“LIARS are those who engage in deception, often by breaking promises or manipulating the truth, whether to shield others or to cause harm. Regardless of their motivations, they consistently resort to dishonesty.”

 ***

As they made their way from the hotel to the GMC building, an almost tangible silence enveloped them.

Jimhuesh, despite the awkwardness of the silence, didn’t utter a word. Senthie, her curiosity burning, refrained from asking any questions about what his mother had mentioned earlier. Instead, she chose to act as though she were a mere phantom by his side.

Strangely, the roles were vice-versa; they were both invisible to each other. It wasn’t until they stepped into the elevator, ascending to the 29th floor, that Jimhuesh finally broke the silence. He cleared his throat, appearing somewhat hesitant, and began, “I want to apologize, Ms. Salvador, for what happened earlier. I promise to take you back to try those desserts we missed out on.”

As the elevator accelerated upwards, the changing air pressure unsettled Senthie, but that discomfort was eclipsed by her embarrassment. “You heard that? I thought I was grunting quietly.”

He chuckled, adopting a relaxed pose with folded arms against the elevator cab. “Well, you said it loud enough for me to hear. I almost thought you were doing it deliberately.”

“No, I wasn’t,” she insisted, her response perfectly timed with the elevator’s ding and halt. She swiftly tapped her floor card to the infrared card reader situated beside the number buttons, allowing the elevator doors to slide open. These floor cards served a dual purpose, not only tracking which floors individuals accessed but also enhancing security. Without a valid card, gaining access beyond the ground floor was impossible.

“Oh, I’m sure you weren’t,” he replied with a playful tone.

As the elevator doors opened on the 29th floor, Senthie stepped out, nodding her head and singing, “Yeah, yeah, yeah, good night, then” to Jimhuesh. She heard him chuckle and turned to face him once more.

“By the way, I was thinking--” he began, but flinched as the elevator doors closed.

She laughed. What is he doing? Why didn’t he get off if he has something to tell me?

 The elevator doors opened once again, and Jimhuesh emerged from it.

“What now?” she asked, still laughing.

“Okay, that was embarrassing,” he said, chuckling. “I was thinking of showing you something you might like, or even love.”

She narrowed her eyes. “And what is that?”

“Come with me, and you’ll see,” he invited, heading in the opposite direction of the elevator, towards a door marked with a sign that read AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY.

“Are you sure I can enter that room?” Senthie asked, following him cautiously. She knew that attempting to access a restricted floor or room without authorization would trigger an alarm.

Jimhuesh turned to face her. “Honestly, you can’t. Just like the other doors leading to the stairs, you need the right card to enter this room. Fortunately, you’re with me. I have the authorization to grant you access, but it’s only valid when you’re with me. I can tap my card as many times as needed without any issues with the infrared card reader.”

“Wow, that’s impressive. I tried tapping my card twice last time, but it said I could only tap it once. So, does that mean only platinum floor card users can do this?”

“Exactly,” he confirmed, demonstrating by tapping his card twice on the infrared card scanner.

The card he used differed from Senthie’s golden floor card, indicating that her access was limited up to the 29th floor. Beyond that point was strictly off-limits, in line with the system applied to other occupants as well. If someone’s workspace was situated on the 25th floor, they wouldn’t have clearance to ascend beyond that level. GMC maintained stringent security measures, even to the extent of securing stairwell access with doors.

“Try to open it,” he suggested, stepping aside to let Senthie give it a shot.

She gripped the door handle and pulled, but it remained stubbornly sealed, resisting her efforts. After a few futile attempts, she sighed, asking, “Why can’t I open it?”

Jimhuesh smirked. “Because it requires my handprints.” With his hand on the door handle, a clicking sound resonated, and the door swung open.

As they entered the room, they were met with an unexpected sight - emptiness. It was as if they had stepped into a featureless box, with nothing but plain black marble walls.

He walked toward the left wall, leaving Senthie intrigued and waiting to discover the purpose of this room. He seemed to be examining the wall closely, running his fingers over its surface.

Senthie hurried over to him, curiosity piqued, and fired a barrage of questions. “Why are we here? What are you doing? Is this like a magical wall from Harry Potter, where we can pass through, or does it conceal a secret passage to somewhere?”

Jimhuesh regarded her with amusement, breaking into laughter. “You’re quite funny, you know. You remind me of Rye.”

She rolled her eyes. “I’ll take that as a compliment.”

“You should.” He smirked, and then, with a subtle movement, the black marble wall slid aside, unveiling a set of ascending stairs.

Senthie’s eyes widened, and she silently mouthed, “Wow.”

Following Jimhuesh, they ascended the stairs, arriving at yet another door. He repeated the same process to open it, revealing a new area. Inside, there was a hallway stretching to the left and another door to the right.

“What are we doing here? Isn’t this the 30th floor? This is the CEO’s penthouse! I mean, yes, she’s your mother, but why did you bring me here?”

“Just follow my lead,” he instructed, turning right and opening the door. She obediently followed.

As they ascended the stairs, a refreshing breeze greeted them, leading to the rooftop. Senthie smiled as she gazed up at the night sky.

“Wow,” she whispered, her eyes fixed on the bright full moon. “I can’t believe this. Why are you so kind to me? Are you still feeling guilty about earlier?”

Jimhuesh chuckled. “No, not at all. It’s just that, I thought you’d love to see the moon from the best vantage point, and this place came to my mind. So, I wanted you to experience it. It’s the least I can do to make up for what happened earlier.”

Senthie laughed softly, her gaze finally shifting to him, who appeared even more striking under the moon’s gentle illumination. Her heart raced a bit, fearing she might blurt out how utterly mesmerizing he seemed in the moonlight. Quickly, she averted her eyes back to the moon and cleared her throat before uttering a sincere thank you.

For a brief moment, silence enveloped them. However, it was Jimhuesh who broke the stillness. “Aren’t you curious?”

“Curious about what?” she asked, nonchalantly shrugging her shoulders. Now, she could maintain eye contact with him without feeling overwhelmed.

“Curious about what happened earlier.”

“Oh, that. If I asked, would you give me an answer?” she inquired with a sly smile.

He responded with a shrug. “I don’t know. Why don’t you give it a try, and we’ll find out.”

Senthie smiled in return, then walked closer to the rooftop’s edge. She noticed her knees felt a bit shaky, so she grasped the railings for support, choosing instead to focus on the breathtaking view below - the city lights with a hint of fog in the air. Jimhuesh joined her, adopting the same stance.

“I changed my name to start a fresh chapter,” Senthie revealed. Her strategy was clear - open up about herself to build trust and encourage reciprocity. It was a tactic that had consistently worked for her. However, this time, she decided to share just enough of her story to pique his curiosity.

“A fresh chapter? Why? Did you dislike your old life that much?” he inquired; his eyes filled with anticipation.

“I detested my former self.”

His brows furrowed, and his gaze became more intense. “Why? Was it because of Rychie?”

She chuckled. “No, not at all. Why would you think that? It’s because of my father.”

“Your father? May I ask why?”

She smirked and gently shook her head. “No, it’s your turn now. I’m curious about why you reacted the way you did when your mother mentioned that you and Kassandra had fooled both of your parents. Your mother seemed rather relaxed about it, so why did it seem like such a big deal to you?”

Jimhuesh averted his gaze, looking into the distance. “It was. I fooled my parents to get back at them.”

A gust of wind swept through, causing Senthie to feel the chill in her cold, sweaty hands as she crossed her arms. “Will you tell me about it? You know you can decline if this conversation makes you uncomfortable.”

He hesitated before asking, “Are you cold?”

She shook her head. “No, I’m not. I just like this pose. Are you trying to change the subject?”

“No, I’m not, but if you’re cold, I can let you borrow my--” but he was interrupted before he could remove his coat.

She politely declined his offer with a smile. “No, thanks. I told you I’m not cold. I always mean what I say.”

Jimhuesh raised an eyebrow while adjusting his coat. “That’s great. So, you don’t lie?”

She giggled, casting her gaze towards the sky. “I rarely lie. I despise liars, and I have no intention of becoming one. When I say I’m not cold, I really mean it.”

“I appreciate that,” he replied, matching her gaze towards the heavens. “I really detest liars too. I guess we have something in common.”

“What made you hate liars?” she inquired, returning her gaze to him. When Jimhuesh simply smiled at her, she continued, but this time, turning her attention back to the sky while resting her hands on the railings. “I mean, who likes liars, right? Why do people lie, anyway? Why can’t they just be honest? I’d rather face the truth and be hurt than be deceived by lies. Embracing the truth is essential.”

He chuckled. “You know, when I talk to you, it’s like talking to Rychie.”

Senthie shot him a glare. “What does that even mean?”

He shrugged. “I don’t know, maybe it’s the way you talk, your sense of humor, or how you make conversations interesting. I enjoy talking to both of you. I appreciate deep conversations.”

She smirked. “In other words, you’re not a fan of small talk. I’m the same way. But sometimes, small talk is necessary. It’s exhausting, though. We have to endure it. We can’t just start a conversation with: Hi, can you tell me your biggest fear?” She chuckled. “That would definitely make the other person uncomfortable and might even label us as creepy, right? But let’s not dwell on that. Let’s return to our previous topic. What made you hate liars?”

Jimhuesh smiled before sighing, his demeanor growing more serious. “It was when I discovered that the perfect and happy family that I once believed I had . . . was all a lie.”