Chapter 54: Reservation

"It was nothing..." Kira looked away before giving him a small, awkward smile, "I should go..."

He grabbed her hand but she pulled away.

"I like someone. I don’t want him to misunderstand," With those words whispered, she was gone with the wind.

Seth remained where he was, watching her disappear.

He should have let her go, he had never been the one to lose himself over a girl.

But every time he closed his eyes, he would have the flashback of the day he nearly lost his life, drowning in the darkness and the pair of hands that pulled him out of it.

Some connection had formed between them and he knew Kira felt it too. Even if she was with someone else, he felt her gaze on him.

And the time when he finally confronted her about it, she completely cut him off. He couldn’t see her for days and weeks and it suddenly became plainly obvious that even if he couldn’t have her, he needed to be close to her, to see her smile, to hear her talk.

"If you are that obsessessed, just date her sister and you will find more chances to be close to her!"

"Haha... Sienna Qing, this young genius, started her education early and because of your transfer, you are a year ahead as well. So, maybe both of you being in the same class can be considered fate?"

Those were supposed to be just jokes but those boys had underestimated the depth of Seth’s feelings.

All the years he had lived were enveloped in a darkness he saw no end to until that one fateful afternoon when a ray of light snuck in. And he refused to let it go.

...

When Seth arrived in Lotus Pavilion, tha manager came to the entrance to great him and personally ushered him to the private table.

The setup was simple but elegant. From his favorite flowers, his favorite wine, to his favorite food, there was not a single thing was missing.

Seth took in the sight of the table once again before he took a seat.

Time ticked by. People came and left the place like passersby.

A waitress walked up to Seth with a cake in her hand, "Sir, this was the fruit cake especially ordered for you..." The woman trailed off when Seth checked the time on his watch.

She looked at the entrance before glancing at him again. With a professional smile, she said, "Sir, is Miss Sienna going to be delayed?"

Seth paused, his eyes narrowed as he looked up at the waitress, "Sienna?"

The waitress looked momentarily confused by his reaction, "The Lotus Pavilion is already booked out for a year in advance. But six months ago, Miss Qing personally showed up and talked to our manager and somehow got this reservation done."

"That day, she stayed here for hours and prepared the planner for today, covering your allergies, preferences and everything else. Unfortunately, we couldn’t reach the number she had registered back then so we had to call you and spoil these surprise. You are really lucky to have a girlfriend like..." The waitress trailed off when Seth stood up.

"Sir..?"

The man’s face was icy, his eyes unreadable. He gave the table one last glance before walking out of the place.

Around 8 pm, Sienna finally left her office. On her way out, she stopped by the reception, "Flora, Linda called in for a sick leave today. Can you call and check up on her?"

Flora’s head was nearly lolling forward on the desk when she suddenly snapped awake at Sienna’s voice, "Y-Yes... Right away."

As she fumbled for the phone, she dropped a few files. And when she bent to pick up the files, she knocked her head.

"Slow down," Sienna reached out to stroke the girl’s head, "Get some ice pack..."

Flora blinked, visible dark circles shining under her eyes.

"And some rest," Sienna added.

It was past 9 pm when Sienna reached the Magnolia Crest.

"Young Madam, you are back," Butler Thomas bowed, "The kittens have been well fed. Shall I serve you dinner?"

Sienna glanced upstairs, "Is Callahan back yet?"

The butler shook his head.

"I don’t have much of an appetite. Maybe, I will eat something later when he returns,’’ Sienna casually responded before walking upstairs.

But her casual response was not so casual in the eyes of Butler Thomas whose old eyes sparkled, ’Young Madam doesn’t have an appetite when Young Master isn’t around. She only wants to dine with him.’

The old man hurriedly penguin-walked to the house phone with a huge smile on his face.

Upstairs, Sienna washed up and got changed into a satin nightgown.

Sienna walked over to the side room. During the past few days, the place had been completely reorganized and made kitten-safe, with two small cozy beds, tiny water fountains, litter boxes and their food corners. And a camera was also installed in the room.

Sienna glanced at the bed, only to find it empty.

When she looked to the opposite corner, she finally found three little heads peeking from the cardboard box.

Just as it happened, no matter how cozy their beds looked, the kitten trio slept in the cardboard box.

"Mew..." The little orange opened one eye to acknowledge her presence before he nestled with his brothers.

Sienna squatted by their side and stroked their little heads with her index fingers for a while before she returned to the Master Bedroom.

Just as she laid on the bed, her phone started ringing. Sienna glanced at the unknown number for a moment before she answered the call.

"Did you... block my number?" Seth’s voice came from the other side.

Sienna frowned.

Just as she proceeded to hang up, the man spoke again, "Last time, I tricked you for the press conference. I was trying to help your father so I had to sacrifice you. It was my fault..."

"You don’t understand, do you?" Sienna cut the man off, "Do you really think I trust you enough to be tricked by you?"

There was silence on the other side, "You had been scheming all along? You... You were pretending the whole time?"