Burning Passion

CHAPTER 113: HONESTY WITH HIS FEELINGS

* * *

"Hey, Theo!"

"Matt, sorry if I called you here instead."

"It was fine. We first talk to Nikki about related matters to her family. Anyway, I heard it from brother Shun. You guys helped Nikki for Aunt Lucy's medication. It left me with a question. I have been noticing this… now, tell me, Theo. Do you like Nikki?"

"Can you tell?"

"Man, aren't you going to marry your fiancé? I don't like how you are getting close to Nikki… You are creating rumors around here!"

"That's not the case, Matt."

"What then? Are you planning to hit on Nikki?"

How could he tell Matt that he did it already? But he needs advice from someone close to Nikki, aside from her mana Lucy. Matt is the best man to talk with as Nikki's closest friend. If he directly approached the chairman, the possibility he cannot mention everything he has in mind. Let alone, Mr. Daichi Isagawa. He is the closest one to Nikki. The scene would be— beating first before he could confess. These passing days, he has been pondering about it already.

Their heaves a sigh, preparing himself for his confession.

"Matt, Nikki is pregnant."

"What did you say?" Matt sat up from the sofa and rushed toward Theo, grabbing him by his collar. "Don't tell me you are the father?"

"Let me explain. Hear me out, first! This is the reason I wanted to talk to you in private before everyone knows."

"And what explanation is this? Make it a great one or I might throw you out from this floor!" Matt threatens Theo. He could not believe this man was able to sneak under their radar!

"You can beat me, but allow me to explain first before that," Theo pleaded with Matt. He wants to be recognized as a man that Nikki should rely on and no one else. He has to prove to the people surrounding her they could trust him. But first, he has to share where it all started.

"It all began with a crazy search for a perfect candidate as a surrogate mother."

"What?"

"It never crossed in my mind to be Nikki. I mean, I like her. I didn't see her as someone to feel like garbage or someone not special. But in the end, I agreed with her in exchange for helping her mother."

"Are you insane, Theo!?"

"I know. It caught me in the middle. I didn't know what to do at first. Jeremy wanted to have an heir, and he promised to help me out of my engagement with Min Xi once I fulfilled it. So I don't have a choice. I don't want to marry her in the first place!"

"And you drag Nikki into this!? Did I warn you already? I can't believe you dare to touch her!" Matt clenches

Theo takes silence before he continues. "It was Jeremy who chose Nikki as we are incompatible. But it is not how I wanted to approach her. I wanted to pursue her properly. But Jeremy put me in a situation I have to play along. It should be only through insemination, but it turns out..."

"You sleep with her?" Matt snapped out.

"I love her, Matt." sincerely, Theo let out his emotions in front of another man. "I wanted to marry her once I am free from Min Xi. The reason I hurried to pregnant her soon. I wanted to propose to her during the Shang Empire celebration. But the situation looks not good. I need to tell her all the truth sooner..."

"What truth?"

"She didn't know it was me."

"What the hell, Theo!? What kind of game did you make Nikki play along with you!?" Matt cannot say it. He doesn't want to imagine the possibilities. He knows such scenarios. And Nikki would do everything for her mother. No wonder why Nikki never approached them anymore. She and Theo are playing some fire. But Theo seems sincere when he says that he loves Nikki and wants to marry her.

"Are you wishing for death god to find you, Theo?"

"I need your help, Matt."

"And do you think I would help you? Do you really expect me to lend a hand to you after how you played Nikki? You are fooling her by hiding the truth!"

"That's why I need your help, aside of Doctor Ben and Doctor Yonah who take care of Nikki's pregnancy, I need—"

"What? You guys partnered to blackmail, Nikki?"

Matt throws a sharp glare at him and he understands. He deserves the hate for what he has done. But he wants to make everyone understands his situation.

"I'm not blackmailing her, Matt. In fact, I recognize you as her brother, so I want to ask for your help," said Theo.

"And what kind of help is that? To pretend I know nothing? You expect me to play along like, brother Ben?"

"No. That's not it."

"What is it, then?" Matt measured Theo's genuinely. On the contrary, he actually admired Theo's honesty. But a brother's role is playing hard to approve. Matt hid his playful smile. "Ahem! So what then?"

"I wanted to propose to her, but I was still engaged with Min Xi. So, I want to ask for your opinion. It will look like a scum having two women even though I don't love the other one."

"All right. What you were saying now is, you want to propose marriage to Nikki even before you were tied to this arranged marriage thing?"

Theo nodded, and Matt continued.

"How about confessing to her it was you?"

"Would she accept me? Would she listen to me?"

"Hey, you were already thinking about negative things."

"I was thinking about all the possibilities but I could not come up with better ideas. Maybe I have to tell her the very reason I was here."

"Hmm… and that is? Is it you were here for a project?"

"Yes. And it was Nikki, I want to model for us. The same reason I came back to Mainland City, even though I don't like to set foot in this country again. But finding Nikki, finally..."

"What are you talking about? You and Nikki were together 10 years ago."

"What are you saying, Matt?"

"That was the evidence I want to show you." Matt picks up the black envelope and draws out the documents his team can gather.

"Wait, mama Lucy is calling me." Theo stared at his phone lying on top of the coffee table. He picked it up and answered the call.

"Hello? Mama?"

"Mama?" It astounded Matt listening to how Theo converse with Aunt Lucy.. It seems Nikki's mother already knew and even has an excellent relationship with Theo.