Imperfect Desires

~Atlantis Hotel~

Yan Ying stepped on the fine marble of the hotel's lobby. The lights reflecting off of the crystal chandelier made the rainbow lights dance across the luxurious lobby. Standing before the twin doors that had led her to the lobby, she looked over towards the embroidered silk sofas space and frowned slightly.

She dug her hand into the front pocket of her overalls and pulled out her cellphone. Just as she was lost in her own world waiting for the call to connect, she attracted quite a few eyes towards herself. But those eyes were rather looking at her in question. 

Wearing a grey and beige striped overalls that looked super cute. Flowy wide-leg pants with slightly cropped hems, tortoise buckle, and elasticized waist. It was already an attire that seemed rather too casual for this kind of high-class hotel. On top of that, she had tied her hair in a high ponytail and wore white sneakers. With her height and manner of shifting her weight from one leg to another, she seemed more like a college student on a field trip than a woman who was approaching her thirties in just a couple of months.

"I'm in the lobby," she said as soon as the call was connected. She listened to the other person for a while before sighing out, "Fine, fine. I'm coming up."

She took the elevator to the rooftop and was about to enter when a strict looking bodyguard stopped her, "It's a private event. Outsiders are not allowed."

Yan Ying wasn't very happy to hear that. She was already in a bad mood because a certain someone had tied her to the hospital bed for two days. Okay, it wasn't completely two days but it seemed worse to someone like her who was like a jumping kangaroo. She scoffed, "How do you know I'm an outsider?"

"You don't have an invitation card," replied the bulky man in the same manner.

Yan Ying placed her hands on her waist and prepared herself to have a long argument when a voice cut her off. "She's with me. Let her in." Yan Ying looked at the owner of that voice and turned to look at that bouncer with a provocative look.

"My apologies for inconveniencing you, Miss. You may go inside." 

"It's okay, you're just doing your duty," replied Yan Ying with a sweet smile but even an idiot could tell that she didn't mean a word she just said. She wasn't that easily offended but the eyes of that bulky man had irked her so much that she was ready to start a war of profanities.

As she walked passed him, her eyes were trained on the western woman before her. Yan Ying's beauty was in complete contrast with the other woman. While she was often referred to as a delicate beauty, the woman before her could be described as an exotic beauty. Clad in mauve colored high waisted wide-legged pants with tying details and knee-high side slits along with cami top covered in white and black polka dot print with lovely eyelash lace trim across the neckline supported by adjustable spaghetti straps.

"You're even more childish than I actually thought," said the other woman as she took Yan Ying to a side.

"What does that suppose to mean? I am a very mature person," she argued back. When she found that the listener was giving her strange eyes, she added, "Dr. Calista Novell, you shouldn't be judging someone so easily."

"I wasn't judging you though," said Calista before adding, "I was just stating a fact."

Yan Ying wanted to retort but when she looked around to find everyone dressed immaculately while she was looking like a schoolgirl, she held herself back. She wasn't actually petty enough to prove herself as a mature woman. It really had nothing to do with her. How people looked at her had never been her concern.

All her life she had only cared about how that one person looked at her. Unfortunately, he never even looked her way. So why did it matter how the rest of the unimportant world looked at her?

"Whose party is it?" asked Yan Ying as she took a seat at a very quiet corner which seemed to have no one except for the two of them. "Is it yours?"

Calista shook her head as she signaled someone to bring something to drink. "This is my first time here. Not just in this city but also in this country. Do you really think I can organize this party?"

"You can't but your last name can do wonders," Yan Ying stated the obvious making the small smile on Calista's face to stiffen a bit.

"You're right, my family name can do real wonders. Isn't that why I'm invited to this luncheon even when I barely know the organizer?" retorted Cali in a bitter tone. 

Both of them stayed quiet as the server placed the drinks down. Yan Ying looked at the cocktails and frowned before saying, "Can I get a lemonade?" Cali frowned at her request while Ying just shrugged her shoulders, "What?"

"This is my second time meeting you in person and I must say I'm surprised to see how much your personality and taste doesn't match with your identity." Ying didn't react to her words. "When I first heard your name Dr. Yan, I was expecting to meet a sophisticated archaeologist. But it turned out that a Professor like you had a passion for digging things up more than I could have imagined." The corner of Ying's lips turned up slightly into a smirk while she went on, "And now I'm not even sure about you."

"Aww!!! You've been paying attention to me. I'm honored to hear that," replied Ying with such a sickly sweet smile that it took Cali off guard. "But let's not dwell over what or who I am. Your long journey from Italy to An City wasn't for me after all."

Cali straightened up as she placed her hands on her knees. "Where is my aunt?"

Ying took a moment to observe Cali's expressions before she placed a document before Cali. The latter picked up the document, her brown eyes skimming over the content. As she read further, her eyebrows barely lifted up in surprise. It was such a small change that if Ying hadn't been observing her, she might have missed it. 

"You don't look surprised," stated Ying in an obvious kind of tone.

Cali placed the death certificate in her hand down and looked at Ying with calm eyes as she replied, "I'm a doctor. Death is nothing new to me. I have spent years in hospital watching people die. It doesn't really surprise me anymore."

"Yes, but that's your aunt we are talking about," reminded Ying. "You can be indifferent and cold seeing strangers die but can you keep up the facade with your own family members?"

Cali leaned back on the sofa and crossed her one leg over the other saying, "The last time I talked to my dad before his death, I already had a premonition that my aunt in no more. Because I can assure you, if she had been alive there is no way she would stay away from her brother for this long." She took a pause before adding, "Dad said aunt's punishment for him was to die without seeing her but I think they both punished each other by keeping their egos above their family. And they both died without seeing each other."

Ying was surprised to hear that. "If you already had this inkling why did you insist on finding your Carina Novell?"

"Because of Destiny."