WARMING THE BILLIONAIRE COLD HEART

Arthur was sitting casually in his office, looking at the neatly arranged photos of Kimberly in an album. Mario was there, accompanying the old man. He had been asked to come early in the morning, even though it was a holiday. Arthur wondered what he wanted to talk to Mario about.

Arthur smiled as he commented, “Kimberly is such a cheerful girl. Look, in almost all these neatly arranged photos, she’s always laughing or smiling.” Arthur showed a specific photo to Mario.

Mario looked at each photo that Arthur displayed. Kimberly appeared in various poses in the pictures. Mario nodded in agreement.

“In all the time I’ve known her, I’ve only seen Kimberly cry twice. First, when she found out her mother had passed away. Second, when she decided to leave Nicholas Alistair’s apartment.”

Arthur leaned back in his chair. Hearing Mario’s last sentence made his blood boil.

“That brat had the audacity to make my granddaughter cry. Who is he, daring to do such a thing?”

“They just had a misunderstanding, Opa,” Mario tried to calm him down.

Arthur chuckled bitterly. “Regardless, he has no right to hurt Kimberly. How could that young Alistair doubt my granddaughter like that?”

“I’ve told you, it’s just a misunderstanding, Opa.”

Arthur gave Mario a puzzled look. “Why do you keep defending him? Even though you know that I prefer you as Kimberly’s companion. No one understands and can take care of my granddaughter like you do.”

Mario smiled thinly at Arthur. The old man had always liked him. Growing up together, Mario understood Kimberly’s character, desires, and habits. Especially since Kimberly’s parents had passed away, Mario had always been there for her.

“I’m not defending him, Opa. I’m just stating the truth. Don’t you feel sorry for separating Kimberly from the man she loves?”

Arthur Rayder laughed again. “Nonsense about love. I’m trying to give Kimberly the best. That’s why I arranged for her to be with you.”

Mario took a deep breath quietly. He confirmed what Kimberly had said – it wasn’t easy to change Arthur Rayder’s mind.

“Give her a chance to choose her own path, Opa. Kimberly is no longer a child.”

Arthur got up from his seat and walked towards the window, looking outside and observing Kimberly watering the flowers in their yard.

“I know what’s best for Kimberly. It’s better if you take her out now. I intentionally asked you to come here to take her out. I think it’s been a while since she went out.”

Mario nodded and also stood up from his chair. “Alright, I’ll do that. I’ll take Kimberly out.”

After leaving Arthur Rayder’s office, Mario took his cellphone out of his pants pocket. He contacted someone before approaching Kimberly, who was in the yard.

****

Kimberly couldn’t stop smiling this morning. Her heart was filled with joy as she recalled yesterday’s events between her and Nicholas.

“If you love me, never leave me, Nick,” Kimberly pleaded.

Nicholas smiled and affectionately pinched Kimberly’s cheek. “Did you forget? It was you who left me yesterday, Kimberly. Not me. And you’re the one who always avoids me when I make an effort to meet you.”

Kimberly blushed, acknowledging the truth in his words. She was the one who chose to leave Nicholas’s life. She was also the one who had been avoiding him whenever they accidentally met or crossed paths.

“I’m sorry for all my behavior. You should understand that I was just afraid of being disappointed and heartbroken.”

Nicholas gently kissed Kimberly’s lips. “Whatever you do to me, it’s all deserved. I should be the one apologizing for hurting your feelings. I will never get tired of asking for your forgiveness.”

Seeing the sincerity in Nicholas’s eyes, Kimberly reached out and cupped Nicholas’s face with both of her hands. “I love you, and I will keep loving you no matter what.”

Nicholas held Kimberly’s hands against his cheek. “Will you promise me something?”

“What promise?” Kimberly asked, puzzled.

“Promise me that no matter what happens after this, you’ll believe that I truly love you.”

Kimberly nodded and leaned forward, giving Nicholas a brief kiss on the lips before hugging him tightly.

“Are you busy?” Mario greeted, snapping Kimberly out of her reverie.

Kimberly turned and replied, “No, just watering the flowers. Why? Is there something you want to talk about?”

Mario just smiled in response.

“Hurry and change your clothes. I want to take you out for a while.”

Kimberly stopped her activity and looked at Mario with surprise. It was unusual for Mario to take her out on a holiday, especially when it wasn’t work-related.

“Where are we going?”

“Don’t ask too many questions, just follow my instructions.”

Kimberly sighed in resignation, pursing her lips tightly, and then went off to follow Mario’s command. She quickly changed into casual attire and applied a light layer of makeup to her face. When she was ready, she returned to the family room where Mario was waiting.

“I’m ready,” Kimberly said.

“Let’s go. But it’s better to say goodbye to Opa first so he won’t look for you.”

Kimberly nodded and made her way to Arthur’s office. After bidding farewell, she joined Mario, who had already entered the car.

“Actually, where are you taking me?” Kimberly asked as they started their journey.

From behind the wheel, Mario replied, “Maybe to Pasific Place.”

Once again, Kimberly was puzzled by the man beside her. It was only ten in the morning; why were they going to the mall so early?

“Are you sure you want to go to Pasific Place?” Kimberly asked to confirm.

While driving, Mario nodded. His gaze remained fixed on the road ahead.

“Of course, I’m sure. You haven’t had breakfast, have you? We can have breakfast there first. We can decide what to do afterward.”

“Oh, okay,” Kimberly replied, then fell silent, choosing to watch the road outside. Shortly afterward, they entered the Sudirman Central Business District in the Senayan area and stopped at the Pacific Place shopping center.

Kimberly followed Mario’s steps until they finally stopped at a Japanese restaurant. She was a bit surprised when he brought her here. As far as Kimberly knew, Mario wasn’t fond of Japanese cuisine; he usually preferred Chinese food.

After they entered, a waitress approached and guided them to empty seats.

“I’ll have the yakiniku and tempura,” Kimberly said, looking at the menu displayed in the book.

“In that case, I’ll have the same,” Mario replied.

Once they had chosen their food, they engaged in conversation, discussing work and Arthur’s improving health.

During their conversation, Mario glanced at his phone, which had suddenly received a message from an unknown sender. He rose from his seat shortly after.

“Wait for me here; I need to go to the restroom,” he said to Kimberly.

Kimberly nodded and allowed Mario to leave. While she waited for their food to arrive, she had an unexpected visitor. A confident man approached and pulled out a chair to sit in front of her.

“Nick…” Kimberly’s eyes widened in surprise when Nicholas sat down in front of her. “How did you get here?” she asked, bewildered.

“Because I wanted to join you for breakfast, my dear,” Nicholas replied casually.

“Breakfast?” Kimberly furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. “But I came here with Mario. If he sees us together-”

“Don’t worry,” Nicholas interrupted. “In fact, Mario asked me to come here and join you.”

Kimberly was startled by Nicholas’s confession. So, Mario deliberately arranged for her and Nicholas to meet? But for what purpose?

“Don’t tell me when he picked me up yesterday, you and Mario were working together too?”

Nicholas nodded. “That’s right, Mario orchestrated it all.”

“But for what? And where is Mario now?” Kimberly inquired.

Nicholas shrugged. “The reason why doesn’t matter, Kimberly. Mario has his own business to attend to right now. What’s important is that you enjoy today; consider it a date between us.”

Kimberly smiled and began to eat the food that had just been served by the waitstaff.

“I did find it strange when Mario suddenly invited me for breakfast. And he chose a Japanese restaurant. I remember that Mario doesn’t like this kind of food,” Kimberly began the conversation.

While chewing his food, Nicholas smiled faintly. “So, who do you think likes Japanese cuisine then?”

Kimberly looked into Nicholas’s eyes. “Of course, Mr. Nicholas Alistair is the one who enjoys this type of food.”

Nicholas laughed upon hearing Kimberly’s response. “Well, I did ask Mario to take you to this restaurant. It’s been a while since we had breakfast together like this.”

The two of them continued their conversation while enjoying the meal they had ordered. Kimberly couldn’t stop smiling, unable to believe that she was able to meet Nicholas again today, all thanks to Mario. She even promised herself that she would thank him for helping her meet the man she loved.

“After this, where do you want to go?” Kimberly asked after they finished their breakfast.

Nicholas appeared to think for a moment. “Let’s go watch a movie. I want to spend the day with you.”

Following his suggestion, Nicholas took Kimberly to one of the cinemas in Pasific Place. After spending about two hours there, they decided to head to the game center. They played games for hours until Kimberly suddenly realized that it was late in the afternoon.

“I think I should head home now. I’m afraid Grandpa will look for me if I’m late,” Kimberly said.

Nicholas stopped his game. “I’ll take you home.”

Kimberly shook her head gently. “No, I’m afraid Grandpa will see you if you’re the one who takes me home.”

“Don’t worry, your grandpa won’t see me. Mario told me earlier that Arthur has an event to attend outside this afternoon. So, it’s okay if I take you home.”

Feeling reassured and confident, Kimberly agreed to Nicholas’s offer to take her home. Fortunately, the streets weren’t as congested as usual this afternoon, so Kimberly arrived home promptly at six in the evening.

Before getting out of the car, Kimberly hugged Nicholas tightly.

“Thank you so much for today. I will never forget it.”

Nicholas gently stroked the top of Kimberly’s head. “You’re welcome. I’m glad to see you happy.”

“Nick…” Kimberly called.

“Yes, is there something you want to say?” Nicholas asked.

“Can we meet again tomorrow afternoon? Go out for lunch, for example?”

Nicholas exhaled softly and smiled. “I hope I can accompany you tomorrow.”

Kimberly returned Nicholas’s smile and was about to get out of the car. However, before she could open the car door, Nicholas pulled her into his embrace.

“I love you, Kimberly Rayder. Really… really love you. Please, no matter what happens after today, remember that I love you so much.” Nicholas then lifted Kimberly’s chin and gave her a long kiss.

“Of course, I love you very much too,” Kimberly replied after Nicholas released their lips.

“See you tomorrow, Nick.” Kimberly then got out of the car and waved goodbye.

Convinced that Kimberly had entered her house, Nicholas drove his car at a moderate speed to a specific location. Someone was already waiting for him there. It took about fifteen minutes, and he finally arrived at a Chinese restaurant in the city center.

He quickly entered the restaurant and looked for the person who was already seated, waiting for him.This content © Nôv/elDr(a)m/a.Org.

“I’m sorry, Mr. Arthur, I’m late,” Nicholas said politely.

Arthur sighed in annoyance. “Young people these days have a hard time respecting time. How can you become successful if you can’t make the most of your time?” he scolded. “Now sit down! I don’t have much time,” he ordered afterward.

Nicholas complied with Arthur’s command to sit. He felt a sense of nervousness because in the next few minutes, he would give a significant answer to the request made by the elderly man in front of him.

“So, have you made a decision?” Arthur asked.

Nicholas took a deep breath, firming his resolve about the choice he had made. Then he nodded decisively.

“I’ve thought about it very carefully.”

Arthur raised an eyebrow. “So, what’s your decision, young man?”

“I choose Alpha Beta,” Nicholas replied firmly and confidently.