The Rise of the White Lotus

"Good." Upon seeing her flustered expression as she nodded, Nico smiled as he drew back. "What else do you need to arrange?" He asked, changing the subject as he shifted his gaze to the desk.

"Uhmm…" Andrea massaged her shoulder as she cleared her throat. This was not their first kiss not it was the second. To be exact, it was the third time they kissed within this almost one year of dating. 

Therefore, she wasn't used to this abrupt action. To be honest, it could still make her heart race as Nico wasn't this aggressive. He often waited for the right time and mood before they became intimate like a kiss or hug; even holding hands, they rarely do it!

So, what was this sudden kiss? Her upper lips could still feel the hotness of his breath, the menacing yet loving look in his eyes. But as she glanced at him, it seemed he wasn't as affected as her.

Unconsciously, Andrea was intently staring at him. Thus, Nico stared back, tilting his head to the side as he raised his brows in puzzlement. "Hmm?" He hummed a tune, snapping her back from her trance.

"I mean, just those files. I'll bring them to the customer service department before going home." She muttered, shrugging her thought off as she forced a smile on her lips. 

Of course, Nico noticed her action but decided not to mention it. After all, it was his fault for catching her off-guard. 'I shouldn't have listened to him… He's not a love guru.' He dissed internally, his jaw tightening as he arranged the folders Andrea pointed at.

Indeed, the only reason Nico had this grand idea was because Ethan Lu had been nagging him. Ethan together with Lyrick were as busybodies as ever and often interrogated him about his lovelife. When Nico told them how many times they kissed, he could still remember the look of disappointment in Ethan's face until now.

Nico, of course, didn't plan to listen to Ethan's advice as he was unreliable. However, deep down, he got a point. Moreover, the fact that his boss, Lexi, fell in love with him somehow added some impact to his advice.

That's why after weeks of trying to shrug the advice from Ethan, Nico decided to give it a shot. He didn't plan it the whole day, though. He just felt like being a little aggressive and not as a timid gentleman like always.

Perhaps, the fact that Andrea was not asking for his help even on small things upset him. That's why he acted the way he did. But now, it seemed it backfired as Andrea was a little distracted and uncomfortable with him.

'This is still my fault. Never listen to him, ever.' Nico frowned internally, repeating this reminder inside his head over and over again.

Shortly after they were done, Nico felt his phone vibrate and checked what it was. He already guessed it was Lyrick, but curious if they already arrived. After all, it has only been ten minutes since he last talked to Lyrick through the phone.

Without further ado, Nico checked Lyrick's message and his brows twitched. It says: 

[Can you drive my goddess home? My Boss has gone mad.]

"Mad?" Nico read aloud, his eyes twitched as he could imagine what kind of ridiculousness Ethan Lu did. 

Sure, everyone respected Ethan Lu for being a remarkable businessman. However, it was hard to see the image of a hopeless romantic Ethan Lu if they've been seeing it for the whole year. It was good for Lexi, as she deserved a loving husband.

For them, however, was just cringy. Who would have thought the remarkable Ethan Lu was akin to a cat that only wanted to snuggle with Lexi? Especially the look on his face whenever Lexi acted a little sweet towards him. He was melting! God, the horror!

"It seems that they wouldn't make it. I'll drive Madam Lu home." Nico didn't respond to Lyrick, but immediately informed Andrea about it. 

Before Ethan Lu took the job of picking his wife from work, Nico would often drive her home safe and sound. That rarely happened now after Ethan Lu went crazy and wanted to take all roles in her life.

Be it Lexi's driver, her main bodyguard, her husband, her business partner, the father of her children, Etha was that greedy of Lexi's attention. If he could snatch Frederick Yang's role, he would have done it already. 

One would say he was obsessed and Ethan would proudly accept that title: a simp. It was still a surprise that he hadn't built a statue of Lexi in his lands.

"Ohh… It's fine." As always, Andrea wasn't against it as she was well-aware of Nico's job. 

For a moment, Nico just stared at her in silence, causing her to raise her brows in bafflement. "Hmm?"

"Nothing." After a second, Nico shook his head sideways as he drew away from the desk. "Actually, I was a little disappointed, that's all." Just as he stepped back, Nico changed his mind as he spoke his concern. This would only be another unsolved concern that has been accumulating all this time because Andrea was too understanding.

Not that he preferred a toxic relationship. It was just that, she could be at least disappointed that he would have to cancel their dinner plans tonight because of work. But no, she wasn't. She even looked happy.

"Disappointed?" Surprised that he suddenly spoke his mind, Andrea furrowed her brows as her gaze fixated at his slightly annoyed visage.

"Yes, Andy. I am. One sec." Nico nodded his head, before he tapped on his phone and then shoved his hand along with the phone inside his pockets when he finished. "I was wondering if you really like me or you were just pressured to date me because you feel like you owed me something." He expressed, exhaling deeply as he stared back at her surprised front.

"Huh?" 

To keep his momentum, Nico gulped down as he continued. "This might sound petty, but I am canceling our dinner plans but you're not even disappointed -- not even the slightest."

"..." Andrea pursed her lips into a thin line, just staring at him as her nails played against each other. "You've been influenced by Master Lu?" Alas, instead of sticking into the topic, Andrea murmured as Nico sounded more like Ethan Lu.