Finding an Absolution

Chapter 5 : Nothing Without You

Screech!!

And they had arrived.

'BISTRO EPOQ', it read on a huge board. Lush and posh. The place was paradise like, perfect. And triggered in memory, Layla remembered her first date with Jayden. She remembered how he was only looking at her, and her eyes couldn't find an escape. She remembered how he had pulled out the chair for her, sat down himself, called a waiter, ordered the dishes without even looking at the menu, and poured themselves wine, looking at her, looking continuously only at her. She remembered that she had fallen for that look first. That hunger in his eyes, along with honour and shaded honesty. Her heart ached whenever she entered room no. 713 of the Seoul National Hospital, to find Jayden on the bed, with not love but questions in his eyes.

A clap sounds in front of Layla's face and she comes out of her stance.

'I almost called your name for at least ten times...seems like you don't want to get out of the car,' Lisette remarked.

'I'm sorry. Was lost somewhere.'
'Any troubles?'
'No, nothing.' Layla looked out of the window at the bistro. 'This place seems quite extravagant.'
'Yeah! It's our first girl date together. It's supposed to be a posh-nosh.'
'You talk like you mint money yourself.' Layla giggled at her new friend.
'Not exactly, but I have plundered huge amounts from our enemies in Sydney. So right now I'm in a good mood of splurging out some,' Lisette explained.
'Well, somehow it's difficult to say no to you.'
Lisette faked disgust, 'Huh! Ask Leon he will tell you how to.'

They both laughed at that.
And got out of the car.

Upon entering inside, Lisette chose a table. They both sat down and without looking at the menu, as she had already decided the dishes, Lisette called the waiter, and ordered when he was ready with pen and paper.

"2 'Lindeth Howe Pudding Dessert' with diamond dust
1 'Berco's Billion Dollar Popcorns'
'Tell me the bill in dollars. I'm Australia returned, haven't got ₩ yet.'

'Sure ma'am. You are ordering for $65,560. Anything else ma'am?' the waiter asked.

'Gordon Bennet! Lisette that's too much.' Layla was indeed surprised.

'Babe, we are splurging.' The other girl winked. 'Nothing else. Thank you.'

'Alright ma'am.' The waiter left.

'How much have you plundered?'

'$3 million black cash. After having a gala time, I'll hand it all over to Sir Kim Samson.'

Layla was astonished. 'It must have been a lot of bluff and strategy,' Layla said, wondering about the customs, methods, protocols, and eventually the con artist's ways to get things done. 'Girl, you are a thing!'

'So, are you,' Lisette pulled Layla's cheek. 'So tell me something about yourself.'

'Where should I start from! It's a long mess,' Layla wondered.

'From the scratch. Everything about yourself.'

Layla braced herself up and began, 'My family name is Kang Layla. And I am an adopted daughter of my parents Mr. Kang Shin woo and Mrs. Kang Celine. I have a younger sister, Kang Liana, who is the real daughter of my foster parents. They had found me at a church, around midnight. I was three at that time. I was sitting outside, on the stairs of the church, when their car was passing by and stopped when they had spotted me. They approached me, asked me questions, and I couldn't utter a word. I was traumatized due to an event, I faintly remember and often have nightmares of it. I was speech retarded and took a week to recover. After a lot of thought, Mr. And Mrs. Kang decided to adopt me. It was a frenzy, mom narrates. It took several months to get the paper works done and get me in legally on official terms. Liana was an year old at that time. We were too young to understand differences, and we grew up exactly like blood sisters. When I turned ten, Mr. And Mrs. Kang decided to start an orphanage. They say over a course of seven years with me, they had found a purpose. And since, then our family, my dad's business of luxury carpentry, and the orphanage flourished. I completed my graduation and just enrolled in masters five months ago. Liana is in first year of her college.'