Chapter 80 To the Harrington Estate
I could tell Nicholas had compromised. I couldn't help but breathe a quiet sigh of relief.
Truth was, if I didn't ask Nicholas, I didn't know who else I could turn to for help. The more you owe others, the more you have to repay.
Samuel was already helping me investigate the truth behind that car accident years ago. And Liam's true intentions were still unclear. Who else could I trust?
But just now, my stubborn streak kicked in—I simply refused to submit. Now that things turned out as I wanted, not only did I feel no resentment at being disrespected, I actually felt a little smug inside.
Of course, these thoughts could absolutely not be let known to Nicholas. Otherwise he'd probably become even more unbridled.
Nicholas and I sat down face to face.
"I want you to help me find Anna's contact information."
I got straight to the point.
"Anna?" Nicholas looked confused, seemingly trying to figure out who this person was and whether he knew her.
I nodded. "Anna is the woman Edward's protecting behind the scenes. Also Liam's obsession. We talked about her this afternoon."
Hearing this, Nicholas immediately looked like he'd had an epiphany. "I remember now."
He looked puzzled. "Why do you want to look her up?"
I laid out the whole story. At the Johnson family banquet earlier, I'd personally witnessed Sabrina kneeling in the Johnson garden, humbly begging Edward not to leave. The two had mentioned Anna multiple times.
I remembered Edward had warned Sabrina because she'd caused trouble for Anna. Meanwhile, Liam wanted to possess Anna. For her sake, he'd even gone to great lengths trying to get me to work with him.
Both Johnson family brothers were hung up on the same woman. As a fellow woman, I wanted to help her. At minimum, Anna shouldn't be kept in the dark—she had the right to know everything.
Thinking of the script Melissa had taught me, I pressed my lips together lightly. As for whether we could eventually become allies, I'd have to actually meet her in person to determine that.
After hearing everything, Nicholas wore a thoughtful expression. His fingers tapped absently. "I can help you. Besides investigating Anna's information, I can also distract Edward. But..."
Nicholas changed tack, his gaze landing on my face. That little bit of joy I'd just felt got pushed back down.
I stared at him warily. "What do you want me to do now?"
Nicholas's smile carried some bitterness. "Don't worry, I won't force you this time."
He sat up straight, his tone steady. "Thanksgiving is in two weeks. Come with me to the Harrington Estate for the holiday."
My brow furrowed slightly. I turned his words over and over, chewing on their deeper meaning.
Thanksgiving—what would I go there for? I'd already cut ties with the Rosewood family. I had no family anymore. These so-called holidays felt more like silent mockery to me.
My expression turned ugly. "What would I even do there?"
I didn't give a direct answer. Instead, I wanted to know his real purpose.
Nicholas let out a long sigh, the look he gave me carrying a hint of pity. His voice unconsciously softened. "Catherine, I don't have any ulterior motives. We're friends now, aren't we? My family learned I made a new friend. They're very happy and want to meet you."
"I know that after you cut ties with the Rosewood family, you probably don't enjoy celebrating holidays like this anymore. But being alone and miserable—isn't that exactly what the Rosewood family and Sabrina want? You should be happy, living surrounded by more people's affection, so the Rosewood family knows you're not alone."
My heart jolted. I hadn't expected Nicholas to say something like this. It was drastically different from his earlier behavior.
Nicholas seemed to have mind-reading powers. His expression wilted slightly. "Sorry, I lost control of my emotions just now. I..."
He seemed to want to explain. But then realized what was done was done—more words were useless.
I didn't harp on it. Instead, I seriously considered Nicholas's proposal. If I didn't agree, Nicholas would probably still help me anyway.
But if I agreed, what could this bring me? Let's say, hypothetically, that Nicholas and I eventually confirmed our feelings for each other. Going long-term would inevitably lead to marriage. I'd have to meet the Harrington family elders eventually.
If they didn't like me, I'd experience the pain of being abandoned a second time. I pinched the corner of my clothes. That wasn't something I wanted to see.
If I agreed to go as a friend visiting their home, it wouldn't put too much pressure on either party, and I could gauge their attitude toward me. Win-win!
Most importantly, on such a wonderful holiday, I wouldn't be alone anymore.
After careful thought, my agreement was right on the tip of my tongue. But when the words came out, they changed flavor.
"When you find Anna's contact info, I'll give you my answer then."
Nicholas was displeased with my response. But in the end, he didn't say anything more.
"Fine."
After we settled things, I went back to my place. I felt like all my energy had been sucked dry. I collapsed heavily onto the bed.
Everything that happened today flashed before my eyes like a movie. I could confirm Nicholas had feelings for me.
That sensation of not being able to have something, only to feel jealous—it was like a hundred claws scratching his heart, constantly irritating him. So much so that Nicholas had lost his rationality twice in one day.
In my past life, I never experienced romantic love. But I'd spent years in the hospital cooperating with clinical trials, witnessing countless couples facing adversity together.
Some chose to die for love when their partner passed away. Others chose abandonment when they learned their partner was gravely ill. Still others only dared speak the feelings they'd buried their whole lives at the moment of death.
Back then I didn't understand why love made people so complicated. Not until I fell into it myself.
I enjoyed the thrilling push-and-pull with Nicholas. I felt even more gleeful and excited about his awkward possessiveness.
Right now, I was like a kite flying in the sky—appearing free, but the controlling string was only held in one person's hand. Who did the kite ultimately belong to? The answer remained unknown.
After organizing my thoughts, I pulled out my phone. I scrolled through my contacts and found Samuel's name.
Our chat history still stopped at his unfailingly punctual good morning and good night messages. I proactively sent him a message.
[Have you found any leads? Even the smallest clue would help.]
The response came quickly.
[I actually just got feedback today. Things are a bit complicated. How about we set a time to meet and talk in person?]
I frowned, considering the feasibility of Samuel's suggestion. The accident happened so many years ago—could he really have found information this quickly?
Or was he simply making an excuse to ask me out? Thinking of my intense back-and-forth with Nicholas, I rolled my eyes, but still decided to agree.
Without a sense of crisis, how would I know if Nicholas would actually put effort into things? I couldn't let him get the mistaken impression that he was irreplaceable.
The desire to conquer and the intense desire to possess would help make Nicholas invest more energy into this relationship.
Mind made up, I typed a reply to Samuel.
[You didn't have to ask. I'm free tomorrow. Same place?]