Unexpected

Chapter Two

When the doorbell rang, Thorne jumped up to check his appearance in the mirror. He nodded confidently at his reflection and put on a specific smile that Kai had come to recognize for these types of occasions. He strode over to open the door while Kai stayed in the kitchen with Kesley, Scarlet, and Emilie, Scarlet's friend. They all craned their necks to listen as Thorne welcomed the girls in like a gentleman and took their coats, then ushered them into the kitchen to meet everyone.

"Everyone, this is Cinder," he gestured to the girl on his right. A wave of surprise washed over Kai as he took her in. Definitely not what he had been expecting. She was pretty, of course—that he had expected—but she was pretty in a way that was different from the type of girl Thorne would usually go for. She seemed wholesome, sweet, and a little rough around the edges. It suited her.

"And this is her friend, Iko." The other girl was also cute, but looked like she was trying just a little too hard to look, well, cute. Cinder, on the other hand, didn't look like she was even wearing any makeup. Maybe she had just gotten off work.

"Sorry we're late," said Cinder, "but Iko was having trouble walking in her heels."

Iko looked at Cinder like she was crazy. "Cinder, humans were not meant to walk several miles in open-toed shoes in subzero temperatures."

Thorne balked. "You mean you walked here in this weather?"

"We couldn't get a cab."

"I like walking," added Cinder, shrugging. She, on the other hand, was not wearing heels.

"Next time," said Scarlet, shaking her head, "you just call Thorne. He'll gladly pick you up. I'm Scarlet, by the way." She got up to shake their hands, and everyone followed suit.

When Kai had shaken Cinder's hand, he turned to Iko, who practically gasped when she saw him. He worried for a brief moment that he really did look so grungy in his faded hoodie and jeans that he had scared her. But she just began whispering excitedly—and not very quietly—to Cinder.

"Oh my stars! Oh my stars, Cinder do you know who this is?"

"Um...no."

She looked apologetically at Kai. "Sorry," she said through gritted teeth as she nudged Iko, "clearly my friend doesn't know it's rude to talk about someone when they're standing right in front of you."

Kai shook his head. "No problem. It's not the first time it's happened."

Iko squealed. "So it's really you?"

Kai was trying not to look amused. "Well, yes, I really am me, last time I checked."

She ignored him. "Cinder, this is the son of that guy."

Cinder was beginning to look embarrassed. "Iko, which guy?"

"That guy who was on the list of the Top Ten Most Influential Men in the business world! You know..." she snapped her fingers as if to help her remember, "...Rikan Corp! That's it!

At the word Rikan, Cinder's eyes widened. She instantly looked almost star-struck, just like Iko, and Kai couldn't help feeling disappointed. He didn't know why, but for some reason he hadn't expected Cinder to be impressed like everyone else always was. It was stupid of him, really. He didn't even know the girl.

"I...wow..." she stammered, looking down at her feet. She suddenly looked very shy. "I didn't realize..."

Thorne put his arms around the two girls and steered them away from Kai. "Yeah, Kai's our resident celebrity. He's a real heartbreaker."