Trouble in Paradise by Three Way

At dawn, Nicholas and I finally drifted off to sleep, but suddenly, something jolted me awake, erasing all traces of drowsiness.

I traced the contours of his features with my eyes, silently repeating his name in my mind. Curling up, I felt a deep ache in both body and soul.

The wildness of the night had left me utterly exhausted, and my head throbbed with confusion.

For a 30-year-old woman, sleeping with a man wasn't unusual, but this man was Nicholas a difficult figure to deal with. When those striking eyes of his opened again, how would we face each other? After some hesitation, I carefully climbed out of bed. Grabbing a piece of clothing off the floor-whether his or mine, I didn't care-l tiptoed out of his bedroom.

Little did I know, a pair of dark eyes had been silently watching me. As I left, he was fully awakened.

Nicholas glanced at his phone and sent a message to someone. Surprisingly, even at 5:00 a.m., the reply was instant.

I went to the wardrobe to grab my clothes and headed to the guest bathroom for a shower. Though Nicholas had already cleaned me up briefly, it felt... pointless. Thinking back to his reddened eyes as he coaxed me into the bathroom, heat flushed my skin again. I quickly adjusted the water temperature to two degrees lower. Leaning against the bathtub, I called Yasmine. She took ages to answer.

voice teetering between a threat and a whine. "Um..." My voice faltered, and I reflexively covered my mouth in embarrassment. My voice was so hoarse it sounded like a man's. "Huh? Ariana, is that you?" Yasmine's tone sharpened. "Are you

Nicholas for his lack of restraint, I reluctantly croaked

turned mischievous. "Were you out clubbing last night? Were the lights soft? Oh wait-was the liquor hard? No, no-l meant to ask, where were How many hours did it

hand to my forehead. "Stop joking. I

sent me the address for today's auction. A tough battle was waiting and I had to be fully prepared, but my mind was a jumbled

might overlook something, I needed Yasmine

explaining the situation, she grew serious. "You're saying Claudia plans to expose your childhood photos at the

me to buy Nelson's land

disguise a recorder as a brooch-it's unlikely they'll

"That plan sounds fine, but isn't there another way? Why use a method that harms you as much as it

of turning back. With those photos in Claudia's hands, she'll seize this chance no