Heartbeat

"DARN!" Nicole groaned when the wood she had intentionally knocked down hit her head hard. Her plan earlier was to only create noise to grab Steven's attention. She would have pretended to be hurt, but her karma seemed to hate her and the wood retaliated. She took a wrong step so she could not avoid the wood that was leaning against the wall.

"Fuck!" Josh's eyes widened and he quickly ran to where Nicole was.

But Steven was faster and closer to her, thus he was the one to catch her when she lost her balance.

"Tss! Why does the speed of karma return to me quickly instead of Danica?" complaint of a part of Nicole's mind as she rubbed her forehead with both palms.

Nicole felt her surroundings circling around her and even the wall she was leaning against was moving as well. Her eyes remained closed, she was busy debating with herself.

"Sir, I'll carry her instead." Josh said to Steven. He was about to take Nicole from him, but Steven glared at him.

"Pay attention to your staff instead because they've been careless in their work!" Steven scolded Josh. He blamed them for leaving a wood somewhere.

Nicole stumbled to her feet when she heard the wall she was leaning on, speak.

"What? The wall is speaking?" she was so shocked in her mind.

It was only then that Nicole realized where she was and why the side of her head is hurting. She quickly opened her eyes and turned carelessly. But she just became more dizzy and the headache increased so she complained of pain again.

"Hold on, I will bring you to the hospital." Steven said worriedly and carried her.

Josh just sighed and followed Steven with his gaze. Some of the staff quickly approached him and they nervously apologized for their negligence. He didn't want to make the issue a big deal, thus he just scolded them.

Though dizzy, Nicole secretly smirked and let the young man do what he wanted to do to her. She knew she just took his attention from his daughter. But Danica was just using her, so she quickly dismisses the conscience she feels for the child.

Tony, who was leaning on the car, stood straight when he saw the boss with Nicole in his arms. "Where are we going, Sir?" he asked Steven worriedly as he opened the door.

"Let's take her to the hospital to be examined."

Nicole kept her eyes closed when Steven got her in the car. He moves quickly and has turned immediately to the other door and now he was sitting next to her. She no longer resisted as he gently pulled her head and made her lean on his shoulder.

"I'm fine, there's no need..."

"Don't be hard-headed!" Steven interrupted what she wanted to say. This is one of the reasons why he did not agree to let her go to this site alone.

Nicole was left speechless when the young man's voice sounded angry. Earlier in the office, she was also told she was stubborn. It looks like the step she took earlier was really wrong. The young man will surely be even more strict in her handling of the project now because of what happened. She did not know, but she suddenly forgot the real reason why she was clinging to the young man. She liked the feeling that the young man had been aggressive in protecting her safety.

Danica closed her eyes tightly when her daughter said that her father had taken his female companion to the hospital. She tried to calm herself down and not show the child that she was angry. When she opened her eyes, she smiled at her.

"Do you want Mommy to always be happy?" she asked Daniela softly.

A series of nods became the child's response to her mother. She was afraid just a while ago because she seemed angry again.

"You need to help Mommy take away the woman who wants to snatch Daddy from us."

"What do you mean, Mommy?" Daniela asked her mother confusedly.

"The woman with your daddy is a bad person. She's trying to steal Daddy from us and she wants to take him home."

"No! I don't want Daddy to love any other woman besides the two of us!" Daniela's tears flowed one after another and she started a tantrum.

Danica smirked and let the child cry out of resentment towards her father. She can't be forced to leave the room and she didn't want to eat, so her grandmother was forced to call Steven. She was going crazy and was throwing toys away while calling her father.

"I want daddy to come home! I only want daddy..."

Steven breathed a sigh of relief when the result of Nicole's check-up went well.

"I'll take you home," Steven said as they left the building.

"You don't have to. Bedsides, I still have something to finish in the office." Nicole refused the young man. It was too early to go home and she didn't want to waste time.

"Don't be stubborn. You need to rest even if the doctor says you're okay." Steven insisted with a flat tone of voice.

Nicole could have argued with the young man, but she saw Tony rushing towards them.

"Sir, Madame Asuncion wanted me to tell you that she has been calling you."

Steven's forehead furrowed and he searched for his phone in his pocket.

"You left it in the car, Sir." Tony handed over the boss's phone. He was out of the car earlier so he didn't hear it either. The madam just called him on his own phone.

Steven let Nicole get into the car first before deciding to call his grandmother.

From what Nicole sees in the young man's facial expression, there seems to be a problem in their house.

Steven reopened the car door after ending the call. "I'm sorry but I need to go home. I'll let Tony send you home."

"Is there a problem?" she asked the young man with concern.

"It's not big, it was just my daughter and she's not in a good mood, so I have to go home first." Steven doesn’t know why he says his private problem with this woman. But he was pleased to see her worried face when he mentioned his daughter.

"Is she okay? Is she sick?"

"I don't know yet, but my grandma told me that she doesn't want to eat or come out of her room."

Nicole couldn't help the tears forming in her eyes. She is worried about the child, if she is feeling bad. Or maybe Danica hurt her? She bit the inside of her lip to suppress her impulsivity. It wasn't time yet, she quickly averted her gaze from Steven before he could read the contents of her mind.

"I'm sure that she's so pretty."

Steven stared at her face. She was smiling, but he felt she was sad. "Yes, she is… like her mother."

Nicole's heartbeat quickened and the young man's intense gazes pierced her core. She knew that he was referring to Daniela's real mother and did not think that he would look at her that way. From what she remembers, he hated her and did not accept her to be the mother of his child.

"I have to go."

Steven was no longer in front, but Nicole was still stunned, looking at where the young man had been standing before. She only came back to reality when Tony hemmed. When she looked at him, he had a teasing look on his face.

"Your daughter is talkative and I often hear her asking her father who she looks like."

Nicole smiled tearfully and thanked the gentleman. He told her the behavior of her daughter and somehow alleviated her longing for her.

Tony scratched his head when he remembered the last thing he said to the little girl when they last talked. She was left in the car with him so he could talk to her freely. He couldn’t help but say that she didn’t look like her mother. He was referring to the mother that she recognizes.

It was also good for Nicole to go home early because it relieved the sadness she felt by seeing Sean. He was so happy to see her and she has a lot of time for him. She also cooked his favorite food for him.

Steven went to his daughter's room when he arrived at the mansion. Her toys were scattered on the floor and he found her sitting in a corner. She was like this once when she was only two years old. This happens when she is upset with him or when he did not give her what she wanted.

"Daddy is here." He called softly to the child. Her heart was almost broken with pity for his daughter when he saw the tears in her eyes.

"Daddy, I don't want another mommy!" She hugged his neck tightly when he lifted her.

Steven's eyebrows met. He didn’t know where his daughter got such an idea. But when he remembered that he had talked to her on the cellphone earlier, he realized that was why she thought of that thing.

"Hush, you're too young to think that kind of thing. Daddy always loves you."

"But who was the woman with you before?" Daniela pouted and asked her father.

Steven quickly looked away from his daughter's lips because he remembered her real mother again. He doesn't want to think about it, but the two are so alike. Even though he just met his new business partner, he noticed that she was behaving like her daughter.