Kingsley Hotel, 5:55 PM

Not long after the black Maybach drove away from the Kingsley hotel, a black Jeep Grand Cherokee filled its absence on the hotel's porte-cochère. A tall, well-proportioned man got out from the driver's seat and handed his car keys to the valet parking attendant.

His striking appearance was not something anyone could ignore. Underneath his tweed gray overcoat, he wore a jet-black button-up partnered with a pair of dark slim-fit trousers. The all-dark attire only added to the mesmerizing yet enigmatic presence he already radiated.

His commanding gait as he walked past the hotel lobby toward the elevators made diffident bystanders shrink.

When he saw the elevator door open, he quickened his pace and caught a glimpse of a slender figure stepping inside it. The door was half-closed when he reached for the buttons. He abruptly tapped the button to let the elevator door slide open again and stepped into it.

Once inside, he saw that someone had already pressed the button for his destination. He only pushed the close-door button and casually leaned against the elevator wall.

"Brother, my dearest brother, you know you're my favorite person in the whole wide world, don't you?" he heard the woman beside him whisper with a candied voice. The elevators at Kingsley were undeniably more spacious than most, but it was still a small, enclosed space. And they were the only two in it, so despite her efforts to keep her conversation quiet, he could hear her as clear as day.

She couldn't be talking to him, but he glanced sideways quickly to confirm and saw that she was indeed holding a phone to her ear.

"Please, help me tell Mom? Tell her I have volunteer work that got switched to this evening. Pretty please? You love me the most, don't you? I will apologize to Auntie, but Mom... She'd be disappointed."

He let out a faint smile, amused at what he was hearing. The woman was obviously a little fox to her brother.

And then there was a long silence. In the absence of the woman's voice, he unconsciously tilted his head towards her again. She was a full head shorter than him. His eyes landed on lush dark chocolate hair—a whiff of light sweet vanilla scent greeted his nose. 

Ding!

The pinging sound of the elevator door interrupted his thoughts. He stepped forward to hold the door open for her and gestured for her to step out first.

The young woman, who was still holding a phone to her ear, finally looked up at him. Their eyes met. It was as though time itself had stopped; he was rooted to the spot, unable to take his eyes off her.

Those eyes... were the same exquisite, large hazel eyes of the teenager he had met five years ago. Modeled in the shape of almonds, nestled within a small and delicate face, he remembered how gentle and expressive they were as he witnessed her comforting a younger boy, who had just lost his mother, in the corner of a hospital's corridor. He remembered how those eyes had managed to soothe his soul, too.

Now, she had grown even more beautiful than he remembered. She was now a young woman who reminded him of early spring blossom, which one couldn't help but enjoy with their eyes, and of which allure was too strong for the bees to resist. And just like a bee, he was hooked.

Something in her excited him. It was a kind of burning in a place that had gone cold. As he locked his gaze on her lustrous eyes, he became lost in them. He knew, at that moment, that he wouldn't mind not being found. He would willingly roam in them for all eternity.

The pinging sound of the elevator snapped him back to the present. He broke his intense stare and realized he had been holding the door open for her for too long.

Then he caught the sight of her cheeks glow in a pinkish color, highlighting her milky, flawless skin. He held his breath as her luscious bubble-gum lips formed a perfect smile and mouthed a "thank you." She didn't wait for his response before she gripped her backpack and rushed out of the elevator.

A corner of his lips curled up into a sardonic smile as he followed her out. She... didn't remember him.

Of course, she didn't. After all, it had only been a brief encounter five years ago.

The elevator door closed behind him, and he still couldn't take his eyes away from her.

She walked toward the grand windows, looking in awe as she stared at the view of the glittering city basked in the sunset. Just like how that sight had magnetized her, her appearance had magnetized him too.

The grand windows framed the silhouette of her back against the city's shimmering lights and the pastel sky background. She was breathtaking, like a fresco painted by Michelangelo. He absorbed the sight, only stopping because of a buzzing coming from his pocket. His phone abruptly broke the bewitchment that she seemed to have cast on him.

He hesitated for a moment before answering, "Chief. I'm already here." He took a last look at the young lady by the windows before leaving the elevator hall, heading toward Netherby.

He could hear a low chuckle from the other side of the line. "Sorry, sorry... I'm still on my way. The Secretary of Security briefing took longer than I thought it would. I'll fill you in later."

As soon as he arrived at the outer entrance of Netherby, a female attendant greeted him. "Good evening, Mr. Wu." He gave her a brief nod as he proceeded toward the pathway in the inner courtyard that would lead him into the restaurant.

Inside the restaurant, he crossed paths with Julian Sato. Julian was heading out but in no rush. He took a moment to greet him, "Good evening, Mr. Wu, welcome again to Netherby. How are you this evening, sir?"

"Quite okay, Julian. It's been a while. How are you?" he replied in his calm, full-tone voice.

"I'm doing well. Thank you, sir. I believe your table is ready. I hope you'll enjoy your dinner with us this evening. Sarah will be with you shortly," Julian said, slightly bowing his head to him, not wanting to delay him any longer. He gave Julian a simple nod and a slight smile, then went further inside.

After he handed his coat to an attendant, Sarah Zhao led him to his usual table.

"Mr. Chen called us and said that he would be late, sir," Sarah said. He acknowledged her with a slight nod.

"Would you like to have the usual while you wait for Mr. Chen, sir?" Sarah asked after she seated him.

"Yes. Thank you, Sarah."

Sarah bowed at him and excused herself accordingly.

A few moments later, he saw the teenager that had turned into a beautiful young lady at the restaurant's entrance door. Within seconds, Sarah went over to attend to her personally. The young woman then scanned the room, evidently looking for someone. Her eyes landed on the young man whose table was diagonally situated to the right of his table. He noticed the sadness that clouded her delicate features, as though something had failed to fulfill her hopes.

His keen eyes then observed the young man, who was wearing an impeccably stylish navy blue suit and jacket. This was paired with a white dress shirt and a pair of gray suit pants. He was fidgeting with his mobile phone.

He averted his gaze to the young woman again, who was now striding toward the young man. She was dressed casually. Her oversized book bag exposed her daily grind as a student. It was definitely not something one would wear for fine dining at Netherby's, nor was it something a woman would wear for a date. In fact, her sad expression hinted that she wasn't looking forward to seeing the young man there at all.

Despite her despondent look, the room lit up at her appearance. She seemed to have cast her spell on these people as well. Those who had a glimpse at her weren't able to look away.

He shifted his gaze again to the young man, who was still playing with his mobile phone. A single red rose lay on his side of the table. His restlessness was very much in contrast with the sullen and disapproving look radiating from the young woman's eyes.

A cheater? He mused, raising an eyebrow.

The young woman took a seat across from the man. They faced each other while he could see the sides of their faces from his own table. This gave him a direct view of the scene, like an audience who sat in the middle seat of the front row.

From that point on, he watched everything that ensued between them.

♡──── ❝ Author's Note ❞ ────♡

Presenting you all with our male lead, Kai Wu, ladies and gents! The next few chapters will be written from his perspective.

It would mean a lot to me if you could share your thoughts about this chapter in the comment section. And please consider voting if you liked it.

Thank you so much for reading!

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