CHAPTER 26: — A WISH —

When Nikolas wouldn’t give her a response, she pushed him away and stormed off to the room. She slammed the door shut, robbing him of the chance to get a word in.

She pressed her back to the door and slowly slipped down onto her bottom, fingers buried in her pitch-black hair.

She breathed out, rubbed at her chest and closed her eyes to let out soft puffs of air.

Her heart hammered in her chest, but she forced herself back to her feet, pushing the strange feeling aside to take a shower. By the time she was out, now fully clad in thigh-length shorts and a top, she froze at the door, nose twitching at the yummy smell coming from the living room.

"Food?" Viviana rushed out into the living room.

Her jaw dropped.

And her mouth watered.

The table was filled with all sorts of delicacies. And she was really hungry.

She looked over at Nikolas, who was seated on the sofa, manspreading with his head thrown back.

"What is all this...?" she asked.

Nikolas tipped his head just right to look at her. "Weren’t you hungry?"

"You ordered?"

"Well, you didn’t want me to make you a meal." He clicked his tongue. "What a shame." ’I could have shown what such a good husband I can be for you.’

Viviana cleared her throat. "They smell yummy," she said, walking over to pick up a pillow. She threw it to the floor close to the table and sat down, her legs bow-crossed. "Are you joining?"

He flashed a grin. "Are you hoping I don’t?"

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"I know you love eating."

"That isn’t true," she huffed, picking up a spoon.

While she ate, Nikolas, who was watching her, pulled up and hunched over until his elbows could rest against his knees, fingers steepled.

He said, "You told me you’ve never been allowed to choose."

"Huh?" Vivian swallowed the food in her mouth.

"You seemed quite offended that I thought you’re a rich man’s daughter who can’t do anything—"

"I don’t care, Nikolas. You’d be surprised to know you’re not the first to do so."

"Hear me out first, cupcake." He waltzed over and sat right next to her. Then he rested his elbow on the table, supporting his lazily tilted head. "You don’t even have something so simple as a hobby. You don’t really know what it is you like or don’t like. And I’m absolutely sure you were never allowed to do anything while your father tried to polish you ever so perfectly."

"What are you getting at?" The narrow slope of the spoon dangled from the corner of her luscious lips.

"None of it is your fault."

She looked up at him, batting those long, curly, pitch-black lashes. "Nikolas..."

"Can’t make a choice in a coffee shop, not your fault." His eyes were stuck on hers. He wasn’t even smiling. "Unsure what you would say is your favorite meal, it’s still not your fault. The good thing, though, is..."

She swallowed.

"... You’re free now, no?"

"What?"

"You can eat street food if you so wish to. You can buy whatever type of coffee you’d prefer, and eat whatever the heck you want. And there’d be no one to tell you otherwise. You can talk and laugh as loud as you’d like, and there’d be no one to stop you. Your father, on the other hand, can go f*ck himself."

His words dropped like heavy stones.

"Bonus point is, if he messes with you, I’ll deal with him for you. You just have to say the word."

There was not even a trace of amusement to be seen on his face. He was dead serious, and Viviana had only just realized.

Laughter bubbled free from her in the next moment, shocking Nikolas. She chuckled nonstop, the sound like sweet nothings in his ears.

So she was capable of laughing this much, huh.

"Did I say something funny?" he asked.

Viviana shook her head. "No, but is this how you charm women?"

"I meant every word I said, Viviana," he rumbled out.

Slanting her head slightly, Viviana gave an amused smile. "What can you even do?"

"What can I do?" Nikola rubbed his chin, pondering. "Hm, let’s see."

She watched in fascination as his big hand enclosed her slender small one. Veins strained across the dorsal, a bit calloused and thick. But even so, their size difference didn’t look odd.

If anything, they fit perfectly.

He brought her hand to his chin, and she held her breath as he kissed her fingers before lifting his head just slightly enough to meet her gaze beneath dark lashes.

"I may not look it, wife, but I do have some power to give you anything you may desire from me. All you have to do is tell me what it is you wish for, and I’ll make it come through."

The breath she puffed out slapped him in the face.

"What are you?" She raised a brow, not even a shred of faith in the words he’d said. "A genie?"

"Why don’t you try me?"

Taking her hand, she leaned back and pressed her palms behind her against the floor to support her weight. Her teeth dug into her bottom lip. "You sound out of your mind. But since I don’t mind entertaining you, I’d be more than happy to tell you what I so badly wish for." She said, "Fernando. I want to crush him."

"Oh?"

"He’s on the road to sign a million-dollar deal with the Aceto brand for their family modeling agency. He is the director, if I might add, and the agency is an A-list company. Now, if he succeeds in signing this deal with Aceto, he’s bound to rise to an S-list. And I’d hate to see that happen." She gave him a challenging grin. "So? Do you think you can grant me this wish? See to it that he doesn’t make it?"

Nikolas eyed her neck, long and delicate, begging to be bitten. "Shall we make a bet?"

"Hm?"

"If I succeed, you owe me a kiss," he proposed. "Five minutes’ worth of kiss. Just a kiss only, that’s all I’d like as a reward."

Vivian raised a brow. "A kiss?" ’You already stole my first kiss. Why do you want another as a reward?’

"You are free to say no." He shrugged. "That’ll just mean you don’t think I’m entirely powerless."

"You sound awfully confident," she muttered with a bite.

Nikolas shot a lopsided smile. "That’s my charm, Viviana."

"Fine," she agreed, folding her arms. "You can kiss... You can kiss me for five minutes nonstop if you win. HOWEVER!— She slammed a palm on the table, rattling the plates a bit. "—If you lose, it’ll be my turn to make a wish."

"And what would you wish for, my lady?" he asked, eyes dripping with flirty seduction. "You know I’m all yours."

Viviana shoved her polished finger into his chest. "You!—"

"Me?"

"—Will no longer share a room with me. It’ll be all mine. And this pretty pink sofa will be your new sleeping space. Do we have a deal, husband?"

This woman!

Nikolas gulped. "Look at your fighting spirit. Don’t you like me at all? Even a tiny bit?"

She glared at him. "Do we have a deal?"

"Fine, fine," he said, locking his eyes with hers in a heated tension. "It’s a deal."