It was different from the first time - he thought. Different from the first time he held her wrist at the mall. Back then, she had snapped at him with eyes simmering with rage. But now, as he held her in the serene room, she stared at him with hurt eyes. Why was she more attractive to him in her somber mood? It was insane. "Let go," she muttered, her gaze holding his. Slowly, he did. "I mean no harm, Adira. I do hope you realize that." She gave him a long stare, trying to make decisions in her head. Strangely, the words he'd said to her three weeks ago at the meeting room came racing through her mind: 'You'll need a man when your husband finally divorces you.' She snapped out of it at once. Why the hell would she think of that? If she divorces Nikolai, there was no way she was getting married again. She couldn't risk being divorced thrice. Saying nothing, she started towards the exit. Jared reluctantly followed. Throughout their walk and stay in the elevator, silence existed between them. They got out to the first floor and was approaching the door when suddenly, the raucous sound of gunshots filled the air. It wasn't from the tower, but from the surroundings outside. The place got set in confusion as people screamed and ran around, trying to seek refuge. Watching from the huge transparent glass door, Adira flinched at the terrifying sight outside the tower. What the hell was going on? Cars drove pass in a hurry, while men chased after each other. Was there a fight going on? "Adira, come on!" Jared threw a hand round her waist and moved her away from the door. The securities around the tower were already running out to make sure the shooters don't try to get in, but the people in the tower still felt scared and scampered to safety. Holding Adira's hand, Jared took a corner with her until they're got to a row filled with rooms. A lot of people rushed pass them, heading to their own rooms. That was when Adira noticed he'd been holding her hand. She quickly pulled out. "What's going on?" She asked, darting her eyes around. "I believe it's one of those bad guys again. Something similar happened last month. They just got into a fight and began throwing bullets at each other. They ended up killing two people who had nothing to do with it. A lot of them got arrested then, but I have no idea if they're back or something." Jared explained, scrolling through his phone. Adira couldn't believe it. They had such people around? Bonnie. She needed to be sure Bonnie was safe.Bringing out her phone, she placed the call while Jared placed his. Bonnie answered almost immediately and confirmed she was fine and was almost home. That was a huge relief for Adira. After Bonnie, she called her driver, but he told her he had driven away when the shooting started. Adira fumed at the fact that he left her behind, but she was glad he was fine. By the time she rounded up with her calls, Jared was also done with his. "The securities are trying their best to secure the tower. I believe you'll be fine in here," he slipped his phone back into his pocket. Just then, three people in suits came dashing towards him. "Sir, are you fine?" The woman among them asked. "I'm good. Just make sure all the guests are safe and get what they need." "Yes, sir."They turned their attention to Adira and gasped when they realized who she was. "Good evening, ma'am!" They chorused with a bow. "Good evening." Jared stretched out his palms. "Where's the key card?" One the men handed a key card to him. "It's room 204, sir." Adira furrowed her brows. A room? What was he using a room for? "Alright, you can leave." Jared dismissed them and watched them leave. "Come on, Adira." "Why?" She scoffed. "What do you need a room for?" Jared sucked in air and glanced up at the ceiling. "Well, you don't plan on standing here the entire night, do you?" he looked at her. "It's pretty dangerous out there, and it'll take the cops a while to get here. Even if they do arrive, the shooters will only go into hiding and still to be dangerous to anyone they see. You might get hurt." Comprehension dawned on Adira, as much as she didn't want to accept it. Goodness! Why did this have to happen tonight of all nights? What sort of ill coincidence was this? "I'm offering you a room for free," Jared added. "I don't think you have a reason to be scared. It's not like we'll be spending the night together. As soon as we get to the room, I'll leave and get mine." That sounded a little relieving - she thought. Still, she felt a little skeptical considering the fact that it was Jared's tower. Although, it wouldn't be her first time sleeping out in an hotel. "Come on," Jared cocked his head and began leaving. Then, she followed. In a few minutes, they got to the room. Jared followed her in. She ran a quick glance around as they stepped into the lounge room to be sure it was safe. Indeed,it was. Not just that; it was beautiful. Aside the lounge, there was a bedroom and a small fancy kitchen. It was almost like a personal apartment. "If you're not okay with this, you can let me know and I'll..." "It's fine," she interrupted calmly, wrapping her hands her shoulders. Jared nodded and sauntered into the kitchen which she could clearly see from the lounge room. "I... I thought you said you were leaving?" She took light steps towards him but made sure she didn't go pass the lounge. "I am. I just thought it'd be considered hospitality to make you some tea." Edgily, she watched him turn on an electric kettle and began mixing the two required ingredients into a cup. She wanted to stop him but didn't want to do anything that'd warrant her going close to him. Jared paused and glanced at her. "You should take a seat, Adira. You look like you're about to get eaten up." He chuckled and turned back to the counter. Goodness! She didn't like the sound of that. Drawing a deep breath, she forced herself down on one of the comfy sofa, keeping her bag beside her. She'd feel more at home when he leaves. After a while, he came towards her with two cups of tea. Two cups?! Will he be staying longer? Setting one cup in front of her, he kept the other for himself and took the couch facing her. There was a table between them. "I'll leave right after this," he tossed the cup in the air before drinking from it. Adira was so uncomfortable - being alone with him. Everything happened too fast, she couldn't control it. Well, he wouldn't do anything nasty, would he? He didn't seem like that kind of person. Not wanting to seem too tensed, she picked up her cup and sipped from it. ****†****†****†****† Nikolai got down from his car, feeling too tired and just wanting to get some sleep. He couldn't tell if he had gotten tired from physical stress, or from heart related stress. He walked moodily into the house, walking pass Finn and his wife who greeted him lightly. He took the staircase and had set out on the path leading to his room when he ran into Na-ri. "Nikolai!" She called with a mix of surprise and excitement. She stood in his path, so he stopped walking. "You're home? How was work today?" "Get out of my way, Na-ri," he stated calmly, his voice devoid of warmth. Biting her inner cheeks, Na-ri stepped out of the way and walked beside him instead. "Is everything okay?" She noticed he was looking unusually stressed. "Y... You don't look so fine."Nikolai said nothing. The last thing he needed at the moment was a reason to speak. Na-ri figured something must be wrong with him. So, she decided to brighten him up in the little way she could. "Vesper brought his girlfriend over today. She's quite pretty." Nikolai gave no reaction. "Uh... how about we have a drink together? If you're too tired, I could just bring the drinks to your room. Afterall, Adira isn't home yet." At this time, they had gotten to the door of his room. Nikolai stopped abruptly, his head turning to face Na-ri. "She isn't home?" "Nope. I guess she must have other plans." No, Adira never stays out so late. It's always home from the office, unless she had extra work to do, or an outdoor meeting to attend which only happened on rare occasions. Even at that, it was too late already. He opened the door and stepped in. Na-ri tried going in with him. "I need to be alone," he grumped and shut the door in her face. In alone, he reached for his phone and called his spy. "Good evening, sir," a deep voice spoke. "Dean, where is Adira? Is she still at the office?" "No, sir. She and Bonnie actually went over to La'Dariza Empire, but after a while, Bonnie left without her. She hasn't been out since then. And a while ago, some shootouts happened in the area, scaring everyone away. But I believe ma'am Adira is still in the tower." Cleft lines grooved Nikolai's forehead. La'Dariza Empire? Doesn't that belong to the Wyatt Group? To Jared? "Do you think Jared is in there with her?" Nikolai asked, running his fingers through his hair. "I think so, sir. I spotted Mr. Jared's car outside the building." That was it. That was all it took for Nikolai's head to spin. Adira was in there with Jared? Alone? He brought the phone down from his ear, grabbed his car keys and stormed out of the room.