Chapter 501 Nicholas, Still Flirting with Women
Nicholas snatched back the cigarette, his long, pale fingers gripping it tightly. He took a drag, exhaling a cloud of smoke that hung in the air between them.
Through the blue haze, he spoke in a detached tone, "I'm not getting a divorce. If you still care about this family, we'll keep going. But you gotta cut off all ties with those other guys. If you need sex, I'm right here."
Hestia was stunned.
Her voice trembled, "Nicholas, you can't bear to leave me, can you? After everything, have you realized my worth? Let's make this work."
She had loved him once, so she eagerly pledged her loyalty, "I'll end everything else, come back to the family, and we'll raise our kids together."
She leaned in to kiss him.
Nicholas accepted it, but as they kissed, he didn't close his eyes. His dark pupils stayed focused on his wife's submission.
He wasn't staying married out of love; he just wanted to avoid the hassle. Plus, the Sharp family's connections could stabilize the Moore family.
Nicholas was thinking strategically now.
As for sleeping around, Nicholas scoffed lightly. 'Sex is just sex, no matter who it's with,' he thought.
Isaac recovered well after surgery.
The Moore family finally found some solace.
They wanted to visit Matthew, but the situation was too complicated, and the Moore family, now in decline, couldn't even get a glimpse of him.
A week later, Nicholas went to the hospital to handle some paperwork.
After finishing, he was ready to leave. Hestia was waiting in the car, and they were going to visit their son together.
The elevator was packed.
Nicholas glanced at the papers in his hand.
Taking a few steps, he reached the stairwell corner just as Zoey was helping Azalea out of the hospital. Azalea was holding a newborn baby, only a week old, small and beautiful.
They brushed past each other again.
He didn't know that a vain woman had given birth to his child; nor did he know that the baby's umbilical cord blood had saved Isaac.
In fact, he rarely thought of Azalea, almost forgetting her existence over time.
That absurd chapter had ended.
With the Moore family in chaos, Nicholas was left to pick up the pieces, with no time or energy to spare for memories of women from his past. It never crossed his mind that she might have left carrying his child. Whether the child came into this world or not, it made no difference to him.
He thought she would probably have an abortion.
After all, in her eyes, there was only money.
Nicholas went downstairs, opened the car door, and got in.
Hestia was in the passenger seat. Over the past week, their relationship had been very close, and she was very concerned about her husband's health. "Are all the indicators normal?"
Nicholas's gaze was deep. "Everything's normal."
Hestia felt insecure, so she asked her husband again, "Nicholas, do you really want to reconcile and spend the rest of our lives together?"
Nicholas leaned in and kissed the corner of her mouth.
"Of course, it's true."
Hestia's eyes welled up with tears, but she fought to hold them back.
They went to the hospital together.
The Moore family seemed harmonious, except for Matthew being detained; everything else seemed to have returned to the way it was.
Vaughn was delighted to see his son come around. He pulled Nicholas aside into the hallway, and they smoked together.
Vaughn held his cigarette and said, "Your grandfather sent word, telling you to focus on business. Nicholas, you can't mess around anymore. The Moore family can't withstand any more turmoil!"
Nicholas squinted, holding his cigarette. "Don't worry, I know what I'm doing."
He gazed into the distance and scoffed. "Being a fool for love—once is enough for me."
Nicholas never fell for anyone again, nor did he keep any mistresses, but he did engage in casual flings.
That was a month later.
Late at night, he came back from a social event, completely drunk.
Hestia helped her husband to bed, thoughtfully undressing him and taking off his socks, serving him attentively. Perhaps because she had once cheated, she always acted submissively in their interactions, fearing her husband would bring up the past, which would leave her utterly ashamed.
Fortunately, Nicholas never mentioned it, and they never had a serious argument.
She was very content.
As she undressed him, Nicholas suddenly grabbed her wrist and pulled her onto him, muttering drunkenly, "Now that I've rested, let's do it again."
He touched her slender waist, his voice slurred, "Such a small waist… You're such a tease."
A cold wave swept through her, leaving her numb.
She knew her husband might not truly love her; their union might be a matter of convenience. But she hadn't expected that after just a month, he would revert to his old ways, playing around with women again.
There was a lipstick stain on the white shirt in her hand.
Hestia stared at it for a long time.
Tears rolled down her cheeks like scattered pearls, falling onto the vivid red stain.
She didn't want to look at it anymore and hurried to the bathroom to throw the shirt in the trash. But even after discarding the shirt, she couldn't deceive herself; her husband had betrayed her again. Perhaps he had never intended to be faithful, and she was the only one foolishly devoted from the start.
She hid in the bathroom, covering her face, and cried.
Though she considered divorce, the memory of recent tenderness left her unable to leave, even as she struggled to find a way forward.
The bathroom door opened; it was Nicholas.
Glancing at his wife in tears, he stepped on the trash can and caught sight of his own shirt tossed inside.
His gaze returned to her, his tone slightly soft but still somewhat gentle, "It's just business socializing, a casual fling! Don't worry, I'm not keeping a mistress. Stop fussing, I'm going to take a shower and sleep."
Under the crystal light, Hestia's expression was dazed.
Nicholas finished his shower, and perhaps to make up for it, he had sex with Hestia after resting.