Chapter 198

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The Valiant Voyager, Jarrod's private yacht, docked at the seaside port. It was a three-hour drive from the city center.

It was already afternoon when Nicole arrived there.

He had not taken anything this morning because he had to go to his laboratory tests on an empty stomach. Later, when she hurried to the company, she was overwhelmed by these matters with the deals. For a whole long day, he didn't have time to eat anything. Until now, his stomach was empty.

His stomach felt like it was burning, not from hunger but from some kind of internal heat.

A miserable smile slowly spread across Nicole's face. He felt like this often since the beginning of the year. Now that he had been diagnosed with stomach cancer, he knew it was a sign that his stomach was in pain and had warned him to pay attention to his health.

But alas, he hadn't paid much attention to his condition since Jarrod's return. After all, taking care of him had taken the most time and effort.

If he had not missed the best time for treatment, his condition would not have worsened like this.

Now, it was too late for everything.

When Nicole got out of the car, the cold wind of late December hit her face. It felt like a blade cutting into his skin. He wrapped his coat around his body and headed towards the dock that led to the prominent ultra-luxury yacht.

Two black-clad bodyguards were there, checking the guests' invitations before they could board.

Nicole called Jarrod, who responded quickly.

She hurriedly said, “Jarrod, I'm outside Valiant Voyager. Can you come down to see me? Or can I go up?”

«I already told you that I am busy today and I don't want to see you. Get out of here." Jarrod replied impatiently.

«Jarrod, please. “It will only be five minutes,” Nicole pleaded. He wasn't going to give up.

«Not even five seconds. All my time today is just for Jamie,” Jarrod refused coldly.

«So get out! Don't let him see your disgusted face.

Nicole then heard a beep.

Jarrod hung up without even giving him a chance to explain.

Nicole dialed Jarrod's number again. But this time, all he got was a busy tone. It seemed like he had blocked her.

He remained for almost two hours in the cold wind, hugging his coat. His assistant called again to inform him that one of his partners, who was unhappy with his products, had called to ask for them back.

It wasn't a good sign. It seemed that this partner was thinking about ending their collaboration.

Nicole clenched her fists tightly. She went forward, took money from her wallet and put it in the bodyguards' hands to try to bribe them to let her enter.

But the bodyguards shook their heads and hands.

He understood what they were worried about. So he hurriedly explained: “Please take it. I won't make it difficult for you.

Just do me a favor. Tell Jamie that Nicole is here and that you want to talk to her. If she doesn't want to see me, I will leave immediately. "I won't cause you any trouble."

Nicole was betting on whether Jamie's hatred of her was enough to let her in. Once inside, he would have the chance to see Jarrod. In that case, you could manage to talk to him, thus saving your company from bankruptcy. She must see Jarrod tonight, no matter what.

These bodyguards were surely very well paid, so it was useless for Nicole to bribe them to let her come on board. But they could convey their message to Jamie.

Indeed, one of the bodyguards took the money and approached to ask.

After a few minutes, the bodyguard returned with good news.

"Miss Powell is willing to let you come aboard."

Nicole knew she had won. He clenched his fists tightly and climbed onto the yacht.

When Nicole got on deck, she saw how great Jamie's birthday party was.

The entire yacht was adorned with exquisite flowers. Glittering glass lanterns hung everywhere. The floor was covered with expensive Persian rugs. In front of the captain's lounge, a five-star chef was preparing an unlimited buffet of meticulously prepared and appetizing dishes that made Nicole's stomach hurt even more.

A waiter approached Nicole and guided her through the crowd. She soon found Jamie, who was surrounded by many famous people. Next to Jamie was Jarrod, who looked gorgeous in his tailored suit.

Jamie, in her cherry red dress and luxurious head-to-toe jewelry, gave off the air of an heiress.

But of course everyone knew that the Powell family had long since fallen from grace. Jamie had a reckless older brother who had single-handedly bankrupted his company, leaving them with debts worth hundreds of millions.

If it weren't for Jarrod, the Powell family would no longer have a place in Ardlens.

Jarrod had spent money lavishly to maintain Jamie's status as a socialite.

While chatting with her friends around her, Jamie leaned against Jarrod's chest.

Nicole had been waiting there for almost half an hour, but Jamie didn't even spare her a glance. He had witnessed how Jarrod adored Jamie. He was so considerate that he stopped Jamie from drinking, took off his coat, and wrapped it around Jamie's shoulders.

He also showered Jamie with loving smiles.

As she watched Jarrod smile charmingly, Nicole was stunned for a moment.

He couldn't remember the last time he had seen Jarrod smile like that.

Jarrod had a dimple at the corner of his mouth. When he smiled, his intimidating aura softened. It seemed that he had transformed into a cheerful and handsome young man.

However, he rarely smiled. You could say he almost never did, except when he was with Jamie.

After all, the business world was like a battlefield. And a company needed a determined and ruthless leader, not a gentleman. Jarrod knew very well how to avoid showing his vulnerability.

He only put away his arrogance when Jamie was around. He became the thoughtful Jarrod that Nicole remembered.

Suddenly, the pungent smell of alcohol filled the air.

Then, there was a loud splash.

Before Nicole could react, red wine splashed on her white coat.

After this, a voice with a strong smell of alcohol rang out.

«Whoops!

I'm sorry honey. My fault. My hand is slippery. "I didn't want to spill wine on you."

Nicole looked up and saw Howe Powell, Jamie's older brother.

He remembered him because he had seen him in a video he had seen before.

Before Nicole could say anything, Howe commented, "Let me dry that wine for you."

As he spoke, he extended his hands towards Nicole.

But wine splashed on Nicole's chest. His lascivious expression made it seem like he wanted to take advantage of the situation to touch her.

Nicole stepped back coldly and said politely, “It’s okay.”

I had already heard of Howe. He was famous in Ardlens for being a womanizer. Furthermore, his sexual preferences were particularly abnormal. He was rumored to have played some women to death in bed. The Powell family had spent a significant sum of money to settle the matter.

Nicole once suspected that Jarrod might have learned some tactics from Howe.

But when he accidentally saw Howe's video circulating on the Internet, he realized that Howe's tactics were much worse than Jarrod's.

At best, when Jarrod was excited, he enjoyed watching others beg for mercy.

Howe, on the other hand, liked to hurt women. He used all kinds of twisted objects to stab them.

Seeing Howe's face, Nicole felt so disgusted that she wanted to vomit. But she knew she couldn't offend him, so she took two steps back and lowered her gaze, trying not to provoke him.

However, Howe wasn't done yet. The reason he had come to Jamie's birthday party was to find a woman to have a good time with.

How could I let a beauty like Nicole escape?

Just seeing Nicole's incredible figure made his mouth water.

Furthermore, Nicole was not a fake socialite. She was a real heiress to a wealthy family. His entire being exuded nobility and elegance.

So Howe was very determined to sleep with her.

He stepped forward, grabbed Nicole by the hand, and forcefully shoved several bills into her chest. Then, he said in a vulgar and despicable way: “Beauty, that's not worth it. I ruined your coat, so I have to make it up to you. Come downstairs with me and I'll give you something better.

When he said below, he was referring to the luxurious lounge below the yacht, which was as opulent as a hotel suite.

Howe's grip on her hand made Nicole feel like a poisonous snake was crawling up her back. He couldn't help but tremble.

He immediately struggled to free himself.

But since Howe was under the influence of alcohol, he felt empowered. He ignored Nicole's resistance and dragged her down.

Howe figured that since Jarrod would be his future brother-in-law, the yacht he owned was also his. And he knew that even if he slept with Nicole, Jarrod wouldn't stop him. Jarrod would even clean up his mess.

Nicole was caught off guard. He could only cling to a column and ask for help. However, Howe quickly covered her mouth to make sure no one heard her.

But Nicole was determined not to become one of Howe's helpless victims. He reached out and scratched her face. His face bled immediately.

Howe was in so much pain that he suddenly raised his hand.

A crisp slap sound resounded.

Howe slapped Nicole hard across the face.

"Bitch! Who do you think you are to hurt me? "You must be courting death."

He then grabbed Nicole by the hair and slammed her head hard against the railing of the yacht, attempting to knock her unconscious.

Nicole felt like her head was ringing. Then, a burst of white light came out of his head.

Nicole hadn't eaten anything all day and was already feeling very weak. That's why when Howe slapped her hard, she felt like her soul had left her body.

He closed his eyes. Suddenly, she felt a bottle of wine under her.

He thought about breaking it over Howe's head.

But before Nicole could make a move, Howe noticed the bottle. He bent down, picked it up, and lifted it up, smiling sinisterly.

“Do you want me to use this to serve you better?”

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