Calista had made arrangements to meet with the strange woman who supposedly knew Kyle. She didn’t know how to process the situation because, ultimately, this was her betraying Kyle. That was why she hadn’t kept him in the loop—there was no telling what could happen if he knew. It could be the end of their relationship, but if she met the woman and nothing happened, there would be no need to tell Kyle, either way.
Calista knew she had little to lose, but she was aware it had to be somewhere where she wasn’t well-known. The last thing she wanted was to be recognized and have pictures taken while she was with this person.
She arrived at the location with Lorenzo, the first time they were meeting outside of work, which showed that Lorenzo was interested in deepening their bond outside of the office. This was understandable, as having a colleague in the industry could be helpful, but unlike her, Lorenzo wasn’t as famous, despite his good looks.
“You look nervous,” Lorenzo said, seated beside her as she watched the entrance of the restaurant with such intent.
“I’m just worried, that’s all,” Calista confessed, though Lorenzo didn’t know the gravity of the situation.
“It will be fine, and if it isn’t, we’ll deal with it,” Lorenzo reassured her, placing his hand on top of hers.
Despite his sexuality, Calista was clearly uncomfortable and removed her hand from his.
“I’ll be fine, but thank you for coming here with me,” Calista said, appreciative.
Lorenzo didn’t take it to heart, as everyone had their different boundaries. If anything, he liked that she reinforced hers, knowing not to do this again.
“Anything for the famous Calista,” Lorenzo said with a cheeky smile, but at that moment, someone walked into the restaurant.
She looked like someone who didn’t belong. The way her head darted left and right anxiously, clearly searching for someone, was telling. The moment her eyes settled on Calista, she immediately walked out without confronting her.
“What the hell?” Calista blurted out.
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“Wait!” Calista shouted before dashing toward her, but this took Lorenzo off guard. He couldn’t catch up to her because he had to pay for what they had eaten.
Calista made it outside, but the woman was nowhere to be seen. Calista clicked her tongue in frustration, realizing that the woman must have been frightened out of her mind seeing her with someone else. She had told her to come alone, but Calista hadn’t extended the same courtesy.
“Fuck!” Calista cursed aloud, because she hadn’t gotten a clear view of the woman’s face either.
This was a failure, at least for her, because the woman had only observed her from a distance. Her intention? Unknown.
But one thing was certain, Calista had played right into her hands.
–
Kyle entered the room with the rest of the ladies and could hear them giggling, but the moment they saw him, they straightened up.
“Um, I like jokes as well, you know?” Kyle noticed the shift in energy, but the ladies didn’t budge.
“It’s girl talk. Now, who’s ready for a tour?” Ella dismissed his curiosity and quickly changed the subject.
Kyle knew it couldn’t be anything harmful to begin with, or Jane wouldn’t entertain it. He trusted Jane to put him first. This was the type of person she was, and in a month, he’d gotten to know a side of her that took Ella years to reach.
“Careful now, or we might get lost,” Kyle said, but Ella knew he was exaggerating.
“Scared? You can wait in the car,” Ella teased, but Kyle just shook his head.
Jane liked how they went back and forth, but Kyle was doing all of this because he knew the world he was about to dive into would give him little to no time to spend with them. He would be busy once the completion of that movie came to pass because that’s when the next set of projects would come in.
Depending on the movie’s success, Kyle was willing to use his money to bump up the numbers if it had a poor showing at the box office. He planned to buy out multiple cinemas and allow people to view the movie for free for a week.
Imagine a full cinema for a week? The returns would be justified, but Kyle knew he could get into trouble now that his face was out there. There was a face to the name, unfortunately, but this was a good introduction.
There’s nothing more appealing to the public than gossip, but Kyle had to focus on Ella. No, he had to see what kind of person her sister was. Whoever she was, she was a powerful woman. She inherited everything their parents worked for all their lives, and the fact that he was going to meet her today meant he would get a piece of that influence.
He was shown around the house, and the more rooms they explored, the more impressed Kyle became. He couldn’t believe that one person got to experience all of this alone, but Kyle realized this was the sort of life he sought—a life where he had people do the mundane house chores, but not in a house as big as this.
They had a tennis court at the back, along with a golf course further back. It felt like a small city, and Kyle understood why security was needed.
It took a little over thirty minutes, but the fact that she wasn’t done showing them around seemed ridiculous. But Kyle noticed she hadn’t taken them to a wing of the house, a place he assumed to be where her parents slept.
It would be understandable why she wouldn’t show them there, considering she hadn’t processed it in a healthy manner. Kyle knew it was best to keep his mouth shut; there was no point in exacerbating the highly emotional situation.
“Lady Ella, it appears your sister has arrived,” the butler said, appearing out of nowhere.
The fact that he wasn’t following them around but knew exactly where to find her had Kyle in awe. There was no way this man had learned the act of teleportation, but Kyle was also surprised that they allowed her this much freedom. That was strange for someone supposedly exiled, or did that end with the passing of her parents?
That wouldn’t make sense. There had to be a reason why she had this much freedom other than being kind to them. Ella’s sister must have granted them access, but it was beginning to sound like their relationship wasn’t as strained as Ella would have them believe.
A look at Ella’s face changed that perspective. She looked like she had heard the worst news of her life, her hands trembling as if she were phasing out of existence.
“Woah! Calm down!” Kyle exclaimed, even Jane hadn’t noticed this as quickly as Kyle because her attention was still on the butler.
“I-I’m fine,” Ella tried to dismiss it, but her shaking only got worse. Kyle pulled her into an embrace.
Jane watched this, not knowing what to do herself, but Kyle somehow managed to do it.
“You aren’t alone. Don’t forget that… You don’t have to carry that burden alone anymore,” Kyle said, and Ella’s trembling soon came to a halt.
Jane looked at Kyle, and for the first time, felt jealousy because Kyle could do what she couldn’t. She had known Ella for so long, but Kyle was the one who learned how to comfort her.
Jane just watched as Ella wrapped her arms around him without much hesitation.
“What’s going on?” Jane thought to herself. She didn’t understand the feelings welling up inside her because this was something she had no problem with previously.
“Are you good?” Kyle asked, and Ella nodded before letting go of him.
Kyle looked at Jane, standing awkwardly, and realized she must be feeling left out. But he knew now wasn’t the time to be patronizing.
“I’ll be right back,” Ella said.
“Do you want me to come with you?” Jane asked, making a conscious effort to still show up for her best friend.
“No, I think it’s best if I do it alone. No, I have to do it alone,” Ella said before leaving Jane and Kyle alone together.
“Hey, come here,” Kyle called over to Jane. He knew she wouldn’t want to be selfish and make the situation about her.
Jane walked closer to him, and Kyle wrapped his arm around her waist.
“We finally have some alone time, and I have to say, you look fucking stunning. I’m fighting everything in me not to kiss you,” Kyle complimented her.
Jane tried to look away to hide her flustered face, but Kyle wasn’t about to make it that easy. He leaned in and kissed her.
This made her mind go blank, and she forgot about what she was worried about just a second ago. Kyle gave her the reassurance she didn’t know she needed.