Kiss Me Not

Brione sighed. She was on the beach with Berry, Mitch, and the rest of the staff, enjoying the ocean before they all became busy tomorrow when the shooting for the commercial started.

"Am I right to take that deep sigh as a sign that you are obviously missing him even though you were with him just this morning," Berry, who was seated on a beach chair beside her, commented with a grin as she grabbed herself a glass of fresh fruit shakes.

"Silence means yes, and I'm glad that you're no longer in denial, Boss. You see it's much better, to be honest about what you feel." Berry added.

"It's just that I feel guilty, Berry. I mean, I loved Gavin for such a long time and I kept it in, held it in… Then, Cedric appeared out of the blue and things progressed so quickly and I found myself falling for him. At first, I thought it's because I'm seeing Gavin in him but I now realize it is more than that.

I'm willing to stay by his side even if he is not Gavin, Berry. It hurts whenever I hear Olivia talk about him and share memories of their time together, while I… I know nothing about him," Brione confessed.

"Boss, your situation is very complicated. You were afraid before because you don't want your friendship with Gavin to be affected. Besides you were too young at that time and not ready to risk a commitment. 

Things are different now because things that happened before helped you grow and you also learned from them, so now you're more confident and ready for a more mature relationship… I'm older than you Boss so trust me and I have more experience with relationships."

Brione could not help but chuckle at Berry. Her PA was always comparing things with her in relation to age since Berry was five years older than her. She was also a playgirl. She changed boyfriends quite easily.

"I still have worries, Berry. I mean what if Gavin returns? I asked myself those questions numerous times last night." Brione whispered.

"Hmm, what if Cedric is Gavin? Then the problem is solved. But if Gavin is a different person then you will need to choose. You love them both but you have to check whom you love more, Boss. How about right now? Who do you love more? If it's Gavin whom you love then let go of Cedric right now but if Cedric is the one for you then keep holding on to him."

There was a pause before Berry added, "But I guess it's easier said than done. If I were in your shoes I would be banging my head on the wall. Ahhh… Even my head hurts thinking how twisted your situation is. Just check his butt cheeks, using any means necessary, as soon as you see each other!"

Brione shook her head and told Berry about the musical instruments as implied by Olivia.

"Hmm, so your last resort is the butt? Well if I were you… I would check his butt first!" Berry chortled, giggling hard.

Brione's face reddened even though she knew Berry was teasing her.

"Won't it be more exciting to check his butt first, Boss? You sleep on the same bed now so it would be very easy to do without him arousing suspicion," Berry teased a little more.

"I won't give you a mid-year bonus if you don't stop teasing," Brione scoffed, making Berry quickly zip her mouth.

****

At Country D, Yao Law Firm

"But Brione has already asked us to stop," Noah reminded Luo, seeing how his wife was still eager to carry on with the investigation.

"No, I don't want to stop midway with things I already started, baby. I told you, I have noticed a loophole that could lead to something. Just don't tell Brione about it, alright." Luo insisted. Like she said, Lou took matters personally and conducted her own investigation in the matter since it had been her forte when she was a Prosecutor.

Besides the fact that she could not imagine the dilemma her sister-in-law must be facing being involved with a man who looked exactly like Gavin, she also wanted to make sure that her sister-in-law would not be torn apart in case unexpected things were to happen, like Gavin suddenly showing up, because his body was ever found, while other bodies had drifted ashore.

"Loophole? So tell me what loophole is that?" Noah asked.

Luo grabbed a particular document from her table and handed it to Noah. 

"Based on these reports, there were files missing from the hospital where Gavin was born. It is not a coincidence Noah and I strongly believe this is connected to Gavin's birth. My analysis is telling me that there is something off, something is going on. If only we could lay our hands on some of Gavin's personal things like his comb, toothbrush, or other samples for the DNA testing."

"But baby, a year has already passed and I'm sure Uncle Damiel did not keep any of those. We know he donated Gavin's things like clothes to the needy when he announced his death," Noah said with a sigh.

"How about in his penthouse? We could check it and see if we can find something…" Luo whispered while still deep in thought. Gavin's penthouse was located opposite Brione's.

"Maybe Brione can get us inside to check since she knows Gavin's password," Luo stated and Noah only shook his head.

"Again, a year has passed and that penthouse is being cleaned up regularly by helpers sent by Uncle Damiel. Ah baby, you sound like you are investigating a crime scene right now." Noah reasoned.

"What's wrong with checking? Who knows what we might find. Anyway, I will call Brione and ask when she will be returning to her penthouse. I will visit her and ask her if we can check Gavin's penthouse," Luo commented.

Her mobile phone rang and her expression changed while she was engaged on her mobile phone.

"What's wrong?" Noah asked when the call ended.

"They say the hospital called my man and informed him that they have found the missing files. Well, that's more suspicious don't you think? Thirty-one years? Gavin is thirty-one now, right? Ah, how good of them to suddenly retrieve a file they said they lost a long time ago?" 

Noah nodded since he and Gavin were of the same age. His wife was right, they shouldn't stop, especially now that they had proof that something was not right.