Escaped My Ex, Got Snatched by His Rival - Chapter 162

Chapter 162: Unsolved pieces of puzzle
Nicolai’s sudden question stiffened Ariana. She turned her head and looked at him. While suppressing the panic in her heart, she questioned, “How do you know that I paint, Mister De Luca?”

The man turned to look at her as if he were staring at a fool. He raised a brow and answered, “You were covered in paint when I found you in your apartment the last time.”

When Ari heard his response, she heaved a sigh of relief inwardly. She thought that Nicolai found about the small room in her apartment, though she didn’t care if he looked at her differently… Ari didn’t want him to find what lurked inside of her heart.

With a stiff smile, she said, “It’s nothing but a small hobby of mine, Mister De Luca. Occasionally when my head is filled with thoughts, I paint a little once in a while.”

As for the things that she painted… it was better to not say anything.

Nicolai nodded. Before he could make another remark, Patrick who sat in the driver’s seat suddenly spoke up, “We are here.”

Both Nicolai and Ariana turned to look at the hospital upon hearing his words. Ariana heaved a sigh of relief, she didn’t want Nicolai to probe anymore about her hobby. She was a medical student, and for her to paint—— it was rather a weird habit according to many.

She glanced at Nicolai and thanked him, “Mister De Luca, thank you for giving me a ride. If you don’t mind, I can take the lunch box that you have brought with you to Doctor Dimitri?”

Ari didn’t want to take the ride for free. Since Nicolai was here to deliver Aiden, his lunchbox then she might as well help him run the errand.

‘The food in the canteen might be terrible for Aiden to bring lunch with him every day,’ Ari thought with a subtle frown on her face. Since it was her first time, she was not aware of this matter. From tomorrow onwards, she will bring her lunchbox as well.

“I——” Nicolai wanted to stay with Ari a bit longer, but then he felt his phone vibrate. He glanced at the screen of the phone and remembered that there was a meeting that he needed to attend. This meeting was rather important as Nicolai needed to finalize the details of the arms agreement. He couldn’t miss it, and Kayden knew it as well.

This was why he was urging him to come to the meeting location as soon as possible.

Nicolai glanced at Ari and reluctantly handed her the lunchbox.

“I will see you soon, Pallas,” he said to Ari who frowned but didn’t say anything rude. She was not unkind enough to turn someone kind to her away.

She didn’t nod or agree and simply stepped out of the car with the lunch box. As she took the box in her hands, her fingers brushed against Nicolai who felt his heart sting.

Nicolai watched her leave, his fingers curled instinctively, and he didn’t move his gaze away from Ari for a long time. He touched his heart which was thumping wildly and felt as if he was missing out on something and this was what he had been looking for a long time.

“Is everything alright, Nico?” Patrick asked when he saw Nicolai stare at Ari as if she were the last breath that he needed and badly craved.

Nicolai reluctantly pulled his gaze away from Ari’s back and rubbed the tips of his fingers. A pondering look on his face, “I don’t know, Patrick. I really don’t know.”

Never before had he felt like this, it was terrifying but a pleasant kind of terrifying. When Ari touched him, his heart and mind suddenly went high—— like falling from a cliff high and the thrill made his heart rate spike up and make him feel giddy.

When was the last time he felt like this towards a woman?

Yes, it was back then. However, Nicolai did not think that Ariana was that little girl.

He glanced at the back that was disappearing from his gaze and pursed his lips.

‘I better get her in my bed and get her out of my system. She will turn me crazy at this rate,’ thought Nicolai with a frown on his face. The one who should be broken at the end of this entanglement should be Ari and not him.

Yes, that was how it was going to happen.

Right?

****

Ari didn’t know the thoughts that were filling up Nicolai’s head, almost driving him crazy. She walked over to the nurse station where several nurses were standing and laughing.

She glanced at them and hesitated before straightening up her posture. With a hint of confidence, which she was faking Ari made her way to the nurse station.

While holding the lunchbox in front of her with both hands, she politely asked, “Is Doctor Dimitri in his office?” She wanted to say something more, but before Ari could reveal her reason for asking for Aiden, someone snorted.

She raised her head and looked at the nurses who were staring at her with a similar disdainful gaze.

A bit startled at the actions of the nurses whom she didn’t even know, Ari’s lips parted.

“It seems like another lover girl is here,” before Ari could speak, one of the nurses with round glasses and freckles with her auburn hair tied in a bun, stated with a snicker as she smacked the wooden surface of the nurse station’s table.

“Miss, I will request you to leave,” said another nurse whose blonde hair was tied in a tight bun. Her bun was so stiff that her forehead was stretching back with the pull.

Though she said that it was a request, the way the woman spoke, Ari knew that if she didn’t comply with the words of the woman, she would have her forcefully thrown out.

But why?

‘Did I say or do something wrong?’ Ari questioned to herself.