Rain Again (Completed)

Chapter 11

Kate took a moment to steel her nerves and wear a blank expression heaving out a long shaky breath. Then she finally got out of the car and looked up at the tall building at level eight she knew was the Leons' Asthel branch office -- a place to work and make money, but for her, at the moment was an inferno she was going to walk into willingly.

"I still have that pocket knife inside my bra, Kate," Ellie said with a swagger. "Don't you worry, girl."

Kate gave her a side glance. "Then you better remove it now and leave it inside the car, the security is quite tight over there at the front gates, and you'll be suspected as a murderer or a terrorist." She gestured towards the security guards, checking people with metal detectors.

"Holy potato!" Ellie gasped. "But I surely don't look like a murderer or terrorist, do I?"

Kate shrugged. "I don't think they'll consider your good looks if you're caught with blades and knives."

"I better leave my lifeline in the car then," Ellie muttered, fishing out the knife in question from her bra while the man passing by gave her a leering look, and she threw it back inside the car.

And together, the girls set out for Alex's office. Kate's nerves were calmer now. The little complication about Ellie's knife back there had to be thanked for that.

Ellie looked very uncomfortable now that she lacked her weapon to defend herself and Kate from the suspect manic Alex Leon. At one point, when they were coming out of the elevator and reached level eight finally, Ellie began cursing Victor for sending them to check out the sample of their next order.

"Victor just trusts us so much, Ellie, and you know he's stuck with that cranky Mr. Hathaway; otherwise, he would have himself come for this," Kate said with patience.

"It would have been better handling Mr. Hathaway knowing I had my knife to poke his eyes out instead of encountering the manic Mr. Leon," Ellie grumbled. "And I can clearly see you would have preferred that too," she said the past bit softly, worriedly, glancing at Kate's face.

Kate kept her eyes firmly focused on the woman behind the desk as they reached the waiting area outside Alex's office.

So, even Ellie can notice.

It looked like Kate wasn't that expert on wearing an expressionless mask after all.

Or it was probably because Ellie worried, and some people, despite how crazy they are, have this intuition to read waves of emotions. It's eerie, and it's appealing all at the same time.

They sat waiting across the room after the secretary told them that Alex was stuck inside the office in an eleventh-hour urgent meeting.

Seconds turned to minutes. The secretary, a slender brunette, seemed like a nice woman, a considerate person to have staff bring them some beverage. Ellie was a happy camper gulping down the cream cookies with careless abandon while scrolling through her phone.

However, Kate was the exact opposite. Now that she was sitting idly, she couldn't help her nerves from becoming a rickety mess again.

Only while waiting do we realize that having to wait is one of the most challenging things to go through.



--

"I'm glad that my only daughter and you're in a relationship, but that is as long as you don't make a wrong move, Leon."

Alex sat taut in his plush leather chair—circumstances made which a punishing surface with jutting out needles. His eyes were stoic, looking at the old business tycoon Nolan Ashworth's smirking face across the desk.