Chapter 48 The Relentless James
My interest only grew. "Does this rich kid have a first love? What's his name? What does his family do?"
Nicholas's expression darkened instantly. He stared at me coldly. "Catherine, you seem awfully interested in him."
I froze, about to explain, but seeing him purse his lips like he was facing a mortal enemy, I couldn't help but laugh. When had Nicholas turned into such a jealous guy?
Should I really consider making this official?
I pushed the thought aside and said seriously, "If this rich kid can afford to import specialty medications from overseas for Sabrina, he's clearly loaded. That's the kind of connection I'd like to make too."
I watched Nicholas's expression carefully the whole time. First shock, then hurt, slowly morphing into stubborn refusal to accept it.
What I didn't know was that Nicholas's possessiveness was barely held in check by his rationality right now. As far as he was concerned, we'd been intimate—I could only be with him. The thought of any other man touching me made him want to lose his mind completely. Nicholas would never allow it.
"My family's wealth far exceeds his. I'm all you need."
I deliberately needled him. "What about Blake? Is his family rich?"
Nicholas's handsome face strained with restraint. "Blake's family is pretty average. Otherwise he wouldn't be working as a director at DI."
I made a show of sudden understanding. Out of the corner of my eye, I caught Nicholas quietly exhaling in relief.
I smiled faintly without comment, seeing right through him. DI was an international brand—anyone holding an executive position there had to have serious family backing. Especially hands-on positions like director. That was exactly why climbing the ladder would be so hard for me.
I couldn't help marveling internally at how Nicholas was really pulling out all the stops to sell himself to me. Ripples spread across the lake of my heart again.
Putting away my teasing, I returned to business. "Tell me more about this rich kid and Sabrina."
Seeing my attention shift, Nicholas didn't press the issue. "This wealthy guy Sabrina met fell in love with a scholarship student at school. His family can't accept the heir marrying some commoner, so they've been sabotaging the relationship behind the scenes. The guy tried to run away with his girlfriend once to escape his family's control. They got caught, and the girl almost died."
I felt a pang of sympathy. Nicholas continued. "Ever since then, he's been looking for the right cover. None of the society girls in their circle are stupid enough to play along with his charade."
That made sense. Even though most of them were business marriages where everyone did their own thing, this guy's love life was public knowledge by now. Whoever married him would be a laughingstock. Prestigious families cared most about saving face.
"So why pick Sabrina?" I asked.
"Even though Sabrina's just the Rosewood family's adopted daughter, her status is still way better than his actual girlfriend's. It's mutually beneficial—he just has to spend his family's money to keep Sabrina on his side, and she just has to play along with the act."
I got it. From that angle, Sabrina had found herself a pretty sweet deal.
Nicholas's tone shifted. "Sabrina didn't agree."
I blinked, instinctively thinking she was playing hard to get. But thinking it through, I quickly understood the real reason.
Sabrina wanted to escape the Rosewood family. She'd already stolen Michael's paintings and Jason's photographs—those things had happened and couldn't be undone. Once exposed, the image she'd carefully cultivated for years would be destroyed in an instant.
But what if Sabrina married this wealthy guy? Not only would her medical care be guaranteed, she wouldn't have to worry about getting caught. Two birds, one stone.
I looked up and met Nicholas's eyes. He seemed to know what I was thinking. "Exactly. The rich kid would never actually marry Sabrina. His family might tolerate them dating, but they'd never accept someone chronically ill."
Relief washed through me. After all that scheming, Sabrina would still have to face the consequences.
"Thanks for telling me all this."
Nicholas nodded politely. "Of course."
He left without any inappropriate words or actions. As the door closed behind him, my heart felt strangely empty.
---
That day, just before I got off work, I received a message from Nicholas.
[Sorry, emergency at the office. Can't pick you up today.]
I replied that it was fine. Work came first.
It took him a few minutes to respond.
[Be careful on your way home.]
He must really be swamped. Nicholas usually replied to my messages instantly. I didn't think much of it. If Nicholas clocked out on time every single day, then I'd worry his company was on the verge of bankruptcy.
I gathered my things and headed to the bus stop out of habit, taking the bus home. After boarding and paying my fare, I still felt a bit unused to it.
I'd just entered my neighborhood, maybe five hundred meters from the security booth, when a man dressed all in black with a baseball cap and mask suddenly appeared out of nowhere.
I opened my mouth to scream, but he clamped his hand over my nose and mouth, silencing me. He started dragging me toward a grove of trees beyond the reach of the streetlights.
I whimpered, struggling desperately to break free, but the strength difference was too great—I was no match for him.
I forced myself to stay calm. This was an old neighborhood, and at this hour, all the neighbors were at the square on the other side. Screaming wouldn't work. The security guard might not arrive before this guy finished me off.
Once I'd calmed down, I suddenly opened my mouth wide and bit down hard on his hand.
"Ah!"
He yelped in pain and jerked his hand back. I seized the chance to scramble away from him, putting distance between us.
"Who are you? What do you want?"
I had a small knife in my bag. While fumbling for it, I kept my eyes trained warily on the man. But the more I looked at him, the more familiar his build seemed.
The man pulled down one side of his mask. In the fading twilight, I finally saw his face clearly.
"James!"
I cried out in shock. Seeing that I'd recognized him, he simply pulled the mask off completely and looked down at the injury on his hand.
"Catherine, you really don't hold back." His cool voice carried a hint of mockery.
I didn't back down. "James, after what you just pulled, even if I stabbed you a few times, it would only be excessive self-defense at worst."
James's body went rigid. He pressed his lips together and took a step forward. I immediately took two large steps back, on high alert.
James stopped moving. "Catherine, if Mike and Jason hadn't gotten burned trying to approach you, I wouldn't have resorted to this."
Was he actually blaming me for this?
I laughed coldly. "I've said it a million times—I don't want to see any of you."
James wouldn't give up. "Catherine, let's just talk."