Behind Their Veneers

"Keep the change," Emerald said to the cab driver as she zipped her purse. The middle aged man passed her a gentle smile before she opened the door and stepped out.

She breathed in the clear morning air as she looked up at her building with a satisfied smile, her bright green eyes having a familiar glint. Passerbys couldn't help but look at the beauty in the red dress. She wore black rimmed glasses, which sat elegantly on the bridge of her nose.

They had never seen anyone make recommended glasses any sexier than she currently did. She stood before the three-storey building for a few minutes in her black stilettos and her black bag hung off her right shoulder adorned with little silver diamonds.

Her red dress hugged her body perfectly, showing off her curves. Male passerbys drooled in lust while the females eyed her with jealousy thick in their expressions. Her deliciously long and tanned legs, bodacious breasts, perfectly flat tummy and her rather voluminous ass. Every single thing about her was perfect and the red bodycon dress did nothing to hide her voluptuous characters.

It was a simple dress with a golden zipper up the chest and a little slit- which took the shape of a right angled triangle-at the knee area, revealing a bit of her right thigh. She had her light brown hair in a bun atop her head and she was adorned in little jewelry. A golden tear-drop earring, a golden bracelet with an emerald gemstone in the middle and a matching emerald anklet around her right ankle were all she wore.

She exuded confidence and elegance as she moved towards the revolving door, pushing in as she walked to the receptionist's desk. Her heels clicked against the tiles as she approached the high marble top counter where Claire, her receptionist was seated.

"Good morning Miss Pearce," her receptionist greeted.

"Morning Claire," the tall, curvy and rather stunning part American, part Australian woman replied as she stopped at the desk.

"Any sessions today?" she asked as she watched Claire's fingers drum lightly against the marble top.

"Uhm, let's see. . . Yeah there's one with Mrs Levine, scheduled for 12:30p.m this noon," she read from the computer sitting in front of her.

"Other than that, there's nothing more," she looked up and smiled at the goddess before her.

When she had first applied a year ago for the position of a receptionist at E.P's therapy place, she had been jealous of her boss's out-of-this-world's beauty and at first she had thought of her to be a proud and egotistical woman. Until after working for her for about three months, did she realise that that was just how she was.

She wasn't a person who showed much emotions and neither was she the conversational type. She was a keen listener and an excellent therapist. She was a really straightforward and blunt person who would tell you your problems straight to your face. All in all, she was great at her job.

Emerald only nodded and adjusted her glasses. "Thanks," she said and turned towards the elevator, going up to her office. She pressed the button with the number 3 on it before resting her head against the steel wall behind her. Closing her eyes, she inhaled deep breaths as she revelled in the peace and quiet she could currently attain before beginning her day.

It had been a thrilling and rather tiring weekend. She had visited her mother, who was currently residing with her boyfriend. Apparently, she had been prioritizing her work over her family and it had been ages since she last saw her mother. Her mother's words not hers.

So she had no choice but to spend the weekend with her and Luca, her mother's boyfriend. On Friday, after work, she had taken a flight to Boston and had gotten back around 4p.m yesterday so she could go to bed before 7p.m and wake up to get to work early today but as far as her plan went, she had to sleep some minutes past 9p.m due to her friend's incessant probing to tell her about her supposed 'adventures' with the hot guy of her fantasies.

Oriana, her long time friend and roommate, was a typical redhead with a bubbly character. Emerald had no idea how they had stayed friends seeing as they were total opposites but they had immediately clicked back in Harvard five years before, when Oriana had mistakenly kissed Emerald (and yes, on the lips) while having one of her prince charming fantasy sprees.

She had apologised profusely while blushing so hard from embarrassment that she had looked almost like a tomato from how red she had turned.

They had met again at the cafe close to the university grounds and since then, they had been best friends although Ori had continued to doubt her own sexuality for three good weeks until she kissed a guy and felt the familiar fireworks, which proved that she was straight. But unfortunately, the guy was only interested in her for her 'way too voluminous' boobs (she had quoted) and turned out the idiot had a girlfriend at the time.

The elevator bell dinged as it opened on the third floor where her office was. She made a beeline for the door which stood at the centre. The floor had only three rooms. Her office at the centre, the bathroom on the right hand side and a basically useless room on the left side. She hadn't found a use of the room yet so for the moment, it was just a vacant space.

She slid her key card through the slot and pushed the door open before entering the not too big nor small space. The floor was covered in a reddish-wine coloured rug, the only thing in the room with a different colour gradient. Every other thing in the room was either a tint or a shade of black.

Her desk was made of ebony wood, its colour a very dark shade of brown, almost resembling black and her walls were painted in the colour grey. She had a floor to ceiling window that overlooked the city of Manhattan but the view was currently hidden behind the Venetian blinds covering the window.

Even the sitting area - which consisted of a glass centre table and a few settees with two coffee tables placed at the end of the vacant spaces beside the settee - was adorned in the colours black and silver. There were two single seats facing each other and then two sets of settees were also placed in antipodal positions.

She wasn't particularly a fan of bright colours. Other than the colour black or grey and occasional golds and silvers with her outfits, she wouldn't decorate anything of hers - be it her office or room - with bright colours.

She dropped her purse onto her desk and turned on the little lamp placed atop her desk before plopping down into her black soft leather seat and releasing a deep sigh. She removed her glasses and placed them on her desk then reached for the A.C remote control placed in a control holder along with the TV remote control before turning on the air condition in her office.

Resting her back against the leather seat, she closed her eyes and just focused on her inhalation and exhalation. For a few minutes, she remained there in the darkness with the little lamp acting as the only source of light in her office.

This was her usual routine every morning to collect her thoughts and prepare herself mentally for the day ahead. She would sit in the darkness, not drawing the blinds until after a few minutes.

After completing her usual routine, she opened her eyes and stepped out of her heels before padding barefooted across her office towards a cupboard. She pulled it open and reached for her black comfort slip-ons before putting them on.

She moved towards another space in the corner of her office. It was a cellarette that was pretty stocked with wines of low alcohol content, majority of which are fruit wines, bits of red wine, champagne and a mini refrigerator with bottles of water in it. A cabinet had the glass cups, tumblers, wine glasses and flutes in it while another contained cup wipes.

She grabbed a wine glass, wiped it off with a cup wipe before standing on her toes to reach for the bottle which stood a few inches above her. She eventually got a hold of it before walking back to her seat.

She unscrewed the cork, hearing a satisfying pop before pouring herself a glass of Arbor Mist Blackberry Merlot. She took a sip as she looked towards the blinds. Tilting her head to the side, she rolled her seat towards the windows and carefully pulled the blinds up, revealing Manhattan below her.

Sitting in front of the window, her eyes swept across the restaurant/cafe opposite her building. She could see the bold sign which displayed the words Superiority Burgers atop the rooftop with a little burger model at the side. Usually when it got dark, the sign would light up and the burger would be illuminated by neon lights.

True to their words, they served really amazing and finger–licking burgers with coffee as well. Their burgers were indeed superior and they were patronised by most employees in the vicinity. She was quite familiar with the owner, Brooks Headley, a very nice man who seemed to have been quite the charmer back in the day.

Since she always got her lunch from there, she would either go to pick it up or Brooks would have an employee bring it over if she was too busy to go over. She had always appreciated his efforts and would try to tip off the employee but he/she would decline, saying strict orders came from Brooks to not receive even a cent higher than the actual amount.

Seemingly, that was her punishment for declining his offer of always giving her lunch for free. She had never been a dependent woman or someone who fed off of others and she was definitely not going to start by accepting Brooks' offer, so she had adamantly declined his offer even before he concluded his sentence.

She let her gaze move over to Alora's Floral Bliss which stood beautifully beside Superiority Burgers. Alora was a middle aged woman, a sexagenarian precisely. She was a really sweet yet feisty lady who was rather energetic for someone her age. She ran the cute little flower shop with her husband, Levi, who was a retired U.S. Marine. They were both really lovely couples who were quite adventurous too.

For someone who was quite a loner and didn't really have an existing social cycle other than Oriana, Emerald didn't know how she had managed to get these people to be around her but she wasn't complaining either, they were a pretty fun group that always seemed to brighten her day.

As she sipped her wine, she saw Alora come out of the shop with a rag and a window wiper before wiping the glass window which gave passerbys a view of the cute shop. Not long after, Levi came out of the shop holding a bouquet of Itsaul White Dianthus. He then proceeded to kneel before his wife, pretending to ask for her hand in marriage.

She couldn't help but laugh at the sight before her. Alora only rolled her eyes as she saw the mischievous smile on his lips before softly whacking his head with the rag. Levi quickly blocked his head from Alora's hits and rose to his feet, a wide grin on his face.

He began inching closer to her face, seemingly seeking a kiss and Alora looked up at him before spraying the liquid wipe on his face, making him yelp in surprise. Emerald couldn't hold in her chuckle and they must have heard her because simultaneously, their eyes met hers and they both waved enthusiastically at her with wide grins on their faces.

She couldn't help but reciprocate their grins before waving back at them and moving her seat back to her desk. She looked up at the wall clock and it read 10:53a.m., meaning she had roughly an hour and thirty minutes more before her session with Mrs Levine. She needed something to kill time.

She opened a drawer from her desk and found different novels of which she had purchased earlier this month. She filtered through them, trying to find the perfect one to start with before she stumbled upon one with a very catchy cover.

There was a lady or girl with a red hoodie covering almost half of her face with other features like a bowing girl, held down by chains and then surrounded by lit candles. In total, the cover looked really captivating.

She brought out the book before shutting the drawer. She wore her glasses and glanced at the book, Bound By The Erstwhile Chains, read the title. She turned it over and saw the author's name, Lara .A. Falowo and a bit about her. Fascinated by the prologue, she dived into the book, flipping pages after pages until she heard a voice come through the intercom.

"Miss Pearce?" Claire called out, successfully grasping her attention.

"Yes?"

"Tim already brought your lunch, shall I bring it to you or. . .?" She trailed off, awaiting Emerald's decision.

Lunch? In surprise, she looked at the wall clock and saw it was a few minutes past noon. She had been so engrossed in the book, she hadn't noticed how time flew by. There were a few minutes more before Mrs Levine would arrive. She couldn't let a patient see her eating.

"Keep it with you, Mrs Levine would be arriving anytime soon. Once she gets her-"

"Hi Claire," a familiar voice interrupted.

"Good day Mrs Levine," Claire replied professionally.

"Oh Claire, how many times would I tell you to just call me Carol. Mrs Levine makes me sound really old."

"Alright then, Carol it is," she replied with a smile.

"Well is your boss in?"

"Ah yes she is. . . Miss Pearce?"

"Send her in, Claire," Emerald said through the intercom before getting up to put the bottle back in place. She placed the wineglass upside-down, making a mental note to wash it after.

She arranged her desk well and adjusted her glasses, awaiting Carol's presence. The door opened a few minutes later and the blond-haired, blue-eyed beauty stepped in with a huge smile on her face. Carol was a woman of average height with a rather curvaceous body. She had a graceful yet casual vibe around her.

"Emerald, hey. Great to see you again," she greeted, her smile going even wider as she pulled Emerald in for a hug.

"Hi Carol. It's nice to see you too," she awkwardly patted her back and pulled away. She still wasn't quite used to the lack of formality between them. Mrs Levine was her patient but she had insisted on Emerald calling her by her first name, Carol. It was a bit awkward for Emerald but she was adjusting.

"What's wrong? Did something happen?" Emerald immediately asked, searching Carol's eyes as soon as their butts touched the seats.

Carol responded with an even wider grin and there was a happy glint in her eyes as she looked at Emerald.

"Everything's perfect, Eme. I haven't felt better in years. Everything's going so well, it feels surreal. Leonardo and I are finally getting on so well and he would randomly take me on dates, help in making the meals, even to the point where we would have sex," she mumbled the last part as her cheeks turned pink.

She suddenly grabbed hold of Emerald's hands which laid on the desk as her eyes shimmered with unshed happy tears.

"He treats me like an angel, Eme. He cares for me and handles me as though I were fragile and I could break at any time. It gets so freakin frustrating sometimes but I'm not complaining at all. Hell! It's the cutest thing I've ever seen and this is all thanks to you, Eme. I would be completely broken if it weren't for you," she rushed out as the tears flowed down her cheeks.

"Thank you very much, Emerald," she whispered, tightening her hold on her hands. "Thank you so much."

"Hey. There's really no need to thank me. I'm just doing my job, besides, if you hadn't made it much easier by being cooperative, we probably wouldn't have gotten anywhere. Therefore, I should thank you instead, Carol. Thank you," she whispered as a grin of her own spread across her face. She was indeed happy for her. Carol had gone through a lot for her age and she had managed to hold onto her sanity.

They remained like that for a while until Emerald withdrew and passed a tissue over to her.

"Here."

"Thank you," She sniffled before wiping her tears.

"Oh and I brought someone with me. I was able to convince him to at least meet you this once and hopefully, he would see a tangible reason to keep attending. God knows he needs this more than I did," She explained as she drew out her phone before she swiftly scrolled through and then tapped on something.

"J, you can come on in now. . . Oh but you already promised. . . No way! I'm not taking no for an answer. Get up here this instant!" She shouted and hung up, passing Emerald an apologetic smile.

Opening the second drawer, Emerald drew out an empty folder, her notepad and her black pen, preparing herself for the therapy session with her new patient. She hadn't heard someone come in until Carol spoke.

"Oh good, you're here."

She lifted her gaze and they collided with stormy chocolate brown eyes. They were cold and emotionless yet so deep and mesmerizing. Unconsciously, she let her eyes wander around his face, soaking in his facial appearance before falling down his body and up again.

Thick raven black hair that begged for feminine hands to be run through them and deep chocolatey brown eyes that seemed like a brewing storm, framed by thick and long eyelashes. Perfectly curved eyebrows, which made her jealous that he could have such perfect eyebrows without even trying whereas she had to pluck and shape hers.

A well structured nose and then going lower, she took in his deliciously plump lips that looked so damn pink as though he had applied a thin layer of pink lipgloss. A well chiseled jaw with a neck holding a sexy looking Adam apple that seemed to bob slightly as he swallowed. Broad shoulders, a firm looking chest that seemed to scream 'run your tongue all over me!' and bulging arm muscles.

She boldly let her eyes skim lower and she took in his thick and muscled looking thigh and legs that were tucked in black socks and a shiny black pair of shoes.

Overall, he looked ridiculously hot in his black Armani suit with a white shirt peeking from beneath his loose tie. The buttons on his white shirt were all done excluding the top one, which showed the spot between his clavicles. He looked quite good.

Someone suddenly cleared their throat, making her jerk her eyes back to his, which were staring intensely at her. She dragged her eyes away from his mesmerizing ones as she looked over at Carol who had a knowing smile on her face, which she ignored, giving her her own questioning gaze.

"Oh I'm sorry. Emerald, here's my brother Jordan Kale. Jordan, my therapist and friend, Emerald Pearce," She introduced with a smile.

"Nice to meet you," She looked back at Jordan with a small smile but he didn't respond, only continued to stare at her intensely, making the air thicken with awkward silence.

Emerald raised an eyebrow at Carol who shrugged in reply before nudging her brother who cleared his throat before replying huskily. "Same."

"Well, I'll leave you guys to get to know each other better and maybe decide on a schedule for your sessions?" She looked at Emerald, earning a nod from her but from the corner of her eye, she saw Jordan's face harden and he suddenly became tense.

She passed her a smile before turning to leave but not before whispering something into her brother's ear. After the door closed, he continued to stand and she could feel his heated gaze boring into her head so she raised her face and looked into his eyes, gesturing towards the seat before her.

"You can have your seat," he complied and made himself comfortable.

He watched her as she opened her black notepad, placed her pen right in the middle before clasping her hands together and leaning slightly forward on the desk.

"So where shall we begin?"

He gulped down the remnant of the Domaine Leroy Musigny Grand Cru wine glistening in his wineglass as his eyes followed the every move of the stripper before him as the soft music played in the background.

He was currently in one of the clubs he owned in Manhattan. He had hundreds of them across New York, thousands across the country and millions across the globe.

There were two females hanging off of him and a third one who was currently pole dancing before him. A blonde in a hot pink lingerie, a redhead in a baby blue one and the stripper, who was a brunette, was in a fiery red-hot lingerie.

He had discarded his suit jacket and tie as he sat in his plain white T–shirt with a few buttons undone, revealing his ravishingly tanned chest. His sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, making his forearm muscles be on show.

The blonde and redhead let their hands roam round his body as wet kisses followed wherever their hands touched. His eyes were trained on the brunette dancing before him, his cold eyes boring holes into her half naked body but his mind was far from his body.

He blinked back to reality before reaching for his empty wineglass. Without looking at her, he motioned for the blonde to fill his glass with the wine. She fearfully did so and as she poured, a bit of the wine spilled on his hand due to how hard her hands shook.

In fear and despair, her eyes immediately widened as she stilled. The redhead, having noticed her friend's slip up, also stiffened in fear for her friend's life. They all knew the man they were dealing with. Everyone knew who Jordan Kale was.

They had all heard different tales of his ruthlessness though not one of them had exactly experienced it. They believed that whoever was on the receiving end of his wrath never lived to tell the tale because it was the harsh reality; Dead men don't talk.

Feeling the cold drop trickle down his hand, he slowly turned his head towards the blonde, his expression frozen solid. She immediately dodged her head and went down on her knees, clasping her hands in plea for her life.

"I. . . I'm so sorry, sir. It was not i–intended. Please. . . I'm r–really sorry," she stammered as she shivered in fear, her face as pale as a white paper sheet.

The brunette had sensed the shift in the atmosphere and she peeked just in time to see her blonde friend kneel before the cold-blooded and desensitized devil. She gulped and feared for her friend's life but she dared not stop dancing since his attention was solely on her.

Jordan sipped his wine, still looking at the blonde. The tangy and nippy yet sour taste of the Burgundy wine ran down his throat, leaving a bitter effect. He tauntingly moved closer towards her, looking deep into her soul. She knew the best thing to do would be to look away but she couldn't when his eyes held her in place.

She couldn't even run if she wanted to. The exit was barricaded by a couple of tall and hefty guards. There was no escape. She was just like a mouse surrounded by a group of cats.

Her eyes widened to the size of saucers when she saw him raise his wine–drenched hand and move it towards her. She turned rigid when she felt him wipe his hand on the swell of her breasts which was on show due to the pint–sized lingerie she wore.

He immediately went back to his original position as though nothing had happened, stunning the life out of the blonde. She immediately scrambled to her feet and sat beside him again, unable to keep the strawberry pink colour from invading her white cheeks.

She felt hot. His mere touch had left her wanting and craving for more. She squirmed in her seat as she felt her core already wet and throbbing with desire. He was a dangerous man, ruthless, heartless, wouldn't think or even bat an eyelash when it came to ending a life but even with all these qualities, he was an undeniably striking man.

Calling him a sight for sore eyes was a mere understatement compared to his beauty. He couldn't be described as a man of ethereal beauty, no. Nothing about him was heavenly. He was carved from the pits of hell. Like the Lucifer walking amidst mortals, he was sinisterly beautiful.

This was a man that made women drool at the mere sight of him. A man that made women question if it was the same God that created their husbands or fiance and this devilish beauty before them. He was craved by all, yet attainable by none. He was too hot and dangerous to touch or have. A wild, untameable plague that could destroy whatever stood in his path in seconds yet everyone seemed so drawn to him.

She suddenly wanted him. She was scared out of her wits but still she craved him. So with that thought in mind, she moved her hands across his chest, inching dangerously closer to his member.

He made no reaction, no expression, his face completely blank and expression completely bleak. She took his bleakness as a positive response as she went lower, past his taut and rock hard abs. An accomplished smirk made its way unto her face as she felt his belt buckle.

Ignoring the 'do you have a death wish?' look from her redhead friend, she dared to grip the rod, only for a strong, merciless hand to grip her neck.

She paled as she felt the air get knocked out of her, making her grip onto the hand in fear. Her eyes widened further as she felt his hand tighten around her throat, squeezing it tightly.

The hand guided her face to look into the eyes of its owner. She found herself looking into pitch–black eyes of immeasurable depths. They pulled her in, caged her in and stripped her bare. She felt him looking into her soul and suddenly she was lost. She struggled to look away but she couldn't.

The hand went tighter and she gasped for breath but the oxygen didn't seem to be available. She felt tears trickle down her cheeks and she couldn't help but feel like her end was near. She could feel her eyes slowly rolling to the back of her head and she couldn't help but bite her lower lip in regret.

She regretted wanting a man she knew was right before her yet he was so out of everyone's reach. Her desire and need had gotten the best of her. She had wanted to test the waters and now, she was drowning in them.

Her face was turning a shade of purple and she was about to give into the darkness that was calling her until she heard a male voice call out.

"J.K."

Jordan's head snapped towards the intruder and he was ready to gorge his/her eyes out, slowly killing the intruder yet still keeping him very much alive. He wasn't currently in the right state of mind. He never has been normal since he was a kid but tonight, he was extra crazy and the whore before him had decided to cross her boundaries.

He was determined to teach her a lesson, seeing as she hadn't learned from rumours or news reports. He was enjoying slowly watching the life slip from her. He was taking it easy on her, barely controlling himself as he thought of the countless things he could do to her.

"Let her go, J," the voice came again lazily and he looked up, his eyes coming into focus as he took in his best friend's tired expression. He continued to stare, not moving an inch and he could feel the grip she had on his hand weaken.

"Listen to me, J. You do not want to do this. Trust me," Keelan warned as he sat and continued to look at Jordan expectantly. Jordan took a deep breath before pulling away, hating the fact that his friend was right.

The blonde immediately crumpled to the ground, just in time to be caught by her two friends. She looked really lifeless and pale as she coughed and wheezed her lungs out, trying to catch her breath.

They gently shook her and held her to themselves as they tried to get her to calm down. Jordan saw the imprint of his hand on her neck like an inkless tattoo but he couldn't care less. She got exactly what she deserved.

"Get out of my sight," he spoke, his voice thick with venom. As though they were robots programmed to carry out his every command, the two girls immediately got up and helped their friend up, hastily leaving the presence of the two men. Even as the door shut behind them, he could still hear her pained coughs as they faded into the background.

Keelan let out a long deep sigh as he reached for the bottle of wine - amongst other empty ones - in front of his friend before pouring himself a glass, letting the familiar taste slide down and moisten his dry throat.

He's had a very long and tiring trip and when he had stopped over at his friend's office on his way home from the airport, only to find it empty - which was a bit unusual - seeing as it was still a Wednesday, he had called Skull to ask about Jordan's whereabouts.

Owen Skull was the huge dark skinned man that was currently standing at the door with Jordan's suit jacket in one hand and a tablet in the other. He was adorned in his usual attire, a black suit, white T–shirt peeking underneath with black pants and shoes, let's not forget the shiny black wristwatch laced on his wrist. He also had an earpod in his right ear, from which an occasional blue light would blink and his eyes were covered in dark shades.

I know you may currently be thinking, 'Who wears shades inside a room and at night time in general?' but it came with the requirement of being the leader of the security team to the Mafia leader of the J.K. clan.

He was Jordan's most trusted guard and henchman. He had been working for Jordan for almost two decades and he knew all about Jordan's past. He always accompanied Jordan anywhere anytime. He was the first person Jordan had recruited into the clan. Jordan had found and helped him during the darkest days of his life and he had repaid the favour by being by Jordan's side ever since.

Keelan had worried about his friend but when Skull had explained what had happened, he knew his friend would go somewhere to try and numb the guilt, so he had immediately driven here and arrived just in time to stop him from committing another murder today.

He didn't need more guilt and regret on his shoulders and thankfully, he hadn't put up much of a fight like usual.

Keelan looked over at his friend and before him, was a man broken beyond repair. The disco lights from the poling stage illuminated on one side of his face, leaving the other side in darkness. It successfully gave him a more grim aura. His eyes followed a red stain on the collar of Jordan's shirt and he heaved a sigh when he saw a pretty long and deep cut on the right side of his neck, facing him. It had dried blood all around it and it didn't look good at all.

"You should treat that," he mumbled, referring to the cut but he only got an echoing silence in reply.

He looked away and kept his eyes on the black bead bracelet around Jordan's right wrist. It wasn't anything luxurious, just made with plain old black beads, but that bracelet meant the world to him and he would most definitely kill whoever dared to touch them.

"Were you able to track them down?" Keelan asked, referring to the mission Jordan had told him he had to finish once and for all today.

"Hmm. . ." he hummed in response.

"So I'm guessing it went well?" he was trying to get him away from his thoughts. Brooding Jordan spelled terror.

"The fucking bastard should be crawling his way to hell right now," he mumbled.

"I see," he nodded and dared to ask, "How do you feel?" he looked closely at him, trying to gauge his expression but like always, Jordan was excellent at hiding his feelings behind a stony face. Over the years, he had built an immense wall, one as strong and as high as the Great Wall of China, hindering everyone, even Keelan and Carol-his own sister-from getting anywhere close.

The question hung in the grim air and Jordan made no move to answer it. He just stared. Stared at the shiny pole standing at the corner of the room embedded into the ceiling and down into a pedestal type floor, like a mini stage, where the brunette had earlier been.

"How's Carol doing?" he decided to change the subject.

"Good," It was a lie. He didn't know how his sister had been faring. The last time he spoke to her was about a week ago and they had argued in his office over such a trivial matter.

She had insisted on him visiting a therapist like she had been doing because he had gone through much worse things than she had but he had outright shunned the idea. She had pleaded with him but seeing as he wouldn't budge on his decision, she had only packed her bags and left with a curt goodbye.

She had called to tell him that she had gotten home safely so he wouldn't be worried and had immediately hung up, not waiting to hear his response. Since then, she hadn't called and he hadn't called either. He had been too focused on his mission. He had to call her first thing tomorrow.

"Ok then," the vague one worded responses he was getting from his friend was killing him but he knew better than to flare up at a brooding Jordan. It wasn't the wisest thing to do. Even as they were very close friends and all, they still clashed sometimes and their fights always left a trail of destruction behind.

"Go home, Keelan. I don't need a babysitter," Jordan said and stood up to leave before Keelan could come up with another question to ask.

He could only watch as his friend stalked out the room but not before giving Skull a message to relay to the manager. He had said;

"Get me a girl for the night."

• • • • •

A man's deep voice stopped her before she had gone a dozen steps. "He must be an extremely foolish man to turn his back and run from such beauty."

"No! You can't do this to him!"

Charlotte whirled to face the man who stepped up on the path behind her. He must have been sitting out of her view on the stone bench in the shadow of the dogwood that reached its limbs toward the veranda.

"Forgive me," he said. "It wasn't my intention to startle you."

"Sim Cheong! You can't fucking do this to him!"

In the moonlight it wasn't hard to see the amused smile playing across his lips under his mustache that gave lie to his words. That had been exactly what he'd intended. Charlotte thought as she stared up at him with no pretense of demurely lowering her eyes. He was tall, even taller than Edwin, but while Edwin slouched to try to keep from towering above his companions, this man stood straight, completely at ease with his height. He was quite handsome with thick dark hair brushed back from his forehead and a strong profile. She had no idea who he was. . .

"Why?!. . . This is so fucking unfair! Why would you do this to him, Cheong?! He fucking loves you even with how you're a totally different specie than he is!" Oriana wailed, successfully interrupting Emerald from the novel she was currently reading.

"Oriana, can you please be quiet? It's just a movie," she sighed, placing her glasses over her head as she looked at Ori over the book.

She was currently lying on their red velvet couch with an opened novel on her chest as she tried to focus but as you could see, her efforts were proving to be futile with Oriana's speaker type voice.

"Just a movie? Just a movie?!" she cried in disbelief.

"You just referred to the most amazing Korean series in the history of Korean movies ever acted in the entire fucking universe as 'just a movie'?! You're unbelievable, Mera," she looked indeed hurt as she held a hand to her chest, squeezing tight.

Emerald sighed as she removed her pencil from behind her ear and marked the spot where she had stopped before placing the pencil in and shutting the book.

She ran her hand down her face as she looked from the paused scene that had been playing on the TV to a sniffling Oriana, who was blowing her nose into a tissue, her cheeks wet with tears as she mumbled profanities against the person that had written the play. Her lips, part of her chin and below her nose, completely covered in ice cream. She had actually cried because of a movie.

It was currently a Thursday night and Emerald had had quite a busy day at work with quite a number of clients showing up, both old and new ones. So she had hoped to come home, take a long hot shower, have dinner, take her vitamins and succumb to a world of fantasies for a little while before going to bed, because she also had a packed day ahead of her tomorrow with work and then having to head to the airport.

So imagine her frustration with having to have her plans ruined as always. Every other thing had gone well but as she had settled to dive into one of the new novels she had purchased earlier this month, she had barely completed a chapter when Oriana had decided to grace her with her deafening wails all because of a romance movie.

"What's so special about it anyway?" Ori's head immediately snapped to look at her as the words left her mouth. She was already dreading opening her mouth. She just had to say something, didn't she? She could've just taken the opportunity to retreat into her idyllically tranquil niche. Her most trusted source of solace in times of the grief in her life which had the name Oriana but no, she had to open her big yap.

"Oh I'd be glad to tell you the unique features of this movie. You tell me, what romance movie have you watched where a human fell in love with a mermaid. Despite finding out that she wasn't like him, he still loved and accepted her. Despite the fact that with one look, she could totally wipe his memories, he didn't care and still, he trusted her whole–heartedly.

Despite finding out about the harsh past they had earlier faced in their first life, he still held on and was resolute about having his happily ever after with her. He still focused on spending his eternity with her even when his life was in danger. He could've lost his life, Mera! But he still stood by her!

Now you tell me, does someone as amazing as that deserve to get his memory wiped by the woman he loves? And let's not forget the fact that this man is my fucking boo, Lee Min Ho!" she began wailing again.

Wow! Just wow!

Emerald stared at her friend, dumbfounded. It's settled, Oriana had officially gone crazy.

"I can't believe she would do that to him after all they've been through. He's so stupid, even! Why would he even go after her when I'm perfectly available, single and ready to mingle with him and him alone! I don't know why he can't just look at me for once and reciprocate my one–sided love after all these years. He now had to get his memories wiped by the supposed love of his life!

It's breaking me, Mera. I'm completely shattered," she bawled her eyes out and let me tell you, it wasn't a pretty sight at all, especially with the booger sticking out her nostril.

Emerald couldn't take her eyes off her friend and she was totally convinced, hands down, that her friend had officially gone crazy. She kept looking at her until she calmed down after a few minutes of tears and snots.

"Do you get why it's considered sui generis now?" she peeked at Emerald through her wet eyelashes while dabbing the skin beneath her eyes.

Emerald blinked before she frowned slightly and turned to grab her book. She patted Oriana on her head as she slowly stood.

"I really don't care but there is one thing I'm completely certain about after tonight," she said and watched Ori's curious gaze as one of her eyebrows rose in question.

"That you've gone crazy, Ori and as your friend, my advice to you is that you should see someone. Maybe a therapist? And lucky for you, I'm one," she watched as her friend's jaw dropped and her eyes narrowed into daggers.

"Don't worry about the fee though. You'll get a 30% discount. So what do you say?" she concluded as she tilted her head with a mocking innocent smile on her face.

She grinned and immediately began moving backwards as she saw Ori make a move to follow after her. Her eyes went to the Cheetos wrapper lying idly and innocently beside the tub of ice cream and she glanced at her friend's sock feet; a disaster waiting to happen. She smirked as she looked back at her oblivious friend who was about to fall victim to her own traps. She was about to reap what she had sown.

She kept moving towards her room with a mischievous smile and as Ori fully got up and prepared to run after Emerald, only for her to slip and fall on her ass, her posture completely weird as she landed half sprawled out on the couch and half lying on the floor.

She let out a groan as she threw a glare Emerald's way which only made her let out a chuckle as she walked to her room.

"Good night, Ori. Your first session starts next week!" she shouted as she laughed and opened the door to her room.

"Fuck you, bitch!" Ori shouted in response before she let her door close shut.

• • •

"I'm not even supposed to drop you off today, bitch," Oriana grumbled, sparing a glare at Emerald, who only rolled her eyes in reply.

They were currently on their way to the airport. Emerald was going to visit her mother in Boston and she couldn't be bothered with the hassle of having to take a cab or the train there, so when her mother had been wailing over the phone, saying how her daughter had neglected her, she had immediately booked a flight to spend the weekend with her and Luca.

So, she had told Oriana to pick her up from work in her own car and the reason behind her friend's sulking was because of the previous night's unceremonious event where she had slipped and Emerald hadn't warned her about the damned Cheetos wrapper.

Emerald had left the house rather early this morning in order to avoid her rants but she had apologised with the preparation of a really scrumptious meal and a note to remember to pick her up, but her constant grumbles and glares were just petty.

"I still don't get why you don't have your own car. You're perfectly capable of driving and you're financially buoyant enough to get the best one there is out there," Oriana mused with a frown.

Emerald let out a frustrated sigh as she took off her glasses and looked up from her phone. She had tried to continue reading her novel from where she had stopped last night but that didn't work out as her eyes couldn't even focus on a word without being dizzy. Car sickness sucks.

"I really don't know why I have to explain this to you again," she glared at Oriana. She had told her countless times why she never opted for buying a car.

Other than the usual commute from her home to her office everyday, there was no other need for a vehicle. She would very much choose taking an Uber everyday to work like she had been doing since college to buying a car and having to go through the trouble of maintaining it.

Besides, most other times she went out, maybe to the club or a place of recreation and leisure, it was always with Ori or Logan whenever he came to visit. So, other than that, she was always just cooped up at home, grasping at every opportunity she got to sit in peace and tranquility.

"I feel like you're being quite bitchy today for an entirely different reason. It doesn't have anything to do with last night's fall, does it?" Emerald stated and her friend's silence confirmed it.

"Hmm. . . Your silence proves that my plausible theory is indeed valid then. Now Miss Mendel, can you please tell me what the problem might be," she spoke professionally as she kept her eyes on her friend who snuck a chary look at her before focusing on the road once again.

"Did you wake up on the wrong side of the bed? Is it the devil's time of month yet? Don't tell me it's about that memory wipey movie, is it? Or do you have some kind of fever or something? I would check your temperature but I wouldn't want to cause an accident," she rushed out as she gauged her friend's reaction.

Oriana only furrowed her eyebrows and pursed her lips before replying, "Is this some kind of session?"

"Answer my question, Ori."

She let out a sigh before responding, "Ok fine. You're right, I'm a bit bitchy today and it's not because of the fall even though it could have been prevented if you had warned me," she glared at Emerald again at the memory before continuing, "Neither is it about my baby, Lee Min Ho, though I'm a bit pissed that he got her pregnant instead of me but I'm glad they had a happy ending. And well yeah, it's my time of month but that's not it and I'm not under the weather either.

It's just that I have this date I was supposed to prepare for today. I was supposed to go to the mall and find a suitable dress to wear after work today but since I had to drop you off at the airport, I had to cancel," she spoke with a crestfallen expression.

"Oh? Ori." Emerald called, dragging the 'i' in her name.

"Why didn't you tell me this earlier on? You know I could've taken a cab, right? I would never do anything to crash your date," she spoke solemnly. She hadn't intended to make her friend sad. Yeah, she knew the mood swings due to her menstrual flow were partly involved but she knew how much Oriana liked going on dates just for the men candy, the fun, kisses and most importantly, the food.

"Yeah I know but I wanted to see you before you left. I know I would certainly miss you so much and I didn't want to miss that opportunity," Oriana replied as her eyes glistened with tears.

Ok, so this was really the mood swings speaking. She was only staying in Boston for the weekend. She would be back by Sunday.

"And you don't have to worry about it, Mera. I could always reschedule it," she smiled through her tears as she used one of her hands to hold Emerald's.

Emerald smiled back, knowing that this wasn't really Oriana speaking but actually the menstrual cycle.

"Any man would be lucky to have you, Ori," she grinned at her friend whose cheeks turned slightly pink at the compliment as she bashfully mumbled a 'thank you'.

"So who's this guy anyway? Someone from work?" she inquired curiously, seeing as Oriana's eyes sparkled and her pearly white teeth were on full display.

'Wow. My friend is certainly whipped.' she thought as the guilt for making her friend cancel a date with the mystery guy ate deep into her. She seemed to really like this guy.

"He's actually someone you've seen." her grin widened even more.

"Oh really? Who is it then?" Emerald asked, her curiosity even stronger.

"It's Lee Min Ho."

• • • • •