Chapter 4 His hatred would never diminish

The board room at the Stoll Enterprises was packed full with the investors and board members all present and sitting in their various positions in their seats except for the head seat that was left vacant as everyone waited for the arrival of the CEO. They all chatted casually among each other until a set of elegant footsteps travelled into everyone's ears making them all quieted down as the tall man with the stern aura of a dictator walked into the board room unhesitantly taking his seat of the superior.

All the board members who had expected to see him come in with at least a little bit more friendly expression on his face exchanged silent glances seeing the usually dark and stern look on his face. They were all aware that he had just gotten married and expected to see him looking a little brighter like any other newlywed groom, but what could they have expected from the cold faced Nicholas Stoll who didn't seem to have the word emotion In his personal vocabulary. Besides for a normal groom, he was supposed to be on a honeymoon by now, but here he was, the workaholic he'd always been.

With a subtle nod of his head to all their greetings Nicholas permitted the meeting be started.

Without any more hesitation, they all commenced the meeting, getting straight to business. Nicholas's eyes held nothing but endless darkness, though he was looking straight ahead at the investor currently speaking, he almost seemed to be glaring at the man.

'If you hate me so much, why did you marry me?'

'...no matter how much you dislike me, I'm still your wife.'

At this point, his dark gaze had already alerted everyone present in the meeting room that the place had turned dead silent without Nicholas even noticing it.

That darned woman, how dare she talk back to him and lecture him about marriage!

There was evident anger in Nicholas's eyes that the investor who had just been giving his honest opinion about the rise of stocks and change in market rate felt a cold chill run down his spine, he assumed something he said had displeased Nicholas.

"Is everything alright Mr. Stoll?" The investor asked a bit timidly, that dark and dangerous look in Nicholas's eyes was enough to frighten anyone out of their wits, he had this incredibly unignorable aura chilling to the bones.

Nicholas was brought back to the present at this moment realizing how everyone in the room was staring at him in hints of fear and dread, Nicholas cleared his throat while adjusting himself on his seat, "Nothing at all, carry on."

They looked at him suspiciously for some time before the investor warily continued what he had been saying.

Nicholas frowned subtly realizing that for the first time in his life, his concentration at work had drifted off without him knowing, all because he had been thinking about the words that woman had said to him last night.

The sound of her soft voice came to his mind once again, his frown deepened, how had he never noticed that her voice sounded so soft before? Along with that, the image of her staring at him in pained disbelief when he'd thrown her out of the room appeared in his mind, the tears that had pooled in her eyes and how the image of her face had slowly faded as he shut the door on her face.

Nicholas snapped himself out of those thoughts feeling a sense of disgust rise in him at the thought of her. He hated the fact that he had even felt a small hint of pity for her hurt expression, and was even more disgusted that she had been deliberately playing pitiful and meek in front of him just to get his sympathy. But what she didn't know was that no matter what she did, his hatred for her would never change.

No matter what happened, his hatred for Diana Wilbert would never diminish, he would always despise her not just because she had forced her way into his life, but also because of the grudges held from the past. A flash of anger went past his dark eyes at the thought of the past and the hatred in his heart surged even more.

***

After taking a shower that morning, Angelica stood before the mirror inside the bathroom staring at her own reflection, without the the wig on, she looked even prettier and natural in her own original appearance.

Having to disguise as Diana she had to hide her own natural features like her golden blonde hair, and her naturally pale milk like skin, having to tan a little to achieve Diana's sunset kissed skin tone, the only difference between her and Diana was their hair and skin shade.

With a sigh, Angelica applied an instant tanning cream and wore the wig making her adopt Diana's look once more before she went out of the bathroom back into the bedroom, but the moment she emerged, a maid was standing inside the room waiting for her.

"Good morning ma'am." The maid greeted respectfully. Angelica answered her greetings politely.

"Elder Madam Stoll is here for a visit, she's waiting for you downstairs." The maid informed.

Angelica's heart skipped a beat in fear hearing that, Nicholas's mother was the one person who liked Diana the most, which meant the woman was most likely to know Diana on a closer level, if Angelica were to make a mistake, wouldn't the woman quickly figure out that she wasn't Diana?

'No matter what you do, don't ever let yourself be discovered. You won't just be a substitute, I want you to become Diana herself.' She recalled the instructions she had been given by Diana's assistant the very first time she had agreed to this deal.

"Alright, I'll just get dressed and head downstairs, let her know I'll be there in a while." Angelica suppressed the nervousness and fear in her heart and replied to the maid.

Bowing her head the maid retreated from the room.

Angelica got dressed and hurriedly headed downstairs, from the top of the stairs, she caught sight of a beautiful older woman who's looks didn't seem to surpass her late thirties, she seemed to have taken good care of herself to be able to maintain her looks. Angelica had seen the woman's picture before when she was going through the orientation of becoming Diana, so she knew at once that the woman was Eliana Stoll, Nicholas's mother, the one and only person Nicholas loves more than anyone else in the world, and Diana's biggest backer that apparently led to Diana being able to marry Nicholas.

Taking a deep breath, Angelica stepped down from the final stair then put on a bright smile on her face, "Mom." She called sweetly imitating Diana's tone.

"Diana dear child, hurry and come here let me look at you." Eliana had a doting smile on the minute she set her eyes on Angelica first scanning her worriedly before pulling her in a hug.

From behind, Angelica forced down the slightly uncomfortable feeling of being in the embrace of a woman who was a total stranger to her, but she had no choice but to address as Mom, she couldn't remember when was the last time she addressed someone with such a title since her mother passed away years ago, but she knew that to Diana, this woman was like a mother to her.

Eliana pulled away from the hug looking at Angelica worriedly again, "You haven't added a single pound child, are you eating well? I don't want you to be mistreated in your own home."

A flash of surprise passed Angelica's eyes, she was taken aback by the genuine warm concern in the woman's tone but she quickly hid that look, "I am doing alright Mom, and I don't want to put on more weight, it'll make me look fat."

After studying Diana relentlessly for months before coming here, Angelica could flawlessly play the role without attracting suspicion, her reply being exactly something Diana would say.

Eliana laughed, "Dear child, don't be so frightened about putting on weight, you'll be getting a lot of that once you get pregnant.' The woman remarked casually.

That reminder made Angelica's heart race, getting pregnant for Nicholas right now seemed like an almost impossible task. But nevertheless she forced a smile on her face.

Eliana assembled all the maids, instructing them strictly on how they should constantly look after Angelica, sternly emphasizing her safety should be prioritized before sitting down with her to have a chat. They talked about luxury shopping and famous brands which were things that were unfailingly Diana's interests before the conversation inevitably switched.

"And how has Nick been treating you?"

This time Angelica couldn't hide the surprise on her face as she gave Eliana a stunned look before quickly controlling her expression, lowering her head she replied, "He's been treating me pretty well." She lied.

Eliana sighed, "Silly child, you don't have to cover up for him, I know how bad that boy's temper is, and also how much he..." Eliana stopped herself from saying that she knew how much Nicholas disliked her.

Angelica was surprised that the woman actually knew about her son's obvious dislike for Diana. However at this moment, she didn't feel the need to say anything so she kept silent, but Eliana spoke again.

"You don't have to take his words to heart, he only likes to show anger to hide his emotions, just bear with him a bit more until you finally birth his child."

Angelica's eyes swung up to look at Eliana abruptly. She continued, "Diana, you're aware that the Stoll family's empire is depending on you now, you're the only girl who warmed my heart, and I want you to be the mother of the Stoll family's heir. Don't worry about my son's temper for now, once you have his child, he'll eventually come around, he'll grow madly in love with you and you both can continue to live happily."

Angelica couldn't bring herself to react as she felt the pressure on her weigh even more, she would have to get pregnant one way or another, it was inevitable.

"Back then, he had sworn never to get married, I used to think that the fate of this family was doomed since he seemed to hate the idea of marriage," There was a forlorn look on the woman's face as she spoke which disappeared as she shifted her gaze back to Angelica smiling in relief, "But I'm glad I was able to convince him to take this step and marry you."

She picked up Angelica's hand, "I know how much you love my son, so I'm sure you'll be able to win his heart when you give him a child, believe me no man will be able to turn away from a woman carrying his own flesh and blood. Seduce him if you have to, you have the looks, but make sure he gets you pregnant." Saying those last words, Eliana had a hint of sternness in her tone, "Is that understood child?"

With a slightly dazed look, Angelica replied, "Yes Mom." Regaining her composure Angelica added, "I'll make sure to carry the Stoll family's heir as soon as possible."

Eliana smiled in relief at the affirmation from Angelica visibly eager to see that happen.

Recalling the deep hatred in Nicholas's eyes every time he sets his eyes on her, Angelica's fear increased in her heart. She had thought this mission would be a simple one where all she had to do was get pregnant and give birth to a child, but never had she considered that it would be almost impossible when the man in question was the cold hearted Nicholas Stoll.