Chapter 176 Bumping Into Each Other
After Nicole hung up, Whitney spoke next to her. “This old witch must be up to no good. Are you really going to meet her, Miss Nicole?”
“I’ll take on all of her moves. Have you ever seen me retreat?” Nicole asked with a raised brow. Standing up, she stretched her body, which had turned a little stiff from lying down for almost the entire day.
“It’s getting late. After this week, I can get back to work again,” she said lazily. This matter had been settled rather quickly; all in all, it took about three days to take care of everything.
“Miss Nicole, there’s not much work at F&M Apparel recently. Why don’t I stay with you here?” Whitney said with a grin, inching closer to her.
Giggling, Nicole reckoned that this was Zachary’s idea, but she didn’t say it out loud and simply nodded. “That’s fine. If you’re staying, I can use your help as well.”
After saying that, she wanted to go upstairs. For the past few days, her son might have sensed something and was being very sensible. Maybe it was because everything had been resolved, she was relieved all of a sudden and felt very sleepy now.
With her hand over her mouth, she yawned while turning into a corner and bumped right into a figure.
Before she could react, she walked right into a sturdy chest which was exuding strong male hormones mixed with a light scent of shampoo.
Losing her balance, Nicole couldn’t stand still, and just as she watched herself falling backward, the man in front of her grabbed her with lightning speed.
With his arm around Nicole’s waist, Colton pulled her into his embrace and only released her after she had stood still.
After regaining her balance, Nicole stepped back a little and realized that Colton had just come out of the shower.
Not only that, but he only had a towel around his waist after shower, and his upper body was exposed with droplets of water on it. His hair was only half dry and matted on his head, which made him look friendlier than usual.
Even though Nicole had seen many great figures as a fashion designer, she still blushed unwittingly when she saw Colton at such a close distance.
Glancing at her, Colton appeared apologetic as he said, “I’m sorry. I’m used to this at home and I thought that you’d be in the room during this time of the day.”
His low, husky voice was gentle, and it seemed to flow from her ears into her heart.
“That’s okay. I was the one who wasn’t watching where I was going,” she replied softly with her head lowered, which was unlike her.
Glancing down at her, he happened to see the tips of her ears flaming, and a smirk spread across his face. “The recording has been handed over to the police, and after verification, it was confirmed that it was Daniella’s voice. You can clear your name on the Internet now.”
Nicole’s head was hanging; she was already the mother of a child, but she was acting as shy as a young girl who had just entered society. Instead of lifting her head, she continued to look at the floor. “Yeah. Thanks for your help this time, President Gardner. I’ll move back tomorrow.”
His voice paused, and when she mentioned that she was moving back, disappointment flashed over his eyes, but he quickly hid it.
Smiling, he said, “There’s no rush. Stay for a few more days, and we’ll speak about this again when everything is over.”
On second thoughts, she thought that he had a point. The truth might be out now, but she was still in the center of a controversy, and her place had been a target of paparazzi for a long time. If she returned now, she might be caught up in another mess.
Giving him a nod, she agreed. “Okay, sorry to trouble you, President Gardner.”
For the past few days, Colton had been leaving early in the day and returning late at night because of her issue. Even though they were living under the same roof, there weren’t many times when they would meet each other, not to mention having an open conversation such as now.
Despite it being one quick glance earlier, Nicole had seen most of Colton’s figure—the soft bulges of his muscles formed sophisticated lines, and the towel draped loosely around his waist looked as though it might fall off any time.
While Colton stood there graciously, she appeared stealthy like a thief.
