28. Nearly Dug Her Own Pit
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Inside a small hot pot restaurant, three girls huddle together eating the thick red food boiling on the dish above the table. 

Layla sat directly in front of Sena and April while puffing her cheeks hurriedly. Seeing the two devour all kinds of vegetables and meat already scared her. Then she looked at their figures and fell into confusion. 

Where did they put all that food? Finally, the teenage girl’s fighting spirit was ignited. 

In less than ten minutes she ate as much as their fill and turned sweaty all the same. 

“I didn’t know I could eat this much before,” she said, chewing quickly like a hamster. “I know I should stop but my mouth won’t.” 

“Your first time eating it?”

Layla nodded. It’s not that she doesn’t want to, it’s because she couldn’t. She had few friends but most of them don't have the hobby of going elsewhere after school.   

“Should we get another one?” April asked.

Sena waved her hand frantically, “No, no, no. Pimples! Too much oil and spices.”  

Layla bit her chopsticks pitifully. She finally understood why everyone at school loved eating this kind of food, it’s very addictive. Shame her small stomach could only handle enough. 

“Too much spicy food is also bad. If you want we can bring you with us the next time we go out.” Sena offered. 

Every time she and April go grocery shopping, they walk around the alleys and streets hunting for a nice place to eat.

“Really?! I’d love to. If it’s you asking me, I’m sure big brother will let me play outside.” 

“He doesn’t let you play outside?” Sena aske with a frown. 

Layla chewed on her lips. “Probably because he didn’t want me to run into Annie’s clique. She’s been after me like I stepped on her toes or something.” 

“Girl, you definitely have stepped on her toes.” April said dipping ox tripe skewer in the spicy broth.

“I don’t get it…”

Sena eyed her, “Have you done something to make her angry?”

“Breathing.” Layla shrugged then quietly added. “Not that I can remember.”

Based on her observation, Layla doesn’t come as someone timid nor blunt. Just about the right mixture of sweet and playful.

“She’s always attacking you because she’s jealous.”

Layla made a face. When Annie stole her bag and she got late for class, it was still her who suffered when she told the teacher. She didn’t see where that horrible cousin would get jealous of her. 

“Human emotion is rather complex.” Sena said and continued to clip on bits of food.  

“I don’t have to worry about them coming after me because I’m transferring to Edelweiss Academy.”

“That’s a good school.”

It reminds her of V-neck cardigan days, and knee-length socks during her stay. Aside from academics, it also enriches rapport between students and cultivates individual talents. Most importantly, bullying is strictly prohibited. 

Sena suddenly stopped eating, “You’re transferring for high school.”

“Yup.”

Goosebumps spread on her forearms for some reason. She looked across the petite girl then a flash of an image came to her. It wasn’t as lively as this in the least. Layla did not notice the strangeness on Sena and continued to nibble on her food.   

“Boss?” April called.  

“I’m fine, just had too much spice.” She replied slowly. 

“By the way I saw a food blogger recommending the street behind Hallmark Centris mall.” April said. 

“That seems new, why haven’t I heard of it?” Layla asked. 

“Most of the people also haven’t heard of the place except for those who work in the buildings around the area. Every Wednesday the whole street will be packed with all kinds of delicacies across the country. I’ve seen the blogger eat twelve kinds of food in a night and only spent a few hundred.” 

Sena clapped her hands, “Alright, we definitely have to visit the place.” 

April knew her gluttonous little employer wouldn’t let the opportunity pass up  so she took note when she watched the video.

“I’m in. Please bring me!” Layla begged with her big eyes. “I’m so bored at home with nothing to do. My brother is busy with the company everyday.”

“You’re not scared of getting fat?” April teased. 

“Nah, I’m still young and have plenty of energy to burn.” she stretched rubbing her stomach unconsciously. “I wonder when will big brother finish with the interview? It’s past lunch already.” 

“The perks of being young is to be worry-free. Leave everything to him and he will handle it. Besides, if he finds out you ate in this place, he will surely get mad.” 

“With you, he won’t get mad at me.” Layla answered cheekily. 

Sena shook her head laughingly, makes sense. When Michael called, the three hurriedly patted their butts, left the hotpot restaurant and raced across the street like thieves afraid to get caught. 

Thankfully when they reached the agreed meeting place the two still hadn't arrived but their joy did not last long.

“So? Why are you not eating?” Michael asked. 

The three eyed the food neatly placed on the circular table guiltily. 

Nicholas shifted his weight on his left and eyed Sena, “You don’t happen to eat ahead of us, do you?” 

She flinched. 

With the smell of pungent spices all over them, would they still dare deny the crime? 

Minutes later on the large table, Michael, Nicholas and his assistant Jacob struggled to demolish the food they ordered. 

“Sorry about that.” Sena apologized weakly when they finished. 

They only ate half and had the rest wrapped. After the long agonizing meal, the group moved into the veranda for fresh air. Michael lit a cigarette and moved further down with Jacob, Layla fell asleep on the chaise lounge while April remained to fiddle with a laptop for her lessons leaving her and Nicholas leaning on the balustrade. 

He was staring at her. 

“I didn’t take you as someone who would crave street food.”

“You be quiet about it, don’t tarnish the image.”

“Too late, you already showed your tail.”

She snorted. “I haven’t even started with your garish getup and playboy look at the beach Mr Aiguille.” 

“That wasn’t on purpose.” He said clearing up the long-ignored issue at the beachside. “First, the position is inherited. Second, I just happened to get back from a very far place.” 

He looked out of sorts that day and he also forgot to fully introduce himself until it turned awkward.   

“It wasn’t the first time I grew my hair.” 

“I remember Michael also grew his. Same hobby?” 

“Like I said, it’s a very far place. Mike was with me as well.” 

They must have a terrible lack of scissors there, Sena thought. 

Nicholas pocketed his hands. “So you were mad because you found my image far from what you know?”

“I wasn’t mad.”

He did not believe that. He sure pissed her off when he waltzed in front of her after the wedding. He wasn’t the petty kind in the first place but the thought of seeing her startled face at that moment was such a thrill. 

“Disappointed?”

She crossed her arms on her chest, tilted her up and looked at him with a squint. But it didn’t take long before she broke into a laugh.

“I’m sorry, I can’t seem to fit you with the brilliant and enigmatic heir they say.” 

“That’s a fancy description. Did you read that from the magazine?”

“Otherwise?”

“Try a tabloid. You’ll get more colorful adjectives.” he suggested with a slight smile. 

“Arrogant playboy or ruthless leader?”   

“Take what you like.”

“Nah, I’m fine with Nicholas.”

A breeze blew. The two enjoyed the temporary silence.       

Nicholas gave her sidelong glance wondering how a girl like her got mixed up in the whole Horizon struggle when she should be in her company working at this hour. That day she showed up as a representative of Angharad surprised him as much as seeing her on that day at the beach of Deve Isle. If from the very beginning she was set on helping Michael, how prepared was she to take these risks? How much of the gains and losses did she calculate to have such confidence her chosen deal will succeed?

Unless she is clairvoyant or a reckless genius, someone like her would never get involved with a dying company yet she did without batting an eyelid.

“What made you bet on Horizon?” 

“Desperation.” She replied after a while. 

Nicholas made a frown. She shrugged, it was true anyway. Having an escape plan in case the company fails again is a lot more reassuring than just sitting worried and edgy every day. She had to double, triple her profits to sustain all the losses. By any chance the same problem occurred once again and the easiest way for her is to invest in the two of the country’s successful ventures that rocked the whole Asia. 

“You’re pretty organized for someone desperate to me.” 

“Thanks for the compliment. It’s all about controlling my reactions.” 

He looked at her, grinning. “So does Miss Erde feel nervous?” 

“Of course. I’m not a robot.”

He remembered her silly look when he helped her up the elevator. She was in between fainting and running. “Like?”

“When I know someone out there is eager to see me fall.”

An unknown emotion rolled deep within his amber eyes. 

“So you make defensive measures before they could trip you?” 

“Hmm.”

“I like that,” Nicholas said still with a much sincere smile. 

“You don’t think I’m paranoid or weird?”

“Why would I? I’d say you’re doing things smartly for your age.”

Startled, she turned and got caught in his eyes. He smiled crookedly. Sena quickly bowed her head and looked at her fingers. She’s not young anymore, although some of her forty years of memory were no longer vivid, she was sure she lived and experienced it.    

“So the things about traffic cameras and helping Michael is also for your own good?”

“Something like that.” 

She knew he was looking at her intently, it was what her senses told her. He always does when he’s talking which made her feel faintly embarrassed and pleasant.  

“But I knew you first, why not go to me?”

Sena covered it up with a nervous laugh. The lingering memory of a hot summer night on the beachside with a bottle of tequila rushed to her head. 

“I never thought of it.”

Nicholas figured as much after she tried hard to cut off that one time encounter. Unfortunately for her, the harder she struggles, the more often they collide. Take this deal with Michael for example. They not only met in the computer shop, they are now business partners. 

“Next time,” Nicholas said. “If you encounter something difficult, feel free to ask me. I will help.”

She nodded her head reluctantly. What next time? That would mean trouble. 

But she didn’t know that ‘next time’ is coming very soon. 

Layla stirred on her sleep and rubbed her stomach. 

“She must have eaten a lot to fall asleep just like that.” Michael said, walking back after finishing a stick of smokes. 

“There’s a newly opened hotpot restaurant when you cross the street. It’s all the rage so we went in to try it. Don’t get mad at her.”    

Michael waved his hand. “Layla needs friends. Honest one to be exact and I still have to thank you for today,” he paused. “About Lewis.”

Sena gave him a puzzled look. “You knew already?”

“Nikki found out something and he told me. He also guessed about your intention for making me stare at the traffic cameras. Thanks, I never thought it would be a long-time friend who would sell me to the devil.”

It was disheartening but it seems Michael is already over it.   

“Small things. No need to mention it but,” Sena looked at the two men. “I still need that video though.”

“What’s in it?” Nicholas asked full of curiosity.

“It might become evidence of a murder.”

The men in front of her fell into silence.

Layla stirred once again, breaking the tight atmosphere. Shortly after, they bid farewell to return home.

“Wait,” Sena called Layla. 

The girl poked her head out of the car window. 

“Be a good girl and stay at home tonight.” She said, patting her curly mop of hair. 

Layla pouted, “I have no plans of going out.”

Sena shot Michael a firm look. “Hahaha, alright she won’t be going anywhere.”

She did not sit in her car until the siblings pulled out of the parking lot. Nicholas watched her from the side view mirror stretching her neck trying to see if their car turned to the right street. Towards home.  

Sena’s spontaneous action puzzled him. As a business partner, she does not have to particularly care about Layla. She wasn’t the sort to flatter on a whim either. But he could feel her concern for Michael’s sister. Well, maybe it was something only girls know and he was just overthinking things. 

 

The night of the same day, the government officially released the news of the long-awaited transit project in the east. Construction is set to commence in a month.  

“Who would have thought that both Alpha Technologies and Horizon Group would have such a turnover?” a passerby remarked looking at the giant LED screen across the busy pedestrian crossing. “Horizon won two international companies while Alpha Tech won the bid for the light rail project against its domestic competitors.” 

Had he known this rare miracle would happen he should have bought stocks from the two companies. 

“Lucky for those who took their chances.” his friend said with a sigh.

The people are having a heated discussion when sirens from an ambulance and police cars zipped past the streets.

The news was interrupted by a flash report about a bunch of teenagers fighting inside a high-end KTV bar. Some were badly bruised but there are unlucky ones who got injured and unconscious.    

Sena figured when they left the restaurant earlier that today’s event is still far from over. She recognized Peter’s daughter Annie when they were at the boardroom this morning. She was the kind of kid she would want to smack but at the same time, she also didn’t want to see.

A smooth innocent face that reminded her the meanness of Maya when she pulled the glittering hairpin off her hair because she likes it. The kind of kid who will snatch the things she set her eyes into because she deserves it. 

Annie had been bullying Layla from who knows when yet only a few knew, not even their schoolmates. She wondered if things would still happen. 

Rather than sit there making wild guesses, seeing it for herself might be better. She just finished drying her hair when she saw the familiar flash report on TV. 

“Oh no…” the brush fell from her hand.

“What’s wrong?” April asked. 

She was startled when she got up all of a sudden, grabbed her purse and ran out of the door. 

“Hey, boss!” April was too late to catch up and was left standing at a loss in front of the elevator. 

In the lobby, the frantic Sena met Nicholas who had just finished his late night jog. He was wearing an all black parka with sweat hanging on the tips of his bangs. 

“Sena? What happened to you?” 

God, this woman. Her face was as white as chalk and she’s been running with just her indoor slippers on. 

Sena paused, swallowed a hard lump back to her throat. “Come with me.” she panted. “Please.”

Cold white hands tugged at him strongly. 

A little while later the two of them drove downtown towards the reported KTV. As soon as they arrived, Sena rushed out of the car like a whirlwind towards the scene. 

“Be careful!” 

Nicholas hurriedly took out the keys and locked the car before chasing at the frantic girl. “Jeez, what is going on? Why are you in a hurry?”  

Sena was jumping around looking at the crowd of onlookers outside the police line. 

“Something happened... Oh God, I should have been more clear.” She muttered pacing back and forth while holding down her tears.

When two stretchers were taken off the bar, she sucked in choppy and tensed breaths. “It’s too late.”

That Annie was too much! Why did she have to hire thugs to thrash Layla. God, she’s still so young and innocent. Sena looked at the stretches in horrified silence. 

“Hey, hey,” Nicholas held her shoulders when she wanted to run towards the ambulance.  

She fidgeted out of his hold. “Layla is in there, we should go to her. She’s badly hurt.” 

“Wait, what? I don’t understand you.” Nicholas is growing more and more confused.  

In an answer, she let out half a groan and part a sob looking up to him. 

Nicholas frowned, “Calm down first. Breath. Layla is okay.”

She wouldn’t listen. “You don’t understand! She’s inside.”

Nicholas looked at her deeply in return. “Layla is not inside. She’s at home with a bad stomach. Mike just called before we met and asked my secretary for medicine.” 

That finally stopped her frantic pacing. She looked up at Nicholas and saw his eyes boring holes into her. Asking. Waiting.

Suspecting.  

“Why did you say she would be inside?”

Her heart jumped to her throat. “I, uh…”  

“Speak. What do you know?”  

 

“You don’t really make any sense, hon.” 

It took him a while to calm her down, he had to redial Michael’s number to ask about his sister. At first he could not understand why she had such a huge reaction, but then Michael told him that although Layla did not go out a classmate called inviting her to hang out. 

Nicholas hid his reaction but he was particularly chilled at the thought that Layla could have been one of the injured inside the KTV tonight. His eyes unknowingly drifted to the girl sitting across him. 

Thirty minutes of interrogation, three bottles of beer and a shot of Dr Pepper on the quayside bar Sena continued to say it was all about that one damn dream. When he tried using soft interrogation tactics a while ago she only spilt half-truths about how she found out about Layla’s accident. 

Sena wished she hadn’t.

Damn the stupid man thinks she was lying! 

All that running and worrying had frayed her nerves so much she nearly vomited the truth out. She wondered what would be his reaction then.

Tch. Annoying guy.

Nicholas heard her clicking her tongue and caught her rolling her eyes at him. He had felt her fear when she tugged at him. It was real. She somehow got past it by sheer adrenaline. What kind of other answer does he expect? 

She was truly worried about Layla. 

If she said she saw Layla having an accident in a dream then dream it is because honestly, he also couldn’t think of any other reason why she would flip that way. 

“Alright, enough beer. You’re starting to babble.”

“Are you saying I’m drunk?”

He looked at he dead in the eyes, “Guess.”

“I’m not. I’m good with alcohol.” in her past life... 

Yeah right. He wanted to say. That proud look was another level of funny. 

“I’m not driving. You are so I’m allowed to drink.” 

She’s got a point. 

When adrenaline was over, she became short-tempered. Added by embarrassment, warm brandy and beers she turned downright feral. 

“If it had been you in my shoes,” she murmured “What would you have done?” 

Quietly, Nikki took some tissues beside the plate of garlic and parmesan flavoured wings and wiped her dirty fingers. Then cleared her plate with all the bones she had bitten from which took him a while to reply to her grumpy question. 

She tapped the table repeatedly making the bottles and plate dance. “I asked you a question.” 

He scratched his cheek and looked at the sulky female on her indoor doggy slippers. 

“I’d probably run out in the middle of the night too.” but he won’t be wearing slippers or cotton shorts.  

“See?” she said smugly then let out a large yawn. “You don’t know how terrible people are these days.”

“Tell me about it.” he coaxed. The molten amber eyes are not leaving her face. 

“It’s not pretty…” she slurred a bit.

He waited. 

“I’m scared. I’m disappointed. I just don’t want her to end up like me.”

“Honey, there’s nothing wrong with you.” 

Well, aside from having a volatile temper. And that sassy mouth. 

Nicholas reached out to comb the veil of hair that smothered her face. If he hadn’t, she would probably chew on it like noodles. Soft, cool tresses passed through his fingers. He could also smell the nice floral scent. 

“She’s way too young to experience these ugly things, she should be out there enjoying her youth. If not she might end up more afraid to go on and more disappointed with people.” Sena shrugged. “Worse than I do.”

Maybe far more worse. Because Layla was disabled. 

No matter how successful Michael Saldini was in her last life, he couldn’t save his sister from shutting herself from the world. 

The soft uneasy tone teased Nicholas’ ears. Same as that time. 

“Her? Layla?”

She nodded, squinting at her plate. She wasn’t looking at him and he could only see half of her face. Beyond that, all he could tell from this angle is that her eyelashes were long and thick, and her dark eyebrows were not artificially sculpted. He put a hand up, leaned his cheek on it and addressed her forehead. “She has her brother and Mike has enough resources to protect her now. Don’t worry about her.” he said gently. 

She was quiet for a moment, mainly staring at something that wasn't there. “I’ll do that.”

“What about you?” Who’s going to look after you? 

Sena chuckled. “You’re asking a lot of questions. Are you trying to get me drunk?”

Wrong. You’re already drunk. 

She finally lifted her up to him. Stunned, and with a flash of blinding clarity, Nicholas realized that she is indeed beautiful. The world does not lack outstanding faces but it was her eyes that captivated him. Beneath gracefully arched eyebrows are a pair of mesmerizing hazel eyes that are more light green than brown. 

But at this moment, her eyelids are about to close on them. 

Nicholas chuckled, “Do you think I’m the kind to get a girl drunk?”

Her teasing smile disappeared and gave him a serious look. “No. I never thought you were like that.” 

He kept silent, turned to the side to hide his grin.

Shit. He wanted to kiss that mouth so bad. The thought momentarily stunned him. 

“I want to sleep.” she declared all of a sudden cutting off the wayward thought.  

Nicholas bounced from his seat. “Not here.”  

 

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