Day Thirty-Eight..

~~*****~~

[ At SYP Twilight Corporation.. ]

Nathan had just finished his meeting when a staff who temporarily took Axel's task as Nathan's assistant informed him that he had a visitor. The staff approached him in the hallway near the conference room.

"Sir, Miss Carlsen is waiting for you inside your office."

Nathan frowned when he heard that. "You shouldn't have let her in without my consent."

He didn't like anyone entering his office without a prior appointment. His family members and friends were the only exemption. He could already feel Axel's absence. Axel knew his rules.. the Do's and Don'ts inside his office, unlike his temporary assistant who often committed mistakes.

"I'm sorry, Sir. But Chairman Xu's order was to let her in. He informed me that Miss Carlsen is your fiancé." the assistant justified his actions right away. He could already sense that Nathan was displeased after hearing his previous statement a while ago.

Nathan sucked his tongue while rubbing his temples. He didn't expect that his father would inform his staff that the woman who visited him was his fiancé. He had no plan of spreading this piece of news in the office. Their engagement was not yet official.

As much as he wanted to deny it, Nathan couldn't do it since he had an agreement with his father, Old Man Xu. He agreed that he would cooperate with him to buy him some time. Without any other choice, Nathan had to meet his so-called 'fiancé'. He wondered why she visited him today.

Meanwhile, Helena was leisurely drinking her coffee inside Nathan's office as if it was her home. She felt so relaxed and comfortable inside. After visiting Celeste's boutique, she decided to drop by Nathan's office.

She was bothered by Abigail's words. Though she believed that Abigail might be bluffing, she wanted to confirm the truth from Nathan. Maximilian reassured her that she would become Nathan's fiancé and no one would try to object even his father.

'I have an upper hand against that woman named Abi,' Helena thought to herself, her eyes roaming around the room and her lips curling up in a satisfied smile.

She was still observing Nathan's office when the door slid open and Nathan entered. Helena's eyes gleamed with joy as Nathan's gorgeous face came into her view. The assistant immediately left to give them privacy.

Helena stood up to greet Nathan. "Hi, Nate. I'm sorry for coming here unannounced." She smiled shyly, biting her lower lip. She played with her fingers as she looked down. "I hope you don't mind."

Nathan counted from one up to three inwardly before he greeted her with a faint smile. Of course, he tried to pretend that he didn't mind it at all.

He nodded his head and said, "It's my pleasure. Is there something you need?"

"My Dad asked me to drop by and introduce myself to the Chairman. Is your father around?" Helena softly asked. Aside from asking Nathan about his relationship with Abigail, Helena also went there as per advice from her father.

Nathan called his assistant to call the Chairman's office, informing his father to come over. He was glad that Helena mentioned Old Man Xu. At least, he could let his father entertain Helena.

Nathan didn't want other employees to see him together with Helena. So he just asked his father to come to his office instead of escorting Helena to Old Man Xu's office. However, Nathan underestimated his employees and staff in picking up a piece of news. His engagement with the pretty lady who visited today spread fast in the building like a wildfire consuming the virgin forest.

Nathan and Helena became the talk of the town in SYP Twilight Corporation. The employees kept murmuring and talking about them.

Employee 1: "The pretty woman who enters our CEO's office is his fiancé! I heard it from the Chairman's office."

Employee 2: "What?! Are you sure? Is that true? Is this reliable?"

Employee 3: "Yes! This information came from Chairman Xu himself!"

Employee 4: "What's her name? She looks familiar."

Employee 5: "Helena Carlsen.. She's from Country R! Have you heard about the AMB Diamond Corporation? She is the heiress."

Employee 6: "OMG! Two prominent families! Do you think this is an arranged marriage or not?"

The rumors about Nathan's engagement with Helena didn't only spread in the entire SYP Twilight Building. It also spread in social media today! Surprisingly, it became a hot topic on the internet! But this piece of news also reached Abigail in no time.

Clueless about the news spreading in the building and on the internet, Helena started the conversation with Nathan as they waited for Old Man Xu.

"Nate.. I mean Mr. Sparks.. can I ask you something?" She hesitated for a moment, assessing Nathan's expression.

"Sure. Just ask me," Nathan gave her the go signal to ask him anything.

"Do you have a girlfriend?" Helena asked him directly. She looked straight into his eyes, anticipating his response.

Nathan was taken aback for a moment. He didn't expect her to ask him that very personal question.

"No, I don't have," Nathan replied with a blank expression. But for some unknown reason, Abigail's charming face popped up in his mind.

'What am I thinking? Why am I seeing her in my mind? She is not my girlfriend..' Nathan scolded himself inwardly.

On the other hand, Helena's eyes sparkled in delight when she heard his answer. 'I knew it. That woman was just bluffing. She has nothing to do with Nathan. Nathan hadn't gotten over Monica yet.'

"Hmm.. are you sure?" Helena asked him again. Nathan just simply bobbed his head, hiding the boredom on his face.

"I met a woman in a boutique. Do you know someone named Abi?"

Nathan's eyes gleamed at the mention of Abigail's name. His interest was piqued because of her. "Why? What did she say?"

"She lied to me. She told me that you were her boyfriend.. and you were her man. Beware of her, Nate. She is spreading false information about you. It might ruin your name.." Helena tried her best to conceal her smile.This chapter's initial release occurred on the Nov/e/l-/Biin site.

She knew that Nathan hated women who were claiming that they had a relationship with him. She was expecting that Nathan would get mad at Abigail. Unfortunately, Helena didn't see the reaction she wanted to see from Nathan. Nathan didn't look mad at all.

'Wait?! Did I see it wrong? Did he smile? Or I just imagined it?' Helena blinked several times, trying to assess Nathan's expression. However, Nathan already managed to suppress the smile threatening to escape from the corners of his lips.

"Just don't mind her," Nathan said, trying his best to conceal his emotions. He didn't want to admit but his heart skipped a beat when he imagined Abigail saying those words to Helena. He could vividly see her fierce yet alluring expression while uttering those possessive words from her.

Badum! Badum! Badum!

'Why do I feel flattered when Abigail declared those words to Helena? Damn. I couldn't help it.' Nathan took a deep breath, getting back to his composure.

*****

"ACHUUU!!" Abigail suddenly sneezed in front of Ethan. They were now on the way to Sparks Mansion.

"Miss Abi, are you sick?" Ethan asked her worriedly, handing a tissue over to her.

"Hmm. No. I guess someone is talking about me.. behind my back," Abigail promptly responded, letting out a soft giggle.