Chương 27: 27

Michael watched in disbelief as Chris carried Nicole and placed her on the kitchen counter, stood in between her legs and tucked a lose strand of hair behind her ear. His sense of hearing was blocked by anger so he couldn't hear anything but he did hear Chris saying those three words and Nicole said them back. That was meant to be him. Was Nicole this mad to use Chris to get back at him!?

"Fuck!!!" he didn't care about anything but the freaking fact that someone else was touching his Luna! And of all shitheads, it was Chris. Chris knew how much he loved Nicole and yet he was…fuck! Michael couldn't think properly anymore. He lunged at Chris and Chris fell hard on his back hitting his head on the marbled floor. Chris touched his head that was now sticky and stained with his blood. Michael didn't stop, he kept attacking Chris. "What the fuck Chris! How dare you fucking touch her!? She's my Luna," Chris finally managed to push Michael and he landed head first on the kitchen table. Michael stumbled to his feet, his hand on his head. He was also bleeding but not as bad as Chris. Nicole was scared, she'd never seen them fight…she'd never even imagined it.

"You forgot that when you were in that brothel with that blonde huh Michael? Are other women meant to touch you" Chris began. "Quinn told you not to break her, she warned you, but here you are Michael, letting that fucking blonde get her hands all over you while your Luna waits in the car for you. You're taking her silence for a joke Michael and I won't let you do that, she loves you for fuck sake!"

"Chris…that's enough, please stop…please," Nicole begged. She didn't like this one bit.

"Don't you fucking tell me that Christian, you asshole!" Michael launched at Chris again but Nicole stopped him midway.

"Don't you dare lay on a fucking finger on him Michael," Nicole said through clenched teeth. "What the hell is wrong with you?!"

"Nicole…" Chris tried to stop her.

"You got her on your side now huh…fuck you Christian! Just…fuck you. You can have her…do whatever you want with her, she's all yours. See if I care!" Michael yelled and stormed out.

"Fuck…" Nicole breathed and turned to Chris as tears streamed down her cheeks. "I have to go Nicole, I'm sorry…"

"Chris wait…please don't…" Nicole said but he ignored her and in the blink of an eye, dark wisps of smoke disappeared from where he stood. Nicole slumped to the cold floor shaken. What the hell just happened!? Why the fuck was this happening!? And of all freaking times! Scarlett was usually the one who settled these kinds of fights when they were younger but it never got to the point when they got physical. She couldn't even do anything, she just watched as the two men she loved so much fought each other. 'Why the hell is this happening?'

***

Scarlett arrived at the Quinn mansion three hours after twilight. The book was back in the case but he hadn't changed the password which was kind of odd. She didn't forget to see how Eliza was doing and according to the doctors, Eliza was just fine and the toxins in her body were almost gone. She also found out from the nurses that after that night when she left, neither Mark nor Lionel had come to see Eliza; Ryan had been the only one coming to see his sister but he wasn't frequent.

The mansion looked oddly familiar. While David and Nicholas exchanged greetings, Scarlett didn't bother to say a word to anyone, she made her way toward the stairs that led underground, her mind wasn't sure of what exactly she was doing but her body seemed to know its way around the place. Nicholas watched her with a grin after David left. Scarlett pushed the large doors open. Her eyes scanned the room, it looked like the training room in the Swan's villa but this looked more advanced, the equipments looked different, like they were made from a stronger material than the ones in the Swan's villa. Punching bags, a boxing ring, weights of different sizes, a pull up bar…name it. She stood in front of the punching bag and threw a hard punch at it. She'd been here before. Nicholas stood at the door and watched her.

"I've been here…in this room before, haven't I?" she asked. He didn't answer. "I destroyed literally almost everything…twice, that wall was destroyed and I was in the rubble. There were punching bags everywhere and…I was slumped in that corner with a bandage on my torso,"

"How much do you remember?" Nicholas finally asked. She turned to him.

"We fought here, you called me…a disappointment, I got angry and tried to prove to you I wasn't, but I couldn't…you punched me hard and I crashed into the wall, that was how it got destroyed…" she paused. "Someone came in here after you left…Xander," she said. 'Your eyes are amazing' the words echoed in her mind, he had sea blue eyes and auburn hair. "He asked if he could spar with me,"

"What else?" Nicholas asked. Scarlett tried to think but her head was already hurting from these memories. "Let it be, you'll get them all back," He smiled faintly and left. Scarlett sighed to herself and scanned the training room one last time before she also left.

There was no one in the sitting room so she made her way upstairs and stopped in front of a door that looked so familiar. She pushed the door open, it looked and felt familiar. The black and gold sheets, the blue and white painted walls, this was her room.

"It's yours," a familiar voice assured her. Nut brown hair, captivating sky blue eyes and an amazing smile that could make you vulnerable, they looked so familiar, a beautiful smile for a beautiful face.

"N…Nicole?"

"You remember?"

"Barely…but I remember you, you're my best friend...." Scarlett said with a smile. Nicole crossed the distance between them and caught her in a hug.

"I know you don't like hugs but I've missed you so much Scar, thank you for coming back…" Nicole said. Scarlett sighed. She belonged here; this was her home…what made her leave in the first place?

"Nicole…" Scarlett said. She'd been asking herself that question for a while now but she hadn't had the chance to ask anyone for answers. She knew Nicole would know. "What happened…why did I…?"

"I'm not going to say a word to you about anything, I just hugged you because I've missed you but I'm still mad at you, when you regain those memories, you'll get your answers because even I don't know why you did what you did…." Nicole paused then wiped the tears that were already trailing down her cheeks. "…you hurt me Scarlett, I don't know how I'll make you pay for that but I will…" Scarlett was speechless. She didn't have the slightest idea what Nicole was talking about but judging from the way her voice quivered, she was obviously holding in her tears.

"I'm not sure of myself or my memories but I'm sorry Nicole but…besides me…who hurt you?" Scarlett asked; she wasn't sure why she asked that or how she knew someone else hurt Nicole but she could see the pain in her eyes, her smile wasn't hiding it.

"I guess I can't hide it for long can I?" she chuckled. "I should've masked it well before I came to find you..." Nicole paused. A tear dropped from her eyes as she stared at Scarlett, her eyes brimming with tears. "I…I said I wasn't going to tell you anything…if you had your memories, you'd know already…I…I'll let you get ready for the party and please Scarlett, promise me…promise me you won't run off again when you finally know the reason you left in the first place…promise me," Scarlett hesitated. She wasn't sure why but she knew that if she made this promise, she would one way or the other regret it. If instinct and gut feeling weren't failing her then Nicole was trying to make her fight her battles rather than find an easier way around things…a way that wouldn't involve her leaving. "Promise me Scarlett, you won't make yourself lose your memories again, you won't try to protect us on your own anymore,"

"I…I promise…" Scarlett finally said. Nicole smiled and hugged her again before she finally left. The people she'd grown up with as her family were torn apart at the moment. She wasn't sure who to get back first.

***

The mansion took a complete new makeover for the launch party. The walls were painted pure white with intricate patterns drawn in red, gold and black paint. The Quinn men were dressed in black tailored suits that made their ethereal beauty shine even more. The Quinn women on the other hand were all dressed in dazzling dinner gowns, each to their partner's color taste. Regina wore ultramarine, Ramona, carmine and Debbie, black.

'Humans and their pathetic thoughts' Nicholas thought with a sigh. These humans were a lot to deal with. For starters, these business men and women were all backbiters. One reason he hated doing business with humans. He listened as they made mockery of themselves, throwing insults here and there and then someone wanted to add him into the discussion.

"Mr. Quinn I have to ask…we haven't heard anything about an heir to take over from Nathan…who might I ask is going to own all this wealth if…supposedly one day you and your son…pass away," Nicholas sighed. That's right his grandchildren weren't publicly debuted yet. They never attended any business parties, they were only known because human press was always pressing on matters that didn't in the least concern them.

"Aren't there two girls…?"

"I heard the other one's in Ensco…is that true? She couldn't even at least come to Devaria for the event, what a shame," another stupid comment. Nicholas was getting tired of standing here. Humans and their need to gossip on a daily basis always baffled him. They always had news to spread or questions to ask. Nicholas turned to the grand staircase and there was his third grandchild, the photocopy of himself. Scarlett was dressed in a black crop top, a black jacket that had an embroidered gold dragon spitting out flames on the back, a pair of black jeans that was very well designed with gold stones and a pair of strikingly eye catching Nike Air Jordan to go with. Ever since Scarlett was born, she'd never put on a dress and he always wondered why.

Cold air rushed through the atmosphere causing everyone to feel goose bumps crawl over their skin. Nicholas smirked. There was one last guest who was yet to arrive. Dressed in a black turtle neck shirt, a black tailored tail coat embroidered with silver threads, pair of black trousers that accentuated his long legs, his silky black hair was left a hot mess and his piercing ice blue eyes. The guests didn't know who to gape at, whether the god at the door or the goddess at the top of the stairs. They both looked like a couple dressed in dazzling attires.

Scarlett's eyes fell on Mark and Lionel, Ryan stood not far from them with a group of girls and the girls were all staring daggers at her. Her sight lingered on Mark and Lionel, their faces alone disgusted her. They had never gone to the hospital to check on Eliza. Her eyes flew to the doors, those ice blue eyes…Gal and David had the same eyes but…there was something about his that always made her feel unexpectedly…safe? She descended the stairs gracefully with her eyes still fixed on those ice blue eyes that peered into her soul.

"Ladies and gentle men…a lot of you don't know that my son and I have already handed over the positions of CEO of the two branches of Quinn Incorporation to my grandson and oldest granddaughter," Nicholas began. "My grandchildren have never graced you with their presence at any events you've all held…well now you can finally know who will take over Quinn Incorporation from my son and I…Zevan, Scarlett and Deborah Quinn, please enjoy the party,"

***

Nicole left the party after Nicholas' announcement. There was no sign of Michael or Chris yet. She stood on the balcony where she had had her vision of Scarlett in that abandoned factory. She felt sick thinking about all the times they had found Scarlett a bloody mess. Scarlett had been through a lot, all Nicole wanted was someone that could make Scarlett feel so much at ease with. But she knew Scarlett, the last thing on Scarlett mind was love. Then there was Michael and Chris, the two men in her life that she loved with her whole heart. Chris was like an older brother to her and Michael had her heart. She loved him and would always love him. She stared at the night sky filled with twinkling stars lost in her thoughts.

Michael leaned on the door leading to balcony staring at her, his eyes glistening with emotions. He had lied about hearing her thoughts, he didn't even know what the heck she was thinking right now but with the way she was staring so lost and even now, she hadn't sensed his presence, he knew she was still hurt. He was sorry and he would never do anything to hurt her ever again. All he wanted was her and nothing more. He crossed the distance between them silently and wrapped his hands around her waist. He nibbled on her neck and smiled when she shivered.

"I love that I'm the only one who can do that to you," he whispered into her ear.

"Michael?"

"I'm so sorry Nicole." He whispered still kissing her neck.

"Don't Mi…hmm…" she moaned as he bit her neck. He kept kissing her neck and when he was sure she was dazed, he trapped her lips in a passionate kiss. Nicole hesitated at first but then she kissed him back. Their kiss slowly became intense as their tongues entwined. Nicole struggled with her mind and heart. Her mind which was always the logical one told her to push him away but her heart told her to hold him even tighter, she missed him but she had to be logical so she pushed him away from her as tears stained her cheeks. Michael moved to hug her but she stopped him.

"Don't. Touch. Me. I…I want to be mad at you,"

"You have every right to be Nicole," Michael said. She looked up at him; he wore a genuine apologetic smile. "I'm sorry Nicole, for everything, for taking you there in the first place, for going inside, for accusing you of always thinking about Scarlett, she's your best friend, you have to think about her…I'm sorry about Chris and for everything I said tonight…I love you okay…" he paused. He took her hand and placed her palm on his chest. "I love you Nicole, my heart beats for only you, it's you I want no one else," Nicole choked.

"W…where were you? I…I waited…"

"I'm sorry about that too, I wanted to think…you're the only woman in my life right now and that's how it's going to be from now on," he smiled and pulled her closer, his hand going round her waist. He cupped her cheek. "You're the only one meant for me, my Luna, I promise I won't ever hurt you again Nicole," he wiped her tears and kissed her. "I love you so much," he breathed and bit her bottom lip.

"I…I want to believe you, I really do Michael," Nicole said. More tears flowed down her cheeks.

"Give me a chance Nicole, I promise I'll love you to the ends of the earth," he said and embraced her. "I love you and only you, nothing will ever change that," he kissed away her tears and then captured her lips in an ensnaring kiss. His tongue searched for hers desperately. He held her head and kissed her breathless. Nicole's grip on him loosened as her hands found their way under his shirt. He grabbed her hands and put them above her head. "Not now Nikki," he whispered into her ear and she shivered.

He licked her bottom lip and lifted her off the ground with ease. Her legs went round his waist as their kiss intensified. He pulled on her tongue and moaned in her mouth. He kissed her cheek and sucked at her earlobe earning a sensuous moan from her. He licked and sucked her jaw and throat while Nicole moaned and drowned in a pool of pleasure.

"Mi…Michael," he found her lips again and they kissed each other with longing. Michael pulled away from her but didn't let go, he placed his forehead against hers breathless.

"I'm sorry," Nicole groaned frustrated.

"One last kiss," she begged.

"Not until you forgive me," he said. Nicole hands that were buried in his hair pulled him closer to her and she kissed him till she was breathless. Michael smiled. He wouldn't let her go until she choked on his tongue. He sucked her lips and nibbled on her bottom lip. When he finally let her breathe, she leaned her head on his chest trying to catch her breath. He chuckled at her flushed expression. "That's more than one kiss," he held her close to him so her breath could even out. He knew if he put her down, her knees would give out.

"I love you," Nicole whispered.

"I love you more," he kissed her forehead and embraced her.