WARMING THE BILLIONAIRE COLD HEART

Kimberly blinked her eyes slowly. When they opened fully, the first thing she saw was Mario. With a worried expression, he immediately rushed into a hug. He held her tightly, and even crystal-clear tears flowed from his eyes and landed on Kimberly’s smooth cheek.

“Why are you crying?” Kimberly asked in a hoarse, almost whispering voice.

Mario released his embrace, wiped the tears from his cheeks, and smiled.

“It’s okay. I was just touched that you finally woke up. You know, both Opa and I were worried because your condition was critical earlier.”

Kimberly tried to return the smile.

“I’m fine now. See, I can open my eyes. By the way, where’s Opa?” Kimberly didn’t see the old man in the room.

“Opa is talking to the doctor who was taking care of you outside. He might come in soon.”

Seeing Mario sitting beside her, Kimberly bombarded him with questions. There was something bothering her since earlier.

“Can I ask you something?” Kimberly whispered.

Mario shifted his gaze and looked deeply into her brown eyes.

“What do you want to ask? If I know the answer, I’ll definitely tell you.”

Kimberly sighed softly.

“When I was unconscious, for some reason, I felt like there was someone whispering in my ear. And I felt like it was Nicholas’s voice. It seems that the effect of the anesthesia they injected into me was so strong that I hallucinated.” Kimberly laughed bitterly. Why did she miss Nicholas so much at a time like this? Perhaps that’s why she started hallucinating.

But Mario remained silent, not immediately responding to Kimberly’s words. Instead, he reached for Kimberly’s wrist and gently squeezed it.

“You’re not hallucinating, Kimmy.”

“What do you mean?” Kimberly asked, confused.

“When you were in critical condition, Nicholas was actually here,” Mario said with an expression that was hard to interpret.

Hearing Mario’s words, Kimberly shook her head in disbelief. “It can’t be. You must be lying. Besides, how did he even know I was here?”

Once again, Mario remained silent. He seemed to be thinking carefully before answering all of Kimberly’s questions. And what he did now was to take several deep breaths.

“Mario! Can you hear my questions?” Kimberly urged. She seemed impatient to wait for answers from the man beside her.

Mario exhaled deeply and finally replied, “When you were critical, the doctor mentioned that you had been calling Nicholas’s name several times. The doctor also suggested that the person you kept mentioning should be called to see you. Of course, Opa was confused, so he asked me who Nicholas was. Reluctantly, I had to tell him everything, without leaving out any details. You can imagine how he reacted afterward.”

Kimberly closed her eyes. She knew how her grandpa was. He was very stern and extremely protective of his family. She could guess what happened next after hearing Mario’s story.

“So, Nicholas really is here?” Kimberly tried to confirm again.

Mario nodded. “Opa asked me to bring Nicholas to this hospital to see you. When you started regaining consciousness, Opa hurriedly brought Nicholas back to Indonesia. He didn’t even get to see you open your eyes.”

Kimberly sighed weakly.

That means Nicholas was calling my name when I was unconscious.

Kimberly then brought her index finger to gently touch her lips.

“Did Nicholas also kiss my lips?”

‘I felt it. I’m sure I wasn’t hallucinating.”

“Moreover, it couldn’t have been Mario.”

Kimberly took a deep breath this time. She acted as if the oxygen supply in her chest was running low.

“But it’s better if I don’t meet him.”

“I’m afraid my decision will waver,” Kimberly thought.

“Are you okay?” Mario asked to make sure when Kimberly remained silent.

“I’m fine. No need to worry,” she replied.

Not long after, Arthur entered the room, accompanied by the doctor who had been treating Kimberly. After explaining the results of the surgery, Mario chose to escort the doctor out, leaving Kimberly and Arthur alone in the room.

“How are you feeling, Kimmy?” Arthur, now sitting in the chair previously occupied by Mario, asked.

Kimberly turned to face Arthur.

“I’m quite well. Grandpa heard for himself that my surgery went smoothly. I can’t wait to go home-”

“And meet your disrespectful boyfriend, right?” Arthur interrupted.

“Grandpa…” Kimberly sighed.

“Grandpa spoke the truth, didn’t he? How could you have a relationship, even an engagement, with some random guy without Grandpa’s knowledge?” Arthur’s eyes sparkled sharply as he tried to control his emotions.

Kimberly sighed softly.

“Forgive me, Grandpa. But Nicholas isn’t the man you think he is. He’s a good man, and-”

“Even because he’s so good, he hurt you? Called you a cheap woman? Dared to call a Rayder descendant a cheap woman!” This time, Arthur’s emotions couldn’t be restrained any longer. He absolutely refused to let his beloved granddaughter be hurt by anyone.

“You should remember, Kimberly Rayder, I will not allow you to have any further contact with that man. Never! You must also realize that in this world, it’s only Mario who is suitable to be your partner.”

Right after saying that, Mario reentered Kimberly’s room. Hearing Arthur speak with such emotion, he quickly approached and tried to calm things down.

“Grandpa, you should rest. Remember, your heart condition isn’t completely stable. Kimberly is the same; she needs to rest a lot. It’s better if we discuss matters like this another time.”

Kimberly felt relieved by Mario’s presence. Arthur complied and chose to follow Mario out of the hospital room. An unpleasant feeling lingered in Kimberly’s heart. She felt indebted to the man she had despised not too long ago. After all, Mario had also reluctantly accepted the engagement proposal from Arthur.

*****

Edward had lost count of how many times he heard Nicholas muttering from his seat. It wasn’t without reason; they had been waiting for nearly two hours, and Nicholas was nowhere to be seen. Where was he? In all their years of working together, this was the first time Nicholas was late to work.

While waiting in boredom, not long after, the door to Nicholas’s office opened. The person they had been waiting for had finally arrived and seated himself at his desk.

“Where were you, and why did your face only show up now? Do you know I’ve been waiting for you to death?” Edward grumbled. He was genuinely annoyed now.

“I was even planning not to come to work today,” Nicholas replied casually. He chose to open the documents on his desk one by one.

“Don’t be ridiculous, Nick!” Edward exclaimed. “You didn’t show up for work yesterday. You didn’t even give any notice. Don’t let it happen again today. You know we have an important meeting this afternoon.”

Nicholas nodded casually. He continued to read the documents in his hand.

“I remember, that’s why I came to work today.”

“By the way…” Edward leaned forward in his seat. “What’s your excuse for not being reachable for two days? I even thought you were silently committing suicide in your apartment,” Edward joked, making Nicholas glare at him.

“Do you really think I would go that far?” Nicholas squinted one eye.

Edward nodded confidently. “Of course, it’s possible. Seeing your behavior in the past few days, you’ve been like a person who is reluctant to live, scared of death.”

“Oh my god, what other terms are you going to use, Ed? Besides, even though I’m desperate, I would never commit suicide. I’m still sane enough for that kind of craziness.”

“Who says?” Edward doubted. “If you’ve forgotten, not too long ago, you mentioned wanting to die if you couldn’t see Kimberly. Weak man!”

Nicholas sighed in frustration, once again irritated by Edward’s teasing. “Can’t you go one day without making fun of me?”

“Unfortunately, Nick, I can’t. You deserve to be ridiculed after what you’ve done in recent days.”

“Suit yourself,” Nicholas replied lazily.

Edward chuckled as he saw Nicholas running out of words. Shortly after, he leaned back in his chair, clasping his hands in front of his chest.

“So, what about Kimberly? Have you gotten any information about her?”

Nicholas lifted his gaze, putting down the pen he had been holding, and began to speak.

“Do you know, a few days ago, after we had lunch together, as I entered my apartment, several big guys ambushed me inside. They threatened me and told me to follow them. At first, I didn’t know where they were taking me, but I remember them injecting something into me when I got into a car, and shortly after, I lost consciousness. When I woke up, I was already in one of the hospitals in Singapore. Do you want to know who I met there?”

Edward was taken aback by what Nicholas was telling him.

“What did that man do to you next?”

Nicholas let out a short sigh.

“He talked about how I hurt Kimberly’s feelings. He also gave reasons why he had to bring me to Singapore. Kimberly was in surgery, and when she was critical, she called my name several times. That’s why Arthur had no choice but to order his men to fetch me.”

“Does that mean you met Kimberly?” Edward asked.

Nicholas nodded. “I did meet her, even hugged and kissed her.”

Edward shook his head in disbelief. “You’re crazy! Does that mean Kimberly forgave you? Have you reconciled?”

This time, Nicholas shook his head. “Unfortunately, no. Kimberly was unconscious when I came and hugged her. At first, I was quite desperate. Then it occurred to me to kiss her. Right after that, whether it was a miracle or something else, I was sure Kimberly woke up. But before I could make sure she opened her eyes, Arthur ordered his men to take me back to Indonesia.”

Edward was even more surprised. What Nicholas was telling him left him shaking his head in disbelief.

“Is Arthur Rayder some Italian conglomerate or mafia boss? Why is he so cruel, picking you up and then returning you to Indonesia like trash? Well, even though you kind of deserve that treatment,” Edward added with a laugh.

Nicholas shrugged. “Who knows? Maybe he was just too angry with me, to the point of not allowing Kimberly to see me even for a moment. But it doesn’t matter; at least I know how she’s doing over there.”

As they were engrossed in their conversation, suddenly there was a knock on Nicholas’s office door from the outside. When it opened, Nicholas saw his secretary enter. But what surprised him was the woman standing behind the secretary.

“It’s been so long since we met, honey.”

Nicholas and Edward both stood up upon hearing that sentence.