Frankly, to Edward, Nelissa was the type of woman right up his alley.
He did not even mind blatantly flirting with her although they were now in public!
Nelissa's heart pounded like a blacksmith's hammer. She inched her feet backwards as she tried to escape Edward's sensual advances.
"Edward, I'm really flattered but I really want to make things clear that I am not interested in you. I was not sober that night and I made a mistake. I really hope that you will stop pestering me about it."
She continued, "I have two kids. I'm not ready for a relationship and I don't think I ever will be. We are never going to work."
Nelissa was practically begging Edward to leave her alone and go for someone else.
She couldn't take it anymore!
Edward was amused. "Are you sure? You need this job, you need the money and you need the Haleston project. That is more than enough reason for you."
Edward was arrogantly confident in his words. He leaned in closer, making sure that Nelissa knew that he was totally serious.
Nelissa was taken aback. She didn't expect Edward to resort to such measures and threaten her!
If she ever got on his wrong side, she could never never survive in Haleston City!
Nelissa didn't know what to do but she refused to submit. "Edward, you are a famous and well-known figure in Haleston City. I think blackmailing and threatening a helpless young lady wouldn't be a good look for you?"
Edward didn't feel intimidated at all. He turned on his heel and walked away.
Inwardly, he scorned at Nelissa's attempt to threaten him. She was too naive; to think something as trivial as that would be enough to sway him to her ways!
He was done playing games.
Edward said in a low voice, "I don't care what happens and what I have to do, I will make you mine. And mine alone!"
He fixed his eyes on Nelissa. He seemed ready to take Nelissa like a male lion in heat.
Nelissa felt fear. She wasn't afraid of a common thug on the streets; but Edward was no common thug.
He was a powerful and rich thug!
She couldn't bear the consequences; she could lose her job or worse, he could go after her kids!
"Thank you so much for the kind words, but nothing is ever going to happen between us. I hope you remember that. If you'll excuse me, I'll take my leave."
Nelissa went straight for the door.
"I'll be waiting, Nelissa."
Edward sat down onto the leather couch. He glanced at Nelissa's back as she skedaddled.
Nelissa exited the VIP lounge. There were multiple eyes on her; male and female alike. They seemed interested in her but no one approached her.
Everyone knew that Edward's date was off-limits!
Nelissa lowered her head as she scurried out of the ballroom. She dashed past Zayden and Susan as her heart cracked with every single step she took. She didn't even want to say goodbye.
Suddenly, the sound of shattered glass echoed throughout the ball room.
"Zayden, are you hurt?" It was Susan's voice.
Nelissa kept on running. As much as she wanted to turn around and care for Zayden, she couldn't bear the thought of Zayden having another woman by his side.
She thought of the times she shared with Zayden. He always asked her to call him Mr. Lowe instead of Zayden.
It was clear that Zayden had moved past her and fallen in love with Susan instead.
Nelissa stood at the entrance to the hotel. The cold wind was reminiscent of the chilling loneliness she felt at that point. Time seemed to have slowed down around her.
Suddenly, a black sedan stopped in front of her. Andrew came down and bowed to her.
"Greetings, Miss Nelissa, I'm here at Master Hales behest. He wants me to see you home safely."
Nelissa scowled. She thought that she had made herself crystal clear earlier! Why was he still doing this?
"It's okay. I will take the bus home. Thank you so much." Nelissa made her decision.
She walked to the bus station but she noticed that Andrew followed her in the car.
She got on a bus and the car was still behind her.
What was Andrew trying to do?
Thirty minutes later, Nelissa arrived at her stop.
There was still a stone's throw distance away to her condominium. Andrew was very persistent. He followed her closely behind.
Nelissa stumbled on a flea market that sold various street food. She got three pieces of roasted sweet potato for Jolene and the twins back home. It was their favourite snack.
She thought about getting herself a snack too but she lost her appetite. Edward's shenanigans had ruined her night.
Andrew followed her all the way until she reached her condominium before driving away.
Nelissa got home. Her feet were aching and she unstrapped her heels and put them aside.
"Where were you? Swarmed with work back at the office?" Jolene asked.
Jolene and the twins snuggled together on the couch and were watching television.
"Yeah, here's some sweet potatoes I got for you. Have them while they're hot." Nelissa tried to avoid the question.
The twins munched down on the sweet potatoes when suddenly, Nathan said, "Mommy, when I grow up, I'll make a lot of money so that you won't ever need a man again!"
Sigh, Jolene must have told them.
"Alright, I'll be waiting. You better not go back on your words." Nelissa wrapped her arms around her precious babies.
If only Nathan and Noelle could grow up faster, she wouldn't need to worry about them that much.
"Nelly, where are the flowers from this morning?" Jolene was curious.
"I threw them away." Nelissa was suddenly reminded of Zayden and her heart ached for a brief moment.
Jolene continued, "I think you may be the first person alive that had the courage to throw away the flowers Edward gave you. Even so, I think you could have made a way better decision. You could have sold it to a florist instead of throwing it away. You could make a quick buck."
Nelissa snickered and didn't respond.
Jolene still thought that the flowers were from Edward when in fact, they were from Zayden.
"Alright, I'm going to take a shower. Noey, Nate, don't choke on the food, okay? Drink some water afterwards too." Nelissa kissed the twins on the forehead and entered her room.
She stood in the shower like a statue. Did she make the right decision? Was it wise to offend Edward like that?
She hadn't even told Jolene what she did this evening; how she had entered the belly of the beast.
Nelissa was pissed at herself. Why was she such a stubborn woman? Edward wasn't the first guy to do this; another guy did it before too. That guy was Sean Bailey.
When she got out of the shower, Jolene came rushing into the room. Apparently, someone called Nelissa's phone and Jolene answered it.
The funny thing was, the person on the other end didn't say a word. Jolene didn't know who it was either.
Nelissa went back to her room with the phone. She unlocked her phone and checked the logs; it was Zayden.
She had a hunch that Zayden would be looking for her soon...
That night, Nelissa tossed and turned in her bed. She was having a nightmare.
She was transported to five years ago when her mother was rushed to the hospital because of a car accident. She could still remember the blood on her hands and her white dress. As her mother was brought into the ER, she fell to her knees and wailed.
Nelissa sat up in a state of shock. She looked out the window; the sun was just rising.
She turned and looked at her pillow. It was soaked in tears. She rubbed her eyes and realized that her cheek was ice cold too. She had been crying in her sleep.
She hated herself for being so powerless. If it wasn't for her weakness, they wouldn't have lost the company. If only she was stronger, Zayden couldn't have overtaken the company from them.
Besides, she wouldn't have needed to pawn away her final few shares of the company just to pay for the enormous medical bill.
Because of that, the Quest Group was reduced to a husk of its former self. Nelissa had lost all ownership over the company and went bankrupt. She had never experienced poverty before and was forced to rely on Zayden.
Enough with memories. Nelissa decided to visit her mother after work that day.
That afternoon at a high-end restaurant, Nelissa was supposed to meet a client there. They were going to briefly go through the contract and seal the deal.
However, hours went by and the client didn't show up. Nelissa had refilled her drink countless times by now. She tried calling the client but it went to voicemail.
Even the waiter sounded disgruntled, "Miss, we don't offer free refills here. Are you going to order anything?"
"Sorry, the person I'm supposed to be meeting decided to be a no-show."
Nelissa left quickly. There was no way she could pay for the meal.
She went to another restaurant to meet her next client, Mr. Leonard. Nelissa didn't order anything that time, not even a drink. She immediately called Mr. Leonard's personal assistant after she took a seat.
To her dismay, the assistant hung up the phone immediately after Nelissa introduced herself.
Nelissa exited the restaurant and came to a realization.
Edward must've blacklisted her.
All of her clients would never side with her over Edward. None of them would dare to go against the Hales Group!
She was really done for.
Nelissa reluctantly whipped out her phone and scrolled through her contacts; Edward. However, her fingers froze.
She knew if she made that call, she couldn't back out anymore. It was all or nothing.
With that said, what would Edward do to her?
After a while, Nelissa finally called the number; but she called Zayden.