Things at the office went smoothly that day for Adira. By mid-day after lunch, she was walking back to her office with Bonnie behind her when her phone started ringing. And after checking the caller ID, she discovered it was Mrs. Bellamy. Adira was a little anxious. Any call from Nikolai's family at that moment would get her really nervous as a result of what had happened. She took a deep breath before receiving the call. "Good day, mom." She smiled like she could see her. "Oh! Adira, dear. How're you doing?" "I'm great. You?" At this time, she had gotten to her office and was taking her seat. "Well, let's just say I'm fine. So sorry, I wanted to call earlier, but I've been so busy and didn't have the time." Her voice had turned a little sad. Adira just listened. "I'm really sorry, dear, about what happened with Vesper. That boy has always been a stubborn brat, but I never thought he'd go this far. You didn't get badly hurt, did you?" Adira's throat had constricted as her eyes widened in shock. What? How did she know about it? Hold on, what was going on? First, it was Bonnie; now Nikolai's mom? How on earth did she find out? Did Vesper confess or something? That wasn't possible. "Uh... I'm... I'm fine,mum. I'm fine now, you have nothing to worry about." She stuttered a reply, still trying to wrap her head around it. "Are you sure? Nikolai seemed very angry when he came over to the house. I thought you were badly hurt." Now, that was the height of it. Adira could hardly breathe. She ran her fingers through her hair."Nik... Nikolai came to the house?" She scoffed. "Yes. You had no idea?" Bellamy sounded surprised. "I thought he had gotten the information from you? He was there and was very angry at Vesper. It was a bloody fight, Adira. If I hadn't intervened, Vesper would've definitely been hospitalized." Adira was frozen, her eyes wide with disbelief as the words sank in. The room around her seemed to blur, and she felt as though she was in a dream. Nikolai had fought for her sake? After seeing the mark on her face, he carried out investigations and attacked Vesper for it? For a moment, she was unable to move, her mind racing as she tried to make sense of it. Never did she expect Nikolai to go to such lengths for her. The realization left her feeling shaken and overwhelmed. "You had no idea?" Bellamy's voice came again. "I... I didn't, mom. I mean, I wasn't the one who told him." She faltered."Oh, then it must have been someone else who witnessed it." Adira's mind went to Yvonne immediately. She had been the only witness. Goodness, did the information come from her? "Anyway, I'm really sorry, Adira. I'm so sorry for my son's behavior. I've spoken some sense into him, and I guarantee he's never going to repeat such an act." "Okay, mum. Thank you." Adira cleared her throat. "You're welcome, honey. Maybe you should come over for dinner sometime?" "Sure, I'd love that." "Alright dear. I'll see you later." and the call dropped. Tossing the phone to her desk, Adira took a deep breath as she slouched in her chair. The whole thing was still fascinating for her, she was having a hard time digesting it. There she was, being so sad and moody that Nikolai didn't care about her getting hurt. She had no idea he had been restless about it and had helped her with revenge. She felt warmth creeping into her face and had to cover her cheeks with her palms. Did he really care for her? even if it was just a little bit? But if he did, why was he finding it so difficult to let her know? Why was he always avoiding her and keeping to himself? Why was he this cold-hearted? *** Throughout the day, Adira couldn't stop thinking about it. Even as she carried on with the rest of her duties at the office, the thought lingered in her head. She felt a little proud that Nikolai had stood up for her. At the end of work, she got home and hoped to see Nikolai. She didn't even know what she'd say to him; she just wanted to see his face. Unfortunately, he wasn't home. She went upstairs to her room, and the moment she saw Yvonne, she asked about it. "I'm so sorry, ma'am, but I had to tell him the truth. He was very angry and looked like he'd harm me if I had lied to him. I'm really sorry," Yvonne explained. This made Adira more amused. Nikolai had gone to such lengths to know what happened to her. As she dipped herself into her jacuzzi that evening, a small smile found her lips. She had a mixed feeling of nervousness and satisfaction. Somehow, she wished she had been there to see how it all happened—how he had pounced on Vesper and punched him for her sake. She wished she was there to witness it all. 'You have less than three months to go, Adira,' a strange voice whispered in her head. 'Less than three months, and you shall become his ex-wife.' The thought of it made Adira's heart jump in her chest. Her smile faded as her countenance became sad. The voice was right—less than three months, and it would all be over between her and Nikolai. That was probably the reason he was trying not to be attached to her. But she was still curious. Why did he propose to help her in the first place? She was a nobody and had never met him before. Why did he offer to help someone like her? That was one question that had yet to be answered. Stepping out of the jacuzzi, she tied a towel around her and was trying to go into her closet when she heard her phone ringing. Adira hated missing important calls. So she reached for the phone and discovered it was an unfamiliar number calling. She hesitated a little before receiving the call and placing the phone over her ear. "Yes?" Silence met her words. She lowered the phone and glanced at the screen to see if the call was still on, and yes, it was. "Who's this?" She asked disgruntledly and was about to end the call when a response came: "Hi." It was brief but held so much. Adira stiffened immediately, her eyes flashing with recognition. For a moment, it seemed as though time had frozen and her heart had stopped beating. That voice—she could recognize it from anywhere, anytime, any day. How on earth would she forget the voice of her ex-husband? The one man who nearly ruined her life? She turned around slowly to face the window, gazing into the darkness. how long she's been waiting for this moment. "Adira, it's Lancelot." His words came again, adding to her confirmation. Adira felt a little tensed as she struggled to fight the memories of her past - memories of how she had loved this man dearly and given him her all. She took a deep breath and worked a smile on her lips. "What a surprise!" she stated coldly. There was a brief silence. "How have you been?" He chuckled. "Do I even need to ask? From what I see, you're doing great." Adira took her time before answering. "I am. And it hurts me to know I can't say the same about you." Her lips were cornered in a smirk. "How's your health? I heard you've been in a coma since you got married. You didn't lose any memories, did you?" "Uh, not at all. Everything's still pretty clear." "Good. It's very important that you still remember." Adira could tell he was flustered by her words. "So, what can I do for you, Lancelot?" She continued. "Did you just call to check up on your ex-wife?""Uh...Kind of, not really." He chuckled. "Well, you know, I just got out of a coma. So, let's say I wanted to say hi. Also, let's say I wanted to congratulate you on your latest achievements." Adira laughed. "I bet you were shocked when you woke up and heard the news about me. Anyway, thank you for congratulating me. It's well appreciated." There was another silence that stretched for almost a minute. "Did you just call to speak with your ex-wife, or did you call to speak with a director of Yonder Dynamics?" Adira asked, and Lancelot hesitated a little before responding. "Maybe, both. Before I went into a coma, I'd been trying to get invested in Y.D. So, now that I'm back, I'm only trying to resume." Adira smiled again. This was going her way. "Okay, then. You should come over to the office tomorrow. Let's see what we can work out." Another silence. Adira figured Lancelot was probably getting shocked. "Goodnight, Lancelot." "Goodnight, Ad..." She ended the call before he could finish. She tossed the phone on the bed and let out a satisfactory grin. Finally, it was time. *** Lancelot continued staring at his phone even after the call ended. His mother was right all along! Adira was truly soft towards him! He puffed out his cheeks as he dipped the phone into his pocket. He wouldn't deny feeling a little nervous while he was on the phone with her. A lot seemed to have changed about her, including her voice. His Adira was now a different woman. The door behind him opened, and he knew it was Jardine coming to join him on the balcony. "Hey, babe. Are you here alone?" She hugged him from behind. "Yeah. Are you done?" Lancelot replied, not looking at her. "I am! Were you on the phone with someone? I thought I heard you talking?" "Nah. I wasn't. You probably heard wrong." "Oh! I probably did." Jardine made him face her. Then she cupped his cheeks and kissed him.