Chapter 209 Chapter 209
“Wait,” Nicholas said, as if he had just remembered something. “Didn't you say you owed Tania a huge thank you for getting you that audition?”
Caroline stopped. “Yes...”
“She helped you a lot. Shouldn't you give her a gift in return?” Nicholas baited her. “We can go shopping now and pick something out for her.” What do you think?
Caroline's eyes widened in surprise.
Nicholas noticed the change in her expression. “What is it?”
She shook her head, a genuine smile appearing on her lips. “Nothing much. I just didn't expect you to be so... thoughtful. It didn't even cross my mind to do that now, but you remembered.”
She looked at him tenderly. “You're right. Tania did me a huge favor. I should buy her a decent gift. But...” She hesitated again. “Are you sure you want to come along?”
Nicholas nodded. “Hmm. What's the problem?”
“There's no problem.” Caroline bit her lip. “I'm just afraid you'll find it boring. You men usually hate holding bags and waiting in department stores, don't you?”
Nicholas smiled slightly. He took a step forward, closing the distance between them.
“Hmm. I don't like shopping. That's true.” He admitted.
Then he lowered his voice, making it husky and intimate.
“But it all depends on the company. Nothing is boring when I'm with the person I love.”
Boom.
Caroline's heart skipped a beat and then raced like a samba school drum.
Her face flushed violently.
She could hear the blood pulsing in her ears.
Oh my God...
Stop being so seductive! she screamed internally.
Had Nicholas been secretly reading cheap romance novels in his office? Or maybe he had taken a crash course in “How to Seduce Your Wife”?
Where did all this smooth talk come from?
Was this really coming from a man who claimed to be an ascetic monk who had never dated before?
He was doing a thousand times better than any experienced playboy. If he had a little more practice... he would be a weapon of mass destruction for women's hearts.
Well, at least for hers, it was too late. She had already fallen into the trap.
She couldn't resist that sculpted face and those sweet words.
“Nicholas...” She swallowed hard, trying to maintain her composure. “Are you absolutely sure you've never been in a relationship before?”
Nicholas seemed genuinely surprised by her distrust. “I'm absolutely sure. Why?”
Caroline stared at him, narrowing her eyes. “Then how can you say all the right things at the right time? You don't seem like an amateur.” You seem... dangerously experienced.
On the contrary, he seemed like a master in the art of seduction.
Nicholas understood the implied compliment.
He let out a low chuckle, the sound vibrating in the night air, which made her even more nervous.
“So, darling...” He leaned in, his dark eyes sparkling with mischief. “Did my words strike a chord with you?”
“Did it work?”
Caroline stared at him, paralyzed.
With that divine appearance and that smile of someone who knows exactly the effect he has...
Yes, it worked. It worked too well.
Was he trying to kill her with his charm in the middle of the street?
Well... if his goal was to make her breathless and blush like a teenager, then he had succeeded completely.
His intense gaze was a dangerous weapon.
Caroline looked away, feeling her face flush, and reached out to take his arm, trying to shift the focus to something less... heart-related.
“Didn't we have to buy a gift for Tania?” she stammered. “Let's go.”
Nicholas saw her attempt to escape and smiled. He slid his hand down and intertwined his fingers with hers.
His hand was large, warm, and secure, completely engulfing her small, soft, white hand. The contrast was perfect.
The pedestrian light turned green.
Nicholas squeezed her hand firmly and guided her across the crosswalk toward the temple of consumerism.
“Let's go.”
...
At the Luxury Shopping Center.
They took the panoramic elevator straight to the top floor, where the elite brands resided.
The doors opened.
Seeing the golden logos and minimalist window displays of brands that cost the price of a kidney, Caroline stopped abruptly.
“What's wrong?” Nicholas stopped too, looking at her.
Caroline bit her lip, lowering her voice to a conspiratorial whisper. "Nicholas... to be honest, the stores on this floor are... absurd. Let's go to the lower floors, where normal people shop."
It wasn't that she was stingy. She wanted to give Tania a nice gift.
But she knew her friend. Tania was proud. If Caroline showed up with a purse that cost someone's annual salary, Tania would refuse the gift or feel indebted.
However, Nicholas wasn't interested in middle-class logic.
He held her hand more firmly and continued walking, gently dragging her into forbidden territory.
“Since we're here, let's take a look around,” he said, with the calmness of someone who owns a bank. “Don't be afraid of the prices. I'm here.”
He leaned over and whispered in her ear, “Your husband can pay for whatever you want. Relax and choose. My card has no limit.”
As he spoke, Nicholas led her to the entrance of an international designer boutique.
Caroline looked at the profile of the absolutely perfect man beside her and felt a chill in her stomach—not from fear, but from admiration.
Suddenly, she felt that “I'll pay for everything” was the most romantic phrase ever invented in the human language.
It was even more poetic than “I love you.”
Honestly, what woman in her right mind would reject a handsome, powerful, billionaire man saying that with such indulgence?
Besides, this man was no ordinary man.
He had a body sculpted by the gods and a bank account blessed by fate. He was, literally, the apex of the male food chain.
When a man was willing to use his “Black Card” without batting an eye to pamper his woman, he became infinitely more charming.
When they entered the store, the air conditioning smelling of money enveloped them.
“Welcome!”
Two saleswomen, who were organizing a clothes rack, turned around.
The moment they saw Nicholas, they froze. The “welcome” died in their throats.
They blushed instantly.