The lady in Red (REWRITTEN!)

Chapter 29

I'm out of the building in seconds. The cold air wafting over me is nothing compared to the chills I feel inside of me. I bend to my knees to calm down, but nothing works. Soon, my breaths come out panicked. I lean against the wall and close my eyes, and a lingering shadow invades my senses. I open my eyes to see Reece coming out of the building and walking towards me.

I remain still, but my hazy eyes from the tears blurring my vision keeps me from seeing him properly. I close my eyes again to regain my momentum. Reece closes in on me but stands a couple of inches away from me.

"Tell me what's wrong." I open my eyes to catch him staring at me with an intent gaze.

"If he comes to America, I won't give my statement."

"Tell me the reason why." There is a sharp edge to his voice. I look away.

"I want to remain anonymous." I try to move past him, and though he doesn't physically stop me, his words do.

"Who are you hiding from?"

I freeze and turn my head to look at him sideways. Only one person knows the truth, and that's his father. Openly exposing myself to Reece feels painful and embarrassing. I turn to face him but say nothing until he approaches me again. I can lie, divert the conversation, and take him somewhere else, but I know Reece; He'd catch me in the act in seconds.

"Please, Reece. Don't make me talk about it," I say in a hushed tone.

"Don't hide from me. You know better than that."

"I know. But—"

"Catherine," he says, sternly, his eyes going steel. He demands answers that I so badly want to put away. I'm not comfortable talking about my backstory because it brings back bitter memories. I shut my eyes tightly for a brief second.

"If the media portrays me as the actual victim, if they disclose me, then they...they will find me. I don't want them to find me, Reece. I don't want them to." My eyes gloss over as bits of flashback memories invade my brain.

"Who?"

I hug myself, all of a sudden, when chill air washes over me, cooling me to the bone. It's in the tip of my tongue, ready to burst out when I have kept inside for a very long time. But before I can muster up the strength to disclose, the doors open and Mr. Ouishi comes outside. It's a distraction I was long hoping. Reece's jaw sets, clearly annoyed with Mr. Ouishi for breaking this trance.

"Mr. Dean, the police are waiting. The endgame?" Reece's gaze flashes back at me, waiting for my decision. I fall back short. I have words but can't spell them out. Reece's eyes soften as he grabs my face with both of his palms.

"We'll talk about this later. Can you do something for me?"

"What?"

"Go sit in the car and wait for me. Ten minutes and we'll be out of here. Can you do that?" His voice is soothing, almost as if he's afraid I might do something irrational behind his back. What am I going to do, run? I give him a slight nod, and Mr. Ouishi walks towards us.

"I'll take her." Reece nods, hands me off, and walks back inside of the building. I sigh into the chilly air and turn to face Oishi.

"I'm sorry for all of this," he says, his voice low and his eyes downcast.

"It's not your fault."

"I should have been there for you. Japan is never supposed to be like this."

"It's not Japan's fault. It's Singapore," I joke, hoping to diffuse the tense atmosphere around us. Mr. ouishi's eyes soften but still stands rigid. We walk together towards the limo.

"I'm sorry," he apologizes again. I grab his hand right when we get to the door. My gesture surprises him, but he doesn't pull away.

"You know, if I ever get a chance to come back here, I definitely will. Next time I want to sight-see! Will you take me on tour? I'd love to see the beauty of Japan." Ouishi's eyes light up, and I smile.

"Japan is beautiful! I would love to show you around."

"I wish I could stay longer," I answer, honestly. Apart from Singapore ruining my trip, I had the most fun here. Work aside, I know Japan could do me a substantial justice if I went out on tour. I wouldn't let anything get in my way of feeling distasteful of Japan. Kapoor will get what he deserves one way or another. We chat for about three good minutes before I slide back into the car. The wait for Reece isn't long. After ten additional minutes later, he climbs into the limo with me. It's incredible what his smell alone could do to me. I melt into the seat as he closes the door after him. Our eyes meet, and I briefly smile at him in which he returns.

"Ouishi tells me you want to tour Japan?" The admission causes my cheeks to redden.

"I'd love that. Maybe one day."

"What are you doing for Christmas?" Christmas? Greta and I exchange gifts, lay around, and watch Christmas movies to pass the time. We occasionally get drunk off of eggnogs. I forgot Christmas is coming up shortly.

"Nothing. But I'm hoping my boss doesn't make me come to work that day," I tease halfheartedly.

"I might just put you to work."

"Then you'd be cruel." The limo pulls away suddenly, causing my body to jerk back against the seat. Reece grabs my hand, and all the tension leaves my body.

"What's going to happen?" I whisper.

"I'll handle it. Don't worry about it." He gives me a small smile to reassure me, but my body goes rigid. I still remember what he did to Kapoor for me. How could I ever get the deadly look on Reece's face out of my mind?

"You're not going to kill him, are you?" I tease. His eyes flash something foreign, and I drink it in. He's an enigma, and that scares me deep inside. He doesn't answer me, which only proves my theory right. But I know he wouldn't actually do that. He wouldn't kill and certainly not for me.

"If you go to jail, then what's going to happen to your empire? Can I take over? Now that I know where your Will is?" Reece flashes me a smile, a real smile with all his pearly teeth.

"I'm not going to jail, so you can stop dreaming about ruining me."

"Who said anything about ruining you? I could put you to good use. You could be my assistant  while I sit on top of billions of dollars." Like him. Reece leans in, his hot breath washing over my face. I struggle to keep my eyes open. He smells so freaking good.

"What would you do with billions of dollars?" Billions. Just how rich is this man? I eye his lips.

"Travel the world. Buy a big mansion. Buy a Dalmatian. You know? Simple things only money can buy." Reece pulls back, and I almost whine.

"Dalmation?" His eyes flash curiosity as he smirks.

"They're expensive. And I really want one," I shrug, blushing.

"Where would you travel?"

"Where wouldn't I travel? Is the right question."

"Dream vacation?" He steeples his fingers over his lips in curiosity again. I turn my body a little to face him. No one has ever asked me personal questions like these before other than Greta. It's refreshing.

"Switzerland! I've always wanted to go to Switzerland." Reece watches me with an intense gaze as I smile at him.

"Where else?"

"Malaysia. I had this dream that I'd marry in Malaysia and have my honeymoon there. Switzerland would be my second honeymoon, and then I'd have a child in California."

"You thought about this pretty well, haven't you?"

"Of course. It's a dream after all," I smile. Reece regards me carefully, as if he's been analyzing me this whole time, and gives me a small warm smile. We pull into the airport moments later, where his private plane is already waiting for us.

"Ready?" He asks. I eye the plane.

"Yes." No, not really.