Chapter 321: Confession or Rejection?
Nicholas stood there breathing heavily, his fist still pressed against the wall.
“Fuck!” he growled, slamming his fist against it again.
“Fuck!” Another strike.
“Fuck!”
Before he could do it again, Harper grabbed his arm with both hands and used all her strength to pull it away from the wall.
“Stop! What the hell are you doing?!”
Harper’s worry was impossible to hide. She was visibly rattled.
“Are you out of your mind? Why would you do that?” she asked frantically.
“Damn right I’m out of my mind!” Nicholas snapped. “I’ve been losing my fucking mind because of
you!”
Harper stared at him, completely thrown by the accusation. “What are you talking about?!”
Nicholas held her gaze, his chest still heaving. “You want the truth? Fine! I’ll give you the truth!” His voice rose as everything he had been holding back finally broke free.
“I fucking like you, Harper Lin!”
Harper froze.
Nicholas took a breath, but now that the words were finally out, there seemed to be no stopping
them.
“I don’t even fucking know what this is, but I know I like you! I want to see you. I want to hear your voice. I want to be near you all the fucking time!”
He paused and dragged a hand over his face, clearly frustrated by his own inability to make sense of everything he was feeling.
He had never had to explain himself like this before, but now that he had started, there was no taking any of it back.
“And you want to know what’s really driving me fucking crazy?” His frustration spilled out with every word. “I get pissed every time I hear about you and that guy Hiro, or whenever I see you being too damn nice to another man.”
A humorless chuckle escaped him as he shook his head, almost as if he couldn’t believe the words coming out of his own mouth.
Nose sleep because of you, Harper. I think about you when I don’t fucking want to think about you. You get under my skin, you piss me off, and somehow…” He let out another quiet laugh, this one almost defeated
“I still fucking want more of you.”
Harper could only stare at him, suddenly feeling as though her throat had gone completely dry.
Her mind struggled to catch up with what she had just heard, the words replaying over and over in her head.
Of all the things she had expected him to say, an actual confession had never been one of them. She had demanded the truth, but now that he had finally given it to her, she had no idea what to do
with it.
Nicholas Ashcroft was actually standing in front of her, admitting that he liked her.
Everyone around her had been telling her to give whatever was happening between them a chance. Even her mother had told her to stop running from it and figure out what she really wanted.
But this wasn’t just any man.
This was Nicholas Ashcroft.
His reputation preceded him, and Harper knew exactly what kind of life he had lived. She couldn’t afford to become another name on his long list of women, and more importantly, she couldn’t afford to gamble her heart on the wrong person again.
Harper took a breath, gathering her thoughts before finally finding the courage to speak.
“Why?”
Nicholas blinked. “Why?”
“Yes. Why?”
“After everything I just fucking said, that’s all you have for me? Why?”
“Yes!” Harper shot back. “Because I need to understand why. Is it because you found out who I
really am? Is this some kind of business thing to you now? Our families together, more connections, power, influence? Some kind of strategic advantage?”
Nicholas stared at her incredulously.
dedes Reinction?
“Seriously? You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.” He gestured between them. “You were already in my bed when I still thought you were Damien’s employee!”
Harper immediately frowned. “We both know that was the alcohol making decisions for us.”
Nicholas scoffed. “And we both know neither of us was drunk enough not to know what was happening!”
“That doesn’t mean-
“And just so you know, I don’t care how drunk I am. I would never touch one of Damien’s employees.” His expression turned serious. “That’s always been a rule between us. His employees are off-limits to me, and mine are off-limits to him.”
Harper was left speechless.
As much as she hated to admit it, what he said was true. The first time something happened between them, she wasn’t Harper Takahashi to him. She was simply Harper Lin, one of Damien’s employees, while he had been Nicholas Ashcroft all along.
Nick gave her a pointed look.
“So believe me, finding out you weren’t actually his employee only made things a hell of a lot more complicated.”
Nick waited for her to say something, but the silence stretched between them.
For a man who had spent most of his life getting whatever he wanted with little effort, standing there after spilling everything he had been trying to deny made him feel like a complete idiot.
He had never put himself out there like this before. Never given a woman enough power over him to make rejection actually matter.
And Harper’s silence felt exactly like that.
Rejection.
Whatever he felt for her clearly wasn’t something she shared.
Nicholas gave a bitter shake of his head. “Forget it.”
Harper blinked, finally snapping out of her thoughts. “What?”
He looked at her once, then turned away. Without another word, he pulled off his shirt and started toward the bathroom.
“I said forget it.” His voice had lost its earlier anger, replaced by something colder. “I was stupid to think there was actually something here. I get it. You don’t have to rub it in.”
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Aplat agi edemort or Rejection?
Harper’s brows pulled together, but before she could respond, Nicholas stopped.
His eyes landed on the bag of magnets she had dropped earlier.
He bent down and picked it up, then walked back to the bed and placed it beside the enormous
purple teddy bear.
“These are yours. I got them for you.” He straightened without looking at her. “Keep them if you
want. Get rid of them. I don’t care.”
Nicholas turned toward the bathroom again.
“I’m taking a shower.”
He had almost reached the door when Harper’s voice stopped him.
“I like you too.”
Nicholas froze, then immediately spun around.
“What did you just say?”
Harper swallowed. “I said, I like you too.”
For several seconds, complete silence filled the room. Nicholas seemed almost stunned, as if his brain needed a moment to process the fact that he hadn’t imagined those words.
Then he crossed the distance between them in several hurried steps, wrapped his arms around
Harper, and captured her lips again.
This time, there was no resistance.
Harper willingly wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back, no longer fighting the
feelings she had been trying to deny.
52
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Cedella
Cedella is a passionate storyteller known for her bold romantic and spicy novels that keep readers hooked from the very first chapter. With a flair for crafting emotionally intense plots and unforgettable characters, she blends love, desire, and drama into every story she writes. Cedella’s storytelling style is immersive and addictive—perfect for fans of heated romances and heart-pounding twists.