9 Lost in thought

Kristofer stared at the computer screen in front of him. He can't seem to think of anything at the moment. His mind was preoccupied with something else.

He shook his head. Finally giving up on trying to make his head focus on the work laid out in front of him, he reached for the phone on his desk and rang for Cheeky, his secretary.

"Clear my schedule for the day. I need to go out. If there is anything urgent, call me. But if it's not urgent, remind me to address them first thing tomorrow."

"Yes, sir." 

With that, Kristofer sat back in his chair. He shook his head for the second time before getting on his feet. 

He looked at his watch. It was close to lunch break, and he had no idea where to go. 

He wanted to clear his head and enjoy some good scenery. It might help him take his mind off that woman in the red dress and also try to figure out why his mother had suddenly developed such an interest in her.

Puzzling over this fact, Kristofer merely acknowledged the people around him with a brief nod. 

He made his way out of the office and eventually towards his car. He still had no idea where he was supposed to go. 

The date on his car's dashboard then caught his attention. He blew out a sigh. It was no wonder he felt so restless. 

He should have remembered. How could he ever forget? His mind has been preoccupied with the thoughts of that woman in red. He had lost track of the days.

Shaking his head for the third time, he also wanted to stop thinking about that mysterious woman.

Placing his focus back on the road, Kristofer put the key in the ignition and revved the engine to life. He began to back away from the driveway with a destination in mind.

As he hit the road, Kristofer was back to puzzling about what his mother meant by saying she wanted to officially meet the woman with him in the photo.

Aside from Grace, there was no other woman whom Kristofer had introduced to his mother. Although he had heard a lot of sermons from his mother about the scandals that floated around him, he wouldn't want his mother to meet any woman he'd actually commit to date.

'I haven't even brought anyone to my condo,' he thought, rolling his eyes when he thought of the countless women who claimed they had slept with him.

His condo was his haven. 

The media may have disclosed a few things about him, but Kristofer was grateful that they had let him have his privacy in his condo. 

If there was a safest place for him away from the annoying reporters, it would be his condo.

Kristofer finds it troublesome if some woman comes by his place and demands something he cannot give.

After what had happened with Grace, Kristofer did not want to have any kind of relationship with any woman. He did not want to undergo the same type of pain and longing.

Grace was his first love. 

It took him a while to admit that. 

But she was the first woman with whom he had fallen in love. 

If the circumstances had fallen in his favor, he and Grace should have been the ones arranged to be married. Unfortunately, Kristofer had to accept that he and Grace were never meant to be. So, his mother's sudden interest in the woman in the red dress has also piqued his curiosity.

Kristofer let his thoughts wander away while driving to a destination he had in mind. 

It was not that far, but it was far enough from the city that it would be the perfect place for him to find some quiet time, and it was also safe from any reporters trying to get a photo of him or have some story to write about.

As of the moment, he could only think of one reason why his mother would have wanted to meet with the mysterious woman. 

She was probably thinking of the deal he had made, and she was only sealing it early.

Kristofer scoffed. 

'As if that woman would agree to any deal with my mother,' he smirked. 'I bet they wouldn't even get along.'

--

Anna smirked as she scrolled through her emails. It appeared that she would be pretty busy after coming back from this short break and coming over to her grandmother.

There was one message from her latest customer. 

She thanked Anna briefly and let her know how satisfied she felt upon seeing Kristofer's face in the photo she had sent to her. 

She would have felt the same way if Anna were in her shoes.

Kristofer Almodiel was really something, though. Anna had to admit it, the guy was undeniably gorgeous. 

It was no wonder that women quickly fell for his charms. However, no matter how good-looking he was, he couldn't just toy around with women as he pleased. 

It made Anna feel infuriated, which only sparked her desire to help the person get the revenge they deserved.

Anna kept her phone away as she let out a sigh. She was standing by the window that overlooked the garden down below. 

She used to be against revenge. She knew that revenge was most often viewed as a bad thing. Yet, when she started the agency, her perspective changed.

Revenge was never good. That is an unchangeable fact. So Anna did not think that what she was doing was merely revenge. 

It was more like giving justice to people who had been hurt. It was giving justice to people whose only fault was to love the person whom they thought loved them back.

Anna knew what it felt like to be betrayed. 

She knew how much it hurt to find out that the person who made you believe in love would be the same person who would also shatter that belief.

She knew how it felt to not be able to do anything. She knew how numbing it was and how hopeless everything seemed. 

That was exactly why she wanted to be someone who could do something. 

She wanted to be someone who could retaliate against those heartless monsters who shamelessly walk around, continually living their lives while leaving several people broken and miserable.

'Those people don't deserve to live.'