Chapter Eleven

Julia followed the directions Nicolas had taken and soon caught up with him.

"Nicolas! Wait up!" She said as she increased her speed.

Nicolas recognized her voice and didn't wait for her. He went in, turned on the lights and fan and set its speed to moderate. He walked to his chair and sat down. Julia finally came in and let out a sigh. She had run in her bondage boots and looked at Nicolas,who seemed to care less about her presence. 

There was silence in the room and the only sound that could be heard was the whirring of the fan. 

"Your office looks nice!" Julia complimented, breaking the silence in the room.

She pulled out a chair in front of him. 

"Do you come here more often?"

Nicolas turned a deaf ear to her compliments and focused his attention on his phone. He was waiting for Camilo's reply. Liliana came in with his breakfast on a wooden tray. He placed it in front of him on his desk and waited to know if he wanted anything else.

"You may go now." Nicolas said dismissively.

Liliana nodded and left the two.

"So," Julia started,

"What do you do for fun?" 

"Work!" Nicolas replied bluntly as he scrolled down his screen.

"Don't get me wrong." Julia chuckled,

"What I meant to say was what are your hobbies? Do you like football, rugby,golf, cricket, cycling...?" 

"Work!" He repeated sternly. 

"That's silly! Don't you do anything besides working? Maybe,I don't know,play board games or something?" Julia asked jokingly, amused by what he said.

"I sleep!" Nicolas replied firmly.

Julia didn't find it amusing and kept quiet. Nicolas picked up the cup of coffee by its handle in one hand while holding his phone in the other. He drank the coffee and spat it out immediately.

"Liliana!" He called angrily,

"Liliana!!"

His voice made Julia flinched. Liliana came in as soon as she heard her name. She had been advised by Gustavo and Sofia not to mess with the rules of the house especially when it involves Nicolas.

"Yes sir! You called!" Liliana said feebly.

"Didn't I tell you not to make my coffee too sweet? I had specifically told you not to add too much sugar in my coffee. Then why did you go against my orders?" He asked sternly, making Liliana more nervous than she was already.

"Calm down, Nicolas! She made a mis-." Julia intervened.

"Stay out of this! It doesn't concern you in any way." Nicolas replied coldly, cutting her off.

"I'm sorry,sir! I didn't mean to add too much sugar to your coffee." Liliana apologized, avoiding eye contact.

"Take this!" He said as he pushed the tray away,

"I think I've lost my appetite."

"I'm sorry sir!" Liliana repeated and carried the tray. 

She left the study.

Julia was stunned by Nicolas' authoritarianism. She focused her eyes on Liliana's direction and then,Nicolas.

"You didn't have to be mean to her. She made a mistake and acknowledged it." Julia stated, looking at Nicolas who had his eyes on his phone.

"She needed to be corrected. How else do you want me to do it?" Nicolas said plainly without making eye contact.

"You should learn to be a bit nicer to your employees otherwise they might decide to leave." She advised.

"Why are you here anyway?" Nicolas asked coolly,this time, looking at her.

"Actually, your mum invited me over. She asked me to come and meet you and probably get to know you better." Julia replied.

"Well,it's a waste of your time and mine too. Look Julie," Nicolas said flatly.

"It's Julia!" She corrected.

"Look Julia,I don't know what you and my mum had planned and I'm not interested either. It would be best for you, for the both of us if you just leave right now." Nicolas said bluntly.

"Nicolas,I-." Julia said.

"Or,you can go and continue the discussion you were having with my mum earlier." Nicolas said coldly.

"You know what," Julia replied, already pissed off by his attitude.

She stood up from the chair.

"You're right. Maybe meeting you was a waste of time. With this harsh attitude of yours,I don't think I'll be interested in being your wife." 

"Never asked you to!" Nicolas muttered.

"I don't think any lady would. You'll probably scare them with your dictatorship and will be single for the rest of your miserable life. I didn't even know why I agreed to come here in the first place." She said and wore the chain strap of her handbag on her shoulder.

Julia walked out of the study and elbowed Patricia, who stood by the door and was about to come in,on her way out. She glanced at Patricia angrily and walked to the living room. She walked through the archway and stormed out of the house. 

Patricia couldn't fully process her thoughts. She had no doubt that Nicolas had something to do with Julia's anger. She came in, curious and angry. Both at the same time and needed her son to explain himself. Nicolas glanced at the door and saw her.

"I talked to her just like you told me to. Hope you're happy now?" Nicolas replied flatly.

"When will you end this madness of yours? Haven't you had enough fun yet? You've turned down every lady I've introduced you to. You either stand them up on the supposed date you arranged to meet them or have them leave angrily because of your attitude. Haven't I suffered enough? Do you want to see me in a casket before you get married again?" Patricia said frustratingly, venting her anger on him,

"You aren't even lifting a finger in this case. Instead,you just sit comfortably and focus more on your work life than your personal life."

Nicolas stood up from his chair and looked at Patricia.

"I never asked for your help. I never asked you to arrange blind dates for me. I'm doing perfectly fine on my own and don't need anyone to meddle in my personal life. I'm not complaining and you shouldn't either. It's my life after all and not yours." He replied icyily.

In the middle of their conversation,his phone bleeped and the screen time-out deactivated. He picked it up from his desk and looked at the notification bar on the homescreen. 

Camilo had sent him the picture he requested and unlocked the phone to view it. The lady in the picture looked familiar to him. Almost like the one he had almost knocked down with his car days ago.

"...Well,get ready to talk to my lawyer when I sue you for reckless driving and attempted murder."

It was Alejandra. He had remembered the first day they met. He held on to his phone and left the study 

"You are even walking out on me. This is unbelievable!" Patricia said and sat down.

Her voice was strained from all the talking and her head began to ache.

"Sofia!" She called.

Sofia came in immediately she heard her call. She was actually with the other servants, eavesdropping on their conversations.

"Yes,Mrs Patricia!" Sofia replied.

"Please get me some pain relievers and a glass of water. I have a bad headache." Patricia said, touching her forehead.

"Okay, ma'am!" Sofia said.

She left and soon returned with a pill bottle and glass of water in a tray. She gave the bottle to Patricia and kept the tray with the filled glass on the desk.

Patricia unscrewed the bottle and took out a pill. She put it in her mouth and swallowed it with water. She kept the glass on the desk and returned the bottle to Sofia. 

"You may go now." Patricia said.

Sofia picked up the tray and left the study.

"Oh Lord,what did I do to deserve a son like this! He is driving me nuts!" She lamented.