Ch. 171..180

Chapter 171 Evidence Found

Initially, the investigations were going very smoothly, but Daniella’s husband popped up out of the blue and refused to let the investigations continue, saying that Daniella was forced to commit suicide, and all he wanted was to let her rest in peace. When news of this got out, all the media rushed over and supported him.

So once again, the investigations came to a halt.

In the villa belonging to the Gardners, Tony stared at the gloomy faces on the couch, contemplating whether he should say something. Due to the fact that the investigations had reached a deadlock situation, the entire atmosphere in the house was now very stiff.

“President Gardner, actually, Daniella didn’t commit suicide,” Tony said in a timid voice.

After the words left his lips, three pairs of eyes darted toward him simultaneously.

Under their intense stares, he bit the bullet and continued, “Didn’t you tell me to install a hearing bug in Daniella’s room before this? From the bug, it can be heard that someone instigated her to take the sleeping pills.”

With furrowed brows, Colton gradually turned sullen, looking displeased. “Why didn’t you say this earlier?”

It has been two days since the investigations started, and he only brings this up now when the speculations are rampant on the Internet?

“Previously, the people we sent to install the bug didn’t inform us whether it was a success, and then Daniella passed away. As I was busy with suppressing the news for the past few days, I didn’t think of it right away,” Tony explained in a small voice.

He had only received the voice recording this morning and was shocked after listening to it, realizing that it was really murder. Afterward, he had immediately rushed over to report this to Colton.

“May we listen to it now?” Nicole hurriedly asked. I thought this incident could only be investigated through Daniella, but looks like there’s another breakthrough now.

“Yes.” Quickly, Tony took out the USB drive which was previously connected to the bug, while Whitney brought the laptop over and inserted the USB drive into it.

“It was on the afternoon two days before Daniella committed suicide, around 4.00PM. Fast forward to that,” Tony said.

Working on the computer, Whitney fast-forwarded the recording to the time mentioned, and soon, two voices echoed from the computer. One of the voices was more clear while the other was softer, but it was clearly two women speaking.

The conversation was merely a few minutes long, but the idea was obvious, which was to let Daniella stage a suicide by taking the sleeping pills just to crush Nicole under the pressure of public criticisms.

Listening to the voice, Nicole thought that it sounded familiar—like Queenie, actually—but since she had no proof, she didn’t mention anything about it.

After listening to the recording, Whitney was the first to raise her question. “But that doesn’t make sense. Two tablets of sleeping pills is a normal dose and shouldn’t cause death.”

“The autopsy report from the hospital states that Daniella consumed at least twenty tablets, which led to her death,” Colton said next to her.

Suddenly, both of them thought of something and exchanged glances. The next second, Nicole asked, “Were there any traces of sleeping pills in the food that evening?”

Colton nodded. “Yes, but the details haven’t been investigated yet.”

Before this, they assumed that Daniella had taken the pills herself, so they didn’t suspect the food that much, but if she was instigated by someone else, then there was probably something fishy with the food.

After answering, Colton lifted his head to Tony and said in a stoic voice, “You heard everything. Why are you still standing here? Go and get it done quickly.”

Speechless, Tony grumbled silently, He’s always telling me to do everything. I’m just his assistant at work, but I’m more like his personal assistant now…

Resigned to his fate, he answered as he left the room, “I got it, President Gardner.”

“With this recording, it can be proven that Daniella didn’t commit suicide. As long it can be ruled as murder, the investigations will continue,” Nicole said with a smile, surprised that Colton was so far-sighted.

Looking at her delighted face, Colton nodded and smiled softly. For some unknown reason, his bad mood for the past few days had gotten much better when he saw the smile on her face.

“Yes, and we’ll cut out this part of the recording and upload it to the Internet straight away. I’ll pass the USB drive to the police station, and this matter will come to an end soon.”

Nicole breathed in deeply. After listening to the recording, she felt much more relieved. Once this matter was cleared up, she could return to work at least, and she hoped that no more issues would emerge after that.

“Okat, but I hope that it can be uploaded tomorrow. Is that alright?” Nicole asked, looking at Colton.

He gave her a nod and said with a smile, “We’ll do as you say.”

 

Chapter 172 Severing Ties

In the evening when it was dark, Nicole made a trip to the Anderson Residence. Surprised that she could make it to their place, William, Lydia, and Queenie couldn’t help but look curious when they saw her.

Walking in graciously, Nicole had specially dressed up tonight; there was delicate makeup on her face, and her red lips showed off the whites of her teeth as elegance emanated from her every move.

Her heels clacked with every step she took, and she paced in front of them slowly, greeting with a smile, “Good evening.”

Lydia’s face fell, but seeing that William was behind her, she straightened her expression and immediately pretended to be concerned. Taking a step forward, she said in a phony tone, “Nicole, there’s been a lot of criticism on the Internet for the past few days. Your dad and I are very concerned about you. Are you okay?”

Standing on the spot, Nicole smiled and tilted her head at her, saying, “Look at me. Do I look like I’m not okay to you?”

Her question stumped Lydia, and she looked a little angry, but she quickly recollected herself and said, “It’s great if you’re alright. Even though Daniella committed suicide because of you, you don’t have to take this matter to heart. After all, did it to herself.”

This woman, Nicole thought. Whether it’s spoken or hidden, she’s just trying to remind me that Daniella died because of me, as though she’s afraid that I’d forget about it.

When William saw that Nicole was back, he looked unhappy and snorted while staring at her. “Are you in regret now? It’s too late! She’s already dead because of you. What are you doing here? Don’t even think about clinging on to us anymore!”

Knowing that William would have nothing good to say, Nicole crossed her arms and said, “I’m here today precisely because of this. In order to not implicate the Andersons further, I hope you’ll announce to the media that we’re severing all ties between each other. Well, it’s not like we had much to do with each other to begin with, anyway.”

Hearing how breezily these words came out of her lips, William got even angrier, and he sprang up to his feet, glaring at her furiously. “What did you say, you unfilial child?!” he roared.

“We’re severing our ties as father and daughter. Didn’t you understand me?” Nicole asked instead.

William was so furious that he continuously uttered the word ‘fine’.

In fact, he wanted to sever ties with Nicole directly as well, but he was worried that people might criticize him for doing so at a time like this. However, since it was Nicole who said it herself, then there was nothing to worry about anymore.

“I don’t need an unfilial child like you to tell me this. I’m telling you: I’ll tell the media first thing tomorrow morning that you will have nothing to do with the Andersons at all!”

A smirk spread across Nicole’s face. “Great.”

Next to them, Queenie was gleeful when she heard Nicole’s answer. Is this idiot seeking death for herself? This is exactly what I want, though!

Despite her thoughts, she put up the act of an affectionate sister in front of William. Taking a step forward, she said slowly, “Nicole, we can sit down and talk over anything. Don’t say these things that can ruin our relationships.”

Stepping back, Nicole looked sarcastic. “Queenie, you’re so good at pretense. It’s such a shame that you didn’t become an actress.”

Without even flinching, Queenie looked as pitiful as always with tears brimming in her eyes, looking very aggrieved. “Nicole, why did you say that about me? I’m doing this for the good of you and Dad.” She sniffled and spoke meekly. “Although you indirectly caused Daniella to commit suicide… Dad didn’t blame you because of this.”

Disgust filled Nicole’s chest as she listened to her meek, pretentious voice, and she furrowed her brows, reluctant to speak with her anymore.

“Alright, I’ve said what I came to say. If you don’t announce to the media tomorrow morning that we’re severing all ties with each other, then don’t blame me for the things that happen afterward which might implicate the Andersons.” After saying that, she didn’t hang around a second longer and turned to leave directly.

 

Chapter 173 Controversy

After Nicole left, William was livid; he realized that every time he met her, she would make him so angry that he would have chest pain.

Seeing how mad William was, Queenie hurriedly consoled him. “Dad, don’t be mad. Maybe Nicole was just acting in a fit. She’ll be fine after some time.”

However, his anger simply doubled when she tried to speak up for Nicole. “Tomorrow morning, I’ll announce to the media directly that I’m officially breaking all ties with her! Her position as the Chief Designer of F&M Apparel is too good for us!”

“This is not such a good idea, Dad.” Queenie pretended to speak up for Nicole, but in fact, she was brimming with glee on the inside.

Back when William found out that Nicole was the Chief Designer of F&M Apparel, he showed off to everyone around, regardless whether Nicole was agreeable to it or not. Wherever he went, he would say that she was his daughter. But if they severed their ties and even announced it publicly, then Nicole would never be able to return to the Anderson Family!

That’s amazing! Queenie thought.

“What’s so bad about it? She was the one who suggested it. With the criticisms of the suicide incident weighing on her, she might do something crazy and even implicate us at that time. After we sever our ties with her, we can have peace of mind as well!” William said in a huff.

After lashing out, he used a few seconds to calm himself, and when he turned to Queenie, the anger from his face had subsided a little.

Reaching out, he patted her and said in exasperation, “Queenie, you’re the only child in the family now. Don’t let me down.”

Suppressing the delight in her heart, Queenie put on a concerned expression and nodded. “I’ll do my best, Dad.”

William sighed and appeared to have aged a lot all of a sudden. He shut his eyes and uttered, “Hold onto President Gardner properly, and everything will be smooth for our family as well.”

“I got it, Dad,” she answered gently with a nod.

“Yes, Queenie. Do us proud,” Lydia chirped in, seeing that the situation had improved.

…

Early the next day, William contacted the media and announced that he was severing all ties with Nicole.

This news, which was neither sensational nor significant, was unimportant, but because Nicole was in the midst of a controversy, any news which involved her would immediately become the hot topic of the day.

The reason William cut off ties with Nicole was very simple—Nicole refused to listen to his advice and caused the death of a person, so that was why the Andersons didn’t want to acknowledge such a heartless person as family.

As soon as this news got out, the people who were watching the fun were quick to comment on how pathetic Nicole was that even her own father wouldn’t acknowledge her.

Despite that, as Nicole had a really bad reputation now, everyone stood by with the Andersons, thinking that William did nothing wrong, and that it was the best choice to cut all ties with such a heartless person!

Although the news about Nicole was causing a huge uproar on the Internet, she had always kept her silence, as though she was being a coward, and didn’t explain anything at all. Because of this, the netizens condemned her even more brazenly.

Meanwhile, Nicole, who was still at the Gardner’s, was reading the news about William severing all ties with her on her phone with a smile.

Seeing how happy she seemed, Whitney asked in confusion, “Nicole, why are you smiling so happily when your father has refused to acknowledge you?”

Keeping away her phone, Nicole then picked up her cup and took a sip of coffee. After taking a moment to enjoy it as the coffee spread out in her mouth, she said slowly, “What’s the point of keeping this father-daughter relationship? Just for visits during holidays?”

Whitney had never heard Nicole bring up her father before; she had only roughly learned about it from the Internet that William had chased Nicole out of the family because she got pregnant out of wedlock, and there was no more news after that.

When Nicole returned to the country as the Chief Designer of F&M Apparel, this man came up eagerly and shamelessly, telling everyone that she was his daughter. And now, he had directly announced through the media that they were no longer related because of Daniella’s suicide incident.

I have to say, he’s very talented in doing what benefits him at any moment.

 

Chapter 174 Publishing the Recording

“Did you go out last night because of this, Nicole?”

Last night, Nicole had acted out of the norm, leaving the house after dolling up, and Whitney had thought at that time that she was out to meet a lover. But when the news came out today, she roughly understood that she was out to take care of business.

“Yeah.” Nicole nodded without hiding the truth. Leaning into the chair, she crossed her legs leisurely. “I’m afraid they’ll cling on to me again once this matter is cleared up. It’s annoying just to think about it, so I simply encouraged them,” she added with a smirk. “Anyway, they’ve wanted to sever ties with me for a long time now, and they can’t wait to do it at this point so that they won’t be negatively affected.”

“Tsk, they’re really good at acting according to the situation.” Whitney lamented, to which Nicole merely smiled and said no more.

In the afternoon, Whitney cut out the recording and uploaded it directly to the Internet with some trending hashtags. Less than an hour after this was published, it had more than a million views, shocking all the netizens who were watching the fun.

‘Damn! Really? So, Lisa is innocent? Daniella mistakenly killed herself?’

‘There’s another voice in the recording, and it was that person who instigated her. But two tablets of sleeping pills won’t kill a person. Could it be… murder?’

‘Really? Then, everything makes sense. Someone wants to use Daniella’s death to drag Lisa through the mud! How evil!’

…

Because of this recording, the comments on the Internet suddenly started to shift greatly. After all, it could be proven from the recording that Daniella merely wanted to use her previous suicide and the pressure of public criticisms to force Nicole to drop her charges.

Basically, she wanted to use the netizens to pull the trigger. The netizens who found out the truth began lashing out at Daniella, saying that she deserved to be dead.

Sure enough, this was what it meant to be keyboard warriors—just the slightest sign of something amiss was enough to make them change their position.

…

As William had severed all ties with Nicole in the early morning, Queenie was in high spirits and asked a few girlfriends out for afternoon tea together. Although the Andersons weren’t a huge family, the group of women were very polite to Queenie because of the Gardner Family behind her, addressing her name intimately and respectfully.

“Queenie, is Lisa really your sister?” a woman dressed in a light yellow dress and seated diagonally across her asked.

Instantly, Queenie put on a worried expression and sighed sadly, saying in a pretentious tone, “Yeah, Lisa is also named Nicole. At first, my father didn’t want to do this, but she came and made a scene at home last night unexpectedly. So, my father had no choice…”

The woman was also one who would like to have it both ways, hoping to reap some benefits from the Gardner Family through Queenie. Hence, she stood by her side with no questions asked.

“Queenie, you’re better off without a sister like that. Now that such a huge problem has come up, she’s literally the public enemy of all netizens. You guys won’t be implicated by her if you’ve cut off ties with each other.”

Queenie grinned, but she still said nice things. “You can’t put it like that either. She’s my sister, after all. Sigh, I guess we can only blame her for making a mistake.”

Next to them, a short-haired woman who was staring at her phone silently suddenly jerked her head up and cast both of them a complicated look. “It seems like Daniella was murdered.”

Her casual statement immediately caused Queenie’s face to fall, and she lashed out without holding back her tone, “What nonsense are you spouting?”

Seeing how big her reaction was, everyone was startled, and Queenie quickly contained her expression when she realized that she had gaffed. Still, her brows remained furrowed as she calmed herself and uttered, “The police already said that Daniella committed suicide by overdosing on sleeping pills. You shouldn’t spread nonsense like that.”

The short-haired woman raised her cell phone and played the recording. As Queenie listened to the recording, her face fell inch by inch.

Chapter 175 Am I Going to Be Exposed?

It never occured to Queenie that a recording of her conversation with Daniella would be leaked onto the Internet!

After the recording finished playing, all the women at the table exchanged looks with each other, and they reckoned that Queenie didn’t look so good now because the news of Nicole’s innocence was published after the Andersons had just severed ties with her in the morning.

Hence, they quickly consoled her. “Queenie, this is not a big deal. Forget it since you’ve already severed ties with her. She’s not the only daughter of the Anderson Family, anyway.”

“Exactly. Queenie, we can’t be sure if this recording is real. Maybe someone made it purposely to whitewash her.”

Clutching her fists tightly, Queenie was the only one who knew that this recording was real—it was her conversation with Daniella.

She thought that she had carried out everything seamlessly, but there was actually a recording! The look on her face turned very solemn as she thought, Who’s the one who uploaded this recording?!

Using a few seconds to recollect herself, she then used the excuse they gave her to get out of the awkward situation. Her eyes twitched a couple of times unnaturally as she forced out a smile. “That’s true, but I still need to inform my father about such an important thing. Let’s call it a day. I’m going home first,” she said and left.

After she left, the faces which were respectful earlier instantly turned into sneers as they spoke in sarcasm.

“They severed ties in the morning, and it turns out that Lisa is innocent. It’s no wonder she looks so bad.”

“Wasn’t it mentioned before that Lisa was chased out of the Anderson Family five years ago and just came back now? Because of her position as the Chief Designer of F&M Apparel, the Andersons shamelessly acknowledged her again, yet Lisa got into trouble just a few days later. Now that she’s been proven innocent after they’ve severed ties, they must be regretting it.”

“Tsk, even Gardner Apparel have to rely on Lisa now. This time, the Andersons have really been penny-wise but pound-foolish!”

“Shh, Queenie has the Gardner Family as her backing now. It’s better if we don’t gossip so much about her.”

Back home, Queenie listened to the recording a few times, and when she was sure that it was indeed her conversation with Daniella, she broke out in cold sweat from the fright. Is this purely just a voice recording, or is there a video recording as well?

Hurriedly, she went to look for Lydia and told her everything that happened.

After Lydia listened to her, panic washed over her face, and she knitted her brows as she chided, “Queenie, how can you leave such a huge piece of evidence behind?”

“I didn’t know that there was this recording! Mom, what we should be worried about now is whether this is only a voice recording. If it also has a video recording, then I’ll have to go to jail!” Queenie cried, panic-stricken. Even though she had disguised herself, she might still be recognized by someone.

“You’re too careless!” Lydia chided in disappointment. With such a huge piece of evidence, if she’s ruled as the murderer, then she might spend the rest of her life in jail!

“It’s still alright if it’s only voice recording. I purposely suppressed my voice at that time, and the voice which was recorded was very soft as well. No one will know it’s me,” Queenie assured.

However, she couldn’t assure now if this was purely a voice recording or a video recording.

Lydia thought for a while and said, “Calm down for now. It must be Nicole who published this. Lay low, and I’ll find the chance to sound her out.” Since she couldn’t endanger Queenie now, she had to do this herself.

Nodding helplessly, Queenie thought, If this matter is exposed, I’ll have to go to jail! I don’t want to go to jail!

Therefore, she could only take Lydia’s advice and lay low for a few days. If Nicole really had a video recording in her hands, then the result would be unimaginable.

On the evening after the news broke out, Nicole received a call from Lydia. However, Nicole was not the least surprised because it was Lydia’s precious daughter who did this after all.

“Nicole, there’s something I would like to speak with you about. May we meet for a while tomorrow afternoon?” Lydia asked politely.

“Huh? Do you think that I have so much free time?” Nicole asked instead with a grin.

Using an earnest tone, Lydia pleaded, “Just for a short while. You can pick the place, and any other condition you have is fine.”

Lowering her gaze, Nicole smirked and said, “3.00PM tomorrow at the coffee house in the city center. I won’t wait for you if you’re late.”

 

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.

 

Chapter 177 Waking Up Early

Seeing that Nicole was still staring at the floor, Colton suddenly had a mischievous thought, and he asked, “Nicole, may I call you Nicky?”

His husky voice sounded like the flow of clear springs between valleys, flowing into her ears little by little.

For a second, Nicole was startled, and the fair skin on her face turned a little pinkish with his words, but she quickly jerked back to her senses and said, “You can call me whatever you like, President Gardner.”

Colton smirked, and his eyes crinkled along with it as he continued in his husky voice, “We have been through some tough times together, and calling you Nicky sounds more intimate. You shouldn’t call me President Gardner as well. Just call me Colton.”

Stumped, she didn’t know what was on his mind, but she still agreed to him in a daze. “Okay, Pres… Colton.”

The mischief in his eyes deepened when he saw how she lowered her head bashfully, and he asked curiously, “Why are you staring at the floor, Nicky? Is my figure really bad?”

Lifting her head slightly, she happened to fix her eyes on his abs, which was completely different from what he said; his figure was very good, and every muscle was so perfect that there were no flaws at all.

Touching her nose, she appeared less capable and confident as she usually was. “You trained your body well,” she uttered, complimenting him.

As though realizing he had gone too far, he stopped messing with her. “It’s getting late. Rest early. I’m getting myself a glass of water downstairs.”

Hurriedly, she nodded and answered, “Okay.” Then, she turned sideways quickly and went into her own room.

The room she shared with her son was next to Colton’s master bedroom, and both doors are placed quite close to each other. When she got to her door, she saw that his door was still open, and she stole a quick peek inside. Just as she had imagined, the room was very simple and elegant, with black, white, and gray as the main theme.

After that, she quickly kept her gaze away, opened the door, and slipped into her own room.

It was a little past 11.00PM now, and since her son had an earlier bedtime, Hayden was already fast asleep at this time, laying in the huge bed while forming a little bulge in the blanket.

Silently, Nicole paced closer and slipped into bed after washing up, falling asleep while holding Hayden.

The next morning when she woke up, her son was still asleep. She didn’t wake him up and started to get ready directly.

When Hayden was still young, she already developed the habit of waking up early and would wake up naturally around this time of the day.

After waking up, she checked the time and saw that it was past 6.00AM, then she went downstairs after washing her face, dressed in pink pajamas. She had asked Tony to help her buy a set of pajamas, but he returned with two sets of pink pajamas—one bigger and another smaller in size.

Since it would be rude to pick on a favor by someone else, she just decided to use it, but she rarely wore such pastel colors ever since she became the chief designer. She pulled back her hair casually into a ponytail. She had more or less familiarized herself with Colton’s kitchen after staying here for the past few days, and with the amount of food in the refrigerator, it was enough for her to whip up a meal.

While preparing breakfast, she suddenly heard someone saying from behind, “You can cook, Nicky?”

Spinning her head around, she saw Colton dressed in sportswear with beads of sweat covering his forehead, appearing like he just came back from working out.

Smiling, she asked, “Did you just go for a morning jog, Mr. Gardner?”

At first, she wanted to address him as President Gardner, but then their conversation last night came into her mind. Still, she thought that calling him by his name directly seemed too intimate, and she really couldn’t bring herself to do it. Hence, she just addressed him as Mr. Gardner instead.

“Yeah, so will I have the honor to try the breakfast prepared by you, Nicky?” he asked casually as he leaned in closer.

Even though he wasn’t too close, his body was still exuding the heat from working out, and she could clearly feel it when he just came in a little closer to her.

 

Chapter 178 The Truth

In addition, she could clearly smell that he was sweating.

Holding the pan, she nodded. “I’m just making simple dishes. If you don’t mind, you can join me for breakfast.”

Pursing his lips into a smile, Cotton didn’t lean in any closer and stepped back instead. “Not at all.”

In swift moves, Nicole prepared breakfast. Used to her life abroad, she would always wake up early to prepare breakfast for her son, and it was usually something like a sandwich.

Quickly, she set the table and heated up some milk before serving it to Colton.

In total, she prepared two sets of breakfast, and she started eating after bringing her own to her seat.

After taking a bite, Colton felt that it was rather delicious, and since there was only the both of them, he asked directly, “Nicky, will you consider advancing your career in the country after the collaboration with Gardner Corporation?”

In reply, she shook her head decisively. It had only been about a month since her return, and she had already gotten herself into such a huge trouble. If she worked for a long time in the country, she was afraid that she would be busy taking care of these messes every day.

“F&M Apparel is more focused abroad. After this collaboration, I’ll be going back,” she said in a business-like manner.

While it came as no surprise to Colton at all, he was still a little depressed on the inside when he heard her answer. Nodding, he smiled and said, “Makes sense.”

After breakfast, Colton went upstairs while Nicole cleared away the cutleries and started preparing breakfast for Hayden and Whitney. While she was still preparing, she saw Colton coming downstairs with her son in his arms.

Hayden was still dressed in the same pajamas as her, but Colton had already changed into a suit upstairs. The straight business attire on him made him appear more energetic.

In contrast, Hayden looked like a sleepyhead who had just woken up. Snuggled in Colton’s arms, he rubbed his eyes with his tiny fists and yawned from time to time.

Even though they were dressed differently, the similarities of their faces were striking, as though they were made from the same mold.

Giving them a once-over, Nicole thought, If I didn’t know that they had already done a paternity test, I would have believed that he was Hayden’s father.

“Have you washed your face?” Nicole asked, looking at Hayden.

Hayden cooed, circled his arms around Colton’s neck, and said in his baby voice, “Mr. Handsome helped me to wash my face. It’s very clean.”

Seeing how her own child was clinging onto Colton, she couldn’t help but say sternly, “Don’t hang on to others. Get down here and have your breakfast.”

Disgruntled, Hayden plopped himself into Colton’s arms, burying his small face into his chest as he grumbled, “No, it’s nice here in Mr. Handsome’s arms.”

Annoyed but amused at the same time, Nicole was a little embarrassed as she looked at Colton and said, “I’m sorry. My son’s a little stubborn.”

Colton didn’t mind; he shook his head, holding Hayden with one arm and stroking his head with another as he chuckled. “It’s fine. He’s an interesting kid, and I kinda like him.”

Pouting his lips in Colton’s arms, Hayden thought, That’s not what he said the first time we met at the airport.

Helpless that Hayden refused to get down, Nicole brought the breakfast over to the table and let him eat by himself.

However, he refused to get away from Colton no matter what, holding onto him tightly and would only eat while sitting in his arms.

Despite Nicole glaring at him a few times, he just pretended not to see it. “Mr. Handsome, hold me while I eat. I’ve never had a daddy since I was young, and I want to feel what it’s like to have a daddy. Is that alright?” he asked in a spoiled tone.

His baby voice, in addition with his bright, clear eyes, could soften anyone’s heart at the sight of him.

And since Colton had nothing important to attend to, he agreed to his request, but Hayden had taken only a few bites when an elegant woman dressed in a dark blue dress suddenly came from outside.

Everyone turned to look after she walked into the room—it was Anna!

Chapter 179 Anna’s Misunderstanding

Immediately, Anna saw the two people seated at the dining table, and when she got closer, she realized that Colton was holding a child in his arms. Fixing her eyes on them, she froze on the spot.

That child Colton is holding looks exactly like him when he was a kid. There’s no mistake about it!

Stunned for a few seconds, she finally asked shakily, “When did you have a son?”

All these years, there had been no woman by Colton’s side, and there was only Queenie at the most, but he had never touched her. Worried for him, Anna had introduced many ladies of respectable families or women from clean backgrounds to him, but he turned all of them away without any interest.

She had thought that she wouldn’t have a grandchild, but unexpectedly, she discovered such a huge surprise when she came over today.

That child was even wearing pink pajamas while holding a sandwich in his hands, looking so adorable that her heart almost melted.

A look of delight washed over Anna’s face. Actually, she was here today to discuss Wendy’s birthday with Colton, but she had bumped into such a big secret instead.

I’ve always wondered why there has never been a woman by Colton’s side. So it turns out that he already has a lover, who has even given birth to my grandchild in secret!

Seeing the delight on his mother’s face, Colton could guess what was on her mind, and he hurriedly interjected, worried that she would have the wrong idea. “Mom, don’t let your thoughts run wild. This is Nicole’s son.”

Right after the words left his lips, Anna smiled warmly and nodded. “I know, I know. No wonder you insist on standing on her side; it’s because you have this relationship with her.” She covered her mouth, but her smile remained, and she discreetly straightened her face, turning to Colton. “I’m not such a conservative person, and I don’t mind as long as you love her. There’s completely no reason for you to hide this from me.”

Sensing that his mother had gone too far with her misunderstanding, Colton was about to explain when Hayden, who was exceptionally talented at reading the situation, called out to Anna, “Grandma.”

The baby voice paired with his innocent and adorable face made Anna chuckle happily, and she paced forward. “Oh, my dear grandson. You’re such a good kid.”

Anxiously, Nicole looked at Hayden and chided, “Hayden, don’t simply just call anyone that!”

However, Anna’s brows furrowed slightly when she heard Nicole, and she asked in a displeased manner, “What do you mean? Am I not fit to be this child’s grandmother?”

Stumped by her reply, Nicole hurriedly explained after a few seconds, “It’s not like that, Mrs. Gardner. I don’t mean it that way. It’s just that he’s not President Gardner’s son, but mine.”

Anna glanced at Hayden before looking at the two adults in front of her. “Did Colton let you down?” she asked suddenly.

“Huh?” Nicole blurted out, unable to react to the situation, but when she did, she hurriedly shook her head. “No, he didn’t.”

Before Nicole could continue, Anna interjected, “If Colton let you down, you can tell me and I’ll teach him a lesson. Anyhow, you should let your child acknowledge his roots.”

Nicole was caught speechless by her words, and all the explanation she had was stuck in her throat.

Meanwhile, Anna had already taken a liking to Hayden, who looked exactly like Colton when he was little. With a wide smile, she added, “I understand it. You don’t have to explain anymore. Colton must have let you down in the past; that’s why it turned out like this. Whatever compensation you ask for, as long as it’s reasonable, the Gardners will fulfill all of your requests.” At the end, she even lamented, “Colton had never allowed anyone else into his house, and he even disliked it when his sister came. Are you telling me there’s nothing between the two of you when he actually allowed you to stay?”

At this point, Nicole felt that there were no words she could use to clarify the situation anymore.

Chapter 180 Grandson

Seeing that his own mother was almost finished with her own imagination, Colton said helplessly, “Mom, it’s really not how you imagined it to be. This kid belongs to Nicky; he’s not mine.”

Unconvinced, Anna thought that he was merely trying to brush her off, and she snorted. “Do you take me for a fool?” This rascal is even calling her Nicky, she thought. Others might not know, but I do as his mother! He definitely has his selfish reasons, and I always wondered why he wanted to keep Queenie by his side back then; it’s because he had let her elder sister down, and so he kept her by his side so he could justifiably support the Andersons.

Everything made sense to Anna now as to why Colton insisted on letting Queenie stay by his side without a reason back then and even made her his fiancée but didn’t want to marry nor touch her.

As a trace of awkwardness started to form in the atmosphere, Hayden, who was nestled in Anna’a arms, looked around and uttered nonchalantly, “I’ve never had a daddy since I was young. Grandma, is Mr. Handsome really my daddy?” he asked, his expression filled with anticipation.

Hurriedly, Anna nodded. “Yes. He’s your daddy, and I’m your grandma. You must have been through a lot all these years,” she said, her heart wrenching.

“No, I didn’t.” Shaking his head, Hayden said seriously, “Mommy has been working hard all these years, and she can earn a lot of money now as a chief designer.”

With a smile on her face, Anna bobbed her head. “Yes, your mommy is amazing.”

Nicole and Colton were both speechless as it seemed like there was no chance for them to interject anymore while Anna and Hayden chatted away happily.

At the same time, Nicole was sure that her son was doing it on purpose, but she couldn’t say it out loud since Anna was still there, so she could only give him the evil stare. Despite that, it didn’t seem to bother Hayden as he continued to chat enthusiastically with Anna with his honey-coated words, making her chuckle loudly.

After a while, Anna’s liking for him grew, and she lowered her head, asking, “Would you like to go home with me to take a look, Hayden?”

Looking away, Hayden stole a look at Nicole’s livid face and kept away his gaze. “I don’t think Mommy is okay with this,” he mumbled sadly.

Then, Anna turned to Nicole and said in a serious tone, “It’s my fault for misunderstanding you before this, Nicole. I apologize to you for that. But since Hayden is Colton’s son, he has to return to his roots. I’m not against it if Colton wants to marry you, just as long as the both of you are happy.”

“Mrs. Gardner, Hayden is really not President Gardner’s son,” Nicole said anxiously.

Unfortunately, her explanation had no effect at all because Anna wasn’t the least convinced.

“Then tell me—whose child is this?” she asked instead.

Dumbfounded, Nicole couldn’t say anything, the words stuck in her throat. Even she herself didn’t know who that man from five years ago was, but it was definitely not Colton!

“Alright, I’m taking Hayden home with me. Colton, get ready and bring Nicky home with you,” Anna said without seeking their opinion. Then, she left in delight while holding Hayden in her arms.

Although Nicole wanted to stop her, she was held back by Colton, who smiled bitterly and said helplessly, “I don’t think she’ll believe you even if you stop her now. Think about how to explain it to her and come with me to the Gardner Residence this evening.”

Watching her son, who was leaning his head on Anna’s shoulder and even waved goodbye to her with a smile before leaving, Nicole was sure that he was doing this on purpose!

Since Mrs. Gardner thinks that Hayden is Colton’s son, she won’t do anything to him, and nothing will happen if he’s there for a while, she thought. “Hayden is all to blame for simply addressing her as grandma. Otherwise, Mrs. Gardner wouldn’t have misunderstood.”