WARMING THE BILLIONAIRE COLD HEART

Kimberly stared vacantly out of the window of the room she occupied. It was the seventh day since she had undergone cancer surgery. Now, she was in Indonesia, at the Rayder family residence.

Despite having to undergo chemotherapy several more times, she had to remain positive. Kimberly was determined to recover quickly so that she could assist Arthur in managing the company as soon as possible. She didn’t want to disappoint his expectations and trust this time.

“Kimmy, can we start learning now?”

Kimberly immediately turned toward the open bedroom door. Mario was standing there, flashing a smile.

Kimberly nodded.

“I’ve been ready for a while. So, where are we going to study?” she asked.

“In Opa’s office. There, we’ll have more space.”

Then Kimberly followed Mario to Arthur’s office on the first floor. Today, he planned to teach Kimberly about managing the company. This was done so that she could take Arthur’s place as soon as possible.

“You can sit down first; I’ll fetch some documents for you to study,” Mario instructed once they had arrived in the office.

Mario handed Kimberly quite a few documents to study, ranging from general company profiles to shareholder lists, tender documents, and files related to the company’s internal issues.

“I’ll explain each one to you.”

Teaching Kimberly about business was not a difficult task. She was quite competent. She had studied business abroad and graduated with top honors. Moreover, her experience as Nicholas’s personal secretary had given her some insight into the intricacies of the business world.

While working at Alpha Beta, Kimberly had often observed how Nicholas maintained good relationships with clients, how to win them over, and even how to secure major contracts that benefited the company. It seemed she should be thankful to him now.

Mario felt the same way. He didn’t have trouble explaining all the material to Kimberly. She easily understood what Mario had been explaining so far.

“I don’t think I need to go into too much detail with you, Kimmy. You already have a strong foundation in business,” Mario praised.

Kimberly smiled in response.

“Yes, there were definitely benefits to working at a large company like Alpha Beta. I learned a lot there.”

Mario nodded in agreement.

“I know that. Your boss has unquestionable credibility and business acumen. I know Nicholas is a genius. Almost all major contracts are won by Alpha Beta.”

Kimberly continued to smile.

“You’re absolutely right; when it comes to business, Nicholas is beyond doubt. He even dedicated half of his life to advancing the company. I wonder when I can become a leader like him.”

There was silence for a moment. Mario chose to busy himself with organizing the documents that Kimberly had finished reading. Meanwhile, the woman in front of him appeared lost in thought. Mario was aware of this.

“Kimmy, may I ask you something?” Mario spoke up as he calmly returned to his seat.

Kimberly raised her eyebrows in curiosity.

“Please, I’ll answer as best I can.”

“Do you still love Nicholas?” The question slipped out of Mario’s mouth unintentionally. There was no ulterior motive; he simply wanted to know how she felt now.

Kimberly fell silent. It wasn’t that she couldn’t answer; she was just uncertain about her feelings at the moment.

“If my question bothers you, Kimmy, it’s better to forget it,” Mario said.Published by Nôv'elD/rama.Org.

Kimberly took a deep breath and finally answered.

“If you ask whether I love him or not, of course, I still love him,” Kimberly replied without hesitation.

Mario got up and moved to sit beside Kimberly.

“If you still love Nicholas like that, you should fight for your love, Kimmy.”

Kimberly looked at Mario with doubt.

“Why are you asking me to fight for Nicholas? Whether you like it or not, you’ll be my fiancé soon. You should separate us like what Opa did to prevent us from being together.”

Upon hearing Kimberly’s question, Mario chuckled softly.

“You’re funny,” he said.

“How so?” Kimberly asked, puzzled.

“I know about Opa’s insistence on matchmaking us. But I still have a heart. I want you to be genuinely happy with your own choice,” Mario said sincerely, making Kimberly feel uncomfortable. After all, he had always done everything to make her happy.

“Even though I love Nicholas, it doesn’t necessarily mean we can be together,” Kimberly suddenly said.

“What do you mean?” Now Mario was puzzled.

Kimberly took a deep breath. Discussing the issue of Nicholas only made her chest feel tight.

“I doubt his feelings for me. I feel like he doesn’t truly love me,” Kimberly’s gaze turned melancholic, indicating that there was pain there.

“How do you know that? Don’t make assumptions about matters of the heart, Kimmy,” Mario advised.

Kimberly shook her head.

“If he truly loved me, he wouldn’t doubt me to the point of having someone spy on me. And let’s not forget about Opa. Do you think he would just accept my relationship with Nicholas?”

Mario reached for both of Kimberly’s wrists and held them tightly.

“Who knows, maybe Nicholas has come to his senses now. The fact that he looked so frustrated at the airport, as if he was afraid of losing you. It was the same at the hospital. He even apologized to Opa repeatedly.”

Kimberly gave a bitter laugh.

“Besides, Nicholas doesn’t know about my health condition after the surgery. If I forget, it will be difficult for me to have children in the future. Nicholas is the only son of a British conglomerate. I doubt he and his family will still choose me when they find out I can’t give him children.”

“Oh God, Kimberly,” Mario exclaimed with a slight shout. Then he pulled Kimberly’s body closer to hug her. “I don’t like to see you so hopeless like this. Even if that man rejects you for reasons of having children, I won’t forgive him. Moreover, I’ve reminded you many times that I’m ready to marry you anytime.”

Kimberly remained silent without responding. Instead, she tightened her embrace around Mario and cried. Unbeknownst to them, outside the room, Arthur had been silently watching them both.

***

“Are you ready?” Mario asked Kimberly, who still appeared busy at the vanity table.

“Very ready. I’ll be down for breakfast in a moment. After that, we’ll leave.” Mario nodded and closed the door to Kimberly’s room.

Today, Mario wanted to take Kimberly with him to an important meeting with a major investor. There would be many business associates there, and he wanted Kimberly to present their company in front of clients and rivals from other companies.

“Are you sure Kimberly can do it? The bid amount today is no joke, nearly reaching 25 trillion,” Arthur asked Mario once they were seated in the dining room.

Mario nodded confidently.

“Of course. Kimberly has great potential. That’s why I’m very confident we can win this bid.”

Arthur chose to sip his green tea first before continuing to speak.

“Other big companies will be present there. I’m just worried that-”

“Opa…” Mario held Arthur’s hand. “Please, don’t doubt Kimberly’s abilities. Your granddaughter can do it.” Mario continued to reassure, trying to dispel all the doubt on Arthur’s face.

Arthur took a deep breath.

“I’m just afraid, that’s all.”

Mario smiled.

“Leave everything to me. I will accompany Kimberly and never leave her side.”

“I’ve always trusted you. That’s why I chose you to be Kimberly’s husband.”

Mario just smiled and went back to his breakfast. Not long after, Kimberly joined them, sitting down to have breakfast.

“Opa, I’m leaving this morning. Please pray for your beloved granddaughter’s success.” Kimberly got up from her seat and briefly hugged Arthur before leaving for good.

Arthur smiled.

“Of course, I always pray for your success.”

After saying their goodbyes, Mario and Kimberly headed to the capital building in the city center. As Mario mentioned earlier, they were having an important meeting with an American investor today. They planned to invest 25 trillion rupiahs in building a satellite city at the end of Java Island.

It wasn’t just Kimberly’s company participating; this meeting involved many construction and property development companies. They would all compete against each other to win this major tender.

“You can sit over there.” Mario guided Kimberly to sit in one of the available chairs in the meeting room. Representatives from various companies were already present, shaking hands with each other. Then, the arrival of a man caught Kimberly’s attention. Someone she had missed for a long time. Now, he was standing right in front of her.

The man smiled and extended his hand toward Kimberly.

“How are you, Kimmy? It’s been a long time.”

Kimberly accepted the handshake.

“Nick…”