When Her "Death" Couldn't Break Him (Cecilia and Nathaniel)

Chapter 2044

Cecilia heard the news and, startled, went in search of Nathaniel. "How did you persuade Nicholas to agree?"

She remembered how every past attempt had met an unmovable wall.

Nathaniel did not mention the way he had bowed his head and begged Nicholas.

"Maybe his conscience woke up," he said lightly. "I only told him how well Meredith treats Dahlia."

Cecilia heaved a sigh. "Let's hope he truly turns over a new leaf."

"Mm." Nathaniel nodded once.

He spoke the hope, yet worry gnawed at him. Nicholas was not a man who shifted easily. Surrounded by shadows and no friends, he had built walls Nathaniel feared might never fall.

Inside Nicholas' private villa, his phone vibrated on and off, rattling against the desk.

He had ignored every call for days, refusing even to glance at the screen.

The name flashing now belonged to Jocelyn-and the device would not stop trembling.

Jocelyn's thumb hovered over the call icon, the bright screen reflecting in her anxious eyes. She had tried more than once, yet every attempt ended in the same blank silence—no answer, just the cold pulse of dial tones.

one answering?" she murmured,

company, Jocelyn had

former colleagues had whispered alarming news: Nicholas had vanished-phones dead, emails unanswered-and with him the momentum of countless projects stalled, abandoned like half-built bridges hanging over

Jocelyn tried again and again, her fingertip growing numb against the glass, but the result never changed:

confusion, watching her futile pattern of dialing and waiting. "What's going on with Nicholas? Has he decided he

admitted, the words escaping on

attempt at calm, worry flickered unmistakably in Jocelyn's eyes-a

her phone face down on the coffee table, she sat in thoughtful silence, chewing at her bottom lip. "Yannick, I

clear to her: he had always treated her with genuine

after Nicholas, but Nicholas had paid her generously, funds that kept

the labyrinth of corporate life, teaching

mentor who had seen a future in her before

shadow of unease slipping across his

telling himself that time would eventually erode it, smooth it down like water

right, I'll go with you," Yannick said,

she breathed, relief threading through her

into a light trench coat, and headed toward

determined to

the sleek downtown headquarters of the company and the villa Nicholas had