The Love Affair(Good Wife Better Mistress)

Couple's Phone

Nicole is shocked, though it's only fitting that a man like Alex would have such forceful and rude servants.

"I am so sorry," John apologizes, "Mr. Romano asked me to recover the photos. After recovering them, I'll have the phone sent back to you."

"What a thief!" Nicole tries to keep the anger from her voice, "I want you to return the phone to me now."

"I can't do that, Mrs. Romano. But don't worry, except for the photos, only Mr. Romano will have access to the information on your phone. "

Like pouring fuel on a fire, John's words only further anger Nicole.

"Why not directly tell me that Alex will see every private thing on my phone?" she thinks.

"I want to see Alex," she demands.

She knows that John is just following Alex's orders; it's useless to argue with him.

"Mr. Romano anticipated that," he says, "In fact, he has already sent a car and it's waiting at the door. It will take you to the Romano Group and the two of you will have lunch. Later in the afternoon, you will attend your physical examination."

"He wants to have lunch together?" Nicole asks incredulously.

She has no desire to have lunch with him. She just wants to get her phone back. She imagines that lunch and the car are meant to distract her so she can't find a way to escape from the examination later in the afternoon. She feels the muscles in her back tighten as soon as she thinks about the physical examination.

"I'll go change my clothes first," she says stalling for time.

John and the maid exchange a glance, remembering how Nicole escaped from her room before. The maid follows Nicole under the guise of helping her change, and two bodyguards stand in the front of the dressing room doors. Alex has already ordered John to ensure that multiple servants keep an eye on Nicole at all times. There's no room for error before the afternoon's examination.

Nicole chooses casual clothes. Nonchalantly she walks to the jewelry cabinet and pretends to look at the pieces. Then she pushes the stained glass window open and looks out at the grounds. The bodyguards remain steadfast in their positions along the perimeter—it's impossible to escape. Alex has taken every precaution to ensure she makes it to the hospital.

She was hoping to escape for a few days, giving Conrad time to figure out a plan. She never thought that Alex would be domineering enough to take her phone, leaving her with no way to communicate with Conrad.

She worries that Alex will jealously look at her messages with Conrad and see the texts about the new toxin in her blood. It'll be risky for anyone to know she's being poisoned before she finds out who's doing it. If they're trying to kill her, her texts will tip them off and they'll find some new method.

She smooths her white shirt and wide-leg trousers and pulls her hair into a ponytail. In the sunlight, her pale skin seems to glow against the white fabric of the shirt. The maid stares at her in admiration.

nicole goes down the stairs and finds John waiting for her holding a narrow white box.

"Mrs. Romano, Mr. Romano asked me to send this to you," he says, handing her the box.

The lid of the box is embossed with a thistle, the symbol of the Romano family. Nicole opens it and finds a cellphone inside.

"This is a couple's phone," John explains, "Mr. Romano has one just like it in black. He hopes that you can use this phone to take photos of him to replace the ones that were lost before—just in case the recovery efforts aren't successful."