After fending off the assistant, Annie strode down the empty hallway toward the elevator. Her fingers gripped something in her hand and she took in deep breaths to gather her thoughts.
But she halted. Then she staggered and her back hit the wall. The girl shut her eyes, her breathing was more disoriented. And as she tried to calm down, she slowly brought up her hand and placed it on her chest. It was beating fast.
Annie remained pinned to the wall, the presence of that thing in her hand alarmingly increasing. She gripped it tight, hoping it would vanish. She hoped the memory of what transpired minutes ago would vanish.
‘Andy, haven’t you given up already?’
Her brows drew together and a bitter smile spread on her face. As she composed herself, so many memories began coming back.
Moments later, the girl didn’t walk away from the wall. She seemed to be lost in her thoughts. But footsteps came from the elevator ahead. From the side of her eyes, a slender figure came out of the elevator, her heels clicking against the tiled floor.
Annie blinked, and her lips parted. At the sight of that lady, her heart seemed to stop beating for a while before it came back to life.
Rayne had on a gentle smile. Unlike Annie, she didn’t look surprised to see her. She stopped walking in front of her and sized her up.
“Ms. Lin, how long has it been?” She muttered softly. “It’s three years now and you haven’t changed a lot.”
“Surely, coincidences do happen often.” Annie smiled back, leaning away from the wall. “Ms. Xin. Who would have thought we’d meet again in this situation? And it happens that I’ve been longing to see you.”
After searching far and wide, Annie found it funny that the lady would appear on her own. This coincidence was too high.
“It also happens that I’ve longed to see you, Ms. Lin,” Rayne answered. “After all, I heard you’re looking for me.”
Annie watched her expression. She’d already composed herself, therefore, it would be hard to tell if she was shocked by the lady’s words.
“How about we discuss in somewhere more private?” Annie suggested. “I have something important to tell you, Ms. Xin.”
“Me too.” Rayne turned around and they both walked inside the elevator. “There’s something important I’d love for Ms. Lin to know.”
They both stared at each other in silence. None of them spoke a word while the elevator went down. While Rayne watched her as if studying an object, Annie’s mind was on her endless search for the past three years.
They left the elevator and headed to the parking lot where they both sat in Rayne’s car. A red flashy car that screamed of luxury. Surely, this lady was not ordinary.
Before Rayne could speak, Annie brought her phone out and showed her a document. “About our agreement three years ago. I’d like Ms. Xin to know that I’m going to pay back every dime you gave me. This IOU is proof. Please let me know how I can send it to you.”
“Huh?” Rayne looked confused before she smiled. “We just met, Ms. Lin, and you’re already in a hurry. It makes me feel like you can’t wait to get away from me.”
“Ms. Xin, you’re right.” Annie stared at her blankly. “We don’t know each other that much for us to catch up on old memories. We only met once, remember?”
“But the thing I did for you isn’t ordinary. It should make us counterparts.”
“The thing you did for me isn’t morally right. If I had another choice, Ms. Xin, I would never sign the contract.”
Rayne’s smile only widened. Seemed like her assumption was becoming right. “Ms. Lin, you were in urgent need of money three years ago. If I hadn’t come to your aid, would you have survived to this moment?”
“I should thank Ms. Xin for that. However, I will pay back every money you gave me.”
“That makes the contract invalid. As if it never existed.”
“That is what I want.” Annie forced a smile. “I want to take responsibility for the things that happened between me and Mr. Lim. If that contract is out of the way, I’ll live with a clear conscience.”
Rayne’s knuckles turned bright as she clasped her handbag tightly. Even though she maintained a smile, tiny veins could be seen popping up on her neck.
“Ms. Lin.” She laughed softly. “Don’t you want to know the reason why I offered you that contract three years ago?”
“Your reason doesn’t matter to me,” Annie replied. “All I want now is to give you back your money. Then we’ll no longer have anything to do with each other, Ms. Xin.”
“Mmm. I hope so.” Rayne took Annie’s phone and typed some characters in it. “Those are my account details. Please send me the money.”
Annie took back her phone and was about to leave the car, but the lady’s next words made her stop.
“And just for Ms. Lin, to know. Mr. Lim is now my fiance. We’re getting married soon. I won’t ask you to stay out of his way. I know Ms. Lin has a clear conscience not to snatch things that don’t belong to her.”
Annie stilled. The shock hit her so much that she couldn’t hold back her laughter. The silent parking lot echoed with her voice which carried disbelief. Ah! What a fool she was.
“Thank you for letting me know, Ms. Xin. I’ll take note of that.” She retained her blank expression then walked away while typing a message on her phone.
[Don’t bother looking for her anymore. Ms. Xin’s identity is not ordinary. Finally, she decided to meet me on her own.]
[Well, congratulations, Ms. Lin. My humble soul can now live peacefully.] The reply came instantly.
.
Inside the car, Rayne watched the girl’s retreating figure. Her once calm demeanor disappeared and she threw her bag against the glass window, making it crack.
“Ah!” Her scream was muffled by the car walls and she grabbed her hair with both hands. How funny! Three years ago, she thought a broken heart could bring Andrew to her. However, he was after this girl again. Wasn’t her effort futile then?
Wasn’t she the biggest fool in the world!?
“Ms. Xin.” A tall guy dressed in all black walked out of the shadows. Apart from being very tall, he looked otherwise normal. But the deep scar on the side of his face couldn’t be overlooked.
“I don’t want to see her again!” Rayne seethed in rage. “Kill that girl, Max! Wipe off her existence! Only I deserve to be in Andrew’s heart!”