In the morning the next day, Nina and Kiara were preparing to catch up with their appointment.
Nina was already set and sat in the living room waiting for Kiara to finish so they could go together.
She was wearing a body-fitting white pocket shirt with a black skirt that covered her knees and no make-up on her face. She wasn't even wearing a wig on her head but styled her natural hair in a messy bun.
"Kiara, could you please hurry up? It's almost ten o'clock. Don't let him wait for us after his meeting," she said to Kiara, feeling impatient.
Kiara rushed out of the room with her shoes in hand. "Are you done dressing? Is that what you want to wear to Shade Pack Enterprises?" She asked, raising her eyelids as she stared at Nina.
"Of course, I'm all set. Is there a problem?" Nina responded, unfazed by Kiara's criticism.
"Why would you dress this way when you're going to see your ex at the occasion?" Kiara questioned.
Nina giggled nervously. "And how is that supposed to concern me? As long as I'm not wearing dirty or faded clothes, I'm good. Remember, we don't know them," Nina replied.
"Yeah, we don't know them," Kiara chimed in, feeling uncomfortable with her own dressing.
"Pardon me, but give me just a minute." She rushed back to the room and reappeared after a few minutes. She had wiped off the heavy makeup on her face, leaving only lip gloss on her lips, changed into a simple dress, removed her wig, and styled her natural hair in a ponytail.
"Are we good to go?" She asked with a slight chuckle on her lips.
"Amazing. You look even more beautiful now. Simplicity is the best," Nina complimented.
Kiara giggled sarcastically and replied, "I forgot this is like a job interview that doesn't need much makeup."
Nina couldn't help but laugh.
"I've already booked a cab online a while ago, and I bet he'll be here soon. Let's go," she remarked as she checked the time to see if the cab she booked was close.
**
Nina swallowed hard as the cab halted in front of Shade Pack Enterprises. The uneasiness on her face was evident that Kiara noticed it. She held her hand and whispered, "We can do this, Nina. Don't doubt yourself." Her voice was soothing and motivating.
They alighted from the car and headed to the building, with Nina glancing around. She hadn't been here before, but she had heard of how magnificent the company was, and now business had brought her here.
She was mesmerized by the edifice, but she maintained her composure.
"So how do we get to see him? I believe they must be done with the meeting by now," Kiara remarked.
"Yeah, they must be done with the meeting since it's past ten o'clock. I should call him," Nina blurted out, taking out her phone and the card Philip had given her with his contact information.
As she was about to dial the number after copying it to her phone, she saw a man holding a placard with the words "Guardian Angel" written on it.
Nina chuckled and discarded the call. "I think I've found him," she said and went in the direction of the man, with Kiara following her.
"Is that him?" Kiara asked curiously.
"No, perhaps his guard or a friend. He must be here to escort us," Nina replied.
"Hey, what about Philip? Has he left already?" Nina asked the man as they approached him.
"Good morning. Are you Nina?" The young man asked, and Nina nodded in agreement.
"My boss Philip is still here. They're yet to finish their meeting, so he asked me to wait for you guys here so you wouldn't be stranded since his phone is off due to the meeting," he explained.
"Please, let's go to the place he reserved for you," he added.
Kiara nudged Nina on the elbow and whispered, "This Philip must be a really nice guy. How caring he is."
Nina scoffed. "He's not. He's an annoying person," she said humorously, and Kiara chuckled.
As they entered the building and headed to the elevator, Nina heard a familiar masculine voice calling out her name followed by Kiara's, causing them to swiftly turn in unison to see who it was.
Nina hissed loudly in disappointment upon realizing it was Lucas, Marcus Beta.
Why did he see them? She had promised not to visit here, and just today her work brought her here, and he saw her.
"Hey, Lucas," said Kiara. She couldn't hold grudges against someone who had done nothing to her.
Compared to Nina, she was right to be mean to him because he was among those who had thrown her out of the pack at Marcus's order.
"How are you? I never expected to see you guys here," Lucas said with a smile on his lips, his gaze fixed on Nina.
Meanwhile, Philip's man stood and waited for them to finish before proceeding, but Nina was uncomfortable. She averted her gaze from Lucas's direction.
"Pretty good. I can see you're fine, so no need to ask," Kiara snapped, and they giggled lightly.
"Are you here to see Marcus?" Lucas asked.
Nina swallowed hard, controlling her emotions not to unleash the long-held grudge she had against Marcus on him.
"Why would I be here for him?" she replied with a harsh tone, her facial expression showing disdain.
Lucas sighed uneasily, scratching the back of his head. "I'm sorry if the question was provoking. I was just curious to know if you're here for him because this organization was solely established because of you."
"Whatever. I'm not interested in discussing with you, Lucas, and I believe you know my reason," Nina said, tossing her hair behind her back.
"Moreover, we're with someone trying to catch up with something," she added, her expression cold and unforgiving, causing Lucas to give up.
Lucas let out a sigh and said, "I'm sorry for the disturbance."
"Good." Nina turned to the man with them. "Let's go. I'm really sorry for the inconvenience," she said, holding Kiara's wrist so she wouldn't engage with Lucas again.
"No, it's fine," the young man blurted out and led the way.