He Does Not Deserve My Devotion-Chapter 35: Kiss

Aiden Sinclair’s sudden appearance made Nina Walsh’s hand tremble. The capsule slipped from her grasp, clattering onto the floor before bouncing and rolling under the sofa, out of sight.

Nina started to go after it, but Aiden was already walking toward her.

"What medicine is that?"

Nina put aside the thought of retrieving the pill and turned to face him.

"What do you think it is?"

Aiden’s sharp gaze fixed on Nina, as if weighing whether to believe her.

Nina moved away from the sofa, went into the bedroom, and lay down on the bed.

After a shower, Aiden changed into his pajamas and lay down beside her.

’Did the sun rise in the west? The workaholic isn’t working for once.’

The moment Aiden lay down, Nina immediately pulled out her phone and snapped a photo of them in bed.

Aiden frowned. "What are you doing?"

"I’m sending it to Clara Jacobs. Let’s see what she thinks of this."

Nina was looking for Clara Jacobs’s profile to send her a private message when a large hand shot out, snatched the phone, and tossed it aside.

"Don’t test me. Go to sleep."

Aiden imperiously pulled her around, sliding his arm around her waist and trapping her in his embrace.

Nina’s face was pressed against his chest, his strong, steady heartbeat thumping in her ear.

A jolt went through Nina, and her entire body tensed with discomfort.

She struggled, but the arm around her waist suddenly tightened, holding her even closer.

"Do you want to see if I’ll take you right now?" Aiden’s voice was hoarse.

Nina froze and obediently closed her eyes.

Seeing the woman in his arms finally settle down, Aiden inhaled her familiar scent like an addict finding his fix, and his entire body instantly relaxed.

"I’ve already found out the real reason Brian Sherman got the Breyven deal... I’ve started moving against the Sherman Group. What do you want? Their assets? Equity?"

Nina opened her eyes. Looking up, all she could see was the sharp, chiseled line of Aiden’s jaw.

’He’s offering me parts of the Sherman Group. Is this his way of apologizing?’

"No, thank you. I’m not interested in any of that. You can go after the Sheridan family, but don’t you dare touch Maelie."

"Fine."

After agreeing, Aiden fell silent. Soon, the sound of his slow, even breathing filled the room. Once she was sure he was fast asleep, Nina carefully wriggled out of his arms. Barefoot and on tiptoe, she crept out of the bedroom.

Not daring to turn on the lights, she used her phone’s flashlight to search under the sofa, but the capsule seemed to have vanished into thin air.

She circled the sofa twice, then expanded her search to the entire living room, but there was still no sign of the pill.

Her heart leaped into her throat.

’Did Aiden get it? If he gets suspicious and has it tested, he’ll find out I’m pregnant...!’

Nina slipped back into bed as quietly as she came. Though his eyes were closed, Aiden immediately shifted closer, clinging to her like a needy puppy.

’Does he hold Clara Jacobs like this when they sleep together?’

Sleep wouldn’t come. Nina lay with her eyes wide open, staring into the darkness as she plotted her next move.

’Even if I lose the baby, he doesn’t deserve to know a thing.’

...

「The next day」

Aiden was woken by an unusual noise. He opened the bedroom door to find Nina busy in the kitchen. A lavish breakfast was laid out on the dining table, just like it had been every morning two years ago.

Perhaps it was the good night’s sleep, or maybe the fact that business had been going smoothly lately, but Aiden was in a remarkably good mood.

"Morning."

Seeing Aiden enter the dining room, Nina offered a casual greeting.

Aiden was dressed in a crisp suit, a tie in his hand.

Driven by old habit, Nina naturally walked over and took the tie from him.

Only after her fingers closed around the silk did she realize what she was doing. Forcing herself to act as if nothing was wrong, she blankly tied it for him.

"There."

Nina let go and turned to take her seat, but he suddenly grabbed her wrist.

She looked up, and a warm pressure met her lips.

Aiden gave her a gentle kiss. "Thank you."

Nina stood frozen as memories began to sprout, quick and overwhelming.

When they first got together, Nina had been full of passion. She would coordinate his outfits and cook his meals, eager to manage every detail of his life. But Aiden would often just say, "Thank you," his tone always distant and formal.

Once, she had pouted, "If you want to thank me, just give me a kiss instead."

Her lips tingled. Nina lowered her head and sat down, using her chopsticks to poke at the scallion oil noodles in her bowl.

Aiden sat down beside her. "I’ll have noodles today, too."

"Hm?"

Before Nina could react, Aiden picked up his own bowl and chopsticks and took half of the noodles from her bowl.

"I thought you didn’t like them."

"It’s not bad to try it once in a while."

Aiden lowered his head and started eating. Nina pulled her thoughts back to the present, remembering what she needed to do, and quickly finished her breakfast.

When she was done, she got up, took a box of pills from a drawer, and swallowed one in front of Aiden.

"I’m a little tired. I’m going to go lie down for a bit."

With that, Nina returned to the bedroom with a weary look and lay down. A moment later, she heard footsteps, followed by the sound of the front door closing.

Aiden had left for work.

Huddled under the covers, Nina took out her phone and opened a surveillance app.

Early that morning, while Aiden was still asleep, Nina had gone out to buy a few things, including a hidden camera that she had installed in the dining room.

The camera feed showed that after she went into the bedroom, Aiden had taken one of the capsules from her pillbox and left with it.

Nina got up, went to the bathroom, and flushed the capsule she had been hiding in her palm down the toilet.

She hadn’t been sure if Aiden had found the pill she dropped yesterday. This was a gamble to make him believe she was truly suffering from depression.

Nina rested for a while, then got ready and headed to Maelie.

Leo Lloyd was filled with mixed emotions when he saw Nina. "Young Miss, are you feeling all right? This is all my fault for being so useless."

"I’m fine now, Mr. Lloyd. You don’t need to blame yourself. How have things been at the factory these last few days?"

Although the three-million-dollar debt had been settled, the fallout from the incident remained. More than half the workers had quit, a significant number of their already scarce orders had been canceled, and the company was now treading on thin ice.

But Leo Lloyd chose to focus on the positive. "We received a notice of intent for an order from a new client today. We were just about to go visit them. If we can land this order, there’s still hope for the company."

"Really? Then I’ll go with you."

Forty minutes later, Nina and Leo Lloyd arrived at a company called Celeste.

Unfortunately, a competitor had arrived just a few minutes before them.

The two had no choice but to wait outside the office. They ended up waiting for nearly an hour.

At last, the meeting inside ended. Celeste’s purchasing manager walked the other party to the door with a beaming smile. 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

"Hello, Manager Sterling. We’re from Maelie Fashions. This is our president, Ms. Walsh," Leo Lloyd said, introducing her.

"Hello, Manager Sterling," Nina said, extending her hand as well.

The purchasing manager glanced at Nina, then turned and walked back into his office. "Come in."

Leo Lloyd shot Nina an uneasy look, but she just shook her head.

As they entered the office, the purchasing manager glanced impatiently at his watch. "I can give you ten minutes."

Leo Lloyd immediately handed over their prepared materials and began to give an overview of Maelie.

Manager Sterling flipped through the pages disinterestedly, his brow furrowed. "What is this, a history book?" he interrupted. "That’s enough. Don’t say any more."

He then pulled out his phone and proceeded to chew out a subordinate right in front of them.

"I told you to find potential partners, not to waste my time by calling in any riff-raff off the street. Use your head!"

Nina’s face flushed red, then went pale with humiliation. She lowered her head and practically fled from Celeste’s office.

"Young Miss, don’t lose heart," Mr. Lloyd said, trying to console her. "Our designs are excellent. We’ll find a patron who recognizes their value. When Old Mr. Winters first started the company, things were even tougher than this."

Standing outside the entrance to Celeste, Leo Lloyd did his best to comfort and encourage Nina.

Dejected, Nina was about to leave when a white sports car suddenly sped toward them, screeching to a halt right at her feet.

"Well, hello there, baby. Long time no see..."