Chapter 5 An Accidental Kiss

• Nicole collapsed onto the floor, tears streaming down her face. Her heart ached unbearably at the thought of seeing Oliver again. She had stayed away from London for nine years—so why did she have to run into him now? The wounds from her past hadn’t healed, and now new ones were being opened.
• Nicole never expected Oliver to become her stepsister’s fiancé. All this time, she had truly left her life in London behind, including her family and the family business.
• Wiping the tears from her cheeks, Nicole wished she would never have to see Oliver again. But was that even possible? Oliver was now Shania’s fiancé. She desperately wanted to return to Switzerland and back out of organizing her stepsister’s wedding, but that was impossible. Her father would be furious.
• No one understood Nicole’s situation. Her history with Oliver was a tightly kept secret. Her father had never known—he was always busy with his new wife. Nicole was always trapped in a painful, lonely darkness.
• “What should I do?” Nicole buried her face in her hands. She always tried to appear fine in front of everyone, but in truth, she was fragile.
• Her heart throbbed painfully at the thought of seeing Oliver again. Erasing the shadows of her past was not easy. Even now, Nicole couldn’t forget those dark memories.
• Oliver’s conversation with his friends—making her the subject of a bet—often echoed in her mind. It felt like a thousand needles stabbing her. The pain had destroyed her life.
• Nicole tried to steady her breathing, struggling to calm herself. Slowly, she stood and looked in the mirror—her face was flushed, her eyes swollen. Her silver irises sharpened as she stared at her reflection. Her anger and hatred only grew stronger.
• “When did you become so weak, Nicole?” she muttered bitterly. She steeled herself, determined to get through it all.
• Her phone rang, breaking the silence. Reflexively, Nicole grabbed it from the table. Sadie’s name flashed on the screen. Wiping her tears, Nicole reminded herself that this wasn’t the time to be sad. Without hesitation, she answered her assistant’s call.
• “What is it, Sadie?” Nicole’s voice was cold as the call connected.
• “Miss Nicole, sorry to bother you, but there’s something I need to tell you,” Sadie said.
• Nicole sighed. “Go ahead, what is it?”
• “Well, Miss, Miss Shania just called me. She wants you to check out the indoor wedding venue with her tomorrow afternoon.”
• “Does it have to be tomorrow afternoon?”
• “Yes, Miss. She specifically asked for you to come with her.”
• “Alright, send me the address of the venue Shania wants. I’ll be there tomorrow.”
• “Um, Miss, do you want me to come with you?”
• “No, I’ll go alone. You focus on the other work. We have a lot of clients at the end of the year, right?”
• “That’s right, Miss. It seems like it’s wedding season.”
• Nicole gave a faint smile. “Everyone hopes to get married and have children. Unfortunately, life isn’t always as sweet as it seems.”
• “That’s true, Miss. But doesn’t every life have its own problems?”
• “Yes, but there are still plenty of affairs and divorces, aren’t there?”
• Sadie fell silent at Nicole’s mention of ‘affairs’ and ‘divorces.’
• “I’ll hang up now. I want to rest.”
• “Alright, Miss. Have a good rest.”
• The call ended. Nicole put her phone down.
• She closed her eyes for a moment, pressing a hand to her chest. The pain was suffocating, but she promised herself she would finish her work in London. After everything was done, she would return to Switzerland and move on with her life.
• ***
• Nicole had never found her job as difficult as she did handling her stepsister’s wedding. She couldn’t back out—everything would get complicated if she tried to quit. She wanted to assign one of her employees to handle it, but that was impossible—Shania would never agree.
• Nicole looked up at a luxury hotel in central London. That afternoon, she had to accompany Shania to view a wedding venue. Whether Shania would bring Oliver or not, Nicole didn’t care. She had decided to act as if she had never known Oliver Maxton.
• She walked into the hotel ballroom, her steps graceful, her head held high. Just as she reached the entrance, a hotel staff member approached.
• “Excuse me, are you Miss Nicole Tristan?” the staff member asked politely.
• Nicole nodded. “Yes, I’m Nicole Tristan.”
• “Please follow me, Miss.” The staff led Nicole into the ballroom Shania had reserved. Nicole entered the hotel lobby.
• But as soon as she stepped into the ballroom, she was shocked to see Oliver Maxton standing not far away. Nicole’s face turned pale. She hated being alone with Oliver.
• “Mr. Maxton, Miss Tristan has arrived,” the staff announced.
• Oliver nodded. “You may leave. I’ll look around the ballroom with Nicole.”
• “Yes, Sir. Excuse me, Sir, Miss.” The staff left Oliver and Nicole alone.
• “Wait—” Nicole tried to stop the staff, but Oliver had already grabbed her arm.
• “Let go!” Nicole snapped, pulling her arm away.
• Oliver released her and said, “Shania had a last-minute meeting. She had to fill in for your father. That’s why she couldn’t come.”
• “So, it’s just the two of us here?” Nicole shot back, her eyes sharp.
• Oliver shrugged. “As you can see. Just the two of us. Shania definitely can’t make it.”
• Nicole suppressed her irritation. She pulled out her phone and tried calling Shania for an explanation. But no matter how many times she called, there was no answer.
• ‘Damn you, Shania!’ Nicole cursed inwardly.
• She glared coldly at Oliver. “I won’t be here long. Let’s hurry up and look around.”
• Oliver nodded. They walked together, touring the grand, luxurious ballroom. Oliver had already seen the space earlier with the staff.
• “How many guests are you planning to invite?” Nicole asked, her tone icy.
• “Maybe 5,000. I’m not sure yet—my father and grandfather have a lot of business partners. Plus your family,” Oliver replied flatly.
• “What kind of concept do you and Shania want?”
• “I’ll leave it all up to you. You know best.”
• “This place is good. 5,000 guests would fit perfectly. But if it’s more than that, I don’t think this venue is suitable.”
• “Why did you move to Switzerland, Nicole?” Oliver suddenly asked, changing the subject.
• Nicole was silent for a moment. “Where I move is my business. Don’t mix my personal life with work.”
• “Do you still hate me because of what happened before?” Oliver asked seriously.
• Nicole looked at him coldly. “What do you mean by ‘what happened’? We should only be talking about your wedding. Nothing else.” She turned to leave, but suddenly the lights went out. She immediately crouched to the floor, screaming in terror.
• “Ahh!” Nicole screamed, clutching her head. Her shoulders shook as she found herself in total darkness. Her screams and sobs startled Oliver.
• “Nicole.” Oliver rushed over, kneeling beside her and trying to calm her down. But Nicole kept screaming, as if she were in danger.
• “Nicole, it’s just a blackout. Calm down. The lights will be back on soon.” Oliver hugged Nicole, trying to comfort her.
• Nicole kept screaming, crying hysterically. Even though Oliver was holding her, she was still terrified. Then, Oliver cupped her cheeks and silenced her with a kiss.
• Slowly, Nicole’s screams faded as Oliver kissed her. His lips pressed against hers, moving between her upper and lower lips. His tongue slipped in, caressing the roof of her mouth.
• Nicole tried to break free from Oliver’s kiss, but he wouldn’t let her go. She was almost swept away by his embrace.