Chapter 53: Lotus Pavilion

"Seth? Bring the phone over," Kira had just spoken up when the door to her office opened and a young woman stepped inside.

Seeing her, Kira’s face brightened, "You must be Linda, right? Come over, take a seat. I hope you had no difficulties in finding my office. Qing Grand is a luxurious property, you could go round and round for hours to get to one place."

Linda looked around the lavish office before glancing at the woman.

"Ma’am..." Julie handed the phone to Kira.

Kira looked at her phone once before she disconnected the call.

"Leave us," Once Julie left the room, Kira shifted her attention to Linda.

"Miss Qing, why did you invite me here?"

"I heard great things about you from my secretary. You are a capable woman and it just so happens that I was recently appointed as the managing director of Qing Grand. I would need a few capable hands by my side."

Linda’s gaze shifted slightly, "Miss Qing, are you..."

"Yes, I am thinking of hiring you," Kira leaned back against the couch, "Your talent will rot away in a place like Qing Horizons."

"I am your sister’s secretary," Linda frowned, "Miss Sienna has recently taken over the place and...’’

"Let’s not confuse your position with my sister’s," Kira smiled, "My sister was born with a golden spoon in her mouth, pampered and delicate."

Kira stood up and walked towards her office desk as she spoke, "She is there to play around in Qing Horizons. If things don’t work out, so what? Our daddy would get her back to the headquarters."

Kira looked at Linda, "If things don’t work out for you, will someone prepare an opportunity for you?"

Linda lowered her head for a second. When she looked up, there was a hint of determination in her eyes, "Miss Qing, are you sincere about hiring me?"

Kira smiled.

"What do you want from me?"

"You are a smart woman," Kira grabbed a file from the office desk and handed it to Linda.

When Linda opened her eyes, her face paled a little, "But..."

"My sister is wasting herself away in a place like that. Once she encounters a setback, she would back off," Kira folded her arms in front of her chest, "We all would be benefitting from this arrangement."

In a villa by the suburbs.

"Sir, it’s your birthday but Miss Qing hasn’t even wished you," A young man grumbled, "These past few days, you have been busy in company affairs but you still made time for her in the charity gala, and you are constantly trying to fix her reputation but she..."

"It’s not easy handling a place like Qing Grand," Seth poured himself whiskey, "Have some, Andrew."

"I need to drive later. I still have to deliver these files to the office," the young man bowed.

After the assistant left, Seth’s phone started ringing. He picked up the call from the unknown number.

"Sir, this is a call from Lotus Pavilion. When will you be able to arrive?"

"You have called the wrong number..."

Seth was about to hang up when a voice came from the other side.

"Mr. Hawke, right?"

Seth paused.

"Sir, your girlfriend has a made a reservation for your birthday. It was supposed to be a surprise but there seems to be some misunderstanding, so we have to reveal this to you."

Seth’s eyes softened.

He grabbed his suit jacket and stepped out of the place.

As the cold evening air brushed against his face, a distant memory resurfaced in his mind.

It started at Imperial University, shortly after he returned from abroad.

That morning, Seth had an argument with his grandfather and eventually, he was slapped by his father.

The events of the morning kept replaying in his mind and the sight of the crowd annoyed him. So, he had slipped into the university pool area that was under maintenance.

But in a moment of haste, Seth lost his balance and went over the edge.

He remembered sinking, his limbs growing heavier as vision started fading.

He tried to reach the surface, but he couldn’t move an inch. The sight of the huge expanse of water terrified him.

At some point, he was so scared by the water and the darkness that he closed his eyes, waiting for the moment to pass.

When even his lungs started burning, someone grabbed him.

A pair of arms hooked beneath his shoulders and dragged him upward with surprising strength. He broke the surface coughing, barely conscious, and felt himself being pulled toward the edge.

"Kira, how could you jump in like that? Hold on, let me call the staff!"

It was the last thing Seth heard before everything went black.

When he opened his eyes again, he was lying in the university infirmary.

His head throbbed, his clothes had been changed, and a nurse was checking his pulse. Seth barely paid attention to her questions. His gaze had fallen to his hand.

A delicate bracelet was wrapped around his fingers.

"It belongs to the girl who pulled you out. You held onto it and refused to let her go but she seemed to be in a rush so she left this with you!" the nurse explained.

Seth looked down at the bracelet again and that name returned to his mind.

Kira.

He became determined to find her. It wasn’t difficult.

Seth Hawke was already one of the most talked-about students on campus and people had always been willing to do his bidding.

Within days, he found her.

The moment Seth saw Kira standing beneath the trees outside one of the lecture halls, his heart skipped a beat.

He walked toward her with the bracelet in his hand, "Kira."

She turned, "Do you have my bracelet..."

He extended his hand towards her and she took the bracelet from his hand.

When he approached her, she stepped back, visibly flustered, "I—I left it behind that day."

Seth watched her. She was so shy, refusing to make eye contact, stuttering with every word she spoke, her voice was so soft like a gentle caress of the wind, "You saved me."