttering, for he knew the real personality of Princess Presley, he slowly nodded.

"Fine. I will help you." 

"Thanks, man."

Grinning like a fool, Chris made to hug Nick, but he quickly pushed him away with both hands. 

"Don't push it."

He muttered with annoyance. 

Laughing, Chris moved away from him.