Adira's heart sank to the pit of her stomach the moment she saw him. Quickly lifting her finger to wipe off the tear, she knew it was too late, as he must've seen it already. Right there, she noticed his walking pace drop, and his gaze settled solely on her. He was in casual home wear but still had this aura of wealth and power around him. It hurt her even more to see him; she couldn't explain why. She had prepared herself for this already. After taking his offer two years ago, she decided within herself never to fall for him or get jealous if he eventually had an affair. She was very aware that her marriage with him was transactional with no emotions involved. So, why the hell was she feeling this way, knowing he had a fiancee on standby? Nikolai got to where she was and stopped walking, his gaze cold on her. Adira had already dropped her gaze to the floor, not wanting him to see any more of her tears."Good morning," she mumbled, tightening her grip around her bag. Nikolai noticed this. He had noticed her tears as well just before she wiped them off, and though he didn't show it, it got him worried. There was so much sadness on her face. For the first time, he was tempted to ask her conscious self what was wrong. Not her drunken self, who would say gibberish, but her conscious self. He was two seconds away from asking when she sniffed and walked past him, her eyes not leaving the floor. He stood still, not turning around to get a glimpse of her back. 'Wouldn't that be too much caring?' he asked himself. Still, he was worried and wanted to know what was wrong with her. *** When Adira got to the dining room, she met some members of the family already seated for breakfast. Lyra was there as well, spoon-feeding Mr. Thatcher and acting ignorant of her presence.Mrs. Bellamy invited her over to join them, but Adira was too broken and declined. So she left. ****†****† "Kalina, please! You can't do this to me!" Mikhail cried out, trying to stop her from taking her luggage out of the room. "Please! Please! Just listen to me." "Can you let me go?" Kalina snapped at him. "Your trying to stop me only irritates me even more." He went on his knees and grabbed her legs. "I'm begging you; don't leave me." Tears wet his cheeks. It was the first time he had ever shed a tear. "I can't survive without you. Don't do this." "Of course, how can you survive when I literally feed you?" Kalina huffed. "Listen, there's no point doing this, Mikhail, because I'm never coming back to you. I told you already—I've found someone else who's serious about me. He's from a very rich family and matches my energy completely. So, I'm done with this—done with you. Now, for the last time, let me go and find a woman who suits your standard." She tried moving again, but he held her still until she had to kick him in the chest. Finally, she was able to get free from his grasp and succeed in walking away. Once out of the house, she took a deep breath, smiling as well. Her life was almost perfect. After the night she spent with Vesper two weeks ago, they continued meeting, and she worked her way into his heart like an enchantress. On their fourth meeting, she had enticed him with a question: "Why do you permit your younger brother to be the popular one when you're the eldest?" She had been lying on his chest, and she remembered that question had almost sparked him up, but he managed to remain calm. "I didn't let him," he had grumped. "If you didn't let him, then what have you done to get it back?" That was how their conversation had started. She filled him in on reasons why he needed to get back his position, and along the way, she told him she could be of great help. So, when she heard about their family reunion, she figured it was the best place to start the plan. And thankfully, Mr. Thatcher has made it a lot easier by inviting her over to the house. Oh! She couldn't thank her mother enough for bringing up this idea. Now she realises how much of her time she's been wasting with Mikhail. She got into her car with a bright smile on her face, ready to explore a whole new world. *** The entire day at the office, Adira's mood was down, and she only had to keep forcing herself to carry out her duties. Towards the evening, she decided to give Jared a call to know why the hell he was delaying the contract.She was seated in her office, her fingers brushing into her hair as she listened to the continuous beep of the call. Towards the end, he answered. "Mrs. Kensington," his voice exuded a comforting warmth, making it seem like he'd been awaiting her call the whole time. "What a pleasure it is to finally have you call me." "What is going on, Mr. Jared?" Adira asked feebly. "It's been three weeks now since we came to an agreement. My secretary has sent countless emails to your company, but there's been no response. Please, if you're no longer interested in the contract, you should let us know so we can look elsewhere." Her voice wasn't hard. It was just tired. Jared was accustomed to how unwelcoming Adira was towards him. But right there, he could tell she wasn't just being unwelcoming. She was being hurt. "Mr. Jared?" She called when silence was all she got. "I'm here, Mrs. Kensington. Actually..." he sighed. "I've been sceptical about signing the contract because there are some confusing clauses in it." "What clause?" "I'm afraid I can't really discuss it over the phone. If you can, maybe we can talk it over at one of my resorts." Adira scoffed and slouched in her chair. "I'm afraid that cannot happen, Mr. Jared." "Why? Don't you have outdoor meetings with your clients, especially when it's urgent? I believe it's too late to hold a proper meeting, and my schedule for tomorrow and next week is very tight. And to be honest, I've been getting a more tempting offer elsewhere." Adira rose to her feet, her head bearing so many conflicting thoughts. Truthfully, she's had outdoor meetings with a lot of clients before, but with Jared, it just seems different. "Mrs. Kensington? What will it be?" There was a brief silence."How about I send a representative? Like a..." "No. It has to be you and you alone." She groaned silently. "Look, the last thing I want is to make you feel forced about this. It's fine if you don't want to do this. I'm sure there are a lot of companies you can choose from." Jared stated this calmly. Adira was tempted to hang up the phone and just damn him. But remembering Mr. Vincent's reaction to it the previous day... Damn! The Wyatt Group was important to them. She gazed up at the ceiling and exhaled deeply. "Time and place?" She succumbed. ****†****†****† Nikolai just got back from a building inspection and was on his way to his car when a call came in from his lawyer. Settled in the backseat, he took the call. "Good day, Mr. Nikolai," the cultured voice said. "Good day." "I hope your day is fine." Actually, I'm calling to know if I'm to start making arrangements for your divorce with Mrs. Adira. You know, based on the agreement, you have six weeks left, and you instructed me to start making arrangements when it gets to this point. So, I'd like to get your approval to commence, sir."