Veils Of Deceit

(2): Do I Really Know her?

"Nicholas, she'll be arriving shortly. Is Sebastian awake?" I asked.

"Yes sir, but he is still shivering." he replied apprehensively.

"I'm aware of that, but our hands are tied." I replied helplessly running a frustrated hand through my hair.

I caught the sound of the doorbell; perhaps it's Ms. Astor. Swiftly, I swung open the door, relieved to find her accompanied by her assistant.

"Hello, Ms. Astor, and hello to you too Ms. Dolce, Please come in" I greeted them warmly.

"Hello Mr. Dior." they greeted back while coming in.

"Please have a seat." I uttered in a courteous manner.

They took a seat.

"Hello both of you, As you know I'm Nicholas Smith Mr. Dior's assistant" Nicholas extended his salutation with an amiable grin.

"Hello Mr. Smith" They greeted back with a smile.

"What libation would you prefer?" he inquired.

"No, we abstain from beverages, but we appreciate your consideration" Ms. Astor responded.

"Is it permissible for me to have an encounter with the patient, Mr. Dior?" she asked.

"Of course, let me call him here" I replied.

"Mr. Dior" she stopped me from behind.

"Yeah?" I asked.

"Actually, I prefer to meet with the patient alone. Would that be acceptable?" she asked politely.

"Yeah, of course," I replied, gesturing towards Sebastian's room for her to proceed.

As she went to Sebastian's room I asked Ms. Dolce "why had she ceased taking new assignments? I have heard she is an esteemed psychologist, Is it because she earns enough  by her company?"

"No, it's not quite like that. Last time, she undertook this task for her cousin's friend, but unfortunately, he passed away. We couldn't determine whether it was suicide or a genuine accident. However, Ms. Astor feels that it may have been due to her lack of expertise, so she took a break of 2 months. Don't worry if she declines to treat your brother; if she does, it likely means his condition isn't severe. We have many other excellent psychologists in our company. Ms. Astor is genuinely kind-hearted; she won't let you suffer. If she believes your brother's condition is serious, she will assist you by becoming his psychologist. So no need to worry" she end up her words with a mournful smile.

"I'm sorry to hear that. Her story sounds very painful, yet she managed to conceal it well," I replied with a serious tone.

"Yeah, she's been like that since childhood." she replied with a grin.

"You've known her since childhood, just as I've known Mr. Dior since childhood. In fact, I was his junior in High school and we were neighbours when I was in primary school ." Nicholas exclaimed excitedly.

"Oh what a coincidence, I was also Ali's junior in high school and also her neighbour since my pre primary she always treated me as her younger sister so I didn't want to leave her so I became her assistant." she replied with a smile.

"Oh but the difference is I never called Mr. Dior with his name, nickname is so far, and he never treated me like a younger brother but still he was my favorite senior and I became is assistant." he mentioned.

"Don't forget I'm here Nicholas, Speak less" I articulate.

"Aye, Aye sir." he replied with a salute but as usual he will not going to obey.

"You guys are so funny, I can see Mr. Smith your boss loves you a lot." she said while smiling.

"Is that so, boss?" Nicholas asked curiously looking at me with smirk.

"I think I told you to shut up, you speak too much and you know me well I don't like to repeat my words." I remarked and as the door of Sebastian's room swings open, I catch sight of Ms. Astor stepping out.

Without pausing, I bombarded her with questions, "What happened? Is his condition good or bad? Will you assist us?"

"Yeah, Mr. Dior, I'm prepared to help your brother, but there will be some conditions that you'll need to agree to. Is that acceptable?" she asked.

"What conditions?" I asked looking at her with

"Mr. Dior, we'll inform you, but not at this moment. There will be a contract between us that you'll need to sign. This is how our company operates," her assistant replied.

"Alright, so when will we meet?" I asked.

"Ma'am is available tomorrow at 8PM, we can have a dinner together while discussing this, if it suits you?" she inquired.

"I don't have any problem, anything for my brother" I replied in a stressful voice.

"Ok then I will text you the place." she remark.

"But Ms. Astor you didn't tell me my brother's condition, how is he?" I asked worriedly.

"Don't worry Mr. Dior, he will be okay now I'm here." she replied with a grin which brought me a sense of relief.

"Thank you so much" I exclaimed with happiness.

"They walked out of my home, and it's baffling how quickly I've placed my trust in them after just two encounters. Perhaps it's just my faith in her ability to help Sebastian recover. Yes, that's it. It's solely about believing in her capability to make a difference."

"Boss, you've never put your trust in someone so quickly before. What made you do it this time?" he inquired, his intuition always synced with my thoughts.

"I've been asking myself the same question, but I felt like I had no other choice. I couldn't bear to see Sebastian in that state any longer," I replied, frustration evident as I ran a hand through my hair.

"Don't worry, sir. He'll pull through. Besides, I've got your back, even if I am a bit useless at times," he reassured, a chuckle escaping his lips.

"So, you finally admit it," I teased, joining in his laughter.

"Yeah, but only on occasion," he defended, a playful grin on his face.

"I'm glad you can own up to it," I responded with a smirk. "By the way, I feel like I've seen her somewhere before. She seems familiar, but I can't quite place it."

"Maybe you spotted her on Instagram. She's pretty popular on there," he suggested.

"No, I definitely saw her in person," I insisted, certain of my observation.

"Perhaps she attended an event where you were also present," he proposed.

"That's possible," I conceded.

"Stop overthinking it and get some rest, boss," he advised.

"Yeah, goodnight, Nicholas," I said with a nod.

"Night, boss," he replied before exiting the room.

***

What do you guys think had Kai truly crossed paths with Alizée in person, or was it merely a creation of his imagination?

<Let me know in the comments>