Gladstone Residence
"Dad, it has been days since you sent people to look for her, yet no one knows where Loretta has gone. If... if she does not return before the engagement, then what?" Isabella asked nervously.
"Do not worry. The engagement is next Friday. We can definitely find her," Mr. Gladstone said calmly.
"How? She is not even picking anyone's calls," Isabella said anxiously.
Mrs. Gladstone frowned slightly. "Even if she does not come back, what exactly are you scared of? If your father cannot find her, do you think Mr. Goodman would fail too?"
Isabella quickly shook her head.
Of course the Goodman family had the resources to find Loretta. What she was truly afraid of was the truth being exposed and the person forced to marry Kevin becoming her instead.
"Do not worry," Mrs. Gladstone continued. "I already sent her a message about the engagement. She will definitely come back."
Although she sounded calm, even she felt uneasy inside.
Hearing that, Isabella finally relaxed a little.
....
On the other side, Loretta had just finished her swimming lesson with Mika when she saw the message from her mother.
Engagement party next Friday. Return immediately.
Loretta frowned slightly.
She had been enjoying herself so much these past few days that she almost forgot about the engagement.
"Are you going back soon?" Mika asked carefully.
For some reason, the thought of her leaving made his chest feel heavy.
Although he knew she was engaged, he also knew she did not like her fiancé.
"Do you really have to marry him?" Mika asked. "This is a society governed by law. No one can force you."
Loretta looked at him quietly before laughing softly.
Indeed, this was a society governed by law.
But this marriage was something she had already agreed to.
"At most, your parents would disown you, right?" Mika continued when he saw she did not reject his words immediately. "You may not have as much money as you do now, but if you work hard, you can build your own future. You do not want to throw your life away, do you?"
"This marriage is not something I can go back on," Loretta said as she shook her head.
The moment she remembered Kevin's cold eyes, her chest tightened slightly.
She truly believed he would kill her if she dared refuse the marriage.
Mika wanted to say more, but Loretta interrupted him.
"You will not understand."
After saying that, she turned and walked away toward the hotel.
Mika watched her leave while clenching his fists slightly.
He wished there was some way to make her cancel the engagement.
Even though they had only known each other for a short time, his heart already wanted her.
"I cannot be impatient," Mika reminded himself quietly.
Soon after, he sent her a message reminding her about their dinner later that evening.
Loretta agreed.
....
That evening, the two had dinner together at a quiet restaurant near the waterfront.
The atmosphere was peaceful while soft music played in the background.
Mika talked more than usual that night.
"I want to open my own fitness center someday," he admitted.
Loretta looked surprised. "Really?"
Mika nodded. "A proper one. Gym, swimming lessons, boxing classes, physical therapy. Everything."
"That sounds expensive," Loretta commented.
"It is," Mika laughed. "I calculated it already. I need at least half a million to start properly."
"And how much do you have now?"
"A little over a hundred thousand."
Loretta looked genuinely impressed. "That is already a lot."
"I worked different jobs to save it," Mika said proudly. "Sometimes I feel tired, but I think it will be worth it one day."
Loretta quietly looked at him, for some reason, she envied him. Mika could decide what he wanted for his future.
He could chase his dreams freely.
Unlike her, her mother had controlled her all her life and now she has to marry a doom groom for her sister.
The two finished their dinner and were about to leave the restaurant when Loretta suddenly froze, her face instantly turned pale.
"Are you okay?" Mika asked in concern seeing her strong reaction.
Loretta shook her head but her gaze remained fixed in a particular direction.
Not far away stood Kevin. He was dressed in a black suit while Andy stood behind him. It seemed they had just arrived at the restaurant.
The moment Kevin's eyes landed on Loretta and Mika together, the atmosphere instantly became heavy.
Loretta's fingers tightened subconsciously around her bag. She had no idea why, but seeing Kevin there made her feel like a child caught doing something wrong.
"Hello," she tried her best to remain calm.
Kevin's gaze slowly moved from her toward Mika.
"Your friend is?" he asked calmly, he sounded normal.
"Mika," Loretta answered quickly. "He is my tour guide." For some reason, she was suddenly afraid Kevin would misunderstand their relationship.
Mika frowned slightly beside her.
"Tour guide?" Although he was not sure about her feelings for him, he thought he qualifies to be called a friend at least.
Kevin's eyes rested on Mika for a few seconds before he finally nodded lightly.
"I see." The pressure in the air strangely became even worse.
Loretta wanted to leave but she did not dare move. "Are you going sightseeing this night?" Kevin asked.
Loretta looked at him but his expression gave nothing away.
"No, just out to eat," Loretta said.
Mika noticed frown, if he missed it before he was now certain that Loretta was scared of this man.
"Then, we can leave," Kevin said.
Loretta stared at him, she assumed he just got to the restaurant and should eat.
"Mr Kevin was here to meet a client, we are leaving,'' Andy explained.
"Oh..." Loretta nodded.
The group left the restaurant, Loretta did not want to leave with Kevin. She subconsciously walked towards Mika's car but Kevin's voice stopped her.
"Where is the bodyguard and car?" He asked looking around the parking lot.
Loretta felt her breathing paused. She remembers that Kevin had given her that bodyguard to keep her protected but she had left him in the hotel because she felt awkward having him follow her around so he had not been following her for a few days.
Now that Kevin met her with some man in a restaurant and his bodyguard missing would he have the wrong idea? The more she thought in this direction the more her heartbeat increased.
Love or not she was engaged to this man and no one accepted cheating. She shivers thinking of how he wanted to feed her to fish the last time for just dirting his clothes.
"It's over," Loretta screened in her head.