Chapter 96 Shall We Start Over?
Nicole went to sit beside Henry. Everyone was belting out in the room, which caused quite a clamor.
Stretching his neck, Henry cast a glance at Nicole and pressed his hand to suppress his nervousness. At the thought of how she had abandoned him five years ago, he became resentful toward her. Nevertheless, he remembered Queenie’s assignment for him, so he still endured his emotions.
“Nicole,” he called out softly.
Despite the noisy setting, Nicole still heard Henry’s voice. So, she turned around and hummed in response, “Yes.”
“You’re already a Chief Designer and I’m still a normal staff member. You surely have made the right choice by ending our relationship back then,” he mumbled with a rueful smile.
Truth be told, Nicole still felt guilty toward Henry.
She turned her head aside to gaze at Henry, who seemed to have aged quite a bit as compared to five years ago. Pressing her lips, she then croaked, “I’m sorry.”
Nicole did not know what else to say, so she could only apologize.
“Nicole, I just have one question—did you break up with me at that time because you sold your body?” Henry’s voice was not too loud and at a volume loud enough only for them to hear.
Nicole’s body clearly stiffened when she heard his question as she had no idea how to answer him.
Indeed, due to her mother’s health, she had accepted Queenie’s request and slept with another man back then…
However, how could she bring herself to say the truth? With downcast eyes, she felt her heart pounding. Toward the end, she clenched her fists and decided not to answer this question directly.
“Henry, please feel free to come to me if you run into any problems at work. I’ll definitely help you to the best of my ability.” Perhaps it was due to her guilt, Nicole had always wished to do something for Henry.
On the other hand, Henry did not continue forcing her to answer either. Instead, he changed his question. “Nicole, are you married?”
Nicole turned to look at Henry, who wore an anticipating expression. She paused for a moment before shaking her head and hummed, “No.”
When Henry heard the answer, his eyes gleamed with hope. “Nicole, shall we start over then?” he asked in an agitated tone.
Nicole stared at Henry. Five years ago, both of them were still students. Their relationship during their school days was pure and not tainted by any desires, but at this moment, she had a subtle feeling that he had changed.
With the expression on her face stiffened, Nicole did not agree but merely muttered with downcast eyes, “Henry, it has already been five years and everything has changed…”
Understanding Nicole’s implication, a dejected Henry lowered his head and said in a self-deprecating manner, “That’s true. You’re already a superior Chief Designer, so how can I possibly take your fancy?”
Nicole was a little depressed to see Henry’s crestfallen look. Feeling a lump in her throat, she tried to explain, “Not at all. It’s just that as time passed, people and things around us have changed. I’m not who I was five years ago anymore. It’s me who doesn’t deserve you.”
Bearing in mind Queenie’s exhortation to be flexible and not to be overly forceful, Henry nodded and asked, “Can I ask you out for a meal then?”
He paused and continued, “It has been so long since we met. I just hope to catch up with you over a meal.”
Nicole thought it was inappropriate to reject it, so she nodded and agreed. “Sure.”
The others were still singing in the room. After finishing her chat with him, she zoned out while sitting alone in the corner. She felt like she was radically out of place in this lounge, so she planned to leave in a short while.
“Ms. Lisa, that’s impudent of you to come late and leave early,” Shaun, the deputy manager of Human Resource Department, teased Nicole with a grin.
Nicole wore an apologetic expression and said, “It so happened that I need to attend to some family affairs today. You guys have a good time.”
“Oh well, then at least have a drink before leaving.” After consuming some alcohol, he became bold and directly stepped forward to block her from walking out of the room.
