Leo sat at the dining table, having removed all the covers from the furniture, watching Kiera in the kitchen. The smell of whatever he was cooking was heavenly, filling the small apartment with an inviting aroma.
"What kind of man is he? He can cook, is well-versed sometimes, and even makes you feel safe when he's around. How did Liora not fall for him instead of that man?" she mused to herself, a bitter chuckle escaping her lips. "Well, I also fell for Nico, so that answers it. But I'm sure if I had met Kiera before, I would have given up a lot to get my hands on him."
Kiera noticed her staring and felt a bit uncomfortable under her gaze. "Why are you staring at me like that? Do you have something to say?" he asked, snapping her out of her thoughts. Leo flinched, blinking as if waking from a trance.
"Oh! Nothing…" she said, shifting her eyes away.
Kiera watched her for a long moment, his eyes narrowing curiously before muttering something under his breath that Leo couldn't quite catch. "Did you say something?" she asked, but Kiera just shook his head.
"I was saying you should take a bath and change."
"Oh, yes!" She suddenly remembered and knocked her head lightly in mock chastisement for her forgetfulness. She rose from the chair and headed towards the shut door that led to her new bedroom.
"Your new clothes are in the wardrobe. Some are still packed. You'll have to fix them yourself," he said. Leo pouted, her voice dripping with sarcasm.
"Wow! Do you people feel generous or something? Giving me new clothes? That's rare."
Kiera gave her a cold look, which only amused her further. She entered the room and examined it closely. It was nothing special—just a single bed, a slim side table with a wonky-looking lamp, a desk in the corner, and a tall wardrobe. The place looked packed, especially because of the cartons scattered around. Her expression stiffened with irritation, not wanting to be in this place for long but having no choice.
"It's fine. At least it's better than the mattress on the floor. It's just for now. After I meet with Grandpa, I won't have to live here anyway," she reassured herself, patting her chest to calm her nerves. "It will be over soon."
She approached the wardrobe and opened it, selecting some clothes for after her bath. To her surprise, the clothes were new and seemed to be from a wearable brand. She held onto the sleeve of a shirt, rubbing the fabric between her fingers, her brows lifting slightly.
"Well, it seems he does want some serious intel from Argon to invest in Leo like that," she muttered, pursing her lips while pulling one of the set of clothes from the rod and heading out towards the washroom.
Kant's eyes were bloodshot, dark circles hung under them, and his cheeks were hollow from exhaustion. He hadn't slept a wink after receiving the never-ending calls from Argon, demanding his immediate return as if he wasn't the one who sent him away in the first place. Finally reaching the office in one piece, he pushed open the door to Argon's office after a brief knock.
"I'm back!" he announced, seeing Argon reclined in his chair, looking through papers. Argon's right hand was in a cast hanging from his neck, and his face was unusually pale.
"What happened? I mean, how did all this happen? I left you in one piece!" Kant exclaimed, his confusion and concern evident in his furrowed brow and pained eyes. It wasn't just Argon's sorry state that troubled him; they had also lost the deal Kant had been close to securing.
Standing close to the table, Kant's gaze briefly fell on the open file of Leo in front of Argon.
"Take a wild guess," Argon replied in a heavy voice, anger brewing in his eyes as if he was ready to kill. The pen in his hand dug into the resume.
"Why are you talking like that, boss? You're scaring me," Kant said nervously, stepping back a little.
"I broke my wrist. My sketches are left unfinished because of the broken wrist. I got knocked out cold. I lost my deal. All in a single day." Argon counted down one by one, his head now resting on the headrest, looking up with a hateful look. Kant waited for him to finish. "All this happened after this man appeared in my life!" Argon slammed his left hand onto Leo's resume and growled. Kant jumped in fright and looked at Leo's picture.
"What do you mean?"
"This b*st*rd did all this!!" Argon growled.
Kant, baffled, looked at Argon, struggling to make sense of his words. "How did he do all that?"
"He managed to do it somehow, and I can't fire him!" Argon hissed, his hand curling into a fist, his teeth clenched tightly. "You gave him a job?"
"I had no choice!" Argon muttered under his breath. "First, it was to keep him away from Autumn, but then he broke my wrist, so I needed a driver. Then I realised he could sketch, so I thought I could make him useful, but he ruined everything! Hah! I want to beat the crap out of him so bad."
Kant stared at Argon, absorbing the weight of his boss's rage and frustration. The room seemed to close in on them, the tension almost suffocating.
"Hah!" Kant shook his head in disappointment. "All this for the woman your mother would not approve of," he muttered under his breath. Argon's gaze shot up at Kant, deadly and intense, making Kant feel a shiver run up his spine. He straightened up immediately. "No, I didn't mean it like that," he said quickly, trying to shift the tone of the conversation.
"What now then, Sir?" he added, steering the discussion in a different direction.
Argon shook his head sideways. "I'm not sure, but something tells me this guy has something fishy going on with him. Until I find something on him, I won't do anything to him except make him regret taking a job at this office. I'll make sure he resigns so I won't have to see him around Autumn," he said with a sinister tone.
Kant bit down on his teeth, not surprised by the idea of Autumn being Argon's love interest but unable to do anything about it. Argon's possessiveness seemed almost murderous at times. Sometimes Kant even thought that Argon's feelings toward Autumn might not be just love; it bordered on obsession for some unknown reason.
"Okay." With no other option, Kant gave a nod. "So, where is he now?"
"I sent him to change. He was at my place last night," Argon said nonchalantly, but Kant froze for a second.
"You did what?"
"I sent him to get changed. What's so surprising in that?"
"No, I mean you let him stay over at your place? You did?" Kant's eyes almost bulged out of their sockets. Never in all his years of working closely with Argon had he visited Argon's apartment, especially not stayed over. He knew how much Argon hated the presence of other people around him. Not only did he let a man he barely knew into his home, but he also let him stay the night? Something that Kant could hardly believe. Argon, who had not actively realised this peculiarity, couldn't understand why Kant was so surprised.
"What is wrong?" Argon asked in an irritated tone.
Kant shook his head quickly and spoke. "Nothing. It is nothing."
"Another thing. I have a important guest coming. Make sure you greet her properly."
"WHo?"
"Someone who can save this ruined deal if we are able to satisfy her demands." Argon said in a deep voice.
Kant was unsure but he nodded and then left the office and headed to his desk outside putting down his bag on the side and taking a seat pondering deeply.