Episode 10: Thicker than Water

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A/N: Here's chapter 10 as promised. Hope y'all have a blast! :)))

Episode 10: Thicker than Water

Emily woke up the next morning to an empty bed. Somewhere through the night she had felt Nicholas slip beneath the sheets and took a place beside her. It was strange and she was starting to wonder if she had imagined it without a dent in the space beside her to give her a clue. Maybe he had gotten up so early that that outline of his body had disappeared. Whatever it was, she tried not to think about it deeply and rolled out of bed. The digital clock beside her displayed that it was quarter past six o'clock.

Emily looked to the shower where the sound of water hitting a hard surface had awoken her.

Must be Nicholas, she guessed.

But why was he up so early? She thought bitterly.

Slipping her feet into the bed slippers, the woman looked around nervously when the sudden urge to pee hit her.

Oh no.

Emily squeezed her legs together as she took a seat on the sofa out in the area that resembled a living room. The fight to hold it was proving to be difficult as time passed and she still heard Nicholas humming lowly in the shower. Sweat beads started rolling down the side of her face. Emily pushed her pride away for the sake of her sanity and health, then knocked on the bathroom door.

The low hums ceased as the shower was turned off.

"Yes?" Nicholas asked, his voice sounding a bit muffled.

"Um...I need to use the toilet." Emily squeezed her eyes shut in misery as she felt it coming down.

There was a moment of silence, where in between, black crows could have passed if they wished to do so.

For Christ's sake-

"Come in." Nicholas finally gave permission.

Emily let out a huge sigh and twisted the knob to the door.

She tried not to divert her eyes away from the toilet as he turned back on the shower and continued to wash himself. The glass door was drawn but as Emily pulled her shorts down and started doing her business, trying to make as little sound as possible, she felt her gaze stray onto it.

She sat there, eyes in a daze as she saw the naked silhouette of Nicholas' body. There was nothing that she could make out other than the tanned complexion of his skin, but that alone and his towering height was enough to make her feel unusually excited. Her heart stopped when Nicholas suddenly faced her as if he could see through the fogged glass asking, "Aren't you finished?"

The atmosphere had grown awkwardly tense.

It was like the two of them were struggling with the palpable carnal desire that they had for each other.

This wasn't a scenario they could imagine happening so quickly, especially not after Emily's panicked reaction to him last night.

Currently, it was like they were both making things hard for each other, on purpose.

Separated by just a glass shower door.

So close yet so far...

Emily was quick in pulling up her shorts once she snapped out of it.

She cleared her throat.

"Yeah...yeah. I'm finished. Thank you."

Emily washed her hands in the sink and rubbed the moisture remaining on her hand on her face to cool it down.

What was wrong with her?

It wasn't the first time she had been in an intimate situation with a man. Hell, even though she hated Jake's guts, he made sure she didn't shy away from certain things as a grown woman. But every time she thought of Nicholas, her transition into a hormonal teenager took place.

When she was leaving the bathroom, puzzled, Emily started to drift into the unknown, like how Nicholas hadn't asked her to do anything such as sleeping with him as yet.

He was a healthy young man.

It was no surprise if he was trying to sate that hunger and drive. But if he wasn't getting what he desired to satisfy that want with Emily...

Then with whom?

She had told him that she wouldn't see any other man, but he never promised her the same thing when it came to women.

The thought of him doing intimate things with other women made Emily extremely jealous, even though she hated to admit this fact of the matter.

A wash of guilt spreaded over her as she realized she was thinking anomalies in her present character.

Dark and judgemental ones.

It was not fair to be thinking so badly about Nicholas nor those women when he has been nothing but welcoming to her. And these females knew nothing about her as well if they were even in the picture, she didn't know them personally to judge them either.

Fundamentally, in making space for someone in one's life was a big deal, however, Nicholas did this with such a sense of ease that Emily found no problems with living with him.

If what Nicholas was doing by accommodating her so nicely wasn't hospitality, then she didn't know what was.

Speak of the devil and he shall appear, she thought half-heartedly.

Nicholas was out of the shower within the next five minutes of her convoluted thoughts surrounding her. The freshly showered appearance of him was making Emily's heart leap out of her chest.

She sat up in the bed, and with her back against the headboard, she watched him get ready—like the creep she was morphing into.

Upon feling the heated gaze of Emily, he smiled to himself and turned around witnessing her eyes narrow onto his bare chest.

"Aren't you even the least bit shy?" She grumbled frustratingly, in every which way at that.

Nicholas' eyebrows raised at her question asked to him.

"About what? Standing like this before you? Why should I be when you're my wife?"

He watched as her cheeks heated up at his choice of words.

Aw, beautiful Emily, the admiration hit him before he knew it.

She had no idea the restraint he had to endure last night as he laid beside her sleeping form. A woman had never looked more lovely with her face bare. The moonlight that shined through the window had accentuated her sharp features and Nicholas lay there, staring at her plump red lips that teased him all throughout the night.

He even had to resist the caveman instinct of putting his right hand to work when it became impossible for him to fall asleep.

"I won't be able to show you around Los Angeles until later today because of my meeting. My apologies." He informed her from the closet he had fled too when Emily's brown eyes became too much for the strain in his groin.

He couldn't afford for her to see him get...awoken by her in her presence.

How awkward would that be?

"It's okay," he heard her sing, "I'll be able to find my way round the city by myself just fine. We can meet up somewhere secluded for dinner later on."

"Oh. Then again, I shouldn't be surprised that a woman of your status knows her way around the city of Los Angeles."

He was referring to her family's wealth and she knew it.

The Pinault Family was one the most distinguished households in the world, famous for their manufacturing of the finest jewellery.

Her grandfather was the honorary chairman of the world's second biggest jewellery retailer, Wang's Jewellery Group. Her father made his own name and generated additional wealth by investing in diamond and copper mines in the Democratic Republic of Congo's (DRC). Years later, he married the daughter of Walton Industries, a chemical manufacturing company.

To say that she was a child that grew up with everything was an understatement.

Because her family was everything.

However, the discussion about her familial ties, or a lack thereof, was a sore spot for her so she changed the topic quickly.

"I know many places in the city that we can go to eat and not get caught. Do you have any suggestions as well? Or do you just want to order room service and eat in..." Emily trailed off in uncertainty of his preferences.

Nicholas peeped his head out.

"I brought you along with me to enjoy the city, Emily. I don't want you cooped up in the hotel. Go out and enjoy the weather even if it's not with me, and later I will send you a text of the address for the restaurant I have already made a reservation for."

Yes! She fist pumped mentally.

So he did plan on taking her out to eat.

Emily let her cheeks spread in a free smile when he was out of sight.

A romantic night with Mr. King himself?

What more could a girl ask for?

The handsome devil emerged from the walk-in closet looking super handsome in a simple burgundy suit. He was having troubles with fixing the tie around his neck until he just discarded of it.

The woman was on her feet in an instant.

She reached for the grey tie and took him off guard when she reached up on the tip of her toes.

Nicholas allowed her to pull it into knots as he looked down at her concentrated expression. There was an emotion that was becoming too familiar anytime he was in her presence, and oddly enough, he found himself embracing it. Just when Emily finished the last knot with a satisfied smile, Nicholas startled her as he wrapped his arms around her waist, prohibiting her from separating them.

Their eyes connected—a light, innocent hue of brown meeting another confident pair that was dark and dangerous.

Polar opposites but also one of the same.

Nicholas smirked as he placed his right hand on Emily's cheek, her eyes fluttering close at the coolness of his skin.

His focus shifted to her lips, "You just can't help yourself from being a tease, can you?"

Emily's eyes flew open at his words.

What did he mean?

Nicholas sighed at her witless self and removed his hands. It throbbed in its protest of losing contact with her, but he had to stop before he got ahead of himself like the last time.

She wasn't ready for what he had in store for her.

Thus, he spared her one of his rare smiles, stunning her for a moment before saying the most formal thing in comparison.

"Thank you for knotting my tie, Emily. I'll see you at around six."

And she melted on the spot because of his mesmerizing eyes that promised her a night to remember.

• • •

In the blinding light of what felt like an August afternoon, Emily could feel her loose shirt start to cling to her back. There was a slight sting to her eyes - the mascara had started to get sticky because of how humid it was.

After walking around Los Angeles where she had concurrently went to visit the studio of an old friend, Emily spent the rest of the day window shopping. It could be seen that the fashion was very intricate in their designs within the stores just by the displays. She made a mental note to return and purchase the items she liked. Half an hour hadn't passed before she made a u-turn, went back and bought them. Her lack of self control was incomparable.

It wasn't until she saw a café that she decided to stop her splurging, indicative of both her hands that were full of brand name bags like Chanel.

Emily sighed as she entered the air conditioning of the building. The heat outside was scorching. It was unlike anything she had ever experienced in New York City. The fact that it was only early November in this city had been hard to accept. If it wasn't scientifically proven, she wouldn't have believed it compared to her hometown. Here, not a single person's jacket received love in the weather, their hearts abandoning gloves. Most of them walked as if they were taking a stroll at the beach under the heat of a summer's sun. As if it wasn't basically winter!

This quick shift in climate had come in an untimely manner, and the actress' body was having a hard time coping with it. Based on her non-stop perspiration, she was going to become truly dehydrated soon.

Emily was quick to visit the café for a drink to cool down.

Having a cold drink in this heat felt like the greatest luxury on earth.

Emily thanked the cashier who handed her a caramel macchiato tentatively.

She turned the cup to her head like it was the last saving grace on earth.

The shaved ice fell out the plastic cup and rested against Emily's lips and she chewed it just for fun. Her fingers slid the condensation on her fingers as she held the cup and regained their grip. She felt a chill run down her esophagus and shook her head involuntarily. The numbness crept into her brain the way it did when a kid was drinking a slurpee too fast.

Emily winced at her own demise and began to leave the shop before she embarrassed herself any further.

As she pushed the door leave, another person was pulling it open. The woman outside was nice enough to fully open the door for Emily. She was about to thank them when her eyes caught sight of the person before her.

She froze.

Looking as if she hadn't aged a year over thirty with her bobbed, blonde hair and the white pants suit she wore being immaculate in all angles, Juliet Pinault's eyes expanded in surprise.

Of all the people...why did she have to meet her mother here?

She straightened her back, prepping herself for the disappointment or rage her mother was bound to express.

Emily wore a face with an expectation for anger from her mother, but that anger that just didn't exist anymore.

All Juliet had for her daughter was love.

And all she ever wanted was to keep her safe.

She admitted that the way her husband and her had gone about achieving this wasn't necessarily right, and there was so much misplaced guilt.

In truth, Emily was still such a kid in their eyes. One that didn't quite grow into her adult body.

Her mother realized between the time of their extensive fight that Emily needed to learn from own her mistakes. Indeed, that was the only way she would realize what she truly wanted from life. And when she finally does this in the future, her mother will be ready to help her heal and persevere in any which way.

Her eyes glosses over with unwanted memories.

Two years ago, Emily barged through the front door of her parent's mansion in a ball of fury.

She couldn't believe that her father had told Jake that he wasn't good enough for her right in front of her face.

Who was he to tell her who was suited for her or not?

Emily was an adult; she could date whomever she pleased!

"Emily, calm down." Her mother demanded when she had entered the house right after her.

The girl could see the dictatorial figure of the man approaching.

Her father had his nose turned up in the most condescending way as those dark eyes showed no sign of remorse for the insulting position he had put Jake in. No less, how he had disgraced him at the dinner they just had. Blunt enough that her boyfriend looked like he was on the brink of tears.

He really wanted to impress them, even bought a new suit and everything, but look at what he got in return?

Disrespect.

This was not fair.

Her father needed to apologize for his harsh words.

"Who gave you the right to do that?" Emily blocked the towering man from retreating up the stairs like he had planned.

James Pinault looked down at his daughter with warning eyes.

He was wondering if she had been intellectually circumcised for her to obstruct his path like this.

"Where are your manners, young lady?" He hissed, referring to how fiercely she was behaving.

She bristled.

"Where were yours twenty minutes ago when you told Jake that he wasn't good enough for me? That he isn't a man because he's distracting me from my career."

Growling, Mr. Pinault pointed a finger at her.

"Emily!"

"Father!" A younger and more naïve version of Emily barked back.

His eyebrows furrowed in indignation as he looked at the girl he called his princess.

Now, she really was behaving like a spoiled brat.

"I love Jake," she confessed profoundly, "Whether he's distracting me from acting or not, it's my decision to let him do so. Please respect that decision. Don't let Jake shoulder all of the blame. If you have someone to be upset with, it's me, not him. He's innocent in all of this."

"Emily," her father's teeth were grinding against each other, "Sometimes love can be a bad thing. Matter of fact, it isn't love if you're giving up something you have worked so hard for and are passionate about just for him. As a man who claims he loves you, he should be telling you to chase after your dreams and do what makes you happy. Not put you in a cage and try to have you all to himself. The boy's selfish. One day, you'll understand the true meaning of love; sacrifice, dedication and trust. But this - this is not it, Emily."

Her lips pursed.

"You cannot tell me what to feel, father. And neither can you tell me what to do with my life."

He folded his arm across his broad chest, the golden watch on his wrist almost blinding.

"As you are still living under my roof, you still have to abide by my rules."

"That's unfair!"

"Emily!" Her mother finally chimed in, having had enough of her daughter's tantrum.

"No, mother!" She continued in all spite. "We're talking about my love life here! Are you trying to tell me who and who I cannot date?"

"No. I am trying to tell you that who you're currently with isn't a suitable match. Not once, have I ever thought of arranging your marriage like most families of our status do for beneficial gains. But just know that I will not grant my blessings if this relationship progresses any further like it has."

Emily felt a tear roll down her cheek.

What her father was saying was that... he would never accept Jake.

Why couldn't he just get it in his thick skull that he was the one she wanted?!

He was the one that made her feel happy and free!

"Well if that's the case," Emily wiped at the corner of her eyes, knowing that her and Jake were already making maritial plans. "I do not wish to live under your roof anymore."

Her mother began to panic at such a bold statement.

She was flustered and by her daughter's side in a split second.

The same child was too busy returning the glare that her father sent her way.

"Child, what are you saying? You know that you should not speak out of anger!"

"I am not speaking out of anger, mother! I am really leaving this place!" Emily flashed off her mother's hands and ran up the spiralling staircase.

She dashed down the hallways and made it to her bedroom where she had started packing her stuff. Amidst all the clothes stuffing and her sniffing, Emily heard the door to her right click.

She tensed.

She darted to the mahogany door and turned the knob only to notice something.

It had been locked from the outside.

Her hands beat against the hard wood. "Open the door, father!"

James Pinault stood on the other side with his weeping wife at a distance. His face had a dark shadow over it and his eyes were unforgiving.

"I will not be letting you out of this room until you realize how foolish you are being. Reflect on your actions and when you come to your

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