Trembling

"Rita was said to be young when the accident happened with her parents. The cruise ship they were on sank and her parents were not lucky enough to survive. Rita survived and was stranded on a remote island with the child known as Nica."

Kanor told the story to Nicole. He would have said more, but stopped when he noticed the reaction on her face.

"What's the problem?" he asked Nicole worriedly.

"Impossible," Nicole whispered tremblingly as she shook her head.

"Why?" He asked the woman again. It seemed like she had forgotten that he was there in front of her.

"How could she do all this to me and how did she find Tata?" Nica spoke to herself again. She remembered the memory from her childhood.

"Just call me Nica." Nicole introduces herself to the child she has been with before floating in the sea. She used to introduce that name to others as her nickname.

Even at the age of eight, her courage was strong. Only people close to her call her by her nickname.

"My name is Ri…"

The girl could not continue pronouncing her name because her voice was shivering with cold and raspy in crying. She knew their ages would not be far apart. She felt sorry for her because she looked discouraged unlike her.

"I'll just call you Tata." She gave her a nickname and smiled.

"Aren't you… scared?"

The girl asked her. She approached her and hugged her noticing that she was already shivering from the cold. They both have wet clothes. The sun is still warm and she thinks it's around noon. She often joins their school's campaign as a girl scout, thus she knew little about how they can survive on that island.

"Fear doesn't help our situation right now. You need to be strong so we can survive together." Nicole said, trying to sound courageous.

When the cruise ship sank earlier, her father made her wear a life jacket. She struggled to hold back the tears when she remembered her father. She was separated from him because there was a commotion earlier. She was floating in the sea and many were shouting and asking for help.

Tata was one of those she saw having difficulty and in a panic, even though she was wearing a life jacket. She traveled with her father back then, a gift for her birthday. She approached her and helped her clung to something floating on the water. She gripped her hand tightly as the waves splashed against them. Together they drifted on the waves until they landed on an uninhabited island.

"Don't leave me, I'm scared." The girl was trembling as she pleaded with Nicole.

"Promise, I won't leave you. Stop crying because you'll only get sicker." Nicole comforted her and she could feel Tata having a very high fever.

They looked for a tree to shelter and let her companion lean on it. She also looked for dried leaves to make a temporary blanket.

"Thank you! I owe you a lot. Can you be my best friend?" Tata's lips trembled and managed to smile when Nicole nodded.

It was not long before a woodcutter met them. He helped them and took them to his home. A few days later, rescuers arrived and took them to the hospital to ensure their health.

"Will we meet again?" Tata asked, staring straight at her.

"I'll look for you when I grow up. That's a promise." Nicole responded with a smile before they part ways.

Nicole's last news to Tata from the rescuers' conversation was that she was moved to a different hospital. The child allegedly had an infection so she remained asleep and could not talk.

"Nicole, Hija?" Kanor called to the stunned woman.

Nicole blinked before turning her gaze to the gentleman. Tears welled up in her eyes because of the anger she felt. Her grudges against Danica increased now that she remembered the tragedy then. Because she considered Danica a friend, she didn't hide anything from her. She didn’t know how she found Tata and pretended she was her.

"She's too much! She wasn't content with just claiming my identity and now she's the mother figure of one of my children!" Her voice was rasped because of the mixed emotions she was feeling.

"Wait, you're the girl Rita was with on the island?" Kanor's eyes widened as he stared at the woman.

He was shocked when Nicole nodded in response to his question. "They need to know the truth…"

"Not now." Nicole cut the gentleman's thought. "Danica's heart is full of evil, I can't give her a reason to harm my third child, I still want to see her."

Kanor understood the woman. He could do nothing but hug her to sympathize. "You can find her and recover everything that woman stole from you."

"That's why Rita loves Danica like that. Because she thought she was the girl she considered her best friend." Nicole exclaimed dejectedly.

With the apparent closeness of the two, she knows that Rita thinks she was the evil one. Danica planned all that so she wouldn't believe even if she told the truth. But there was something she hadn't told Danica before that she knew Rita would remember. She will release it at the right time.

Nicole wore high heels and she looked like a model walking down the hallway to Steven's office. Her smooth and long legs are also exposed with her skirt that is above the knee. She paired it with a white long sleeve top and her hair is just left loose.

"Do you know her?" Rochelle asked Andreah who was Steven's secretary when she saw a woman the latter allowed to enter into the office of their big boss.

"I've only just seen her and she looks like an important person because Sir told me to let her in when she arrives." Andreah replied to the woman she knew was just gossiping for her boss.

"Let me know when you get any other news about her." Rochelle whispered to her friend before simply leaving.

Steven's stare at Nicole remained formal, but he couldn't help but swallow his own saliva when he saw the beautiful shape of her body.

"Did I arrive too early?" Nicole asked with a smile after saying a greeting.

"You are just right in time, please have a seat." Steven pulled a chair for her. He rarely does that for a woman and his body moves involuntarily.

"Thank you!" She thanked him as her eyes wandered around the room. It was big and she saw there was a connecting door on the left side of the wall.

"I've prepared an office for you downstairs because there's only one vacancy there," Steven said as he opened the drawer and handed her the key to the office.

Nicole accepted the key, destiny seemed to be playing tricks on her and she was still placed on the floor where she used to work at.

"You can start anytime and you don't need to rush."

"I do what I have to and I don't want to waste time." Her response to the young man was serious.

Steven stared at the woman intently. She suddenly became formal when it came to work. He was the same, but he didn’t expect her to be a professional with how she looked. If he was basing only on the outside, he can say that she is a party-loving woman. The type who knew nothing else in life but to just look beautiful and go shopping. His sister is like that and he just lets her go because her husband-to-be will be the one to manage her share of their wealth.

"We'll get along on that."

Nicole noticed the slight lift of the corner of the young man's lip. Even without smiling, she knew he was impressed with her character. They stood together and he would accompany her to her office.

"Miss Andreah, please cancel all of my appointments for this morning. I have an important matter to discuss with Miss Twartz." Steven instructed his secretary before leaving.

Andreah's gaze follows the two. In her mind, it looks like there will be jealousy because of the arrival of the new woman. Only now did she saw the boss personally took care of a new employee of the company. Mr. Grey usually does that work even if the person was a business partner.

Danica got up from her seat when she heard Rochelle's news.

"I heard that she is Sir Steven's new partner in the hotel to be built next to the mall being built." Rochelle had more news for her.

"Come with me." Danica hurried out of the office to see her fiance's female guest.

"Sir Steven is not here, Ma'am." Andreah blocked Danica before she can open the door of Steven's office.

Danica raised an eyebrow at the woman. She was not in the mood to act kindly.

"He left and accompanied Miss Twartz to her office downstairs."

Danica's face creased even more. When else has Steven been like this to someone? Even to her, he was not a gentleman in public. He never even wait for her or walk with her if she did not make a way.

"Go and tell him I'm waiting in his office. Tell him we need to leave earlier." She angrily commands her boyfriend's secretary.

Andreah frowned after turning her back on the woman. She acts like the whole company belongs to her.

The boss walks around the entire department and the woman was with him when she saw them. She can see in the faces of everyone there the admiration for the beauty of the woman. Andreah suddenly thought of something silly to get revenge for Danica's arrogance to her earlier.

"What I told you earlier is what you follow." Steven's hard response to his secretary.

"I'm sorry, Sir. Your fiance said that it was about something important." Andreah said as she bowed her head.

"You may go."

Nicole didn’t know if Steven was angry or what because he had no readable emotion on his face. "Are you getting married?" She commented when his secretary left.

Instead of answering his new partner, Steven turned away. He didn't care if everyone already knew about Danica and him. But now he feels differently. He felt the woman follow him and did not ask again.

Steven knew Nicole's face was familiar to the employees there. He intentionally brought her there because he wanted to know if he was the only one who noticed that she looked similar to the Nicole they knew. He introduced her to everyone there, especially to the department manager.

"Are you really not the Nicole who was my assistant then?" Troy asked the girl curiously. Even at his age, he admired the unique beauty of today's woman.

Nicole gave a look of asking for help at the young man and she pretended to be confused by the question.

"I'm sorry, she's been gone for a long time. You look very much like her, the only difference is your style and the color of the eyes." Troy was embarrassed. He also apologized to the young boss because he knew he didn't want to gossip about the woman who had passed away.

"Nice to meet you, Sir Troy. And it looks like the woman who looked like me has played a big part in this company." She smiled at him.

Steven immediately interrupted the two's conversation. He did not want Miss Twartz to know that she looks like the real mother of her child.

"Ma'am Danica, I'm sorry, but Sir Steven said that what he and Ms. Twartz are talking about is more important."

Danica glared at Andreah. She seemed to be teasing her and making her look like she is not important in Steven’s life.

Andrea quickly averted her eyes from the woman and secretly smiled as she had a little revenge.

"When I find out you're just lying, you know what will happen!" Danica threatened the secretary before turning away.

Rochelle glared at Andreah before following Danica. She knew that she would attack their big boss and show his new partner that the young man was hers.