Chapter 281
Nick’s voice softened. “When you remind him, he won’t dare ignore it.”
He paused briefly, then added with a faint smile, “Right now, your words carry more weight than mine.”
There was a quiet teasing edge in his tone, but beneath it was something steadier—trust, simple and absolute.
Khloe pressed her lips together, amused despite herself. She withdrew her hand from the screen and settled back into her chair, stirring the instant noodles slowly as the steam curled upward.
“Oh, right,” she said suddenly, as if remembering something important. “Before I came home tonight, I stopped by your place. I delivered the gifts to Grandma Loretta and Arista. They liked them a lot. They kept praising me… I was really happy.”
She said it lightly, but her eyes softened as she spoke.
To her, it wasn’t just about gifts. It was about being seen—being received with warmth instead of suspicion, being welcomed without needing to earn it through calculation or survival.
She still remembered Loretta’s expression, how her eyes had gone slightly red while holding the gifts like they were something precious.
Nick watched her quietly through the screen.
“They like you because you’re good,” he said simply.
Khloe lowered her gaze, smiling faintly as she stirred the noodles. The steam blurred her expression, softening everything about her. When emotion welled up, she still wasn’t used to handling it—so she pretended to be busy instead.
“By the way,” Nick asked after a moment, “did everything go smoothly today?”
Her hand slowed.
A brief silence passed.
When Khloe looked up again, her expression had already reset into something calm, controlled. “It went well. Better than expected.”
She stirred once more, voice even.
“Trey and his father were removed from the company. Everything I wanted to do—I did it.”
She paused, then let out a quiet breath.
“It felt… satisfying.”
Her lips curved slightly, but it didn’t quite reach her eyes.
“I guess I really am that kind of person,” she added. “Vengeful. Cold. Ruthless. I don’t forgive easily. If someone owes me something, I’ll take it back ten times over.”
Nick didn’t interrupt.
He simply watched her—watching the way she said it like a fact about herself, as though she were describing someone else.
But he could hear it.
Not pride. Not joy.
Fatigue.
The kind that comes after everything is finally settled, when the noise dies down, and there’s nothing left but yourself.
When she finished speaking, Nick’s expression softened.
“Khloe,” he said quietly, “people who are truly ruthless never spend time wondering whether they are.”
His gaze stayed steady on hers.
“You once told me not to care what others think. Once you decide on something, there’s no need to look back. If you weren’t who you are—if you couldn’t protect yourself—Fox Group would have swallowed you whole without hesitation.”
His brow tightened slightly, something protective flashing beneath his calm tone.
“I’m not comforting you,” he added after a beat. “I’m just telling you the truth.”
The words settled into her like warmth she hadn’t asked for but still needed.
Khloe exhaled softly, the tension in her shoulders easing.
She gave a small nod.
Nick’s lips curved faintly as if satisfied.
“And besides…” he added suddenly, deliberately lighter, “even if you were the most vengeful person in the world, I’d still like you.”
Khloe let out a quiet laugh, exactly as he intended.
“Then what if one day you upset me,” she asked, half-teasing now, “and I take revenge on you the same way? Would you still like me?”
“I would.”
The answer came immediately.
No hesitation. No thought.
But then Nick’s gaze shifted slightly—just enough for something deeper to surface.
“And you?” he asked back, voice lower. “If I ever hurt you… Would you be just as ruthless and cut me off without mercy?”