"Nina Thorne,"
As she passed Cole Kane, he grabbed her wrist. "Let’s talk, okay?"
He was blocking the elevator entrance.
The people inside couldn’t get out, and those outside couldn’t get in.
"Nina..." Jessica Jenkins, trapped in the elevator, sounded helpless and guilty.
Nina glanced back at her, her eyes cold.
’So she was the one who told Cole where I’d be.’ Nina quickly looked away.
"Let go."
Nina struggled, her gaze toward Cole Kane turning frigid and detached.
Cole tightened his grip, showing no intention of letting go. "Ten minutes. Just give ten minutes."
Nina knew she wouldn’t be able to leave unless she agreed.
"Fine. Ten minutes."
A look of joy instantly appeared on Cole’s face.
Not wanting to hold up the elevator for everyone or beco a spectacle, Nina went with him to the coffee shop next door.
It was a slow ti, so the coffee shop was nearly empty.
Nina chose a seat by the large glass window and sat down across from him.
She lifted her wrist to check her watch, her tone distant and cold. "Go on. What do you want to talk about?"
Cole’s brow furrowed. He realized her attitude was completely different from before.
The girl who used to revolve around him was now nothing but cold and wary.
He found it hard to accept. He swallowed hard. "Nina, do you really hate that much now?"
Nina said nothing.
Cole continued his act of deep affection, trying to win her back. "We used to say we’d build a life together."
"That we’d get married. You even said you wouldn’t marry anyone but ..."
At the ntion of the past, a pang went through Nina’s heart.
It was like a sharp knife scraping back and forth across it. How could five years of devotion simply vanish in an instant?
Her throat tightened. She frowned and cut him off coolly, "You have five minutes left. Are you sure you want to waste them on this?"
They had already broken off their engagent; she didn’t have to discuss it at all.
But to ensure they wouldn’t get entangled again, she felt it was necessary to clear the air once and for all.
Seeing her reaction, Cole could tell she wasn’t truly over him. Hope rekindled in his heart.
"I just want to tell you that I was completely and utterly wrong in the past. I know I was wrong, and I want you to give another chance."
"Nina, I truly had no idea you suffered so much these past three years. I never thought Serena would do those things."
"Do you rember? We made a wish on Whisper Bridge to be together forever. The Unity Lock we put there is still hanging."
"You said that since I saved you, you would devote your life to , that you’d stick with forever. How can you go back on your word?"
"Nina, I really can’t lose you..."
Cole’s handso face was filled with regret. His affectionate gaze was like a needle, precisely piercing the softest part of her heart.
mories of the past ca flooding back, overwhelming her.
Pain filled Cole’s eyes, and his voice was hoarse. "I still rember promising your father that I would treat you well for the rest of my life, that I would love you and cherish you."
"Nina, give one more chance, please?"
He used to be proud and confident. As the second young master of the Kane family, his status in Sylport was second only to Justin Kane.
But now, with his bloodshot eyes and repeated, remorseful pleas, it was truly difficult not to feel a twinge of sympathy.
An ache spread through Nina’s chest, but her expression remained cold and detached. "Your ten minutes are up."
She rose briskly, ready to leave.
Cole hastily grabbed her wrist again, looking at her nervously and calling out in a low voice, "Nina..."
"Give one more chance. Let fulfill my promise to your father and take good care of you."
"You said it too, that you wouldn’t marry anyone but . You said you would repay the debt."
"..."
Nina’s mind felt like a thick paste being constantly stirred with a stick, leaving her thoughts a tangled ss.
But no matter how chaotic she felt, she couldn’t forget all the ways he had hurt her.
"Didn’t you forget everything you promised my father? Why are you acting so devoted now?"
Nina shook him off, her eyes like ice. "As for saving my life, yes, I owe you for that. But marry you?"
"Save it. I haven’t lost my mind."
With that, Nina turned to leave. After a few steps, she stopped and glanced back at him.
"You once said I was spoiled and willful. Well, for , the word ’forgiveness’ doesn’t exist. You should just stay quietly dead in my past."
"Please, don’t disturb my life again."
After speaking, Nina straightened her back and walked away, resolute and cold.
Watching her retreat, Cole clenched his fists. He refused to believe he couldn’t coax her back.
When he ntioned the past just now, she had clearly softened.
’She loved for five years. How could she not love anymore?’
’Besides, she’s a person who values loyalty and obligation. A life debt is huge. She can’t escape it!’
-
Nina was indeed affected by the past he had brought up.
In the past, Cole had been genuinely good to her.
During the ti her father was hospitalized, Cole had been hands-on, running back and forth between his company and the hospital just to be with her and spend more ti with her father.
He would tirelessly act as a caregiver, wiping her father down and giving him massages every day.
They could have easily hired a nurse, but he insisted on doing it himself, saying her father was his father.
When her father was on his deathbed, he held their hands and solemnly entrusted her to Cole, telling him to take good care of her.
Cole’s promise was sincere. He vowed, "I will take good care of Nina and never fail her. If I do, may I be struck by lightning."
At that ti, Nina felt she had t the best man in the world.
But later, this sa man left her utterly broken, letting her sink into a swamp and struggle without ever offering a hand to pull her out.
On the way back to the villa, the ringing of her phone interrupted her thoughts.
It was Jessica Jenkins, apologizing guiltily. "Nina, I didn’t an to tell Cole where you were. He said he wanted to win you back, and I felt bad for him."
"I’m sorry. It won’t happen again. Please don’t be mad at ."
Nina hated being betrayed. Even though Jessica was unaware of the full situation, she had still crossed Nina’s line.
Her voice was flat. "I’m not going shopping today. And I don’t think there will be a ’next ti’."
This sentence clearly told Jessica that there was no need for them to contact each other again.
Jessica started to cry in panic. "Nina, I really didn’t an it! I promise it will never happen again..."
"We’re all busy."
Nina didn’t lose her temper. Her voice was cool and sparse. "I’m sure you’ll have more and more success in your acting career. I sincerely wish you fa and fortune."
Jessica seed to understand this was her way of cutting ties.
Standing by the road waiting for a car, she began to pace anxiously, on the verge of tears.
After speaking, Nina calmly hung up the phone.
Her expression was serene, showing no anger at the betrayal.
Perhaps it was because she hadn’t invested any real emotion in Jessica. Without expectation, there was no disappointnt.
This was true for love as well as friendship.
The only thing that truly affected her was the life debt Cole had ntioned today. She was not a person who liked to owe others.
She had to find a way to repay this debt.
After returning to the villa, Nina thought for a long ti, then called Cole directly. "Is there anything you want?"
Hearing her initiate the call, Cole’s voice was full of excitent. "Nina, are you willing to forgive ?"
"No,"
Nina’s voice was frigid and decisive. "Tell what you want. It doesn’t matter if it’s expensive. I’ll get it for you as repaynt for saving my life."
Hearing this, Cole completely understood that she was trying to draw a clear line between them.
But how could he let her have her way?
"What do you think I could possibly be lacking?"
Cole’s voice was hoarse and hurt. "You know I don’t lack anything. I just want to get back together with you."
"Then think about it,"
Nina had no interest in hearing his remorse. She continued on her own, "Let know when you’ve thought of sothing, and we can settle this."
She ended the call before Cole could reply.
Putting down the phone, the knot in Nina’s chest seed to loosen slightly.
It was undeniable that for five years, she had been desperately in love with Cole.
But she wasn’t a glutton for punishnt. She wouldn’t be moved by a few simple words and allow herself to be deceived by him again.
In truth, the highest form of loving soone is feeling their pain as your own.
If Cole had truly loved her, how could he have borne to bla her and give her the cold shoulder ti and again for Serena Kane’s sake?
A mont later, her phone screen lit up.
It was a text from Cole: "If you want to repay your debt, add on WeChat first. I’ll tell you what I want after I’ve decided."
Nina glanced at it coolly, unmoved, and put her phone back down.
-
At ten o’clock that night, Nina had just shut down her computer.
A notification popped up from a separate system on her phone.
Nina picked it up and tapped it. A ssage from Mr. Locke appeared: [Arriving in Sylport in three days. Rember, be there or be square.]
Nina knew that Sylport was hosting an unprecedented auto show focused on new energy vehicles.
All the major car manufacturers would be there, all focused on issues of intelligent driving systems and battery range.
TN: [Let’s set a specific ti later.]
Just after Nina sent the ssage, a knock ca from the study door. Without looking up, she said, "Co in."
She thought it was Miss King, bringing her another tonic soup.
But then she heard familiar footsteps, and the air filled with the faint, cool scent of cedar, mingled with a hint of alcohol.
Nina looked up and broke into a sudden smile. "You’re back."
There was Justin Kane, dressed in a dark, custom-tailored suit. His tall figure carried a bowl of bird’s nest soup as he approached her with an air of noble elegance.
"Still busy?"
Justin placed the soup on her desk. His gentle eyes were dark and tender. "Working so hard... it makes look like an inadequate husband."
"You’ve given more than enough. Any more and I’d worry whether I, as your wife, am worthy of all you provide."
Nina joked. She happened to be hungry, so she picked up the bird’s nest soup and finished it all in a few monts.
While she ate, Justin leaned his hips against the desk, facing her. His gaze was fixed on her face, a faint, unreadable smile playing on his lips.
"Didn’t go shopping today? You didn’t spend a single cent of the money I gave you."
Nina hadn’t gone out that afternoon, so of course she hadn’t spent any money. The card was his, so it wasn’t strange for him to ask.
Her eyelashes lowered. She raised a hand to rub her sore shoulder, not ntioning the afternoon’s events. In a light tone, she said, "I didn’t go. There wasn’t much to see."
Justin’s gaze was profound. He didn’t press further. Instead, he suddenly walked behind her and placed his hands on her shoulders, gently kneading them.
"Here, Mrs. Kane, let serve our great screenwriter."
There was no teasing in his voice, only tenderness.
Nina was surprised. She put her hands on his to stop him. "You must be tired after your business dinner. You don’t have to massage . Go take a shower and rest."
Justin leaned down slightly, not stopping the massage. He breathed warmly near her ear, "I have to put in a good performance so I can be upgraded to the father of your child as soon as possible."
Nina froze and turned her head to look at him.
His handso face was close to hers, his sculpted features magnified before her eyes. Their noses were nearly touching, their lips almost brushing.
Nina’s heart leaped into her throat, and her cheeks burned. They had almost kissed.
In an instant, the air around them beca charged with ambiguity.
Before she could speak, Justin suddenly pulled her up and swept her into his arms. His voice was magnetic, laced with innuendo. "Let’s go back to the room. I’ll give you a full-body massage."
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