2
Five years later, there was a knock at the front door of the apartment in Braeton city where Nicole stay.
When the doorbell rang, the resident of the apartment, a woman named Emma, who was Nicole's maid, was deep in conversation with the woman who designed her clothes. She walked up to the door and opened it with a frown, looking a little bewildered as she did so. Upon seeing the two men dressed in suits, she questioned them by inquiring, "Who are you looking for?" One of the two men questioned her by inquiring, "Are you Miss Nicole Chapman?"
"I am. And who are you?" Nicole pressed.
"It was requested that we search for you. Your mother, Freya Dort, was the one who ensured the safety of our young master back in the day. The elderly madam whom we are tasked with serving would like to see you." .
This made her frown even more. "Who is the elderly madam that you wait on?"
The first gentleman respectfully addressed the woman as "Old Madam Butler."
When Nicole heard this, she immediately understood what had brought these men to this location. Old Madam Butler was the woman who led what became the most successful business conglomerate in the country, the Butler Group.
Nicole's mother gave her life in the past in order to save Old Madam Butler's oldest grandson. This occurred many years ago. Being the daughter of a law enforcement officer who was both competent and morally upstanding like Freya was a source of immense pride for Nicole. "I am truly sorry, but I do not plan on seeing her again." Nicole said decidedly.
She had the impression that the Butlers wanted to thank Freya for the tremendous favor she did for them, but she had absolutely no intention of acknowledging their kindness in any way.
She returned home to her maid Emma to carry on working on the design together.
"Madam, may I ask who was there? Are you planning to visit Q city again?" Emma inquired with a displeased expression forming on her face.
Nicole smiled as she directed her attention to the design and responded, "Of course not Emma, just some random strangers," while she continued to concentrate on the project.
Nicole had made her way to Braeton city in the hopes of beginning a new life here after her father had her evicted from the family home and she learned that she was expecting a child. It was another enormous responsibility for her, and the fact that she had just given birth to triplets was the impetus that led her to hire Emma to look after her children while she worked a number of jobs to provide for them.
Exactly at that moment, three cute and inquisitive children's voices could be heard coming from somewhere inside the apartment.
"Mommy, may I ask who it is?" Drea, the youngest of the three kids, was the one who inquired. "Mummy, could it possibly be daddy?" Elis, who threw the second-smallest dart of the three. "Mother, do we recognize this person?" The question was posed by Pete, the eldest of the three children.
"No one…" A hasty response came from Nicole. Then, she turned to speak to the men who were standing at the entrance and said, "I'm really sorry, but I'm not in the mood for guests at the moment." After saying that, she went ahead and locked the door.
...............
In the meantime, back in the countryside, a man could be seen lounging on the couch inside the villa that was nestled into the side of the hill. Have you been able to locate her yet?"
"Yes, Young Master Drake. Your watch was just sold at the second-hand market by the girl who worked in the clubhouse when you were there five years ago."
The man sitting on the couch spoke in a low and commanding tone, telling the other to "find her."
"Yes, sir, you can be sure that we will search for her!"
In the villa that belonged to the Butler family, there were golden crystal chandeliers hanging from the ceiling; as a result, the room had a warm glow as a result of the lights.
The man who was sitting on the couch had perfect features, and his handsome face looked like it had been painstakingly crafted by the gods. He accentuated his strong silhouette with a suit that had been expertly tailored to fit him perfectly.
The stern tone of his grandmother's voice was playing over and over in Drake Butler's head at the moment, and it caused his eyes to go ice cold.
"Please, Drake, marry Nicole Chapman. She's perfect for you. I will not accept anyone else into the Butler Family to fill the role of my granddaughter-in-law but only she."
At this very moment, however, the only person that was going through Drake's mind was the woman whom he had raped in the shadows all those years ago. On that fateful evening, his drink had been spiked, which caused him to become so intoxicated that the only thing he could remember was how he had accidentally slept with the woman.
After everything was over, he took off his watch and pressed it into her hand before passing out in the dimly lit room. He had taken off his watch and pressed it into her hand after everything was over.
After five years had passed, he was still looking for her. He had not given up hope. It wasn't until the previous week that he found out that she had sold his watch at a secondhand market, but by then it was too late. His grandmother had insisted that he find another woman to marry, so he was forced to marry someone else.
Right at that moment, his phone rang another time. He took it in his hands and asked in a curt manner, "What?"
"Young Master Butler, we were successful in our search for the girl. Amelia is her name, and she is the one who was personally responsible for selling off the watch."
Drake commanded, with an elated gleam flashing in his eyes, "Send me her address, and I'll pay her a visit," and then he proceeded to say it.
The enigmatic young woman who was seen that night has at long last been identified. No matter what happens, I have to track her down. I owe it to her to make amends for the things that I did to her earlier that evening.
While this was going on, Amelia Chapman was browsing the wares in the women's boutique. A little over a year ago, she had taken ownership of the boutique, but since then, the store's revenue had been steadily declining.
After she was successful in framing Nicole away from the house and ruining her wedding, things went from bad to worse, starting with Jared Young going into bankruptcy in his company, and falling into poverty as a result of her extravagant lifestyle. It wasn't until luck started working against her that things started to get difficult.
Amelia Chapman, who was having trouble paying her rent, looked for creative ways to scrounge up just enough money to get her through the next few days. At long last, she made the decision to see if she could make any money off of the watch that she had been keeping for herself, and much to her delight, the watch was purchased for an astounding sum of five hundred thousand dollars.
It was never intended for her to wear the watch in the first place. Amelia was prompted to retrieve the watch from the hotel's lost and found department five years ago after the staff of the hotel contacted her and informed her that they had found a watch in the private room where Nicole had spent the night with the complete stranger. The room in which Nicole had spent the night was the same room in which the hotel staff had found the watch.
She did not even give it a second of thought before claiming ownership of the watch despite the fact that it was a designer timepiece intended for a man and she had just arrived at the hotel.
Since that time, the watch had been safely tucked away in her closet until last week, when she made the decision to finally part with it at a secondhand market. She hadn't anticipated that the watch would be worth very much leading up to the sale, but she was completely taken aback when she was presented with an unbelievable offer of half a million dollars for it.
Amelia's face lit up as she took in the total amount of money she had in her bank account, and she thought to herself with a smile, "I guess I can live comfortably for a while longer."
The door to her boutique suddenly opened, and she jumped to her feet in a hurry to meet the shopper who had just walked in.
"Welcome to…"
The shock overcame her, and she was unable to continue speaking, so she just stopped talking.
The gentleman who had just entered her boutique was tall and erect in his posture. He was beyond beautiful to the point of incomprehensibility, and he exuded an air of natural nobility.
Amelia struggled to find the right words to ask the man, "I-Is there someone you're looking for, sir?" because it took her some time to come out of her trance and ask the question.
Given that she was the proprietor of a store catering to female customers, that was an appropriate line of inquiry. It was unthinkable that a man who was dressed so impeccably in a handcrafted suit would be perusing the likes of dresses in this establishment. It appeared as though he had a height of six feet two, and there was no mistaking the authoritative air that radiated from his presence.
"Amelia Chapman?" Drake inquired as his gaze narrowed and became fixated on her. He searched her face thoroughly, hoping against hope to find some resemblance to the woman he had seen five years earlier.
"That's right; that's me. And you are..." Her ability to speak was deteriorating as a result of the man's intense gaze, and she was unable to complete the sentence she had started.
After listening to her response, the man reached into his pocket and pulled out a men's watch, which he then displayed in front of her. He then asked in a low, rumbling voice, "Has this watch been in your possession all these years?"
Amelia Chapman took a quick glance at the watch and was immediately overcome with the desire to withdraw into herself. She stuttered, "Y-Yes, the watch is... mine," with a guilty expression on her face.
"And you were the woman who worked at Hotel Finest when I worked there five years ago? Who exactly was it that was in the room with me? Drake prodded, looking at the girl in front of him intently as he pondered, somewhat startled, Is she really the girl from earlier that night?
Amelia's thoughts started racing at a breakneck pace as she tried to figure out what to do.
In the room with him from five years ago... if she could remember clearly, Nicole had spent the night with a stranger... so it could only mean that he was the man to whom she had lost her virginity.
Amelia had no intention of revealing to this man that Nicole was the one with whom he had spent the previous night. There was simply no way for her to do so. Instead of pretending to be anyone else, she was just going to be Nicole.
Amelia's response was succinct and to the point: "Of course, that was me." She did not linger excessively on the subject.
"From this point forward, keep this watch, and don't ever try to pawn it off again. Drake assured her that he would make amends for the events of the previous evening as he presented her with the watch. "I'm Drake Butler. Will you please keep my name in mind?
Amelia stared at him in disbelief as she stood there.
Drake Butler? To clarify, you mean the heir to Butler's Corporation, which is the most successful conglomerate? "Y-You're Drake Butler?" She inquired while on the verge of passing out from exhaustion.
A man standing next to Drake extended his hand to her and said, "Miss Chapman, this is our young master's name card." You are free to seek him out if you feel that you could benefit from his assistance in any way.
Amelia took the card in one trembling hand, and her heart nearly leapt out of her chest when she saw the shell-shocking name embossed onto the gold stationery.
So the guy who slept with Nicole five years ago wasn't just some random stranger like she thought, but rather this fine specimen who just so happens to be the heir to the Butler's family fortune?
Amelia reached out and grabbed Drake's arm the moment she came to her senses. She then compelled tears to well up in her eyes as she threw a tantrum and acted hysterical. "Drake, you are the one who needs to take responsibility. Do you have any idea how traumatized and hurt I was after what happened that night? After saying that, she looked down at herself and began crying crocodile tears while wailing pitifully as if she were the one who had been abused five years earlier.
She had only one thought going through her mind at the moment, and that was to put herself in Nicole's position and play the part of the victim from that fateful night. She was adamant about Drake taking responsibility for this situation so that she could derive additional advantages from it. Her ultimate goal was to wed the man and take his surname as her married name.
The man said in a solemn tone, his husky voice remaining steady and providing reassurance, "Don't worry, I promise to take responsibility."
"Young Master Butler has found a villa especially for you, Miss Champman, and you are free to move in whenever you like. From this point forward, he will see to all of your requirements. Rey Osborne, who works as Drake's personal assistant, brought this to our attention.
Instantly, Amelia's eyes became very bright. She was so overjoyed that she almost passed out from her happiness. My grasp will soon extend to encompass a vast realm of wealth and splendor.
After giving Amelia a fleeting glance, Drake said, "There are some things I have to take care of, so I'll get going," and then he turned to leave.
Amelia had her hand firmly wrapped around the watch as the door closed quietly behind him. She was at the point where she was on the verge of tears due to the unexpected turn that things took. "I'm going to become a wealthy man! Rich!”
During the time that she was rejoicing over her good fortune, she couldn't help but secretly wish that Nicole had passed away within the past five years so that she wouldn't suddenly appear out of nowhere like a piece of roadkill.
——
Drake Butler was a passenger in the understated luxury ride, and he closed his eyes as he sat in the backseat. Is Amelia really the same person I knew her to be five years ago? Why does she seem different? Or has the passage of five years altered her?
The man's chiseled features were illuminated by the orange light of the setting sun as it shone through the car window and played over them. It was difficult to believe that he wasn't some valuable piece of art that belonged in a museum because he appeared to be so handsome; there was no one who could replicate such fine looks. He belonged in a museum.
He was the legitimate heir apparent to the Butler Group. When he took over as CEO five years ago, he immediately set about taking the conglomerate to new heights. As a result of his efforts, the company was recently recognized as the most successful business in the world.
On that fateful night, five years ago, he had his very first and only misstep in his entire life. It was the beginning of the end for him. One of his competitors tainted his drink with the intention of using him as a pawn in an attempt to bring down his own reputation. Drake Butler had escaped danger by scurrying into the private room, but just as the effects of the drug were reaching their pinnacle, a random woman entered the room and rescued him from his predicament.
Since that time, the knowledge that he had just raped a girl and deprived her of her innocence had been weighing heavily on his conscience.
Because when he woke up after the deed, he saw under the lights of the private room the traces of blood that stained the couch, he was certain that she had been chaste up to that night.
After he thought about the disorder that he had caused in the private room as a result of his transgression, he was no longer able to question Amelia's authenticity or his impression of her.
It is necessary for me to accept responsibility for the things I have done to her. He spoke to himself in a mumbled whisper.
During this time, Nicole Chapman was in her apartment somewhere in another country, and she was speaking to someone on the phone while saying, "Got it. Allow me to get back to the country in the shortest amount of time possible so that I can start preparing for the competition.
"Mommy, do you think we should go back?" A slender figure eventually made its way over to her and stood there. He was dressed in a pair of denim shorts and a shirt with a blue checkered pattern. His features were carefully chiseled, but they had a childlike quality to them. Even though he was probably no older than four at the time, he moved with an unmistakable grace and elegance. As a smile began to form on Nicole's face, she reached out and lightly tapped Pete on the cheek.
"Yayy! Our mother is going to take us back to the country, as she had previously explained." Elis, who had her hair pulled back into a miniature ponytail and was wearing a pink Barbie dress, also said this while she had a smile on her face.
"Are you sure, mom? You're taking us back to the state, aren't you? If that's the case, I can't wait to try some candies from the new country." Along with her siblings, Drea contributed to the effort.
Nicole gave a friendly smile and nod. Would you like to accompany me on the trip back?