Our Lies

Chapter 3

"Mr. Dignita, is there anything you would like to change or add?" One of the managers had just finished with his presentation and was hoping for an approval from the executive seating at the center back of the table. The man did not seem to hear the person.

"Mr. Dignita?" Amaria, who was seated beside the said man, called. She could see her employer had not been paying attention to the whole presentation. She raised from her seat and spoke with a smile, "Please send this to me. Mr. Dignita will look at it later. The meeting ends here. Good work, everyone."

The manager nodded and ended his presentation.

"Thank you, Amaria," Gia murmured after everyone left.

Amaria smiled. "It's my job to assist you, Sir." She looked at the time. It was almost lunch time.

"Should I bring you something to eat?"

Gia shook his head. "I'm going out. Just leave the files on my desk." He then left the room and headed to the elevator.

***

"Like I said, I know your boss! Just let me see him!!" A girl in her early twenties was seen arguing with someone in the front desk of Lumina Capital. She was wearing a smart yellow blazer over her knee-length navy dress below. Her sandy brown hair was tied up into a messy ponytail. A few loose strands suggested she had come running, fighting a strong wind along the way and the short lunch break from her workplace.

"Miss, as we have told you before, we can't let anyone in without an appointment. Please make an appointment and we will gladly let you meet Mr. Dignita." The receptionist smiled at the frantic guest. It was clearly not their first time handling uninvited guests. The team had lost count how many crazy 'far relatives', 'good friends' and 'acquaintances' had stepped into the building and demanded to see their boss after last month. And the guest in front of them right now, was one of them. A more persistent one, in fact. She had come there every working day during lunch hour ever since the social media post went around online.

"Then make an appointment for me!"

"Miss, we can't write down 'Surprise from an old friend' as the subject of appointment." The receptionist explained, for the umpteenth time for the week.

The girl pulled her hair. "Can't you just make up something? As long as I can see Gia? I don't know. A new, ground-breaking super glue research that will save the world? Mending broken relationship?"

The receptionist smiled politely and shook his head. "That will have to go through our fact check department. I can direct you there if you want."

The guest swore silently in her head. She decided to change her strategy. She flashed her sweetest smile to the young man in front of her. "Look here, Mr. ..." She glanced at the name tag. "Mr. Gatekeep. If you let me see Gia, I know somewhere nice to have coffee..."

Two minutes later, Agata found herself in front of Lumina Capital building kicking a pebble nearby her feet. She had just been chased out by a team of securities. No luck today either, she thought and sighed.

She glanced at the time displayed on her phone. Lunch time was almost over. She needed to get back to the Tower.

***

Agata hurried her lunch and almost choked herself when a gentle hand patted her back.

"Are you okay, Agata?" A lady handed Agata a glass of water. They were in the office canteen.

Agata looked up and coughed again. "Ukh... Hello... ukhuk... Mrs. Graham." She greeted the Crown-Graham Tower's First Lady, Sera Graham, also formerly known as Sera Crown.

"Slow down. It's bad for your digestion." Sera took a seat across Agata. Her appearance in the room soon attracted pairs of eyes.

"Did you go to Lumina Capital again?" Sera asked in her big sister tone.

Agata nodded sheepishly. "It was a no-go." She looked up and faced Sera. "Mrs. Graham..." Her eyes begging like a puppy.

Sera shook her head. "I want to help but..." She remembered her brother, Jean telling her that Gia was not ready to see anyone yet. "You know he has amnesia. Even if the boy in the photo turns out to be him, Gia may not recognize you."

Agata bit her lip. She had stopped eating. "I know... I just..." She was shocked when she found out from Sera that Gia had no memory of his past. Was that why he had not come back to find her?

Sera smiled and gave her a pat on the head. "Let's wait for a while. Who knows a chance may pop up soon."

Agata went home after work. Her home. An apartment she had lived in for the last six years, ever since she moved to this city. It was small but comfortable and most importantly, she liked it very much. After shower, she cooked her dinner and ate alone. It had been six years but she still could not get used to living alone. It was still early but she decided to hit the bed after cleaning up. She closed her eyes but could not sleep. Her mind was filled with Gia, not the present one but the boy from 18 years ago. Would he recognize her if he saw her, she wondered. Agata remembered the day she almost dropped her phone when she saw him on the news. She could not believe her eyes. The boy whom she had been looking for, for almost two decades, was here! In this city!

Feeling not quite sleepy, she reached for her phone and looked for the picture she had saved from the news site a month ago – a picture of Gia standing next to an older man, whom she later learned was Leo Dignita. Gia looked like what he looked like the last time she saw him, except he was now taller and... okay, he definitely looked much more handsome with the expensive black tuxedo and his black hair combed back. Agata shook her head.How inappropriate. What was she thinking? It was not the time for that. She could only remember Gia who often wore 5-size too large clothes which she suspected were leftovers from his drunk father back then. Agata could feel her heart raced. At least she knew they were living in the same city now and she only needed to find a way to see him. Whatever it takes. She needed to know what happened that day. The day he left... with her parents.