Chapter Three~

Nicholas walked into his room and started to unbutton his shirt. He tossed it on his bed and sat next to it. Memories of the hour he had just spent not long ago in Rona's house filled his mind.

She had looked... so beautiful. She wore a light pink chiffon dress with a golden strap around her waist. It reached her knees, revealing her long skinny legs. She looked so fragile, so innocent... No! No woman is innocent, he thought. He leaned his back on the bed, staring at the ceiling. He remembered the look in her eyes when they met his. The green in her eyes deepened and a deep blush coloured her face. Her silky hair, her eyes and her small vulnerable body, they all attracted him. His heart skipped a beat thinking of her, and he didn't like it. He had vowed to himself to never let another woman in his heart. He had already locked it and threw away the key.

He remembered how she ignored him. She didn't even respond to any of his words. Feeling irritated, he got up and poured his temper on the hard pillow beneath his head, throwing it at the wall.

He thought of his father's words to him from a month ago. He had promised to give Nicolas his hotel by his 23rd birthday, but on the condition that Nicholas would claim Rona's heart and make her his before that day came. Nicholas didn't want marriage. He hated the idea of having to live the rest of his life with a woman. He had already lost faith in them. They all carried angels auras around him, but he knew better.He would never give his trust to a woman. Not again.

He had made up his mind back in France. He would get the girl to accept his ring and by the time he took over the hotel, he would push her to the edge and throw her away.

It didn't seem like it would be easy with this one. Any girl would have tried to play her cards on him. He had what every woman wanted, looks and money. He enjoyed it back in France when women threw themselves on him, trying to get to his good side. He felt satisfied with the weak looks in their eyes, begging him for more, which he wouldn't give.

His thoughts shifted back to Rona. How was he supposed to make her fall into his trap, when she wouldn't even respond to him. He needed to break the silence that surrounded her, and he needed to do it fast.

Rona felt the sun teasing her eyelashes. She pulled up her sheets and covered her face, only to find them pulled away by her mother.
"Wake up Rona!" her mother said in a hurrying tone.
Rona ignored it and turned her body around, avoiding the sun.
"Nicholas said he will be here in 15 minutes to pick you up."
Rona jumped from her bed feeling both confused and shocked.
"Eh ?! W...Why ?" she exclaimed.

"He said he's going to take you to school with him. But I think, he just wanted to see you as soon as possible,"Sarah said and then chuckled.

Rona looked in her mirror as she brushed her hair. A soft blush coloured her face as she remembered her mother's words. He wanted to see me again, she thought and her blush became heavier. Her heart fluttered as she heard the sound of the doorbell ringing.  Is it him? she wondered.

"Rona, come down dear. Nicholas is here," her mother called for her.
Rona felt lighter and her knees were shaking. She grabbed her bag and slowly opened the door and started walking down the stairs quietly, trying to control her shaking knees.

Nicholas sat on the chair next to Sarah waiting for Rona to come down. He was satisfied. Sarah looked like she was already starting to like him, thinking that he's such a gentleman. It was what he wanted her to believe, as his intentions weren't that pure.

Finally Rona appeared. Once again, she was able to mesmerize him. She looked so beautiful and natural in the soft green dress that highlighted the colour in her eyes and the long sleeves beige cardigan that she wore on top. She needed no make up, nor clothes to look good. She was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen.

What am I thinking? Nicholas shook his head trying to focus on what he intended to do.
"Well then aunt Sarah. We will get going," he said and lead Rona out to his car.

Sarah called Steven to come and look with her from the window.
"Don't you think they look good together?"she asked.
Steven frowned as he looked at Rona and Nicholas.
"Can we really give our Rona to him? Allen is my best friend and I would trust him with my life, but I don't know about his son."

Sarah held her husband's hands tightly and looked in his eyes.
"I know you are worried dear, but I think they would be a good couple, and he seems really nice." She hugged him trying to ease his heart, and then continued,
"She has been closed on herself for so long. It's about time, she gets out of her shell."