Chapter 67: Chapter 67

NELINA

I woke up with a handsome man beside me, and I couldn't help but stare at him for a while before moving out of my bed. Yes, I was in my bed; Royce slept with me after a great night. He made an effort, though, so why not? Besides, I realized I might have been overreacting. After his explanation, Royce told me a valid reason, yet I showed him a bitchy attitude.

Royce never gets tired of understanding; even at times, I was hard to be with. He is the cutest. I thought to myself as I poked the tip of his nose. No reaction from him; he must have been exhausted last night.

I jolted when my phone vibrated on the side table. I slowly move out of the sheet, exposing my naked body. I grabbed the phone from the side table, scrunching my eyebrow in confusion. An unknown number was blinking on the screen.

I swiped the screen to answer the call.

"Hello, who is this?" I whispered to avoid waking up Royce.

"Nelly, it's Lucy, Royce's mom. Do you still remember me? We met at Royce's condo."

"Of course, Ms. Lucy, I remember you. I'm sorry if I had to lower down my voice. Royce is still sleeping; I can't wake him up."

I slapped my mouth, realizing it was pretty embarrassing to confess about our arrangement. My face heated, and I wished not to meet Ms. Lucy in person for a while. But the opposite was about to happen.

"Nelly, you can call me Lucy or mom, no need for formality."

"Sure, mom. It's quite easy for me to utter the word mom rather than just your name. It feels like I have no respect if I call you just by your name."

"Oh, Nelly, you seem like a sweet girl. My son is blessed to have you. By the way, I'm gonna ask you a favor, Nelly. If possible, we can meet for lunch. I'll have a driver pick you up to have lunch here with us."

I wasn't expecting it to be something very personal. What does Lucy mean at home? In their house, probably not the one Royce showed in, in a different province.

"Nelly? I would understand if you decline. Maybe when you have free time and sit with me."

"No, I'll come. I'll just send you an address where the driver can pick me up."

"Seriously? Thank you, Nelly. Please don't tell Royce about this yet." Lucy stated happily.

"Yes, mom, I understand."

When the call ended, I thought what favor Lucy would be asking. My thoughts were covered with how and why. How did they end up in this situation like they were strangers? Why did Royce's parents make Royce hate them so much?

I was cut from my reverie when a hand cupped my right chest. I squealed at the sudden move; I wasn't expecting it from Royce. I hit his hand quite hard, making him remove it from me.

"What are you doing?"

Instead of answering, he showed his wicked smirk.

"I didn't mean to put my hand in there." He glanced at my breast.

"I was trying to tickle you, but my hand landed in that soft spot. Now, I know my hands know best. It only touches the best spot in your body."

If only he wasn't that hot early in the morning

"Don't even think about it. I need to be early at work. How about you cook breakfast?"

"Well, that depends," Royce said, tapping his lips.

I knew exactly what he wanted, so I gave him a kiss.

Royce did a great breakfast for the both of us, the typical meal that won't affect my healthy diet. I can't afford to cheat anymore. I had too much sugar when we had a date by eating in a fast-food restaurant and then having pasta at night.

Royce dropped me at Hermosa Salon before heading to his company. It was refreshing to be back to work after a few days of absence. I missed my job.

Around 11:30 in the morning, while waiting for the driver to pick me up, I did brief research about Royce's mom and dad. They both have a successful background in business even more extensive and higher influence than what Royce holds.

Lucy and Min are business tycoons in South Korea, which to me is impressive. I thought Royce's grandparents were already successful, and in inheriting it, Royce made a name in the business world. But it's nothing compared to what his parents have. The more I look into their background, the more puzzled I am on how they ended like strangers.

Royce never told me detailed stories about his upbringing when his parents were still with him. I chose to understand him instead of forcing something he wasn't ready to talk about.

Quarter to 12 when the black Mercedes Benz parked in front of Hermosa Salon. I knew it was Lucy's car as she had texted me about the car model already. After instructing the staff that I would be back after lunch, I left the Salon.

Ten minutes past 12 when we arrive at Lucy's vast mansion, a 3 story mega-mansion. My sight surveyed the backyard they had. It had a spacious lawn, a swimming pool on the right side, and an outdoor tennis court on the other side.

I was even amazed by the interior when I got inside. It has a massive staircase with railings made of glass at the center. The mansion has a smart and futuristic design.

"Nelly," Lucy called out my attention as I entered the living room. Min Park standing beside her.

"Welcome," Min Park said.

"Thank you," I said as I took their hands for a handshake.

They guided me to the dining area where the food had been set up.

"Nelly, you don't have to worry about breaking your healthy diet; we made sure our chef-prepared food suits your meal plan."

Gosh, they did that? I thought and refused to voice it out. How did they know? I only pray they didn't have me investigated like Royce.

"Thank you so much for that effort. You shouldn't have; one meal wouldn't hurt my diet anyway." I lied. I had too much of it in the past few days, so it's a no-no.

"Don't be; our guest's satisfaction is a priority."

There you go, that's how a businesswoman talks.

I nodded in response while pursing my lips; I was running out of words to say.

"Lucy, let's invite Nelly for lunch while the food is warm," Mr. Park interrupted.

"Yes, forgive me, Nelly. Later after lunch, I will tour you around the house."

As we started our lunch, my mind wondered about the favor they wanted to ask me. Some silly thoughts formed, like asking me to leave Royce because I don't qualify to be his girlfriend. Threatening me to ruin my family if I don't follow their orders. Ruin my career if I don't obey leaving Royce. It was stressful thinking of the bad things that might happen.

However, the feeling was the opposite. I wasn't afraid of coming to Lucy's mansion. She seems like a good person and only wants to reconcile with Royce again. The people's opinion about Royce and me not being the right partner might have clouded my thinking.

"Nelly, if you don't mind me asking. How long have you been with Royce?" Min Park asked.

"Not that long; we have been dating for a few months already."

"I see. I'm happy knowing there is someone who stays on Royce's side after the passing of his grandparents."

Mr. Park ended the possibility of them asking me to leave Royce.

"Royce is a good man; he is quite mature for his age in terms of thinking. I am happy to have him by my side, we understand each other, and we know that there are things in the past that bind us. We both had a traumatic experience; we started from there."

Lucy and Min looked at each other. I didn't know what to say next. I was afraid I might have offended them, knowing Royce's traumatic experience was having a broken family when he was little.

"We thank you for being Royce's rock, Nelly. This means so much to us."

"That's what he is to me. We are each other's strength. You guys don't have to thank me."

"Nelly, we want to say this straight to you. We badly need your help in getting Royce's trust again. We are desperate as parents. We both have our own family, and we forgot that he is our son."

I was left speechless. Hearing their request made me believe they trusted me. It was satisfying to know, yet I didn't know if I would be able to do the favor.

"I want to be honest. I can't promise anything as I have told you. I've had traumatic experiences before, so I know how to be in Royce's shoes. These things can't be forced to heal; it happens gradually. What I can do is that I'll stay on Royce's side. I'll help him be open in the possibility of forgiving and getting you two back in his life."

"That's good enough, Nelly. Any help would matter."

Mr. Park said.

"Nelly, one last favor. Please don't let Royce know that we invited you here."

I nodded in agreement.