Astra quickly changed the direction of the car to Nicholas' home, the home that was once hers. Not the time to think of that, Astra, she scolds herself.
"This had better be some serious emergency," she mutters. With the speed at which she was going, she'd definitely get pulled over. Luckily for her, there were no police around. Astra prayed in her heart that Nicholas was okay. She shouldn't have cared. She should have been doing quite the opposite. But deep down, she knew no matter what, she'd always care for Nicholas. His voice over the phone sounded hurried, frightened even, and before she knew it, she had sprinted out of the coffee shop without giving any explanation whatsoever to Jared.
What was she to say? "Sorry Jared, Nicholas needs me. You know Nicholas, don't you? Yes, the same man you met in my home a week back that harassed you. In all honesty, my ex-husband that threw me out into the rain five years ago, ah yes, that's the one. "Jared would have looked at her as a stupid woman, and in all honesty, she did feel stupid. She should have ignored his call, but instead she picked it up hurriedly. Part of her was trying to be convincing that the only reason she cared was that he was currently her "boss" and if she didn't do as he pleased, she could lose her job. But she knew damn well that wasn't the reason.
Astra heaved a sigh of relief when Nicholas' home came into view. She packed the car right outside of the mansion. The several guards that Nicholas hired were still stationed at their various positions. James, the guard positioned at the gate, was more than surprised to see Astra after so many years. She herself was surprised to still see him working here.
"Madam Astra? Is that you ma'am? "James inquired." He wasn't sure if indeed it was Astra. Her face looked slightly different, her lips fuller and her nose more pointed. Her body, though, had the same features except for the increase in her bust. Another reason why James questioned if it were Astra was that after that night, James could swear she'd never step foot into this house again. He had watched the whole thing happen from afar. And even Astra herself swore she'd never return here, and look where we are, folks. In the one place that brought too many memories, Astra looked at the house. It was still magnificent and had the same power it had over her when she first saw it. Nicholas had great taste. They had picked this house for them to live in after their marriage. As she stared at the mansion standing in all its glory, memories of the times spent here couldn't help but flood her mind.
Suddenly, she recalled the main reason she was here. After saying a quick "Hello James" to confirm his thoughts that indeed she was Astra, she darted to the front door and was stunned that none of the guards attempted to stop her. She rang the doorbell once, and after ten seconds, she got no reply. Well, that was odd, she thought. It never took Butler Adams more than 6 seconds to open the door. That young man was so fast that he had been nicknamed "Young Bolt" among the staff that worked for Nicholas. Then it occurred to her that it had been five years since Astra had worked here; how certain are you that he still works here? She thought he should. Nicholas was very fond of Adams; he even wanted to get him a house of his own and start up a business for him, but Adams refused. He said that he really loved his job as well as working for Nicholas and that he didn't like free money and would prefer to work for it. Nicholas was more than impressed with his words, which rarely happens, and he promised Adams that he could work here for as long as he wanted and that he should see this place as his home and not a workplace.
Nicholas was certainly a man of his words, hence the reason for her surprise. She rang the doorbell again and again, yet received no reply. Maybe it was a bad idea to come. She should have just ignored the call and risked the chance of losing her job. Placing her palm on the door handle, she twisted it and was shocked to find it unlocked. Another odd thing. Entering the house, she surely was not expecting it to lack life. Usually, there were staff running up and down carrying out chores and maids cleaning up the place. But now everywhere feels empty. Where were all the staff? The place looked like it hadn't been dusted in a while, like no one had stayed in it for a while.
"Nicholas," she called out, looking around for him or any other form of life. If someone had told her five years ago that Billionaire Nicholas' home would be like this one day, she would have called them a liar. Astra stood still as she heard a loud bang that seemed to have come from upstairs. She stayed in that position for a while to see if that sound would be made again, and when it wasn't, she quietly climbed up the staircase, careful not to make any noise. After she had checked all four guest rooms, she decided to call Nicholas. She quickly searched for his contact, but before she could ring it, she heard another bang coming from the room at the far left corner. Of course, how could she have forgotten?
"Nicholas, is that you?" She whisper-yelled as she walked slowly towards the room. Upon getting there, she deliberated about going in or just getting the hell out of here. The house was so quiet that she was sure no one was home. But he had asked you to come, hadn't he? "He even said it was an emergency," her conscience barked at her. Turning the doorknob, she entered his room and was met with pitch blackness. She walked carefully around the room, with her hands on the wall, searching for the light switch. At last, she found it, and when she switched it on, she was surprised at the scene before her. A shirtless Nicholas sat on the floor with a huge grin on his face. He looked quite alright, completely okay. Her eyes scanned the room for anything that might scream danger, but she found absolutely nothing.
"I knew you'd come," Nicholas said, with a smug look on his face. Astra scowled at this statement. What the hell did he mean by that? There she was a few moments ago, worried that something might have happened to him, and here he was looking absolutely fine.
"What is the emergency, Nicholas?" Astra asked with gritted teeth. She was getting madder than she intended, and she was trying so hard not to let it show on her face. Nicholas simply grinned at her, his sparkly white teeth putting the brightest sun rays to shame.
"Emergency? "What emergency, Astra?" Nicholas said, feigning ignorance. "I don't know what you are talking about." He was taunting her and she knew it. Though she was trying so hard to control herself, if this man said one more annoying thing, she'd snap. With Nicholas, she was an emotional mess. She was never in control of her emotions; he was. He just knew all the right buttons to push, as he was doing at the very moment.
Astra clenched and unclenched her fists, taking deep breaths as well as exhaling.
"Why did you call me Nicholas?" she asked with a tone that showed how hard it was to contain her anger.
"First of all, it's sir, not Nicholas. Second, I am your boss. I give you orders and you have no other choice than to oblige. I can call you at one in the morning and request that you bring me a cup of tea, and you have to. "Cassandra, I have your job at the tip of my fingers and I wouldn't mind ruining your life again." Did he just call her Cassandra? He knew how very much she hated her middle name. He's doing this on purpose Astra, just breathe, just breathe, she advised herself. after taking one long drag of air. She said to him,
"I think I know why you called me here, sir. You overheard my call with Jared, didn't you? And you are aware that it was him I had lunch with. It's hurting you, isn't it? I've moved on and I'm living my best life without you in it. That's why you are doing this because you can't move on and you are trying so hard to force me to spend time with you that I wouldn't willingly. In summary, you, Nicholas Miguel Michealson, are jealous. " To this, Nicholas rapidly sprints up and approaches Astra in a menacing manner. Her posture did not waver. She stood still, her eyes daring him to deny what she just said. She had hit a nerve and she knew it. He wasn't the only one who knew how to push buttons. She was a pro at this game too.
"I am not jealous, Astra. Don't be delusional. Jealous of who? of what? I couldn't care less if he had you. You are nothing but a whore, a prostitute. " Astra stilled at these words. How badly she wanted to scream, "I didn't cheat, you have it all wrong, but what was the use? She said nothing but simply stared at him, and that was when she noticed how terrible he looked. His eyes were red and puffy, and his hair was a total mess. The last time she saw Nicholas this way was when he lost his mother seven years back. Her eyes drifted to his left hand, which held a bottle of vodka. He had been drinking. Her eyes shoot back to his face. The anger that was in his eyes had dissolved and was replaced with vulnerability. This pulled at her heart. In that moment, she wished they were still married. She would have cradled him on her lap and whispered cooing words into his ears. She would do absolutely anything to make him feel better because she cared and still cares.
"Are you okay?" The words flew out of her mouth before she knew it. Nicholas' eyes grew wide with surprise at the question. That wasn't what he had expected her next words to be after he had just called her a prostitute. He shouldn't have been surprised; Astra was something else entirely.
"Why should you care?" Nicholas asks, his voice barely a whisper. Astra did not reply. She herself did not know why she cared. She strolled closer to him and attempted to take the bottle out of his hand, but Nicholas pulled it far away from her reach.
"Nicholas, give me the damn bottle. You shouldn't drink it. " Astra said, her voice filled with concern rather than judgment.
"Why don't you try to get it?" At this point, Nicholas' body was less than an inch away from Astras'. Her honey scent filled up his nostrils and intoxicated him. Astra, as well, had noticed the close distance between them. She willed herself not to be affected by it, but it was no use. Even from afar, Nicholas could still do crazy things to her body, and right now she needed those crazy things to happen. As though Nicholas could read her mind, he closed the distance between them, his shirtless skin pressing closely to her rather than his clothes. She could feel her nipples hardening. Nicholas wanted her badly. He had never craved a woman this much. He felt stupid for feeling this sort of attraction to the same woman who cheated on him. He thought the five years apart would change how he'd be turned on just by looking at her, and his mind would be filled with the dirty things he could do to her. At that moment, it didn't matter. None of those things happened. Nicholas needed her and she was going to have