Adira stood up and ambled to the door at once, and there she found Lyra, looking all radiant in a shimmering dress. A lot had changed about her. Back then, in college, she was mostly looking unkempt and could barely afford good clothes. But now she was looking like a goddess. She was happy for her, no doubt; one thing she wasn't happy about was the fact that she was concealing her identity and might be there for a purpose. The two ladies exchanged weighty stares at each other for a while, saying nothing. "Can I come in?" She finally asked, her voice soft and polite. Hesitating a little, Adira nodded and stepped away from the door, giving her access to walk into the room. "Could you excuse us, please?" She said this to Yvonne, who was fixing some clothes into the wardrobe. "Uh...of course." Yvonne nodded and left, leaving just the two ladies in the room. For a moment, Adira stood behind Lyra, who kept looking around the room, like she was inspecting and admiring it at the same time. "Looks like you finally remembered me," she said, crossing her hands below her bossom. Lyra chuckled and turned to her. "Let's say I do, but does it really matter?" Adira's forehead wrinkled. "Are you being serious? What does it matter? Firstly, you used to be my best friend, Lyra. Then,all of a sudden, you just vanished without a word, like I wasn't important. I looked for you; your family never told you? And since then,it's been what? Five years? Now, I run into you again, but you're suddenly a wealthy girl from a rich background. And worst of all, you claimed not to know me. What has gotten into you, Lyra? What're you doing here?" Silence stepped in for a while. Lyra's expression was so cold, but just as it was perfunctory, her lips stretched into a small smile. There was something about this lady that was different now. "Back then, you used to be very poor as well. And you were in love with... what's his name again? Lancelot? But now, look at you—you're married to the most powerful man, yet you think mine is suspicious?" "How dare you compare our situations?" Adira took a step closer. "Nikolai married me for who I was. I didn't have to lie about my identity, nor did I have to deny knowing you in public. You and I both know you're not from an influential family, Lyra. And the Lyra I know would never find love in a man old enough to be her grandfather. So, tell me what you're doing here." Lyra chuckled and walked slowly to the window. She walked so modestly and carried herself with so much grace. "Let's say you're right." She shrugged, staring out the window. "Perhaps our situations are different. But I am not here for a purpose, Adira. I just had some connections; I met this man in France, and he fell for me." She turned around. "I was tired of being poor, you know? So, would you really blame me for accepting his proposal? Moreover, this man already has a huge family. What harm could I possibly bring?" Adira stared beady-eyed at her. Her face was beginning to feel softer, but... "Why don't I believe you?" She wagged her head. "Why do I feel you're not telling me the entire story?" "Oh, please!" Lyra rolled her eyes. "Don't act all detective, Adira, and just keep shut." The soft look on her face had vanished, replaced only by a grumpy one. She moved towards Adira, her steps slow and measured. "I am asking nicely." Her voice was barely above a whisper. "Let me live my life while you live yours. My husband is so close to his death, you know? So, why don't you allow me to enjoy his last few days with him? I accept the fact that we used to be good friends in college, but let that be in the past. From now on, I do not know you, and neither do you. Please, my dearest friend, you must not bring out the unwanted side of me." Adira was stunned. Was that a threat? Lyra's cold gaze pierced into her eyes for a moment, and coldly, she walked out of the room. *** Lyra's hands were fisted beside her as she returned to her room and picked up her phone. Mr. Thatcher was fast asleep, but to be doubly sure, she walked out to the balcony before placing the call. She tried to steady her angry nerves as she listened to the beep of the phone, and finally, it was answered. "Lyra?" the receiver called. "It's me. We have a problem." ****†****†****† Throughout the night, Adira kept thinking about Lyra's words and what she could possibly do. It was true that Mr. Thatcher already had a big family and was close to his demise. Perhaps Lyra would be unable to cause much harm. But why was she having a bad feeling about everything? 'Maybe she's actually telling the truth,' a small voice whispered in her head. 'Perhaps she was just waiting for Mr. Thatcher's death so she could leave with what little fortune he'd leave for her. It's possible she wasn't there to cause harm.' But why was she disagreeing with this voice? *** The morning came swiftly. Adira woke up, feeling a little sad that Nikolai didn't show up at all. Where did he spend the night, then? She had been a little excited when she realised they'd be sharing the room, but it was obvious he still found a way around it. She got into the bathroom, freshened up, and dressed up for work. Done, she cast a scrutinising glance in the mirror before leaving the room. However, she paused outside her door when she found Na-ri coming out of the room facing hers. She was in her pyjamas and had messy hair, making it obvious she was just coming awake. "Adira!" Na-ri beamed, feigning surprise to see her. She looked at Adira's door and chuckled."That is actually your room? Wow. I had no idea our rooms were this close to each other." Was this just a coincidence?" Adira thought. Why would Na-ri's room be so close to hers and Nikolai's? "Good morning, by the way. We didn't have the chance to greet properly yesterday," she said, leaning on the wall. "Yeah, good morning." Adira mumbled and made to leave. "Nikolai didn't sleep here, did he?" Na-ri's words halted her, accompanied by a slight snigger. What? How did she know about that? Adira turned and threw a suspicious stare at her. There was no way Nikolai slept in her room, right? "How can you be so sure?" "Oh! Please!" Na-ri laughed. "I'm sure, 'cause I'm aware of the room he slept in. And I'm telling you, it wasn't this."Drawing a deep breath, Adira turned to leave again, deciding to ignore her. "You're aware you have about six weeks to go, right?" Na-ri's words hit her again. And this time around, it was more intense than the others. She stopped walking but didn't look at her. "I'm talking about your marriage with Nikolai. Six weeks from now, and it will all be over. I don't know if anyone has told you this, but I'm actually his fiancee. Yes, I'm the one he's supposed to marry. But I honestly don't know why he chose to marry you for two years," she said, crossing her hands and clicking her tongue. "Strange, right? Anyway, I'm glad it's almost over. I can't wait for you to get out of my way and his way as well, 'cause I'm sure you're stopping him from marrying the woman he loves." She giggled again and began walking away. "Have a nice day, Adira!" Adira's breath had become erratic. Despite how badly she wanted to look at Na-ri and say some words to her, she forced herself not to because she feared her glistening eyes might betray her. The whole time, Na-ri was Nikolai's fiancee? No wonder she knew all about their marriage. No wonder she knew his favourite coffee and had so much freedom to go up to his room when she wanted. Of course, it was obvious back then that they were more than just friends. At that moment, Adira felt like a total stranger—a total stranger to the man she married. A tear dropped to her cheek, and before she could lift her finger to wipe it off, she found Nikolai approaching.