Chapter 8

The doorbell kept ringing, but Nicole seemed not to hear it. She still lay on her bed cozily, thinking about how Riley looked at this moment. The latter must be reluctant yet had to come to beg her. Back then, after she barely escaped with her life, the first bolt from the blue when she woke up was the insults on the Internet. The obscene photos of her and another man and the curses others gave her for being unfaithful almost destroyed her courage to live. If it were not Lucas's presence that continued to encourage her, she would probably die from the gossip of others even though she survived the fire. After her investigation, Riley did everything Destroying her marriage, giving birth to a child for Samuel, and forcing her to be branded with notoriety, Riley could not be atoned for what she had done even if she died a thousand times. However, Nicole was not ready to take revenge on her yet. Wasn't it fun to boil the frog in warm water? Thinking of this, Nicole's lips curled up slightly. The smile was wicked and unfathomable. Samuel had been knocking on the door for a while, and there was no response from the inside, making people believe nobody was at home. Nevertheless, he was not willing to give up. There was obsessiveness in his heart. He wanted to see, with his own eyes, whether Nicole showed up in Olivia's house. It wasn't until he persistently knocked for about ten minutes that Nicole finally stood up and went to the door. She was in a loose pajama, but it could not shield her perfect body shape. With her hair hung down loosely and her feet bare, she opened the door and said carelessly, "Who is it? Why sound so rude!" Samuel was immediately stunned. Nicole's laziness and casualness both reminded him of his wife. "Nicole..." He murmured subconsciously, but it still shocked Nicole. Why would it be him? Although she knew she would make Samuel suspicious if she lived in Olivia's house, she didn't expect him to come over so soon. The panic flashed beneath her eyes instantly, and she quickly adjusted her mood. She even plucked her collar straight and coughed, "Mr. Green? What brings you here?" The words "Mr. Green" woke Samuel up from his trance. His eyes narrowed as if they were X-ray scanning through Nicole all over. Nicole's palms sweated, but she tried to maintain her composure. She smiled, "Mr. Green, your stare will make me overthink. If your future wife sees this, I might be doomed again." "Who are you exactly?" Samuel was not planning to talk in circles with Nicole. He asked the question directly. His sharp eyes stared straight into Nicole's eyes. Back then, Nicole was most scared of his eyes, as though his eyes could see through people's hearts. Despite her hardships for the past five years, she still felt a little timid in this situation. However, she had to force herself to look into Samuel's eyes. "Mr. Green, who do you think I am?" She smiled like a blooming flower, her eyes crystal-clear and even seductive. Samuel would turn around and leave without hesitation if it were some other woman, but this woman in front had given him too many questions. Abruptly, he stepped forward, pressing Nicole onto the wall directly. "Ms. Bush, you'd better not play any tricks with me. I am not a person who is willing to be played and manipulated by others. You piss me off; you will need the determination to have your body smashed to pieces." He was so close to her that they could hear each other's breathing. Nicole clenched her fists and smiled even brighter. "Mr. Green, are you flirting with me? Or is this the way that your Eternal Group used to keep the talents?" "Nicole Bush, what's your purpose here? Don't tell me you don't know this place is connected to my wife. You have the same name as her and know Olivia. You want to tell me everything is just a coincidence?" Samuel was breathing rapidly. His hot breath sprayed on Nicole's face. She could even feel the invigorating muscles underneath his shirt. He was as charming as before! Unfortunately, he was a heartless person. Nicole averted her eyes and said quietly, "Mr. Green's wife? Is it Ms. Riley?" She raised her head again, and any emotions had been wiped from her eyes. They were as pure as a spring. Samuel's heart trembled fiercely. Such a familiar look, such a pair of eyes; who else could it be except for Nicole Bush? But why didn't she admit it? Why was this not the face in his memory? Was it because of the fire? Samuel suddenly stretched out his arms and grabbed Nicole's collar, subconsciously pulling it down. Nicole was scared. "Samuel Green, what are you doing? I warn you, if you do this to me anymore, I will call the police!" She held her collar tightly. Sweat streamed out of her palms once again. She couldn't let him do this! Though she had changed her appearance for the past five years, the fire burns on her body remained She thought of Samuel's suspicion, and the latter would investigate her, but she had never thought of the possibility that Samuel would be so bold. After all, she was the designer of the H'J Group, wasn't she? Seeing the fluster in Nicole's eyes, Samuel's eyes paused for a moment. "What do you think I am doing? Isn't this your purpose?" While speaking, Samuel slightly increased the force of his hand. He looked made regardless. Nicole was freaked out. Samuel was an overbearing and persistent man. He did what he wanted regardless of how others perceived him. She had already known this long ago. Though catching his attention was part of her plan, she didn't expect herself to be exposed so soon. Her plan would be challenging as long as the fire burns on her body was shown before Samuel. The turmoil in her heart for the past five years would be wasted. Thinking of this, a power suddenly surged in Nicole's body. She raised her eyes quickly and smashed Samuel's nose with her head. A sore feeling attacked Samuel all of a sudden. He loosened his grip on Nicole, and the blood flowed down his nose. His beautiful eyes stare at this bold woman as if they were fed with poison. "You are good at hard-to-get. But, Nicole, you are too young and too innocent for me. Tell me, what's your purpose? What's your true identity?" Although Samuel stepped back subconsciously due to the pain and his nose bleeding, his fierce look and oppressing undertone did not diminish at all. Nicole's heart almost jumped out of her throat. Her head was so painful! What was this man made of? How could he still threaten her even when the weakest part was hit? No wonder he was a heartless man! Nicole pulled her pajamas up quickly and stepped back, staring at Samuel warily. She said coldly, "Mr. Green, you are eloquent. You came to my house, being frivolous to me. And now you question me. May I ask who gives you the privilege of treating me like this? Even with the cooperation between companies, your girlfriend embarrassed me in front of the public, and now you have come to my place to humiliate me. Are you looking down on the H J Group? Mr. Green, if you keep acting so aggressively, don't blame me for reporting your Eternal Group to the police." Nicole's indignant growl and the burning fire in her beautiful eyes, a foil to her gorgeousness, made her look even more like the person in Samuel's memory. Samuel's eyes darkened, but he stopped pushing Nicole hard. He always knew what he wanted to know. Sooner or later, he would uncover this woman's secrets. "Nicole, you'd better be who you are on the surface. Otherwise, I will let you taste the consequences of scheming against me." "Mr. Green, are you threatening me? I am so afraid! If Mr. Green did not have the sincerity to cooperate, I hope you call my boss. Or, Mr. Green, if you have any opinion against me, you can ask our boss to change the designer. You don't have to bully a weak lady like me. It makes me feel ashamed for you." Nicole's eyes grew colder. Samuel stared straight into Nicole, endeavoring to see the weak point in her eyes. Nevertheless, this woman knew how to disguise herself. Her eyes carried the fury as if it were Samuel who did something heinous. The stare of seconds seemed like a duel between the overmatch. Nicole could feel her back soaked. Though she had endured hardships abroad for five years, she lacked Samuel's domineering aura. A sharp scream came to her ear when Nicole was about to give up. "What are you guys doing?" Riley didn't expect to see Samuel here, and the stare between the two made her feel very uncomfortable. She couldn't help but yell out, and her voice was slightly piercing. Nicole had never felt so thankful for Riley's arrival. Nicole moved her sight away first, and her look became colder when she faced Riley. "Ms. George? Are you here to bring Mr. Green back? Or are you couples planning to team up and kill me here? I am so puzzled. When did I offend you guys? You two come to look for trouble one by one." Nicole's tone was emotionless. Samuel couldn't help frowning after hearing her words, but he quickly wiped his nose and stood beside Nicole. "What are you doing here?" Samuel's voice was slightly cold. Riley saw them stand together and felt a strong sense of crisis for no reason. It was the same feeling she had five years ago when she saw Nicole standing beside Samuel. Her heart was scorched by jealousy, but she noticed the coldness and impatience beneath Samuel's eyes. She had no choice but to suppress all her emotions and said, "I asked someone to find Catherine's address. I am here to apologize to her. I know it was my rudeness. I'm sorry, Ms. Catherine. Please forgive my impoliteness. Please return to the Eternal Group." Riley tried her best to look as lowly and humble as possible. As long as Samuel saw her sincerity, no matter whether Nicole returned to the company, he wouldn't blame her, would he? Thinking of this, Riley even kneeled. At this moment, the reflected light made Nicole narrow her eyes.