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Chapter 8

Author: breathejoan
last update Last Updated: 2021-08-29 19:23:49

After I finished eating my dessert, I stood up. Nikki and Jaime remained behind me as I started to walk.

The two stopped walking when I stopped in front of the building. Then, I faced them with my arms crossed on my chest. I looked at them while thinking if they will do something to Mark later after I entered this building. They are my bodyguards. Their job is to watch and protect me. But they have also received different orders from my family that they didn't know that I already knew. I am not an idiot not to know that.

I sighed, and the two of them remained standing upright, waiting for me to speak something.

"Don't touch him," I said seriously. They both looked at each other and then back at me. Nikki looked at me with those fierce eyes while Jaime bit his lips and avoided my gaze.

"Ma'am-"

"I would not stand back if you touched him," I added. "I know that after I entered this building, you two will go to him, talk to him, or whatever you wanted to do just to know why he was following me." I nodded and sighed. Both of them didn't speak or bothered to say anything regarding that.

I put my hands in the pocket of my jacket when I saw Mark walking towards us.

"He's my neighbor," I said. Nikki and Jaime were both looking at me but I am not looking at them. I am looking at the man who was walking behind them.

"Or should I say, the owner of this building?" I added before I cleared my throat and signaled them to leave. They slightly bowed at me before they left. I followed them with my gaze then, when I felt Mark was near me, I turned to him with a smile on my face.

"Hi!" I greeted them as I slightly waved my right hand at him. He stared at me for a second before he nodded at me. 

I scanned him while tilting my head. He raised his eyebrow at me as I did that. 

"You just got back from work?" I asked. I smirked when he nodded. His face looked tired. 

"Pyeha Hotel. That's the hotelier's uniform there."I said before I pointed out his clothes. Then, he started to walk and I followed him until we reached the elevator. 

"Why are you outside? You should not be going out at night." He said after we entered the elevator. I looked at the time on my phone. Ten o'clock. He wasted two hours following me when he should have just rested at his condo.

I raised the plastic bag, "I went to buy some food to eat. I'm too lazy to cook." I said. He looked at the plastic bag and nodded. 

When we reached our floor, I went out of the elevator first and went straight to my door. While I was opening it, Mark spoke. 

"If you are too lazy to cook or when you are hungry but it's already late at night, Lily sells some snacks in her office. You can buy it there. Or you can knock on my door and ask me to come with you." My lips parted while listening to him. I remained facing my door whole holding the doorknob. I watched him go to his room and entered there casually without looking at me. 

"Why... Why does he sound worried about me?" I said while still looking at his door. I sighed before I decided to also enter my condo. 

"He should be worried about himself and not about others," I said again while putting the food I bought on a plate and brought it to the living room and watched movies on N*****x.

"What was he thinking when he followed me earlier?" I asked again. It was just funny how he filled my head with so many questions in this one action. I know I should have not involved myself with him because he is just my neighbor and I don't know him but I couldn't help it and that was starting to bother me. 

Why do I have this feeling that he has more stories to tell? The way he looked, the way his eyes filled with different emotions but quickly disappeared, and the way he spoke. 

I sighed heavily before I got my phone and dialed Nikki's number.

"Can you give me information about that guy? His name is Mark. Hotelier in Pyeha Hotel. Give me all the information you can find about him."

"Yes, Ma'am." 

"Ah, one more thing. Don't tell Kieffer about this. I can count on you, Nikki, right?" 

"Yes, Ma'am. I will give it to you as soon as possible."

"Thank you," I said before I ended the call. 

"Who are you, Mark? Who is the real you?" I whispered while playing with my phone. 

"Aish, it is not nice to invade my mind about someone," I said before I turned off the television and went to my room to sleep. 

The next day, I spent my time in my condo. I didn't go out even once. Around lunch when Nikki arrived to give me the thing that I asked him. 

"Put it on the counter table. Thank you." I said to him, I was cooking my lunch when he arrived. He just really delivered it to me and left. 

While I was eating, I opened the envelope that Nikki put on the counter table. 

"There's nothing much about him...." I commented while reading the information about Mark. 

"Is this really all Nikki got?" I bit my lower lip. "I doubt it." I put down the papers and start eating again but my head was in another dimension.

"Mark Ronio. The illegitimate child of the Wang Couple." I said after I drank my juice. "Interesting, huh."

When I heard that Tyler will be having a new business partner, I decided to visit the hotel. Kieffer said that the new business partner was the wife of the senate candidate before he died in an ambush. 

After I entered the hotel, I immediately saw Lanie in the lobby. She was pushing a tray, I guess that she just finished her room service. We greeted each other and at a nice time, Mark appeared. 

"Kathy is Mark. Mark, this is Kathy." Lanie introduced us to each other but as expected, he just didn't give a fuck.

"Snob," I commented as I rolled my eyes. Lanie explained that Mark is really like that. He got the tray to Lanie to bring to the kitchen. After Mark left, I excused myself to Lanie.

I waved at Levi, Tyler's secretary. He just left the meeting room. 

"Oh, you must be Sir Kieffer's sister. The meeting is still not over. You can wait in the office." He said to me with a polite smile on his face. 

I entertained myself inside Tyler's office by roaming around and touching things there. I sat on his swivel chair while looking at the whole room. Then, one portfolio got my attention. Without permission, I got the portfolio and opened it. My eyebrows furrowed. The portfolio contained personal information about the hotel's employees and the other people that I am familiar with because they were all in the business world. 

Different thoughts popped up in my mind but I quickly shrugged them off because I thought it was just natural to have this information since they were all working in the same field as Tyler. 

I immediately put the portfolio back in the same place as the portfolio when the door opened. Tyler, Kieffer, and another woman entered. I stared at her, she was on Tyler's portfolio. Mrs. Grace Hossler. 

"Why are you here?" Tyler asked. 

"Visiting," I answered as I stood up. I smiled at the woman when she smiled at me. I kept my distance from her by moving closer to Kieffer and he immediately got that. He knew that I didn't like it when I met someone that was connected to the business world. Also, in just one look, I clearly told her that she didn't know me. 

breathejoan

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    "What? Did I do something? What's with his gaze?" I asked in confusion. We watched him until he entered the elevator. "That guy is so weird sometimes," I commented before entering my condo and inviting Nikki inside. "If appropriate, can I ask why you ask me to run a background check on him?" Nikki asked after he put the groceries on the counter table. "Hmmm, because I found him interesting?" I answered. That was true. I found Mark interesting and I wanted to know him more. "I hope you don't put yourself into trouble." Nikki seriously said. I chuckled. Yeah, I hope so too. But for me, the existence of Mark itself already screams trouble. And I don't understand why I have this feeling that I will embrace that trouble soon. "You don't have to worry, Nikki. I know what I am doing." I told him even though I am not confident with what I said. "Ma'am, I don't know if I am appropriate to say this but I'll say it for your safety. You know that the Wang-" "Let's stop there, Nikki,"

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