Adira picked a red knee-length dress for work the following morning. Then, she styled her hair and applied some light makeup. For the first time in twenty-one months, she'd be meeting with her ex-husband and she wanted to create a good impression to make her plan work. With a smug smile on her lips, she exited the room, her heels clacking against the staircase as she descended. But she stiffened when she caught a glimpse of Nikolai in the living room. He was on a phone call and had his back against her, and that moment as she watched him from behind, she felt her throb. She slackened her steps but eventually got to where he was, and her legs wobbled when he turned to look at her. She swallowed hard and dropped her gaze quickly. "Good morning." She courtesied. Was it just her imaginations, or was he looking exceptionally handsome that morning? Oh! He had a new haircut - she noticed. "Good morning," his cold, but charming voice came. Adira developed conflicting thoughts, wondering if she was to thank him for what he did on her behalf. But she felt nervous and missed the chance to ask him as he placed another call and walked away. ... She exhaled deeply as she took her seat in the car. Will a day ever come when she'd have a normal conversation with Nikolai without stuttering or being nervous? Will a day ever come when they'd sit and talk like even friends? "Are we headed to the office, ma'am?" Her driver asked from the front seat. "No, I have a meeting. Take me to Betacomplex." ***Bonnie was already waiting at the complex before Adira arrived. "Good morning, ma'am. How was your night?" She flashed a smile at her. "It was fine, Bonnie." As she walked into the complex, she could feel the weight of people's stares on her. It's always the same - people staring and whispering her name. 'She's so lucky. Being married to a man like Nikolai.' "How beautiful she is." "Check out her shoes." Adira could clearly hear them, but she kept her head high and headed for the elevator. *** In a short time, they were walking into the conference room where the other clients were already waiting. It was a man with two women beside him. The man was seated at the bead of the table which gave Adira the impression that he was the new Chairman - the one in charge. As she walked closer, his face began to seem familiar. Then, just like a switch, it dawned completely on her. That was the same man she had encountered at the restaurant the other day! The same man that couldn't let her get her Pastrami sandwich. So, he was the new Chairman of the Wyatt Group? Really? He seemed to recognize her as well as his gaze was focused on her and had a small smile on his lips. She took her seat on the table, while Bonnie sat next to her. "Welcome, Mrs. Kensington," The women from the table smiled at her. "Thank you," she inclined her head and shifted her gaze to the young man. His eyes were already on her before she looked at him. "Good morning, Mr. Jared." She greeted perfunctorily. "Mrs. Kensington. A pleasure to meet you again," he responded breezily. Adira felt a little offended by his response. Why did he want it to seem like they've met in a serious way before? She looked away with a slight frown. Then, the meeting commenced. *** The meeting flowed smoothly with them negotiating the terms of their deal. Jared's company had an upper hand in Japan, so the Yonder Dynamics needed to collaborate with them to set up some structures. The meeting went up for a long time until they finally arrived at a reasonable conclusion. "Thank you, Mr. Jared. I'll relay this information with members of my board and get back to you." Adira stated as she arranged her files. "Likewise," came Jared's reply. "It was nice having this meeting with you."Done arranging her files, Adira and her people stood up to go, but Jared's words halted them. "Can I have the room with Mrs. Kensington, please?" He requested. Eyes glanced at each other. Adira was muddled. Why the hell was he requesting for privacy? She wanted to protest, but the workers were already on their feet. "Okay, sir." She watched with perplexity as the workers exited the room, leaving just she and Jared. "Do you have something private to say to me, Mr. Jared?" She asked formally, still on her feet. "Oh! Please, we're alone now. Let's drop the formalities, shall we?" He equally rose his feet, his fingers working on his suit button. Gently, he took slow steps towards Adira. "You remember me, right?" He asked with a light smile. "I do, but that doesn't matter. What do you have to say?" He chuckled and got very close to her, but Adira took some steps away. "Calm down, will you? I'm not here to bite," his voice was low. Adira couldn't explain why she felt uneasy around him. There was a certain darkness in his eyes. "I know you can't bite me even if you wanted to. I just love keeping my distance," She answered firmly. "I see. Well, I wanted to personally apologize for making you miss the sandwich that day. If only you had told me your name..." "That doesn't matter anymore. I can get ten of that sandwich if I want to," she interjected calmly. "I know, but how about I get you one?" He asked in a hushed tone. He had taken more steps towards her and covered up the distance between them. So, as he spoke in hushed tones, Adira could clearly hear him. "Or, even better, how about I treat you for dinner?" He added. Adira scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Thank you, Mr. Jared, but I'm not going out with you." "Why? It'll be fun." She sighed and showed her fingers at him - the one with a ring. "Just incase you think Kensington is my father's name, well here you go. Kensington is my husband's name. I'm married," she expressed tersely, picked up her bag and turned to leave. But Jared got hold of her wrist and pulled her back, making her look at him in surprise. Then, leaning forward, he whispered in her ear: "I'm very much aware you're married. But I'm also aware you have less than three months to go." His voice was low and intimate, and his warm breath brushed against her skin. Adira felt a slight agitation, especially when he intentionally made his lips brush her neck before moving away. His lips stretched into a cunning smile, and his eyes grew darker. There was a hint of lust in them. "You'll need a man when your husband finally divorces you," he added. "I could be that man." He picked up his phone from the table. "Think about the dinner, please. I'd love to treat you," he broke into another smile and vacated the room, leaving Adira behind. Adira was in shock. How the hell did he know her marriage with Nikolai was for two years? Who was he?