Burning Passion

CHAPTER 109: THE MAN SHE SHOULD RELY ON

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(Foreword: Shoutout to the man who proofread/edited this Chapter... Love you!)

Edited by DJM

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Nikki glanced at her wristwatch. It has been fifteen minutes since the Chairman left.

"Miss Mina, I'll see the Chairman now," she told Miss Mina after the Junior Floor Manager assisted a foreign guest.

"All right, Nikki. I'm curious about what the Chairman wants from you," Miss Mina wondered. It was typical for everyone to be intrigued when the Chairman wished to speak to an employee.

Nikki was also clueless. She hoped she did nothing wrong and that no one complained about her. In recalling the event last weekend, she is certain she didn't offend any of the guests. To address her concerns, she took the elevator to the 20th floor of the hotel. After knocking twice on the office door, Matt Lawrence opened the door.

"Nikki, come in!"

"Thank you, brother Matt." she nodded at him and stepped inside the office.

"Come here, Nikki!" Chairman Crow invited her, waving his hand, then gesturing her to the empty sofa across him.

Nikki entered and took a seat. She was nervous. Anxiously, she waited for him to start the conversation, but instead, he wrinkles his forehead and looks at the Lawrence brothers, who are seated at his side.

"Why are you still here?" Shun asked Matt, who was seated on his left side.

The guy smiled cutely at him, hoping to not be kicked out, which he was busy editing a video meme making fun of his big brother to show to everyone later.

Chairman Crow shook his head while turning his attention toward his lawyer seated on the empty couch on his right side. He understood why these brothers had no plan to leave. His loud laugh echoed throughout the entire office while quoting, "do you think I brought Nikki here to reprimand her? No! I just wanted to talk with her and ask some questions."

"But in case you are, yes, we're here to beat you," Kier replied with a serious expression.

It astounded Nikki, watching them casually interacting with the boss. Though they treated each other like brothers, she still can't believe she is in the same room with her boss... 

Her father wished to have sons to fill a football team. He was always fond of all the male teenagers dropping by his shop to dine. He would talk to them about school and sports and encourage them to be the best they could be.

She understood her father's dream. But her mother had very poor health that only allowed them a single child, a daughter. Although she joined the football team and aimed for the National Team ten years ago... her life completely changed.

'Ah, not a good time to recall the past ' she thought. Nikki tilted her head to the side in a quiet motion and paid attention to her boss.

"Okay, Nikki. Since these two are guarding you, I can't ask tough questions."

She giggled. It surprised her. She was curious about what this Chairman wanted of her. Hopefully, it's not about her pregnancy. It made her wonder if Miss Blaire told him and he disagrees...

'Is he going to fire me?'

She hoped the Chairman would allow her to continue working in the hotel, considering how strict they were with their image. She hoped she could convince him that she could do her job properly with no scrutiny or damage to the image of the hotel. It made her more nervous.

"All right. How was Aunt Lucy? Ben mentioned that she recently underwent surgery."

Her heart now beats louder. What things did Doctor Ben tell him? Nikki thought.

She hoped he didn't reveal about Theo and her surrogacy, and she's worried that Doctor Ben mentioned the agreement she and the Mysterious Guy aka Theo have signed on.

"She's getting better after the surgery, Chairman Crow. I am very grateful to Doctor Ben for never giving up to save mama," Nikki replied. She was shy to meet the Chairman's gorgeous blue eyes. Theo has a beautiful green eye color which intimidates her every time she looks at them. '

Ah, not good…' She's thinking about Theo once again, and they saw each other like fifteen minutes ago.

"Good! Er, …"

The Chairman turned his attention to his Director; silently listening to their conversation while reviewing the contract on his hand. He grinned and stated, "Nikki, just praised Ben, are you getting jealous?" Shun teases Kier.

"Shut up, Chairman." Kier snaps out, his eyes remain on the document, and ignore his boss.

Shun echoed his laughs once again and shook his head. "He's jealous, Nikki."

Quickly turning her head around in response to the Chairman's jests, she flashes a smile. These men are helping her a lot already. Either Daichi Isagawa, many people have helped her since the day her father died.

"Um, Director Kier always helps me, Chairman Crow. I am so thankful he never forgets to help us!" That was a compliment, and Nikki hopes she sounded boastful about Director Kier.

"Ahem." Kier clears his throat to remind the Chairman that he was wrong in his presumption. "Well, there is someone who actually should question his contribution."

"Hey! Now you turn the table? You were wrong. I also helped Nikki, but she needs to talk to me about these matters." The chairman defended himself.

Matt,  who was just listening, was reminded of something. "I think Brother Shun, that Doctor Ben took care of this matter. Didn't he consult you?"

"Hm. He did not. What does that guy do?" he asked curiously.

Ben has been telling him about the progress of Nikki's mother, until recently, and now he seems to be avoiding it. He once mentioned that things had been taken care of by the Hospital Director, Jeremy Shang.

So what does that mean? Shun ponders over it, something doesn't smell right.

"All right! Now, tell me Nikki if I can help you? Aunt Lucy still has treatments, right?" Chairman Shun Crow asked Nikki.

She bites her lower lip. This is not an unpleasant situation, but she is bathing in a cold sweat. How could she explain to the Chairman that she is sleeping with someone in exchange for blood and paying all of the medical expenses of her mother?

Nikki remains calm under the pressure of the chairman's query, the pressure she is under remains hidden inside her as the three men in front of her peered at her intensely.

Has the chairman learned anything yet? He is asking obvious questions. Perhaps he already knows from Miss Blaire but wants to hear it from her mouth. Eventually, they will notice her growing belly, and then she will take maternity leave when her due date is near. Also, Theo hasn't revealed himself yet but remains the mysterious man until now, which means she cannot boast about anything between her and the father of her child.

Nikki gathers strength to meet the chairman in the eye. She purses a shy smile while answering…

"Thank you so much, brother Shun. The reason I haven't bothered you is that you have helped us so much already, ever since father died three years ago. Everyone helps us so much, and I shouldn't always rely on you to solve them for me." 

But what is playing on her mind; this boss is already so generous, taking care of thousands of his employees around the globe. He gives them too many benefits and helps countless charities. On top of all of the business issues, he has to deal with, not only one or two hotels or his one company, but multi-companies needed his attention. This was the same with the other men, for example, Major David Lawrence and Senior Officer Agent Matt Lawrence have countless cases they solve every single day. She must not approach them with her palm open to ask for their help every time she has a problem.

Besides, once they heard about her mother being hospitalized, they were always there to help financially and she appreciated the thoughts they sent her…

"Don't worry, brother Shun. If I ever face another problem, you will be the first person I call on."

Meanwhile, outside hearing everything accidentally, Theo clenches both of his fists. It fills his heart with jealousy.

'Nikki… I should be the first person you should call on, and I should be the only man you must rely on every time you face a problem.'

Theo left that place with sadness in his heart.