Chapter 18
"I'm sorry," Hayden said as soon as the elevator door opened to reveal Killian and Kiara. "I know you guys said you wanted to go see the fates about Macy. But we really need Killian here. Arla won't speak to anyone else."
"It's fine," Kiara responded, stepping out. "We can spare a minute."
"Thanks," Hayden turned on his heels and began to lead the pair towards Clare's office.
"The Zephyr family is into real estate, correct?" Killian asked.
"Yes," Hayden nodded. "They have property all over the world."
"So the house belonging to your uncle isn't really something out of the blue," Kiara said.
"No, but it does raise a lot of questions when one of his properties gets blown up."
"Does he know?"
"We want to speak to Arla first," Hayden held the door open. "Come in."
Killian let Kiara enter first before following her into the room. Clare's office was the biggest room on the floor. She shared the space with Ares, their desks facing each other from opposite ends of the room. In the middle was a sitting area with comfortable sofas and a large coffee table that held a tall vase of roses. One of the walls was converted into a gallery wall and it held family photos.
Whenever he was in there, Killian always looked at the one picture of him and Kiara with Elian and Annabelle at their younger brother Isaac's birthday. They had just turned fourteen and wanted to spend their weekend with their friends. But Posey had demanded they attend the one year old's birthday party. Needless to say, all of the photos from the day had captured their angry scowls. But years later, the one photo hanging on Clare's wall always made Killian laugh.
"Did I really think I looked good with bangs?" Kiara cringed as she followed Killian's eyes to the picture.
"I can still feel the teenage angst," Killian laughed.
"Oh look!" Kiara walked up to one of the photos and pointed to a framed picture of Hayden and Cara. "Hayden! That is that hair?"
"I wanted a mohawk," Hayden shrugged as he pushed his hands into his pockets.
"You look insane," Kiara laughed. "Look at Cara! She's scared to death."
"She never recovered from the trauma," Killian said as he walked over to the windows and took a seat on the reading bench.
"Oh look at Annabelle," Kiara cooed. "Was this at the Par festival?"
Before Hayden could respond, the door to the office opened and Clare walked in with Arla. Kiara turned to face them as everyone fell silent. She watched as Arla's eyes landed on Killian and the girl visibly relaxed. The small smile she flashed him made Kiara's chest tighten as Clare ushered her into the office.
"Good morning, Kiara," Clare said. "Good morning, Killian."
"Good morning," the pair said together.
"Let's all gather around," Clare motioned with her hand. "Come on over. Let's all sit down."
Killian rose from the bench as Hayden took a step forward. Clare sat down and patted the space beside her for Arla, but the girl remained standing. She watched Killian take a seat across from her and slowly made her way over. Kiara stopped in her tracks and looked up. She hovered uncomfortably for a few seconds, knowing what to do. She had just lost her seat.
Killian's eyes turned to Arla and then at Kiara. He looked at the empty sofa beside him next and wondered if he had enough time to switch over before Hayden sat down.
