Chapter 4. Man Behind Suit

Nicholas looked serious, reviewing some documents stacked on his desk. His eyes were busy probing, nodding, and then directing the pen he was holding his signature on some papers he was seeing. 

"Am I bothering you?" 

A man is seen entering the room. Without being invited, the man with a large stature sat on the chair, which was located right in front of Nicholas. 

"What do you see?" asked Nicholas with a straight face. 

"For God's sake, I miss you, Nick." 

"Edward Anthony, do you need to die?!" 

Edward laughed at his best friend's answer. A moment later, the man smiled and then chuckled. 

"I came from London, and you didn't greet me one bit, Nick?" 

Nicholas snorted in annoyance, then said, "Nonsense, Ed." 

Edward grimaced. "If only Jacob didn't force me, I still don't need to bother coming to LA. Do you think that the London-Los Angeled distance is close? What project needs to be completed so that I should be involved?" 

Nicholas closed the file he was seeing, his gaze now turned to the man sitting in the facade of him. "Jacob is forcing you. Out of the three of us, we know you to be the choicest at handling with investors. That's why your presence is needed, considering that Alma, who handles cases like this, can't take part. Therefore, I hope you can cooperate."

Jacob, Nicholas, and Edward have been friends since college in England. Edward himself, a master in business, has the skills to analyze the profitability of a project and is too excellent at consulting. He can also convince clients, just as Alma Grey often does. That's why Jacob asked Edward to help Nicholas handle some projects that AlpaBeta was running in the future.

Edward responded in understanding. "So while in LA, I will be your subordinate? Or your office partner?" 

Nicholas took a deep breath. "Well ... it's up to you what you think you are. The Company pays for what you do afterward." 

After that, there was a knock on the door, and Kimberly entered with a document. 

"This is a work agreement document from the Royal Group, sir. You can check it first. And below it is an invitation to dinner from Namsan Holding, Korea," responded Kimberly. 

Nicholas's hand reached out to accept the documents and invitation Kimberly had given him. "There are some documents that I have signed. You can bring them right away," replied Nicholas, pointing to the documents on the guest table. 

Kimberly reacted and then moved to leave the room. "Ah, ya, Kimmy."

Kimberly stopped when Nicholas called her name again. A minute later, she turned around and looked at Nicholasd's face. 

"Please make a drink for my partner." 

"Okay, Sir." 

Not long after, Kimber returned with a tray containing two cups of coffee Nicholas ordered. The woman served it on the table. Edward didn't move his gaze to Kimberly. The man seemed transfixed by what he was looking at the moment. 

"You're Nicholas's private assistant?" 

Kimberly nodded. "Yes, mister---" 

"Just call me Edward. Ah yes, my full name is Eduardo Anthony," the man interrupted as he extended his hand for a handshake.

Looking at his best friend's behaviour, Nicholas leaned forward and rebuffed Edward's outstretched hand, causing Kimberly to chuckle at the sight. 

"Oh come on, Nick, I just wanted to know your assistant!" Edward protested.

Nicholas chuckled, then waved his hand, telling Kimberly to leave his study. 

"Don't bother my assistant, Ed!" 

Edward laughed at Nicholas's behaviour. He had already guessed that his best friend would impede his intention to tease his assistant. Unlike Nicholas and Jacob, who don't enjoy playing with women, Edward is the type of man who is well-known for his ability to play with women's hearts. The Playboy predicate has been attached to him for a long time. Not to mention that he is a descendant of Scottish aristocrats, making him unable to be underestimated. Edward reached for the drink of espresso and took a slow sip. 

"Your assistant is beautiful, Nick."

"Yes, She's only been my assistant for the past month replacing Sandra, the woman you've seen before."

Edward nodded, still holding up his espresso cup. "You're good at choosing an assistant. I'm confident you can fall in love with him." 

Nicholas shook his head. 

"No, that's very unlikely. I never thought about having an affair with my co-workers, especially my assistant. Such a relation interferes with work professionalism." 

Edward sneered. "Are you sure that's your only reason? Isn't it because you haven't been able to ignore Briana?" 

Nicholas just stared at Edward for a moment, then closed his eyes. He hated to admit it, but Edward was fitting that he couldn't forget Briana, even though she betrayed him.

"How long are you going to shut yourself up, Nick? You and Jacob are just as bad at women." 

Nicholas glared at Edward. "You mean? Please say it louder, Ed! I don't understand what you mean.

Edward smiled. "I mean… it's useless. You both are rich and have handsome faces but are not used. properly, you better donate it to people in need. Instead of wasting it," Edward said with emphasis. 

Nicholas clenched his jaw hard. During this time, he and Edward had been buddies for a long moment. The man realized all the stories and secrets he had been keeping. Edward also identified the marriage failures that Nicholas had experienced in the latest. 

All this life, Nicholas had been trying to ignore the woman who had suffered him in the latest. Try not to be in a relationship with another woman so as not to feel pain. However, still. The memory of Briana was complex for Nicholas to ignore. Sometimes, on one occasion, he remembered his ex-fiancé again. It usually makes his friends angry and upset. Then they tried to help Nicholas find a replacement, even though the man typically defied them.