"Looking forward to how you do that," Kiara said with a smile.
Without any other word, she stood up from the couch, clutching her handbag in her hands.
"Where are you going?" Fionn asked.
Stopping in her tracks, she turned and looked back at him. "It's none of your business." She said.
It does not matter anyway. "I'm off for a business meeting." She added.
She then continued in her tracks but was again stopped, this time by the maid.
"Miss Kiara, your juice."
"Oh God, I'd forgotten about the juice."
Walking back and taking up her seat, she got the glass from the maid and took her first sip. "Why is it so sweet?" She asked no one in particular.
On her second sip, "I can't take anymore. It's so sweet." She said.
"Can I have it?" Fionn gladly offered to take the juice.
Without hesitation, Kiara handed Fionn the glass. "Be my guest." She said.
Not wanting to waste anymore time, she got up from the couch and exited the room.
"She calls this sweet?" Fionn wondered after taking a sip. He then passed the glass to Kim, who took a sip.
"For a person who hates sweet stuff, that should be sweet for them," Kim said.
"How did you know she hates sweet stuff?" Fionn asked curiously.
"Didn't you hear what the butler said earlier on?"
Kim chuckled a bit.
"How will you make her fall in love with you if you can't even remember the small details about her?"
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As Kiara drove through the city, her journey was a silent one. The only sound was the hum of the engine.
All her focus was on the road ahead. Taking her focus off the road, she quickly checked her phone, which displayed a map.
On the map, it showed that she was five minutes away from her destination. She was going to meet Samuel and the person he wanted her to meet.
Earlier that morning, Samuel had sent her a message about the meeting. He also expressed how his so-called boss couldn't wait to meet her the moment he found out she had connections to the King's Counsels.
Finally, Kiara got to the place, which was a coffee shop. Parking by the roadside, she got out of the car and immediately texted Samuel to let him know she was there.
Samuel came out of the coffee shop a while later, and the two exchanged a quick embrace before walking into the shop.
"This doesn't look like a business meeting," Kiara said.
"My boss insisted on meeting here; he said he likes the coffee served here," Samuel replied with a smile.
When they came to the table where Samuel's boss was waiting, Kiara froze. She wasn't sure she'd seen well. But the truth was before her eyes. Edward was the boss she was here to meet.
The very man who had left her broken to pieces.
With a smile, Samuel introduced the two to each other. Kiara played it cool; she extended her hand for a handshake, but deep down, she felt like running away from the place.
On the other hand, Edward extended his hand to her, "Nice to meet you, Miss Kiara."
The irony, how could he act so well? Like he didn't know her, like he was meeting her for the first time. Like nothing had happened between them.
The very act made Kiara restless; she couldn't take it anymore, yanking her hand away, she turned to Samuel. "I'm sorry, I can't do this." She said and then turned to leave.
"Wait, Kiara, please let's talk about this." Edward pleaded. But Kiara wasn't ready to listen to anything he had to say.
"I have nothing to say to you. And I don't want to hear anything from you." Kiara firmly replied.
Meanwhile, Samuel looked on and only wondered what was going on between the two.
"Please, don't let your emotions get the better of you. Forget everything, let's just talk it out."
"You speak so calmly like it's nothing. How do you expect me to forget everything? As I said, I don't have anything to talk about, especially if it's with you." She said without sparing him a glance and walked on.
Wow, Edward watched as his only link to the King's Counsels walked away. He sat back helplessly as he ran his palms over his face. "Wow, wow.... She hustled me great." He said to himself.
"Kiara, wait," Samuel ran after her, leaving behind his boss.
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Kiara rested her head on the headrest, a soft smile playing on her lips. The memory of him begging lingered vividly in her mind, making her heart skip with joy. She tried to suppress her laughter, but a series of giggles escaped anyway.
The expression on his face stirred something inside her. He looked like he had lost everything. That somehow gave her a sense of victory.
She turned to Samuel, who still stared at her, puzzled. "You know, you look cute with that expression on your face." She teased
Samuel couldn't help but smile.
"Do you know each other?" he asked politely.
"Remember back at University College when I told you why I went there? Does it ring a bell?"
Samuel's eyes widened. "Wait… the guy is Edward?" He realised.
"How long have you been working with him?" Kiara asked.
"If I remember correctly, that's almost two years."
Kiara's mind raced. If Samuel had been working with Edward for two years, that meant he must have met Jessica. She leaned forward with excitement.
"Do you happen to know someone called Jessica?"
"Jessica? Not really," Samuel replied. "I've never seen anyone called Jessica around."
Kiara's heart ached. A wave of sorrow washed over her as she wondered how Jessica was doing now.
She had betrayed her, yes, but Kiara still loved her. She couldn't let that jerk of a man destroy the bond they once shared.
"I'm sorry, Jessie," she whispered to herself. "I'm sorry for leaving you behind, even if it was you who sent me away. I promise, I'll find you."
"Why do you ask? And who's Jessica?" Samuel asked.
Causing Kiara to break from her thoughts.
"My best friend," Kiara replied casually.
Samuel scoffed, shaking his head in disbelief. "You mean the one who betrayed you? She's a demon, Kiara. Come on, why are you such a saint?"
Kiara gave a faint, weary smile.
"No, she isn't a demon… and I'm not a saint either." She said sorrowfully.
"I'm still mad at her for what she did, and it'll take me time to forgive her. But I'll never forgive myself if I don't ever see her again. I shouldn't have left, I should have stayed, even though it was hard."
A tear slipped down her cheek as her voice softened.
"I saw it in her eyes back then. Even though she acted like she didn't care when she said those words, her eyes were full of unspoken love. I don't know why she did that; that's why I have to find her. "
She exhaled a sad sigh. "She was a bad friend… but I was the worst one she ever had. When she said I was nothing without her, she wasn't really talking about me; she was talking about herself. She knew that if I left, she wouldn't survive without me. But I was too foolish to realise it."
She turned to Samuel, who said nothing but only listened. "Promise me you'll find out more about her from your colleagues."