WARMING THE BILLIONAIRE COLD HEART

The finance division office seemed busy when Kimberly visited her friends Keyra and Alex there. Male and female employees were gathered, discussing something.

“What are they talking about? Instead of working, they’re making a fuss,” Kimberly commented as she took a seat in front of Alex’s cubicle.

“They must be discussing the hot gossip on television,” Keyra replied as she ate her lunch.

“How’s the past two months been, Kimmy?” Alex, who had just arrived from who knows where, suddenly asked.

Kimberly raised one of her eyebrows.

“How’s what?”

“Your progress, have you managed to win over Mr. Cool?”

Unconsciously, Kimberly let out a tired sigh in front of her friends. “It seems that our boss is extremely difficult to win over.”

Alex smirked and started singing a line from a popular song that they had been hearing a lot lately. “I told you to wipe away the tears, my love disappeared leaving you. You’re different now, half crazy. My life feels empty.”

“What the hell, Lex. Why are you singing Charlie Van Houten’s song? It’s not funny,” Kimberly protested.

Alex and Keyra both laughed at Kimberly’s reaction.

“I warned you that Mr. Nicholas is a hard nut to crack. It’s your own insistence to try and become his girlfriend. Your dreams are too high, Kimmy!” Alex teased.

“I’m not dreaming, Lex. I just feel confident that I can make Mr. Iceman like me. Besides, this is just the beginning, right?”

“You’re so confident that you’re overconfident. Be careful not to fall, it’ll hurt!” Alex cautioned.

“If you guys don’t want to see me fall, please watch over me so I don’t get hurt,” Kimberly replied.

While sipping her drink, Keyra chimed in, “Alex and I will just be spectators, but remember not to get hurt if Mr. Nicholas still rejects you in the end.”

“I won’t give up, just wait and see. In the end, he’ll fall in love with me. There’s no way a woman as beautiful as me can’t melt the heart of Mr. Iceman,” Kimberly grumbled.

Keyra could only shake her head at Kimberly’s insistence on trying to get closer to Nicholas.

When the owner of the name had just exited the meeting room and walked through the finance division area, the employees who had been making noise suddenly jumped in surprise as if hypnotized. They all quickly returned to their seats, pretending to be busy when their CEO passed by.

Feeling observed, the tall man stopped in his tracks and turned to look into the room. Instantly, the employees who had initially been paying attention pretended to be engrossed in their work. At the same time, Kimberly, who was also there, turned her face, and their eyes met.

“Is there something I can help you with, Mister?”

Nicholas paused for a moment before answering. “Your office is next door, right? So, what are you doing here?”

Kimberly bit her lower lip nervously, forgetting that the lunch break was over. It was evident that Nicholas was questioning why she looked like an employee wandering around.

“I’m having lunch here, mister,” Kimberly replied, trying to maintain a nonchalant expression.

“Quickly return to your office. Don’t forget that we have to go to the archive building in tower two soon,” Nicholas ordered, and Kimberly nodded in response.

She rose from her seat and followed her boss, who had already walked ahead to his office. While Kimberly grabbed a book and pen from her desk, Nicholas entered his office briefly and then came back out. Kimberly followed his lead.

Arriving at the archive building, which was located on the second floor, Kimberly scanned her surroundings. Many people dominated by construction workers were there, tasked with renovating the building that would later serve as the operational headquarters.

Accompanying Nicholas as he checked the renovation process, Kimberly lost track of time, and soon it grew dark outside. She quickly reminded Nicholas that it was already past six o’clock.

“Mister, it’s past six. We should return to the main building, especially since the lighting here is not fully operational. It could be troublesome for us to leave the building later.”

Nicholas, who had been engaged in a conversation with one of the project supervisors, nodded after hearing Kimberly’s words. Shortly after, they decided to head down to the ground floor.

On their way down to the ground floor, the electricity in the archive building suddenly went out, plunging the place into complete darkness. Kimberly, realizing this, screamed hysterically and clung tightly to Nicholas, unintentionally hugging her boss.

Nicholas was startled by Kimberly’s sudden embrace, certain that his secretary was extremely frightened at that moment. Still in the embrace, Nicholas tried to reach for his phone in his pants pocket and quickly turned it on.

“Hey, Kimberly. Look at me!” Nicholas requested, attempting to loosen Kimberly’s grip.

Kimberly kept her eyes tightly shut, ignoring Nicholas’s instructions. Nicholas then dared to reach for Kimberly’s chin and lifted her face so she wouldn’t look down again.

“Kimmy, hey. Don’t be afraid, I’m here. I promise to get you out of here.” Kimberly shook her head vigorously, still not confident in what Nicholas was saying.

“Open your eyes slowly, it’s not as dark as you imagine,” Nicholas coaxed.

Kimberly slowly opened her eyes. Looking around, she realized that the room was not as dark as before, thanks to the illumination from Nicholas’s phone. Seeing Kimberly still fearful and hesitant to move, Nicholas gazed deeply into her eyes.

“Don’t be afraid, I’ll get you out of here. Now follow my steps slowly.”

Nicholas held Kimberly’s hand tightly, which was damp from the cold sweat that had covered her body. Yes, she was truly frightened at this moment. Nicholas couldn’t help but wonder if his secretary had a phobia of the dark. He couldn’t draw any conclusions yet.

Slowly but surely, Kimberly began to follow Nicholas as he carefully descended the emergency stairs. One step at a time, they finally reached the ground floor.

“We’ve arrived. Wait here for a moment, I’ll contact security to turn on the generator,” Nicholas told Kimberly, who was still standing stiffly beside him.

Just as Nicholas finished contacting security, Kimberly suddenly collapsed unconscious. Nicholas struggled to wake her up. As a last resort, he decided to take her to the doctor.

****

“So, how is she, doctor?” Nicholas asked the middle-aged man in a white uniform before him.

“Is she your girlfriend?”

Before Nicholas could respond, the doctor continued, “Your girlfriend has nyctophobia, Sir,” the doctor replied.

Nicholas furrowed his brow in confusion.

“Could you explain it to me in detail?”

“So, your girlfriend has a psychological disorder where someone has an excessive fear of darkness. People with this disorder can feel panic or anxiety when in dark places, even in their own bedrooms. Fear of the dark is often experienced by children aged 2-8 years old. However, it’s not uncommon for adults or teenagers to have it as well. So far, the exact cause of this fear of darkness is not known. However, some studies suggest that people with a fear of darkness may have experienced traumatic events in dark places, leading to intense fear when they find themselves in the dark again.”

“Can this be cured, doctor?” Nicholas asked again.This text is © NôvelDrama/.Org.

While writing a prescription, the doctor responded, “I recommend that your girlfriend undergo therapy as soon as possible because an excessive fear of darkness can cause the person to feel stressed and uncomfortable. Furthermore, the fear of darkness can even lead to insomnia and, in severe cases, affect their mental health.”

Nicholas was taken aback by the doctor’s explanation this time. He never expected that the woman who had always seemed tough and fearless in front of him actually suffered from such a high-level fear.

“This is the prescription you need to get for your girlfriend. I hope Miss Kimberly will recover soon from her illness.” Nicholas nodded and then took the prescription from the doctor.

Meanwhile, on the bed, Kimberly slowly blinked her eyes, trying to gather her strength just to open them. When she managed to open her eyes fully, she looked around with a sense of confusion. Something was not right with what she was seeing.

“Where am I? This isn’t my room, is it?”