As Jardine made her way into her family's mansion, she felt like she was walking into a lion's den. Her heels echoed in the air as she pushed open the door to the living room and found her family on the velvet sofas, like they had been waiting for her. She had told them she'd be coming that morning, though. She felt a lump in her throat as she walked in, feeling the weight of their judgmental stares on her skin. She couldn't even look them in the face. "Good morning, Mom. Grandpa, grandma," she uttered and took a seat, facing them. Kalina was the only one absent from the room. "Finally, you decided to come home," her grandmother grumbled. She was an aged but fierce-looking woman. "I'm sorry, Grandma, but I just couldn't leave Lancelot," Jardine mumbled.Kalina came clumping down the stairs immediately. "Oh! Someone is finally home. Hey, big sis," she flashed a sarcastic smile at her, which Jardine ignored. "Hm. You don't look too good. Obviously, looking after Lancelot must've drained you," Kalina rolled her eyes as she took a seat. "Well, it's a good thing you're finally here, Jardine," Mrs. Rowena interjected. "A lot has been going on with the company, which you know about. And if we don't do something about it, it'll get worse." "You little brat!" Her grandfather gritted. "I warned you, didn't I? I warned you to let go of someone else's husband, but you didn't listen! Now your foolishness is about to affect my company! I promise you, Jardine if I go down, I'm taking you with me!" There was a stunned silence after his words. No one could say anything in Jardine's defense. Well, Mr. Remington was very feared in the family. "I was never in support as well," the old woman added. "You should've sought after your own man, Jardine. Now, I'm very sure that lady is doing all these things to spite you." "Honey," Rowena called. "We can still fix this. I believe if you go to Adira yourself and ask forgiveness, she might forgive you." Jardine's face crumpled up as she looked at her family. "What're you talking about?" She scoffed. "You want me to go to Adira? For what exactly?" "Don't tell me you're still having that pride, Jardine," Kalina chimed in. "You caused this, you know? So, it's only right that you fix it." "Can you just stop talking to me?" Jardine snapped at her. "And why should I? I wasn't the one who broke someone else's home." "At least, it's better than being engaged to a shoemaker!" Jardine's words left a sting that lingered in the air for a while. This made Kalina's eyes shimmer with rage."You bitch. How dare you?" She tried attacking Jardine, but their mother stepped in the way and held her back. "Get back to your seat, Kalina. Have you lost your mind? She's your elder sister!" Mrs. Rowena reprimanded Kalina, but she didn't comply immediately. She pointed at Jardine. "My fiance might make just shoes, but at least I didn't snatch him from anyone. I do not have a woman that I need to ask for forgiveness." She huffed and turned around. "I can't believe I slapped that lady at the wedding because of an ungrateful bitch like you. I was so stupid." "Kalina, sit!" Mrs. Rowena ordered peremptorily, and with a glare, Kalina obeyed. The whole time, Jardine was as calm as a lake. Mrs. Rowena returned to her seat, feeling drained already. "Listen, Jardine," she continued. "You need to gulp down your pride and apologize to Adira. The company's at stake here!" "But, why must it be me? Do you really think it'll matter?" "Of course, it will. After all, you're the reason she's acting this way." Jardine's eyes got swollen. She recalled Adira's words to her on that day: "You'll pay for this, Jardine. Someday, I'll make you pay for this." She also recalled her taunting response: "And how exactly will that happen? You think this is some movie? Have some sense, Adira. My family's net worth alone will feed a thousand of your generation. "In the world of business, you're not even qualified to be my cleaner." Goodness! She had treated her so badly. How could she possibly ask for forgiveness? She imagined herself being insulted and humiliated by Adira and concluded she couldn't do it. There was no way on earth she could. She sniffed and stood up. "I'm sorry, but I can't." "And where do you think you're going?" Mr. Remington called from behind her when she turned towards the door. His voice halted Jardine, who didn't turn around. "I don't care if you're pleased with it or not, but you must do it, Jardine. You must beg for forgiveness; otherwise, I'll bring you to nothing. So, get ready; you'll be going to The Yonder Dynamics tomorrow." His words struck Jardine like lightning. A tear came trickling down her cheek. "That's right. Go ahead and beg," Kalina sniggered from behind, infuriating Jardine even more. ****†****†****†****† Adira had a couple of meetings to attend that morning. By mid-day, she had gone to inspect one of the building projects they had going, and when she was done there, Bonnie suggested they stop by a restaurant for lunch. So, her driver took them to Saffron Dreams, which was nearby and was one of the best restaurants in the city. The restaurant was cozy, and soft music played in the background as Adira and Bonnie made their way in. "Always my favorite," Bonnie sniggered as they took their seats. They picked up the menu from the table and skimmed through it. "What would you like to have, ma'am? I think I'm already in love with the tortilla de patatas." Bonnie licked her lips. She's always been a fan of Spanish dishes. "I'll just go with macaroni and cheese," Adira muttered, still reading through the menu. "Alright, ma'am! I'll go place our orders," Bonnie stood up excitedly and left. As Bonnie left, Adira cast a sidelong glance at her. She was twenty-three years old and started working with her from the first day she was assigned to the company. So far, she's been very sweet. Adira closed up the menu and took her phone, just keeping herself busy. After a while, Bonnie returned with two waiters who carried their orders. They served them on the table, and Bonnie and Adira set out to begin eating. After a long time, they rounded up with their meals, and Bonnie excused herself to make use of the restroom. "You'll need to catch up in the car," Adira told her before she left. "Okay, ma'am. I will." Adira packed up her things and stood up with her bag. She was walking away and was headed for the exit when something from one of the glass shelves gripped her attention. She retraced her steps, and her eyes beamed when she confirmed it was a pastrami sandwich—her favorite! There were other sandwiches on the shelf, but the pastrami was just one piece, and this made Adira more interested. It was her favorite, any time, any day. "Hey, I want the pastrami sandwich," she called out to one of the waitresses, who turned to her immediately with a smile. "Good afternoon, ma'am. Pastrami sandwich?" The lady flashed a welcoming smile. "Yes. How much is it?" "I'm afraid that's mine," a sonorous voice suddenly said. Adira whipped her head around and frowned when she saw a strange man coming towards them, clad in an expensive tailored suit.