I allowed a faint smile.
"You're forgetting something," I said.
Mr. Mason looked confused.
"When everyone turned their backs on me," I continued calmly, "you were one of the few people who didn't."
I didn't need to say more.
Years ago, when my family disowned me and my name meant nothing, Mr. Mason had offered me an opportunity when no one else would.
I never forgot that.
Mr. Mason exhaled slowly.
"You still remember that?" he asked quietly.
"I remember everything," I replied.
Then I stood up from the table.
"I'll handle Catherine."
And… Catherine intrigues me. I need to know who she was five years ago… and who she is now. All of this, of course, stays in my mind.
While in my cave, thinking about what my mother might have gone through and how to rewrite what she didn't finish, a message suddenly popped up on my phone.
Let's meet at the restaurant not too far from Mo Company.
I was surprised and wondered who the sender might be. Normally, I would have used my hacking skills to trace the number, but this time I decided not to. Instead, I grabbed my toy, dressed properly, and stealthily left the apartment. I didn't want the lovers to know I was around.
When I got to the restaurant, I tried peeping through the glass to check if anyone suspicious was inside, but I couldn't see much. Eventually, I went in and ordered a juice, since I have zero tolerance for alcohol.
I sat there quietly enjoying the juice that was served.
"Hmmm."
Someone cleared his throat.
I opened my eyes. I had closed them for a moment to savor the taste of the drink, but my hand was still resting on my toy, just in case.
Then I saw him.
The same guy I had seen with Mr. Mason in the elevator the day my ex-manager came to confront me.
I won't deny that I was surprised. He was the least person I expected to see. Still, I tried to cover my expression. I smirked and said,
"Mr. Handsome, how may I help you? Are you trying to buy me to your side and make me leave Mo Company alone? If yes, then forget it."
I finished my juice, dropped the money inside the cup, and stood up, preparing to leave without even hearing what he had to say.
His laughter stopped me in my tracks.
It sounded like he was laughing at a fool.
The way he looked at me made it seem like I had said the most ridiculous thing in the world.
That look… unsettled me.
He was the first man who had ever made me feel this way. I'm not someone who gets scared easily. I can usually read people just by looking at them.
What is wrong with me? I asked myself.
But I refused to let his laughter affect me.
"Why are you laughing like someone about to run mad?" I said coldly. "Just state your business. I have something I need to do."
I sat down again to hear what he had to say.
Instead of answering, he laughed even harder when he heard my words.
Fine.
If he wanted to keep laughing, that was his business.
I beckoned to the waiter and ordered another juice, slightly amused by how ridiculous he looked laughing at me.
After the waiter served my drink, he finally stopped laughing and looked straight at me.
"I've never seen someone as delusional as you," he said calmly. "But thank you for letting me know how delusional you are, Catherine. Besides, I wouldn't want a delusional designer working for my company. I wouldn't want you misleading my clients and capable employees."
I choked on my drink and accidentally spat juice all over his face.
What the hell?
It had been a long time since I had acted so clumsily. Why was it happening now? And why with this guy?
While I was still coughing, he took out a handkerchief from his pocket and gently patted my back so I could breathe again.
Then I caught a whiff of his perfume.
A scent I never wanted to smell again.
The last time I smelled that perfume… it had been a disaster.
Then it hit me.
He was the man.
The man I bumped into when Sandra tricked me into preparing paperwork five years ago, the same day I was raped and lost my mother.
The same month I got the promotion and the money I had been chasing.
I hated him.
In my mind, he was bad luck.
If he had come into my life a month earlier, maybe none of those things would have happened. Maybe I wouldn't have been raped. Maybe my mother wouldn't have died.
And now, the very same day I saw him again after five years, I had also discovered a shocking truth about my mother.
What kind of terrible luck was this?
I wanted nothing to do with him.
While he was still patting my back, I glared at him angrily and pushed his hand away.
"Get away from me!" I snapped, tears forming in my eyes.
Then I ran out of the restaurant. I needed to calm myself before I did something I might regret.
I ran without knowing where I was going.
Then I saw someone.
Someone I had once wanted to see… and at the same time someone I never wanted to see again.
It was Elorah.
My once loyal friend.
She was entering a children's store, probably to buy something. But right now, I wasn't ready to confront her. My anger hadn't subsided yet.
And besides, I didn't want to use my toy on her.
My toy is only meant for those who are truly guilty.
And a quick death is not what Elorah deserves.
She deserves something worse… something that will make her pray for death, but death will refuse to come.
So I kept running.
I didn't want to stop. I didn't want to see anyone else I had been avoiding.
Eventually, I reached a bridge.
I stood there, looking over the ocean waves, trying to calm myself.
And then I saw him again.
The bad luck guy.
Why did he keep appearing in my life?
I didn't want any more bad luck.
"Why did you run away without hearing what I wanted to say?" he asked behind me. "I hate people who think they are smart when they aren't even a quarter as smart as they believe."
Then I did something I had been trying so hard to avoid