Poison Rose

46 - Let's finish what I started

That person stood in front of Liora, watching her with wide eyes and a grin that spread across his face like a child who had just been handed their favourite treat out of the blue.

"Nice reflex!" One corner of his mouth raised higher than the other, which radiated joy and amusement with a touch of superiority and curiosity.

James tilted his head slightly and narrowed his eyes. He watched Grace as she made a visible effort to regain her composure before his orbs were fixed on Liora.

"Hi, I am James." James forwarded his hand for a firm handshake, introducing himself and looking at Liora with pure joy, hiding his amusement behind the perfectly stretched lips on his face.

Grace was smoothing out her clothes and brushing her hair with the light touch of her fingers in an attempt to recover from her fall.

'What in the world is going on? Yesterday, it was Caspian who came to rescue her, and today, James came to say Hi....? Who is she?'

Grace and Harper's thoughts were swirling. They were standing a few feet from Liora while watching James introduce himself under the shade of trees, the gentle sound of water streaming in the background.

The sight shocked Grace and Harper as if someone had torn down their ego. Their eyes were wide with a mix of dread and disbelief.

The situation had changed beyond anything they had anticipated. Kai and Logan had broken up with them for this girl, and somewhere, Caspian and James were showing a keen interest in her.

'She was no ordinary girl. Is she going to be the next Pearl for Caspian and James? Or will they be witnessing her sitting behind Kai or Logan's Ducati bikes?' The question lingered in their mind.

That scary thought struck Grace and Harper like a thunderbolt. They looked at each other in silence, resolute that they would teach her a lesson. They had powerful weapons to use against this Gold digger: Pearl and Rihana. All they needed to do was inform Pearl first and twist the knife deeper; Rihana would make that happen.

They both left the place with sly and chilling smiles as if they had imagined the chaos they could unleash.

Liora brought her hands together in front of her chest, fingers pointing upwards in a graceful gesture of respect and greeting. She slightly bowed her head as her palms pressed gently together. "Hi, I am Li," she said with a calm smile.

She glanced at James's outstretched hand for a handshake. "I've grown accustomed to the Buddhist style of greeting after the pandemic." Liora forced a smile, feeling uncertain about why Caspian's friend was talking to her.

'Does he know who I am? Did Caspian know, too? If he did, then why wasn't he here?'

Liora's curiosity drove her to tilt her head slightly, her eyebrows growing together, as she tried to peer past James's broad shoulders. She shifted from one side to the other in a gentle, almost subconscious attempt to catch a glimpse of what lay beyond him.

Her gaze flickered as if she half-expected to see Caspian materialize behind his friend.

"Caspian is not here. He cannot come for some time," James said, noticing her anxiousness.

Liora stood frozen, and her eyes widened with surprise. "Why? Is he sick?" She moved a little closer to James.

Her expression shifted to worry, and her gaze moved from one light brown eye to another of James.

James' gaze sharpened, tracing every delicate feature of her face. The way her eyes brimmed with desperation only deepened his smile, a subtle curve hinting at his amusement. He let his gaze linger, savouring the sight of her parted lips and the way her breath quickened.