I was still holding her hand. It was warm and soft. Then she looked at me slightly confused.
"How long are you planning to hold my hand?" she asked, smirking like a villain who just caught the hero blushing.
Embarrassed, I quickly let go and cleared my throat. Smoothly. (I hoped.)
"Well… you ran off that day pretty fast," I said, trying to sound cool while avoiding eye contact with her stupidly perfect face. I looked into her eyes, fishing for answers. "You remember, right? You promised to take responsibility for me. And you took the initiative..."
*Ahem.*
That was Shan's voice, conveniently dramatic as ever, from behind me.
"Ms. Solace," he said, with mock gravity, "our President was deeply anxious just now when he saw you getting bullied. And... you took Mr. Moreaux's first night. He was a noble bachelor until then..." Shan even made a sad face, like I was a war hero who'd been tragically married off.
Arno looked at Shan, then at me, then back at Shan, slowly processing the absurdity. After a second her jaw dropped.
"It was you that day?" She asked, eyes wide open.
Yes it was me, I said. You didn't know?
She gasped! "Are you guys some kind of con artists?" she snapped. "Oh my God, whose face did I even see this morning when I woke up?" She glared at the sky, full drama. (She thought it would be a perfect peaceful shopping day)
I followed her gaze. "It was probably yours. In the mirror."
Her eyes narrowed. Angry. But... soft-angry. Like cinnamon with a punch.
"I'm sorry," I said with an innocent shrug. "Couldn't help teasing you."
"Fine," she muttered. "It was my fault that day. But I trust our all-powerful President won't hold a grudge... right?" She tilted her head and gave me those eyes. Ocean blue. Heart-melting and dangerously beautiful.
Ah, those eyes... I swear I forgot where we were. What day it was. Possibly even my current situation.
She snapped her fingers in front of my face. "Yoo-hoo."
I jolted out of my thoughts.
"Is your President a retard?" Arno asked Shan, deadpan.
"Absolutely not, Ms. Solace," Shan replied, with excessive pride. "Our President is a man of extraordinary excellence—kind, intelligent, humorous, and above all, a tech billionaire with incredibly high morals." He looked at me, clearly expecting a raise for that Oscar-worthy performance as a supportive role.
I gave him a subtle thumbs-up. Bonus: pending.
"Anyway," I said, changing the subject before Arno got ideas, "who were those people? Were they bothering you?" I feigned ignorance like a professional.
She looked uneasy.
"Don't force yourself.It's okay. I understand," noticing her uneasiness, I said gently,
She gave me a soft smile. "Thank you. Honestly. But...hey, I wouldn't have even recognized that...that man...it was you that day... if you hadn't told me today and if I hadn't seen you with Shan. She let out a sighed of relief that her first night wasn't with any ugly duckling. Anyway how are you doing?" She asked. Are you taking medicine regularly?
I felt something weird. Maybe joy? Hope? Definitely not indigestion. "A lot better," I replied with a smile.
"Thank you for helping me today. I owe you a treat, she said"
I perked up. "Mmm... really?"
She gave me a mock-worried look. "As long as I don't have to take responsibility for you."
Shan burst out laughing. "Mr. Moreaux, you just got rejected. Tragic."
I shot him a look. "This month salary will be deducted."
Shan immediately zipped his mouth shut like a mime under threat.
Then I turned to Arno, with all the sincerity I could gather under her gaze. "Ms. Solace, I need your help."
She narrowed her eyes. "With…?"
"Don't get me wrong," I smirked. "Just accompany me today—to a charity gala hosted by Moreaux Tech. As my date... companion... incredibly stunning plus-one. You get the idea."
She let out a dramatic sigh. "That's it? Okay. I can do that. Just send me the address and details."
"No need." I gently took her hand. "Come with me."
"Where are you taking me, wait?" she asked, startled.
"We're going to pick out a gown for you," I said, as Shan started the engine.
The Maybach hummed to life with a soft glow, like it, too, was smirking at our chemistry.
---
The Maybach finally stopped in front of **La-R**, a high-end designer boutique for women's fashion. I took Arno inside.
"Welcome, Mr. Moreaux," the staff said, bowing deeply.
Arno looked at me. "Wow, you really do have some dominance, huh?"
"Are you impressed?" I laughed.
"Don't get cocky."
"Mr. Moreaux, what brings you here?" came a voice, amused and familiar.
Suddenly, a memory hit me—it belonged to the original Lucien. Drinking, laughing… it was him. One of Lucien's best buddies. A top designer.
**Rohan Velric.**
Without hesitation, I stepped forward and hugged him warmly. He froze for a moment, then glanced at Shan.
"Is Lucien okay? I didn't know Mr. President was always this… affectionate." Since When does he started hugging people? Voluntarily?
"There's so much you yet to know about me, my friend," I chuckled.
"Haha," sighed, then he looked past me. Whoa... "Who's that beauty?"
"That's my partner," I replied, then turned to her. "Meet—" I paused. "My partner, Arno."
"Don't get it wrong," Arno said quickly, stepping forward. "We're just business partners." She offered him a handshake.
He introduced himself, shaking her hand. "I'm Rohan Velric. Then he turned to me and playfully punched my shoulder. "You dumbass. When did you get a sister-in-law? You didn't even tell us! And where the hell did you go? We tried reaching you countless times—you just vanished."
I thought quickly. So, they didn't know about the accident. Good. For Lucien's safety, I couldn't reveal the truth yet. No one knew who the mastermind was. It was best to keep things quiet.
"I was overseas on an emergency," I said with a smirk, quickly changing the subject. "I brought my partner here to choose a gown for the evening charity gala."
"Ah, yes! I almost forgot," he said. "We've got a top collection. From the look of your… partner," he winked, "I have a few dresses in mind that will suit her perfectly."
He clapped his hands, and several assistants quickly appeared.
My minions. "Bring those exquisite designer gowns from the VVIP lounge!" he ordered. The team rushed off together.
Arno looked at me leaning closer, "Do we still have a chance to run?"
I gave her a smirk in return.
---
"Mr. Moreaux, we need to head back and make sure everything's alright," Shan whispered in my ear.
Arno was mid-trial, but she still noticed Shan's presence.
"Did something important come up?" she asked, glancing between us.
"Nothing serious," I replied, brushing it off.
She shrugged gently. "It's okay. You two can go. Leave me the address and I'll be there on time."
I looked at Shan, probably with a flicker of irritation. Sensing it, he quickly spoke—
"Mr. Moreaux, I think you should stay with Ms. Solace. I'll take care of it," he said with quiet conviction.
That... honestly made me smile. "Alright then. You go," I said, nodding.
"Do you like this one?" Rohan asked.
Arno stood in front of us in a blue gown, her hair swept into a sleek low bun.
She looked beautiful. No—more than that. But something felt off. "No," I said finally. "Have her try something else."
While Arno stepped into the changing room, Rohan turned to me with a teasing grin. "Describe how you'd like to see your girlfriend," he said with a wink.
The word *girlfriend* sent a flutter straight through my chest. I tried not to smile too obviously. "Try a sleeveless gown. Bottle green. And style her hair to match."
"That's it?" Rohan stared at me, jaw dropped. "What kind of romantic request is that?"
"I mean... who's the designer here, you or me?" I shot back.
"Okay, fine. No more interruptions. I'll take care of her look," he said, rising and heading into the dressing room.
Time crawled. Then, finally, she emerged.
And everything stopped.
She looked... breathtaking. Like every poem I'd never written. Like a secret I wanted to keep forever.
I probably stared a bit too long.
She cleared her throat. "So? How do I look?" Arno asked, her voice softer than usual.
My voice catching slightly I said, "not bad."
"Just two words?" she teased, giving me a look that made it harder to breathe.
"We... we should head to the venue," I managed, suddenly aware of how warm my ears felt.
She gently slipped her hand through my arm with a cute smile.
Thank God! She didn't look at my eyes or in that exact moment she would've seen- she looked exactly like the woman I'd been waiting to meet. The process just took a second life.
---