141

141
Chapter 141
Apologize to Bruno?!!

“You're already… You're the best thing that can happen to anyone..” I said.

“No.. allow me to show myself approved.” Nikolas said as we both laughed.

Suddenly, Katy rushed into the kitchen, almost tripping over the mat.

“Cassy?!! Are you alright?” she asked as she came straight and hugged me tightly.

I chuckled softly, patting her back.
“Katy… hey, I’m fine, okay?” I said.

She pulled back a little, her eyes glistening with tears.

“I thought something bad happened when I heard about Mandy last night…” she said, her voice breaking.

“I’m alright, Katy… you don’t have to worry.” I smiled and wiped the tear that slid down her cheek.

She sniffed and nodded slowly, looking down.

“It’s okay, Katy… you don’t have to feel that way around me anymore, just be free.” Nikolas said suddenly, his voice calm and kind.

Katy turned to him quickly, almost like she couldn’t believe it.

“Thank you, boss…” she said softly.

“No need to thank me,” he added with a small grin. “Just take care of her like you always do.”

Katy nodded, smiling faintly. “I’ll leave you two…” she said, stepping aside.
As she left, I turned to Nikolas with a smile.

“You’re so sweet…” I said, crossing my arms.

He raised a brow, walking closer. “Sweet? Me? You must be seeing things.”

I laughed lightly and hit his chest playfully. “You are… admit it.”

“Fine, maybe a little,” he said, pretending to surrender, then suddenly carried me up and placed me gently on the table.

“Nikolas! What are you doing?!” I gasped, laughing and holding his shoulders.
He looked at me with that same playful smile.

“You mean like this?” he said and leaned closer, pressing a light kiss on my forehead.

“We’re in the kitchen, you know?” I whispered, glancing at the doorway.

“I don’t care,” he said, his voice deep but teasing. “This is my house. I can kiss my wife anywhere.”

I laughed again, shaking my head. “You’re impossible.”
“Only for you,” he said, grinning.

Just then, the door opened suddenly.
“I’m sorry boss!” Dre said immediately, quickly turning around and facing the wall.

“What is it, Dre?” Nikolas asked, still not letting go of me.
“Office call… urgent.”
“It can wait,” Nikolas said, rolling his eyes.

“No…” I said softly, touching his arm. “You should go answer it. I’ll wait.”
He looked into my eyes for a few seconds before nodding. “Alright, wife… don’t move an inch.”
“Yes sir,” I said with a small salute, laughing.

He smiled, then turned and left with Dre.

As soon as he left, I exhaled and hopped down from the table.

Katy came back in almost immediately, her eyes wide like she’d just seen something funny.
“I saw that!” she said giggling.
I turned to her sharply, “Saw what?”
“You and boss! I saw how he carried you, Cassy!” she said, laughing more.

“Katy! Stop it!” I said trying to act serious but laughing too.
She leaned on the counter, still smiling. “I’ve never seen him smile that much, you know. Ever.”
I looked down, brushing my hair off my face. “He’s changed, Katy… and it’s beautiful.”

She nodded. “It is. He used to be so scary, like a man made of stone. But now, he looks softer when he’s with you.”
I smiled faintly. “Maybe love melts even the coldest hearts.”
Katy giggled. “You sound like a movie line.”
“Maybe I’m the star of this one,” I said smiling.

We both laughed, and then she turned to get something from the fridge.

“So, what should we cook today? The boss looks like someone who’d want something special after that meeting.”

I leaned closer. “Hmm, how about roasted chicken and mashed potatoes? He loves that.”

“Alright chef,” she said with a wink. “Let’s make him proud.”

We both started preparing the meal.

I sliced the vegetables while Katy marinated the chicken.

The sound of laughter filled the kitchen, something that never used to happen in that house before.

Even the maids walking past looked surprised seeing us laughing and joking together.

“Cassy…” Katy said suddenly.
“Yeah?” I answered without looking up.
“Are you scared? You know… with everything that happened lately.”
I paused for a second and then smiled faintly.
“Honestly, I’m not scared anymore. I feel safe now. For the first time in a long while, I actually feel safe.”

She smiled softly. “That’s good to hear. You deserve it.”

After a while, we finished cooking. The smell filled the entire house.
Simeon came to peek in.
“Something smells heavenly in here,” he said.

“Don’t even think about it, Simeon,” Katy said, blocking his way.
He laughed. “Fine, fine… I was just checking.”

Just then, Nikolas came in, loosening his tie.
He looked tired but smiled the moment he saw me.
“Smells good…” he said, walking straight to me.
“Dinner’s ready,” I said proudly.
“You cooked?”
“Of course. Katy and I.”

He looked at Katy. “Thank you, Katy.”
“All thanks to her, boss,” she said smiling, pointing at me.

We all went to the dining room.
Nikolas pulled out the chair for me.
“Thank you…” I said softly.
“Anything for my queen,” he said before sitting beside me.

We started eating.

“So what was the call about?” I asked after a while.
“Nothing serious, just some company expansion reports. But Dre handled most of it.”

“That’s good. You shouldn’t stress too much anymore, husband.”

He looked at me, smiling faintly. “You know… hearing you call me that makes everything worth it.”
I laughed, a little shy. “Well, get used to it. You’re stuck with me now.”

He chuckled softly. “And I don’t ever want to get unstuck.”

Katy cleared her throat, smiling awkwardly. “Uh, I’ll go check on dessert,” she said quickly and left.
I turned to Nikolas. “You embarrassed her.”
“I didn’t do anything,” he said innocently, laughing.

After we finished eating, we stayed sitting, talking about small things, about the garden, about Dre’s clumsy driving, about Simeon’s endless stories.

For a moment, life felt normal.

Then he leaned back, his tone softening. 

“You know, Cassy… I’ve been thinking about something.”
“What’s that?” I asked.
“What if we travel for a while? Somewhere quiet. Just you and me. No noise, no chaos.”
“You mean… like a honeymoon?” I asked, teasingly.
He smiled. “Maybe. Maybe more like peace.”

I thought for a moment, then nodded. “I’d love that.”

Nikolas nodded.

“I’ve been thinking of something else too…” he said after a long pause, his voice quiet, almost thoughtful.

I looked up at him. “What’s that?!” I asked, curious.

He sighed and rubbed his thumb over my fingers like he was trying to calm his own nerves. “I want to apologize to Bruno…”

I blinked, surprised. “You what? For real?!”

He nodded slowly, his gaze soft but steady. “Yes.”

“Why? You did nothing wrong and still you want to apologize to him?!” I asked, half-smiling, half-confused.

Nikolas gave me that calm look of his, the one that always makes me quiet. “Sometimes doing the right thing isn’t about who’s wrong, Cassy. It’s about peace.”

I stared at him for a moment, then reached for his hand and held it tight. “You’re too good sometimes, you know that?”

He smiled faintly. “Not really. I just don’t like carrying guilt, even when it’s not mine.”

I shook my head, smiling softly. “You have such a strange heart.”

He chuckled. “You mean a soft one?”

“Exactly,” I said. “For someone who acts so cold most times, you’re actually warm inside.”

He leaned closer, his breath brushing against my forehead. “Only to you,” he whispered.

I looked down shyly and chuckled. “Stop that.”

“What? I’m just being honest,” he said.

I smiled again and leaned against his chest. “Tomorrow morning then…” I whispered.

He nodded again and kissed the top of my head. “Tomorrow morning.”

There was silence for a while. Only the sound of our breathing.

Then he lifted my chin, his eyes gentle. “You should sleep, Cassy.”

I nodded. “Yeah… let’s go to bed.”

He stood and offered his hand. I took it, and we walked together down the hallway. 

As we entered the bedroom, I looked back once at the living room, the faint light reflecting on the glass table. “You ever think we’ll have a normal life someday?” I asked.

Nikolas paused by the bed and turned to me. “Normal?”

I nodded. “Yeah… no chaos, no enemies, no danger. Just… peace.”

He exhaled deeply. “That’s all I want too. For you. For us.”

I smiled faintly and sat on the edge of the bed. “You think Bruno will forgive you?”

Nikolas looked down for a moment. “I don’t know. But I hope he does. He deserves to understand the truth.”

I tilted my head. “Do you really think he’s ready to hear it?”

“I think he’s been waiting for closure more than anything,” he said, unbuttoning his shirt slowly, his tone heavy. “And I owe him that.”

“You can’t change the past,” I said softly. “But you can make peace with it.”

He nodded slowly, still holding me. “That’s why I need to go see him.”

I didn’t say anything else. I just stayed in his arms, feeling his heartbeat against mine.